As a new school year dawns upon us, the excitement of fresh beginnings fills the air: new classrooms, new relationships, new skills and new opportunities to learn and grow. Yet for some students, this period can be marked by uncertainty, worry and anxiety. While it’s normal to experience nerves, some kids and teens experience a level of fear or anxiety that ultimately leads to school refusal.  

As we embark on this journey into a new year, it's important to bring awareness to the realities of school refusal: what it is, some telltale signs, its underlying causes, and how caregivers can help guide their loved ones toward a positive and successful school year ahead. 

What Is School Refusal? 

School refusal occurs when a child or teen experiences intense anxiety or fear related to attending school that results in avoiding the environment altogether. It's not just your typical "I don't want to go to school" reaction once in a while – it causes a mix of intense and prolonged emotional an...

The technological advances of the past few decades have impacted our lives in more ways than we can count. They’ve simplified the way we communicate, given us access to an endless supply of information and provided us with entertainment at our fingertips. While many of these advancements have been positive, one of the more controversial downsides has been an increase in screentime for kids and adults alike.  

Screen time, especially during the more unstructured summer months, can be a challenge for many families – bringing up questions such as ‘How much is too much?’ or ‘How is this impacting my (or my child’s) mental health?’ Let's dive into the relationship between screen time and overall wellness. We'll focus on the significance of creating and maintaining strong routines in all seasons and providing tangible tips on how to create healthy habits that promote a balanced lifestyle. 

The Screen Time-Mental Health Connection 

Research has consistently shown that excessive screen time...

Some of the best parts of summer are the nostalgia and joy that come with it. Looking back on summers past, can you still feel that untouchable excitement that comes when the final bell rings on the last day of school? Or the warmth of the bonfire as you bite into a s’more surrounded by your friends? The feeling of jumping into the pool for the first summer swim on a hot day? For kids and parents alike, summer is a happy time filled with fun memories. 

When it comes to mental health, many people feel a decrease in stress and anxiety due to slower and more flexible schedules in the summer months. As a result, it may not feel as important to prioritize mental health during this season. However, in reality this time of the year provides us with an important opportunity to really focus on our wellness, building positive habits to take care of ourselves now as well as coping ahead for the inevitable busyness of the fall. 

Calm Waters

When schedules slow down we are presented with some op...

In the past, mental health was something that felt uncomfortable and unacceptable to talk about. Millions of people struggled silently, feeling unable to speak up under the heaviness of shame. While this reality is certainly still present for many, our society has taken big steps forward in destigmatizing mental health and increasing access to resources for those who need it most.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time for us all to come together each year to continue to raise awareness for mental health. While we must continue to spread awareness, we must also shift our focus to the next step in improving our mental health culture: taking action! 

Awareness Vs. Action

When we talk about the importance of mental health awareness, let’s first take a look at some of the stats surrounding mental health in the U.S. According to the National Institute on Mental Illness (NAMI):

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2021
• 17% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a menta...

Life moves at an incredibly fast pace. We are constantly pulled in multiple directions — by the demands of our jobs, our families, our social obligations and so much more. It’s common for us to look back at the past weeks or months and realize they have passed in a blur.

Without taking time to slow down, be mindful, and take care of ourselves, not only do we lose out on making meaningful memories, we are also susceptible to chronic stress and burnout. 

Discovering how to respond to these experiences and proactively prevent them in the future is critical for your mental health and wellbeing. Let’s talk about how we can avoid chronic stress & burnout and build positive habits to keep us feeling energized & full!

How Full Is Your Cup?

One of our favorite metaphors we use at Simply Bee when talking about stress and burnout is this: you have to fill up your cup before you can fill up others. The water in said ‘cup’ symbolizes your energy level — when it’s full, you’re feeling purposeful...

The world outside our windows is full of wisdom. We stand to learn so much from nature and its ceaseless cycles of rebirth and regrowth. 

There is no better example of such a cycle than the seasons. Just as quickly as the bitter winter winds blow in, they are replaced by the flourishing of spring. In this beautiful transition, nature exhibits a quality that is integral to strong mental health: resilience. 

Resilience has become somewhat of a buzzword in the mental health world. The more it is researched in relation to prevention and treatment outcomes, the more we have come to understand its importance in the wellness of all people. But what does resilience really mean? And if it’s so important, how can we focus on building resilience in our lives and the lives of those around us? 

In this blog post, we’ll dig into all things resilience: what it means, why it’s important, and strategies for increasing your own. 

Defining Resilience

Resilience is defined in a variety of ways. In ps...

When you hear a loved one say something negative about themselves, what is your reaction? Usually, we’re quick to jump in with words of encouragement, a hug, or reassurance of all the ways in which they shine.

It feels easy to do this for the people we care about because their positive attributes are so clear to us. Showing compassion, acceptance and love to our closest friends and family just feels natural. Why, though, does it feel so difficult to lend this same compassion to ourselves?

For many, the answer to this question is the inner critic — that pesky voice in the back of your head that’s always telling you you’re not good enough. It works tirelessly to convince you of all the reasons that you don’t deserve love. 

If your inner critic has been keeping you in the trap of negativity, then keep reading! We’re going to dive into some strategies for how to fight back and work towards self-compassion, healing and growth. 

Get To Know Your Critic

The first step towards any kind of...

When you look back on the past year, what feelings come up? Maybe feelings of gratitude — for the relationships you’ve built & strengthened, a successful year at work, or the growth you experienced personally. Maybe last year was a particularly trying one, and you feel the heaviness of sadness, loss, or worry. 

Whatever this past year looked like for you, the start of a new year is a season for reflection on the past and a hopeful look towards what’s ahead. When you close your eyes and picture yourself a year from today doing this same activity, what do you hope to have accomplished? How do you want to feel? What are your goals – and what actions do you need to take to achieve them? 

With these things in mind, you can now set your resolutions accordingly.

New Year's Resolutions are a hot topic at this time of year. While great in theory, they are notoriously challenging for people to achieve and sustain. The good news? Failed resolutions tend to have two things in common. That means...

How To Gain Control In Times of Uncertainty

By: Audrey Grunst, LCSW

Change and uncertainty can feel scary and overwhelming. But, change is a fact of life. It can be big or small, planned or unexpected – and it can carry with it both negative and positive feelings. That’s what makes it so complex. If you focus on learning how to cope ahead during times of uncertainty, you will gain control of your emotional responses and likely be able to tolerate the ebbs and flows that inevitably come with life. 

Are You A Responder or A Reactor?

Have you ever considered if you respond to situations or react to them? Imagine being at work and you receive an email from your boss about a big change in process that will add a lot more work to your plate. Is your knee-jerk reaction to fire off a scathing email response, storm out of the building, bang your hands on your desk in exasperation, or run to a co-worker and immediately start complaining about how management could possibly be doing this to yo...

Free Your Mind Through Creativity

By: Audrey Grunst, LCSW

Creativity shouldn’t be stressful, but for many people, the thought causes anxiety. #Spoileralert: you don’t have to be an “artist” to use creativity to express yourself. Creativity is a state of being and art therapy is a powerful tool that helps people express themselves! It’s time to take your inner words and learn to release them through art expression. 

Go with the Flow

A "flow state" is a mental state in which a person performing an activity or task is fully immersed in a feeling of energized attention, full participation and sense of fulfillment.

The idea of flow has been well researched and shown to exist within many different forms. It's a healthy state for our brains to thrive, grow and recharge! 

Flow comes from many different places, and for most it’s when you’re feeling hyper focused and relaxed while doing something. That could be playing a musical instrument, working on a physical and repetitive task, playin...