Carla Brun, LICSW, PMH-C

The autumn equinox marks a seasonal transition point. A moment when day and night briefly hold equal length before the days gradually grow darker in the Northern Hemisphere. In many ways, autumn is a season of visible change. Leaves dry and fall. The air cools. The natural world begins slowing down and preparing for rest. Unlike spring, which is often associated with emergence and growth, autumn tends to bring us into contact with a different part of life’s cycle: transition release grief...

When your child is overwhelmed, it is natural to focus all of your attention on helping them calm down. But tantrums are a normal and necessary part of development, and your child will need to learn how to experience big emotions. Learning how to stay calm during toddler tantrums can start with a surprisingly small shift: instead of focusing all your attention on getting your child to calm down, see if you can stay connected to yourself and to them while you move through it together.

Self-blame often develops in childhood as a way of making sense of difficult or repeated experiences in caregiving relationships. This article explores why people may wonder, “why do I blame myself for everything,” and how these patterns can continue into adulthood as self-criticism, shame, and over-responsibility.