all the chocolate!!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay The most enduring aspect of personality and the one that’s the most consistent predictor of success is conscientiousness. Conscientiousness is hardwired and reflects carefulness, vigilance and a desire to do well. Conscientious people are well-organized and efficient. This trait takes a hit when people are jobless. The core personality changes under the conditions of unemployment. The longer men are unemployed, the more their conscientiousness declines. Women were more conscientious in the earlier and later stages, but had a slump in the middle. As joblessness continues, men may not see a need to put energy into being organized and efficient because there’s no reason to do anything well. Women, on the other hand, become aware that they’re dropping the ball, get anxious about the decline and resume their previous level of efficiency. Jobs have the power to change us. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch. At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Don't miss a thing! Yes and this is good news. A program designed to help fourth and fifth graders use mindfulness techniques in the school setting has had some unexpected results. The students were taught breathing techniques and movement exercises. As it turns out, these kids showed progress, as expected, in managing their stress, and were more optimistic and helpful. They were better liked by other kids! The unexpected benefit was that they performed better on math tests. It’s likely the case that they were more present and relaxed and actually paid attention to the math signs and the computational process. Math anxiety is a serious issue, resulting in what appear to be careless errors. In reality, mistakes come from working fast to get it done and get away from it. Mindfulness plays a significant role in performing well on tests. Look into it for your student. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch. At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Get the week's 5 Parenting Pointers and blog posts delivered to your digital door. Don't miss a thing! Image by Michael Drummond from Pixabay Between 1994 and 1996, thousands of teens were asked questions about their sleep habits.
Six years later, the same kids with sleep problems, also had issues related to binge drinking, driving under the influence of alcohol, risky sexual behavior and illegal drugs. These problems are likely caused by a combination of regulatory disorders like Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and depression. ADHD often shows up first in childhood when babies have colic and sleep disturbances which are regulatory deficits. Kids don’t just “outgrow these issues”. The problems become more evident as the demands of life increase. The greater the struggle, the less sleep they get and the anxiety becomes overwhelming. They use drugs, alcohol and destructive behavior to distract themselves. Take steps to manage these problems early. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch. At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Get the week's 5 Parenting Pointers and blog posts delivered to your digital door. Don't miss a thing? People on the autistic spectrum can and do go to college, but there’s a lot to consider before the “big exit”. Even if your child had a stellar performance in high school, get comprehensive testing to check out learning problems and social deficits that were managed in school, but will cause serious problems in college. You won't be there to monitor them! Check out schools online to learn about autism support programs. Some schools do a great job and others, not so much. Visit schools and ask questions about support services including social mentoring. I find that my clients do best starting at a community college or a local 4-year school. The smaller school reduces the anxiety of sensory sensitivities. The antics of freshmen, problems with understanding sexual situations and being rigid about rules are certain to get them into trouble in a dorm. If you don't know about their strengths and weaknesses and prepare them "for departure", it's sure to get ugly. Claudia Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch. At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question. Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Get the week's 5 Parenting Pointers and blog posts delivered to your digital door. Don't miss a thing! |
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