Introducing My New Book: Is Your Child Addicted To Electronics? 30 Days of Healing & Recovery for Your Child & Family
It’s the same old story. It’s dinner time, and John is in his room, playing his Xbox. You have yelled over and over for him to come down, with no result. He yells he is in the middle of a game, and cannot stop. You wait 5-10-15 minutes, while dinner grows cold. You begin to eat, annoyed and frustrated. The same thing happens every night. He never comes to the table when called. He rarely does homework on his own. He is always playing games or watching YouTube videos. He yells at you often and does not understand why you are upset.
You have grounded him from electronics before. You have hidden the Xbox. He finds it and plays anyway. You have taken away his tablet, which he then steals your phone. He yells and screams at you for not allowing him to get online. He says all his friends are online, and they don’t have a mean parent like you.
A week passes. You get your credit card bill and discover $200 of charges you did not authorize. You find it is for games from the Xbox store, and figure out John stole your credit card to buy them. You feel so angry, so betrayed and you don’t know what to do anymore. Nothing works. Now John is a thief, and when you confront him, he then turns it back on you. He yells other parents buy their kids games, and that without games, he cannot play with his friends, and cannot have a life.
Sound Familiar? For many parents, this scenario is all too common. What do you do then, to help your child balance life with electronics, while putting your family back together?
To help answer this question, I have created a 30 Day Plan to help you learn how to set limits on electronics, as well as working to help bring healing to your family.
Parents: Why Telling Your Children “You Can Do Anything” Is A Bad Idea
All good parents want the best for their children. Good parents spend time with their children teaching them about the world, and how to be happy in it. For around the past 20 years, many parents have told their children “You can do anything if you put your mind to it!”. While this is a positive, feel-good message, it sometimes can do more harm than good. Children need limits, and sometimes in life, they will not be able to achieve their goals. Telling your children, they can do be anyone or do anything sets them for unrealistic expectations.
The Connection Between Social Anxiety & Internet Addiction
When you see a teenager or young adult on their cell phone, what are they doing? Are they making phone calls? Are they playing a game with a friend? Or are they texting or communicating with someone in an app? Often they are interacting on social media, using technology to make their voice heard. For teenagers and young adults, social media is their primary method of communication. The question is, how many are addicted to the Internet due to social anxiety?
Hate LinkedIn’s Redesign? How To Export Your Linkedin Contacts, With Tags!
Do you use Linkedin for Marketing? Their recent update eliminated tagging connections. Learn how to Export your connections, with Tags!
Teens: Why Becoming An Esports Athlete Is A Bad Idea
Many teenagers and young adults want to become Esports athletes. However, for most, becoming an Esports athlete leads to failure and pain.
Mental Health Professionals, Do You Encrypt Your Data?
Mental health professionals are busy people, working to help others with their problems. After spending the day listening to people, taking notes, and filing insurance claims, most mental health professionals do not have time to think about encryption and security. Many use their personal computers, tablets, or cell phones for business related purposes, resulting in private information often being present on these devices. What happens then, if someone hacks into these devices? Often, this means Client data could end up in a criminal’s hands, with the therapist being held responsible for the breach. A criminal would like mental health information for blackmail and extortion. If you are a mental health professional, I have a question for you: what steps have you taken to protect your Client’s electronic data?
Grounding: An Effective, But Strange Coping Skill
Want to learn a powerful coping skill that helps with PTSD, Anger, Anxiety, Anger and Focus? I present Grounding: a very unusual coping skill!
Internet Addiction: Kicking the Habit – 30 Day Plan to Take Back Your Life
After years of working with people who have been addicted to the Internet and electronics, I have finished my first book. My book, Internet Addiction: Kicking the Habit – 30 Days Plan to Take Back Your Life, is now available for purchase. This book is both a self-help book and a guide of how to gain control of the Internet.
Looking For Low Cost Prescriptions? GoodRx Can Help!
The other day I was in a pharmacy when I learned about GoodRx, a website which can help you save money on your prescriptions. As many people spend hundreds of dollars a month on medications, a website that can help you save money is a blessing. The great thing about GoodRx is it is free and works for those who have or do not have insurance. I saw first hand how it saved over 60% on a medication, and decided I needed to post about this so others know of it as well.
Pokemon Go: The Birth of Augmented Reality Addiction
The birth of Augmented Reality (AR) is here. All though AR has been around for some time, it has not gotten much attention. That all ended with the release of Pokemon Go on July 6th. For now on, prepare to see hoards of zombie-like cellphone users wherever you go. So, what is Augmented Reality, what is Pokemon Go, and how are they addictive?
How Career Concerns Influence Internet Addiction in Teens
The future can appear scary, especially for teens. Concerns over the right career have caused many teens to retreat into an Internet Addiction. While career concerns exist for most teens, many have become addicts to avoid making a career choice. Read further to learn more, and how to help your teenager out of this crisis.
Potty Training & Autism Spectrum Disorders: Book Review
Teaching hygiene to a child is difficult, especially when the child is on the Autism Spectrum. Children often do not see the need for hygiene as germs and bacteria do not make sense to them. Due to oversensitivity, many children on the Autism Spectrum find activities such as showering or using the restroom a difficult task. How do parents then teach their Autistic children how to use the restroom and practice proper hygiene? Claire Hope’s book, Potty Training & Autism Spectrum Disorders, How to Teach Autistic Children Hygiene Skills, does a good job providing basic tips in teaching Hygiene.
Dangerous Autism Cure: What Exactly is MMS?
If you have researched Autism cures in the past, you may have come across a potential “cure” called MMS. MMS stands for Master Mineral Solution, a chemical mixture consisting of high levels of Chlorine Dioxide. Chlorine Dioxide is used as a bleaching solution as it breaks down harmful chemicals and is found in small quantities in many water treatment plants in the US. The creators of MMS claim their solution can fight the malaria parasite, fungi, bacteria & parasites. They even claim their solution can fight viruses. People have used MMS to treat HIV, hepatitis, H1N1 Flu Virus, Colds, Acme, Cancer, and Autism. The problem is, the FDA has warned against the use of MMS, citing it as a potentially dangerous product. What exactly is MMS, and why are people using it?
5 Ways to Reduce Electronics Addiction During the Summer
Summer is here, and it is time for many children to binge 12-16 hours a day in electronics. Between television, gaming systems, tablets and computers, children will be spending much of their time with electronics. In today’s digital world, there are few alternatives to electronics. What are parents to do, if they do not want their children addicted to electrics? In truth, electronics, and the Internet can be addictive, with millions of children already addicted in the US and worldwide. As a former Internet addict, I understand just how tempting and demanding the Internet can be. Below is a list of actions parents can take to help reduce their screen time and help to prevent an addiction from forming.
Treating Autism: Part 4 – Environmental Considerations
In the last article of this series, joining and repetitive actions were discussed, with ways to better interact with and communicate with your child. Joining is an important step in treating Autism, as children need to know they can trust others, especially parents. Due to overstimulation interactions are difficult, causing attention problems and even pain. To best join and interact with your child, a proper environment needs to be created. Creating an environment that is not overstimulating may be difficult, as what we consider overstimulating will be different for someone with Autism.
Autism & Gaming: How Obsessions Lead to Addiction
The other day I was reading an article discussing the negative impact gaming can have on people with Autism. It got me thinking about trends I am noticing from the Clients I have who both have Autism and some form of Gaming Addiction. As a gaming addict with autistic...
Is Gaming Addiction Real?
Gaming has grown up in the past 20 years. No longer is it for the nerd in the basement. As gaming is now mainstream, we must ask the question, is Gaming Addiction real?
Poll Finds 50% of Teens Feel Addicted to Their Mobile Devices
If you have a teenager, you most likely argue about screen time and Internet use. As the Internet has become a major part of our lives, it has transformed the way we access information. For teenagers who have been raised with access to the Internet, they cannot imagine the world without it. Teenagers, as well as adults, have a difficult time without access to the Internet. A poll conducted by Common Sense Media found 50% of teenagers feel they have an addiction to their mobile devices, along with 27% of the parents.
Why I Don’t Take Notes During A Therapy Session
While I was in graduate school working towards my Master’s in Psychology, I was encouraged to take notes in therapy sessions, as a means of remembering important information. At the time it made sense, and I felt it was a good practice. I was used to taking notes, being a student for over 10 years, so the idea of taking notes during a therapy session seemed like a reasonable idea. When I began my Practicum and later my Internship, I realized taking notes in the session did not work for me. As a therapist who works with difficult issues (Asperger’s & Internet Addiction), I found taking notes in sessions disconnected me from my Clients.
Choose: Give Up the Internet Forever or an Eye – 40% Lost the Eye
In a survey conducted by AT&T of over 2,000 US Internet Users, nearly 40% of responders would rather lose an eye than give up the Internet forever. What is more shocking, is 90% would let a friend die than give up Internet Access! More horrifying results contained within.
