Protect Your Kids from Cyberbullies with this 1 Simple Habit

Cyberbullying was associated with mental health and substance use problems in adolescents but family dinners may help protect teens from the consequences of cyberbullying and
also be beneficial for their mental health.

About 1 in 5 adolescents has experienced recent online bullying and cyberbullying, like traditional bullying, can increase the risk of mental health problems in teens as well as the misuse of drugs and alcohol. It is important to understand whether cyberbullying contributes uniquely to mental health and substance use problems independent of its overlap with traditional face-to-face bullying. Family dinners are an outlet of support for adolescents.

Family dinners appeared to moderate the relationship between cyberbullying and the mental health and substance use problems. For example, with four or more family dinners per week there was about a 4-fold difference in the rates of total problems between no cyberbullying victimization and frequent victimization. When there were no dinners the difference was more than 7-fold.

Read More.

Lisa and I talk a lot about the power of rituals to impact family well-being on our radio program and in Parenting with Grace.  For more simple ideas for how you can  powerfully impact the well-being of your family, check it out.

Are You Thriving? 5 Ways YOU Can Live A Fuller Life.

Self-help books (including a couple of my own–see here and here) often talk about thriving versus merely surviving but have you ever wondered what it takes to really thrive?
shutterstock_148458929

Jesus said, “I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly” and I would argue that he was referring to both eternal life and life in the present.  Secular psychologists use the term “thriving” for what Christians might call an “abundant life”–at least this side of Heaven.    In fact,  researchers have identified 5 traits that correspond with living life to the full.

1. Hedonic Well-Being–has to do with how much satisfaction and enjoyment  you get from your life.  If you know how to enjoy yourself in healthy ways, have a good sense of humor, have compelling hobbies and interests, and take pleasure in the simple joys of daily life, you can be said to have a healthy degree of “hedonic well-being.”

2. Eudaimonic Well-Being–involves feeling like you are living a meaningful and purposeful life.  If you feel that you are making a positive difference with your life, can identify the small ways you are making the world a better place by your presence or efforts, and have a sense that at least certain people are better off because you are in their life, you may be exhibiting a strong sense of “Eudaimonic Well-Being.”

3. Psychological Well-Beinghas to do with having  a healthy, positive view of oneself combined with the absence of any mental health symptoms or disorders.  If you like who you are as a person, feel good about your ability to set and meet positive goals in your life, and don’t exhibit psychological/emotional problems that negatively impact your ability to function well in your work, roles, and relationships, you probably exhibit a high degree of “Psychological Well-Being.”

4.  Social Well-Being–involves having meaningful connections to people you care about and who care about you.  If you  feel that you can have faith in other people, that others are basically trustworthy,  if you are affirmed by a group that shares your values and beliefs, and feel generally cared for by the people who share your life, you probably have a high degree of Social Well-Being.

5. Physical Well-Being–  As you might guess, Physical Well-Being refers to your physical strength and health.  If you are physically fit, at a good weight for your height, are able to maintain appropriate activity levels, and are physically capable to doing all the activities that are important to you, you probably exhibit a high degree of Physical Well-Being.

Very few people have achieved well-being across all five areas associated with thriving, but the degree to which  you can say you exhibit at least some of each of these 5 categories of well-being is the degree to which you can say that you are thriving in your life, rather than just surviving it.

Beyond being a measure of the degree to which a person is thriving, these categories can be very useful in helping you determine which areas to focus on in order to achieve greater fulfillment in your life.  Which areas are you strongest in?  Which areas would you like to make improvements?

If you would like to learn more about how you can thrive in every area of your life and relationships, contact the Pastoral Solutions Institute Tele-Counseling Practice (740-266-6461) to speak with a counselor about how you can start living a more abundant life today!