Additionally, practicing empathy would include creating a positive outcome in a given situation. Now, this definition goes a bit beyond the scope of this podcast but will be important in the future. For this week's podcast, understanding the concepts of "emotional literacy," "feeling with others," and "tuning in to feelings" will be important. 

UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World

If you are experiencing generational trauma, or if you have experienced your own trauma(s), it is important to find help and support. Often this can be a friend or a family member, and sometimes professional help in the form of support groups, or individual therapy is necessary. Listen to this week's podcast where I talk about genograms, adverse childhood experiences, and mindfulness all in the context of healing generational trauma.

Therapist Aid Genogram

Support Groups

At the end of last week's episode, I briefly mentioned the idea that boys and girls experience prenatal and postnatal parental stress differently. A listener reached out and asked about that. I embarked on the task of researching this. I did not find much, but what I did find was interesting and worth talking about. I hope it is meaningful to you, and that you can make some sense of it. Men and women experience post-traumatic stress disorder and potential traumatic encounters differently. Diagnostic criteria, types of trauma, and coping strategies are unique in men and women. Listen to this week's podcast for some insight into the new research that explains how and why this is the case. Below are a couple of articles for your reference. 

How Does Trauma Discriminate Between Men and Women?

Why Men and Women May Respond Differently to Psychological Trauma?

Natural disasters, systemic exploitation, poverty, and war are traumatic experiences that are passed down as inherited trauma. Additionally, maternal stress, emotionally absent parents, attachment wounds, and adverse childhood experiences are generational trauma. This week's podcast expands on the circumstances and situations that can be considered generational trauma and touches on the definition and explanation of epigenetics. The research continues on these important topics. 

What is Generational Trauma

What Is Genetic Trauma?

Generational trauma is trauma that can be experienced by more than one person, passed down from grandmother to grandson, or father to daughter. Often it is silent and lacks definition or detail. It can be implied or taught. The symptoms include anxiety, depression, substance use, or PTSD. Listen to this week's podcast and begin the journey of understanding historical trauma, generational trauma, epigenetics, and their role in the lives of both adults and children. 

The Legacy of Trauma

Empathy is not something we "have or don't have" by a certain age. Empathy is somewhat of a work in progress - certainly through childhood and adolescence, but oftentimes even into adulthood. Most people are born with the capacity for empathy, but it is something that needs to be experienced, taught, practiced, and cultivated. Listen to this week's podcast where I discuss empathy using Michelle Borba's book Unselfie. It's a good podcast and a better book. 

UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World

In this episode, I talk about perspective, tolerance, valid realities, conflict, abuse, and doing your own work. There are innumerable variables at play in any relationship, and it is difficult to talk specifically about interpretations of conflict and abuse. There are some behaviors that are universally understood to be abusive, and there are many others that are not. Listen to this week's podcast for some information that will enable you to make your own decisions. 

How Do You Know If You Should Stay or Go?

5 Signs A Broken Relationship Is Still Worth Saving

Conflict or abuse? That's a big question and one that should be taken seriously. However, barring universally understood abusive behaviors, there is a lot of wiggle room for people to decide for themselves. Not everyone has the same level of tolerance for conflict in their relationships. What one may consider manageable, another may find insufferable. I've decided to break this topic into two parts and discuss the concept of conflict this week, and abuse next week. At that point, it is my hope that each person will have their own understanding of what are acceptable vs. unacceptable behaviors in their relationships. 

A question from the Instagram "ask me anything" was about moving on from a therapist, coach, or counselor who is no longer serving your best interests. This week I answer that question using advice and insight from therapists. Ending relationships - your stylist, your dentist, even your dog groomer - can be tricky. There are some important do's and don'ts. It's hard to manage the emotions and anxiety around this potentially difficult step. We don't want to hurt feelings, we may not be happy about the prospect of finding someone new. Listen to this week's podcast to understand this phenomenon and learn some tips. 

Giveaway winners are announced on the podcast and will be announced on Instagram this week. Thanks for participating with comments, goals, and reviews.  I am definitely going to do this again. Listen to this week's podcast to hear me talk about play for another 25 minutes. This is important stuff and I am bad at it. I hope you are incorporating more unstructured time into your week. I have some more ideas for play at home and at work on the podcast this week.