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Last week, I gave the first in a series of three talks for the Junior League of Summit about psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. This virus poses a significant threat not only to our physical health but also to our mental health. The consequences of dealing with illness (either one’s own or a relative’s), social isolation, disruption of one’s…
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Emma, mom to a 1 and 3 year-old, was a proud member of what she called “The Sleep Police.” Her kids were on a strict sleeping/napping schedule that she would move mountains to maintain. By her own admission, Emma was rigid with her children’s schedules, believing that if she wasn’t, chaos would ensue. Emma’s holiday plans always involved staying over…
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Moms, you are not Santa. You do not have magical reindeer. You cannot consume a gazillion chocolate chip cookies without getting gravely ill. And, most importantly, you do not have a staff of elves to do your bidding. In a recent post I talked about how moms have overblown expectations for the holiday season—they expect magical things to happen and…
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Those of you who’ve seen my previous videos and articles will know that I am a hardcore fan of planning ahead for big events. Not surprisingly, I advocate for extensive holiday planning, starting a few weeks out from the holidays. Here are a few guidelines for effective holiday planning: Break big tasks down into smaller steps: Make a list of…
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As soon as my son was born, I started dreaming about his first holiday season, even though it was only April. By the time December rolled around I had everything perfectly planned out: adorable Christmas sweater, check. Toy menorah, check. Appointment to sit on Santa’s lap, check. I’d waited so many years to bring the magic of the holidays to…
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We’ve all seen those back-to-school ads: kids look depressed while moms look positively gleeful, happily dancing through the aisles of an office supply store as they lob pencils and glue into their carts. But in reality, moms are often anxious at back-to-school time. They worry about everything from how they’ll get everything on the school supply list to how their…
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I’m Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, Ph.D., aka DrCBTMom. DrCBTMom.com combines the expert advice of a self-help book with the warmth and readability of a mommy blog.
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