The Ron Clark Academy - Kids who enjoy going to school (CNN)

Here's a great initiative to bring joy and enthusiasm back into our children's lives. It reminds me more of what my experience was like at camp every summer. Those summer experiences helped me become a socially conscious person and a leader. I would love to see more programs like this around the nation in our schools. What do you think? Could school be filled with joy, music and excitement?

Saturday's Song for the Soul: High School Choir Gives An Impromptu Performance in a Hotel Pool

Thought for the Day: Sometimes the best experiences in life are the ones that happen by chance. In this day and age they may get recorded. Here's what happened when a The Stillwater High School Chorus from Minnesota began to sing in a hotel pool.
Have you ever sung in a great place with friends. I did it when I was just 18 in Jerusalem. We realized it was Christmas Eve and the group of Jewish kids from around the world on a leadership training course sang Christmas Carols on a public bus. The Israelis applauded our impromptu concert as well!
I hope you enjoy this and the rest of your weekend!
http://www.stillwatercurrent.com/watch-re-watch-stillwater-area-high-school-choirs-viral-hotel-pool-video/

Mother's Day Special Edition

My Mother, Ethel, in her younger days

Thought for the Day: Mother's Day wasn't the same for me for many years when I lived abroad. I left after finishing high school when I was 17 and did not live in the United States for many years. I was not a rebellious teenager, but as all teens, I did not always see eye to eye with my mother. Since Mother's Day was not celebrated nationally in May where I was living, I often forgot about the holiday. I was busy working, studying and raising my own children. Usually there was a Mother's Day celebration in my children's schools, but it did not coincide with American Mother's Day. Phone calls cost a fortune and I was not the best correspondent. I regret that I did not pay too much attention to American Mother's Day over those years. When I remembered I would wish my Mother a Happy Mother's Day, but she never seemed to mind.
     When I moved back to the Boston, my mother lived in Houston. Every Mother's Day, we would speak. Somehow, I tried to let her know how grateful I was for all she had done for me, whenever we spoke or saw each other throughout the year. It was not until after she moved to Boston that in addition to Mother's Day steak dinners and orchid corsages, which she loved,  a new Mother's Day tradition developed for me and my mother. It wasn't officially Mother's Day, but it became my personal holiday with her.
     My mother was getting older and had more and more dietary restrictions. She liked to go out, but she also enjoyed visits at her apartment in Arlington. It started with my feeling a strong desire to simply spend time with her on my birthday. Her apartment was on the bike path from Bedford where I lived which stretched to Cambridge. First, I would drop by on my bike. She would offer to take me out, but often we simply spent several hours together just enjoying each other's company. Even after I moved from Bedford, I would drive to my mother's apartment and spend time on my birthday with her. Throughout my life, she, and my grand mother were my biggest fans, even when she disagreed with me. On my birthday, I felt such immense gratitude that spending my birthday with her seemed like the perfect "Mother's Day" gift I could give to her. Every day, I miss her and wish I could share with her all the joys (and sorrows) that life has continued to bring to me and all her children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren. She would be so proud of them all. Happy Mother's Day!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: The Hidden Dangers of Not Hearing Apologies

Thought for the Day: Earlier this week I reposted an article, Sorry May Be The Hardest Word In Any Language, on why learning to apologize is vital to healthy relationships. One of my readers, María Gilbert 

noted that 

"there are some apologies that we don't hear, and yet they're the loudest." 

Maria was speaking about times when people's remorseful behavior is an attempt to apologize. However, her comment made me think about the times when someone apologizes to us, but we fail to hear them. My previous blogpost addressed the importance of owning your mistakes and apologizing, but what are the hidden dangers of not hearing apologies? The title of this post is intentionally ambiguous. In addition to the possibility of not hearing a sincere apology when it is given, it also refers to holding a grudge when apologies are not forthcoming. Both can cause serious harm to our mental health. Read on to see the hidden dangers of not hearing apologies...

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Rollo May & Dr. Barbara Lavi

(Photo from Dr Rose in Bloom on Facebook)

Thought for the Day: Although it's Thursday, I saw this quote by Rollo May today and it inspired me to write some of my own words of wisdom related to Dr. May's statement. Somehow, while I am busily preparing for the start of the Passover holiday tomorrow, it struck a chord for me. Here's my interpretation:

"If we can learn to embrace our uniqueness and encourage our children to value their own uniqueness and respect it in others, the world would be a better more peaceful place." Dr Barbara Lavi

The recent news of racism on college campuses and insensitivity of some police officers to minorities saddens me. As the spring holidays of Passover and Easter approach this weekend, I hope you will find the courage to promote nonconformity, tolerance of differences and fight prejudice. Happy Holiday and hopefully, finally a happy beginning to spring.

#FF Wonderful Weekend Review: Psychology, Health, Art, Music & Comics

Thought for the Day: Here's some interesting articles about #Alzheimer's research, #Couples & #Memory, A #Blind Artist accomplishing their dreams, #stress, & reducing the calorie count of rice along with some great #GIF's and some funny #comics & a #Multimedia, #Music, #Dance and water sculpture video. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. Have a great weekend!  View my Flipboard Magazine.

Thursday's Psychology Tip: Stressed? Try Coloring

Thought for the Day: The last couple of months have been extremely stressful for many people. Thanks to Mother Nature, snow storms have battered the northeastern states of the United States in rapid succession. Record inches of snow have left it's residents house bound, stir crazy, and exhausted from shoveling snow from driveways and roofs. The beginning of more spring-like weather, may help, although the forecast for this weekend is for yet one more slushy snow storm followed by a cold snap. Today's Psychology Tip may help those of you suffering from yet another snowbound Friday! It may surprise you, but pull out the crayons and start drawing!
     Researchers have found that coloring can help reduce stress. When drawing, we activate both sides of the brain, stimulating both logic, creativity and pleasure, reminding us of positive aspects of childhood. Different colors help us express different emotions, which is another reason that drawing can be therapeutic and help eliminate stress. The repetitive motion and focusing on coloring also appear to produce a form of active meditation. Currently, there are many books coloring books created for adults. For an array of  "Anti-stress gallery" of coloring books for adults take a look here.
     If want a free sample mandala to try to color for relaxation, you can click here (http://www.colormandala.com/) and download an art project from a number of wonderful designs and see for yourself how it helps this weekend. Use crayons, not markers which will seep through the paper. Let your creativity flow. If worries enter your mind, simply tell yourself to let them go and keep on coloring. You can add some relaxing music to enhance the relaxation as well. I'd love to hear how it works for you.

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Psychology, But Were Afraid To Ask

Thought for the Day: I hope the title of this blog post caught your attention and that you will help me out. I have been very busy for the last few months. It has led to less frequent posting on this blog. I have been trying to come up with ways to make the blog more interactive. In just 3 years, there have been over 150,000 page views. I know you are reading and commenting, but I want it to be even more helpful to my readers.

Instead of posting an article, I'd like to ask you to share your questions. What do you want to learn about psychology? What problems are you struggling with in your lives?  What would you like to know about mental health, mental illness, depression? Are there ways I could help you understand or cope with relationship issues or family conflicts? Parenting questions, work issues are just some of the possible areas you can ask about. I would like you to take advantage of my experience as a clinical psychologist to help you at this time in your life.

Consider this your opportunity to have a free private consultation. Ask whatever you have been afraid to ask in the past. You can post your questions here (using your g+ name) on the blog or e-mail me if you want your identity to be totally anonymous. My e-mail is DrBarbaraLavi@aol.com.

All inquiries will be replied to on the blog. Depending on the number of questions I receive, I will try to respond in a timely fashion with 1 to 3 questions answered a week.

#FF Wonderful Weekend Review: #ADHD, #Education, #Personality, #Comics & #Quotes

Click here to see the Magazine

Thought for the Day: Here are a few interesting articles on ADHD, education, how your personality may impact on your choice of places to live, comics, quotes, & photography. Enjoy!

Motivational Monday: In The War Against Terror, Hashtags & Rallies Are Just the First Steps

Thought for the Day: Last week's massacres in France, followed by the powerful images from yesterday's Unity March in Paris and the parallels to the rallies following the end of World War II have been on my mind all week. I was not alive when Hitler was defeated. However, I have seen movies depicting the war and the liberation of France. During World War II, many people turned a blind eye to the atrocities perpetrated against the Jews, Gypsies, and the disabled. Americans were reluctant to enter the war until it landed on their soil and did not want to see that Anti-semitism and prejudice fueled the Nazi regime. The rally in France was the largest since it was liberated from the Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, today anti-semitism along with anti-democratic sentiments are fueling the terrorist movements. In the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Elsa Cayat, 54, the only woman killed in the attacks, was a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and columnist who wrote a bi-monthly column, Le Divan. Cayat was believed to have been singled out because she was Jewish. The attack on a Kosher supermarket was also an intentional act of ant-semitism. Sadly, history is repeating itself. This time the world has an opportunity to do something to stop hate crimes.
     Yesterday's march was in many ways a victory. It was a victorious statement of victory over fear. There has been an outpouring of support around the world on social media with hashtags #JeSuisCharlie leading to massive responses on twitter & social media. The rally attended by over a million people and leaders from around the world are a show of support for freedom, but I fear that it is too soon to celebrate. Sadly, it will take more than rallies and hashtags to win a war against extreme terrorists who want to wipe out modern civilization along with the freedom of speech and religious diversity. Read on to see why...

#FF Wonderful Weekend Review 1/9/15 #JeSuisCharlie, #Psychology, #Music, #Photos, #Humor

Click Here to See the Magazine

Thought for the Day: This has been a tough start to the New Year. The events in Paris (Charlie Hebdo attack & Kosher Supermarket attack) were gripping and very upsetting for all those who cherish freedom and respect for differences. Today's magazine includes some of the reactions of cartoonists world wide. There are several psychology articles about ways to make the most of New Year's resolutions, improve relationships and use exercise to remain young. If you missed Kevin Spacey on the Billy Joel award show, take a look, it is a wonderful array of great singers saluting Billy Joel. There are wonderful photos showing parenthood from a different perspective than most posed family photos and more.

Thursday's Psychology Research finds: To Treat Depression, Drugs or Therapy? By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D. JANUARY 8, 2015 8:00 AM well.blogs.NYTimes

Stuart Bradford (From well.blogs.NYTimes.com)

Thought for the Day: Today, instead of creating a trivia post, I decided to share a great article I found today from a blog connected to the New York Times (well.blogs.NYTimes.com) by Richard A Friedman, MD. It raises some very important questions about how best to treat depression. It is refreshing to hear a physician question the strong bias towards medication over psychotherapy, even when research findings are supporting psychotherapy or a combination of psychotherapy and medications. I hope you will take a look. Here's the link:
             http://nyti.ms/1xJHC0k

Part II: 2014 Reader's Choice Top 10 Blog Posts: #Music, #Inspiration, #Psychology, and More

Here's Part II of the Reader's Choice 2014 Top 10 Posts. Thanks to all of you for reading, liking, commenting, sharing and for over 145, 000 page views! Have a wonderful start to the New Year!

#5 Saturday's Songs For The Soul: "Brave" By Sara Bareilles With A Video That Will Touch Your Heart

#4 Thursday's Psychology Trivia: True Or False: Children Raised By Single Moms Tend To Be Emotionally Handicapped For Life 

#3 Thursday's Psychology Trivia Question: IQ Counts 4 What % Of Success In Life?

#2 Wednesday's Words Of Wisdom: Guest Post From Margie Bogdanow, LICSW

#1 #FF Friday's Fabulous Finds: Designing A Good Life, Photos, Homelessness, & Tornadoes