Families can take a simple self-care challenge by completing the Special Edition Self-Care Calendar activities provided by Steve Marconi @MrMarconi_MCPS. Enjoy and share your experiences!

Parenting in a digital world can be very challenging today but do not be discouraged because you do not have to do it alone. TREND MICRO offers free webinars that help you do just that! They have topics covering everything from managing screen time, TikTok Challenges, selfie safety and more! Click here to visit the TEND MICRO to see a list of free webinars for you to view!

Healthy adults model healthy behaviors for children. Our children are always watching what we do and are aware of how we manage stress! "Personal Thermometer is a technique developed by Julian Ford (1999), an expert in the field of trauma and recovery, that helps children and teens build awareness about how distressed or calm they are feeling “in the moment” and how in control or “dysregulated” they are feeling on a scale of 1-10. Used as a visual cue, the thermometer can build emotional awareness and help teens scale the intensity of their emotions. This technique is often paired with SOS below. SOS is a technique developed by Julian Ford (1999) to help children and adolescents feel more in control in the moment. The technique involves three steps that can help the individual focus and achieve clarity of their situation, what they are feeling, what to do next. The steps are: • Slow down (sit back, relax, take a deep breath, pay attention to breathing, one thought at a time). • Orient (pay attention to where you are, what you are doing, who you are with) • Self check (ask yourself how you are feeling and rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 for how stressed and in control you feel using the Personal Thermometer)" Information provided by: Copyright © 2014 National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org