As technology intertwines with daily life, the impact of screen time on our mental health is under scrutiny. Navigating this digital landscape for a healthier, mindful presence is our focus this December.

Unplugging for Balance

Stepping away from screens is an art form in our hyper-connected world. Studies affirm that excessive social media usage is linked to elevated depression and anxiety symptoms, especially when juggling multiple platforms. Younger age groups, heavy on screen time, face increased risks of mental health issues.

Sleep and Screens

The bedtime scroll might be more harmful than we think. Technology use before sleep, especially interactive devices, significantly affects sleep quality and patterns.

Strategies for Digital Harmony

Mindful engagement and scheduling breaks from screens are keys to a balanced online life. Limiting social media exposure, establishing tech-free moments, and diversifying offline activities are effective tactics. Setting clear guidelines within families and using digital well-being tools are also vital.

Guidelines for Parents

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry advocates age-specific screen time limits, emphasizing parental supervision and encouraging healthy habits while discouraging screen use as a soothing tool.

• Limit screen time for infants: Until 18 months, engage in video chats supervised by an adult.
• From 18 to 24 months, allow educational programming with adult supervision.
• For children aged 2-5, restrict non-educational screen time to 1 hour on weekdays and 3 hours on weekends.
• Encourage healthy habits for ages 6 and above while minimizing screen-based activities.
• Avoid screens during family meals and outings
• Implement parental controls, refrain from using screens as distractions or soothing tools
• Ensure screens are off and removed from bedrooms 30-60 minutes before bedtime.

Psychological Telehealth Therapy

The evolution of mental health care via telehealth services has revolutionized therapy accessibility. It breaks geographical barriers, offers convenience in scheduling, and provides various communication channels. While it shares goals with face-to-face therapy, telehealth differs in accessibility, convenience, and personal interaction. Various platforms and applications are available in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the most important of which is the Seha application, which is provided free of charge by the Ministry of Health and provides many digital health services.

The Renewal and Reward Center is considered one of the leading centers in the field of psychological care and is licensed by the Ministry of Health as an accredited center to provide psychological care through telehealth services.

Stay tuned for more on telehealth services and distant psychological treatment from the perspective of mental health professionals and beneficiaries.

To read more and explore our telehealth services, visit our website at https://www.renewalandreward.com/

Breastfeeding is an easy choice for some people, but others face barriers related to mental and physical health, financial, practical application or information, and this makes the choice more complicated.

We will review some of the reasons why mothers refuse to breastfeed:

Some health concerns:
Some health problems cause a decrease in milk production in mothers, which makes the breastfeeding process very stressful and undesirable. Some mothers may worry about the medications they take and how these medications may affect their babies.

Although people with some health issues can breastfeed naturally and are often encouraged to do so, it can still be difficult for some cases. Women with breast cancer may not be able to breastfeed after radiation therapy or a mastectomy. In addition, there are some other problems such as HIV infection, then breastfeeding is not recommended.

Personal beliefs:
In one of its articles on promoting breastfeeding, UNICEF notes that embarrassment, body image problems, fear and lack of confidence can all contribute to negative feelings about breastfeeding.

Fears and embarrassment about showing the breast to a nurse or breastfeeding a child can make many mothers feel uncomfortable. Modesty is personal and very important in our Arab world, but there are several ways to help feel comfortable and private in breastfeeding, such as using cloth covers when feeding.

When thoughts of breastfeeding cause embarrassment, inconvenience, or shame, a parent is likely to decide not to breastfeed. In addition, some people see breasts as sexual objects and may find it difficult to get over that.

Lack of support, moral or physical
The truth is that getting to breastfeed can be difficult, especially without guidance on necessary skills such as latching on and preventing nipple pain and engorgement. Many new parents do not receive breastfeeding support once they leave the hospital. Sometimes, they don’t get much help while in the hospital, and they also may not know where to turn for help or who to go to with questions if they have problems. They also may not know how common it is to struggle or become frustrated while dealing with breastfeeding.

If new parents are not given follow-up instructions and information about the resources available to them, they may be more likely to stop breastfeeding.

The impact of health care providers
Some healthcare professionals are not educated in breastfeeding techniques or how to deal with breastfeeding issues. If the parent or child’s healthcare provider does not support or understand breastfeeding, any challenges that arise may not be adequately resolved. Or parents may not be encouraged to continue nursing.

It can be difficult to deal with a new baby, family responsibilities, home, and the additional stress of work or school. The pressures of pumping or breastfeeding are stressful, and regular pumping isn’t always possible with every work or school schedule. It may contribute to parents’ reluctance to breastfeed.

Financial problems:
Buying pumps and enrolling in breast-feeding courses can be expensive. If women need to pump and don’t know where to go for help or don’t qualify for programs like WIC, and can’t afford to get the help they need, it may prevent them from continuing to breastfeed.

However, it should be noted that long-term breastfeeding tends to be much less expensive than using formula. Aside from pumping, which not all women may need, breastfeeding is less expensive.

finally

We can all overcome the barriers to breastfeeding. Also, “We need to educate mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding, emphasizing that if you cannot breastfeed your baby will be fine.

Breastfeeding is a personal choice that should be respected. Parents who decide not to breastfeed should not be judged, and we all need to understand each other’s choices and support each other regardless of the feeding (or parenting) method we choose. In the end, we all want the same thing – to have happy, healthy children.

This article was written by

Rejuvenating and stimulating complex

Psychologist

Alaa Al-Hawsawi

What are panic attacks?
It is a group of symptoms during which a person feels a sudden state of fear and discomfort accompanied by a group of physical symptoms such as:
Severe palpitations, shivering, a feeling of suffocation or stifling, difficulty in breathing, sweating, dizziness and unsteadiness, a feeling of tingling or numbness, hot or cold flashes. There are also some thoughts associated with the seizure, often the fear of losing control, the fear of death, and the sense of detachment from reality.

The duration of the seizures
It is usually simple and limited, not exceeding 30 minutes, but many feel that it is longer, as it is usually followed by bouts of anxiety about the panic attack or the explanation for its occurrence.

Some attacks may occur unexpectedly without warning (unexpected seizures), and are characterized by a fear of losing control or a sense of death and a desire to escape. When these seizures occur, the subconscious mind links them to other influences that have nothing to do with them, such as the place where the seizure occurred or the activity that the person was doing, so they turn from unexpected seizures into situational seizures, which are seizures that occur as a result of or after a frightening or disturbing situation (situational seizures). Such as a seizure inside the mall if the person suffers from fear of open spaces, for example.

How are panic attacks diagnosed?
If more than one panic attack occurs.

Having a state of anxiety about having a seizure or other seizures.

A change in general behavior, such as resorting to avoidant behaviors (such as avoiding going to certain places where the person expects the seizure to occur) or safety behaviors (such as not going to a certain place unless in the presence of another person or group of people).

Often, a person with panic disorder, after the occurrence of the first attack, focuses on physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat or dizziness, and links them to a specific disease such as blood pressure or heart problems. of medical examinations.

How to deal with panic attacks:

Knowledge is one of the best methods that usually enable us to deal with all kinds of problems. Knowing what panic attacks are and what are the triggers that stimulate their occurrence helps a lot in dealing with them.

As for the time of a panic attack, it is better not to resist it or try to escape from it. On the contrary, it is preferable to deal with it as a non-dangerous matter with a little deep breathing and sitting quietly. Not focusing on the symptoms, as well as to reduce the emergence of anxiety attacks associated with panic attacks or other panic attacks and resist the so-called fear of fear. Exercise, sleep, and healthy eating are generally necessary to combat any psychological problem

In the event that it is difficult, it is preferable to go to specialists from psychiatrists or psychotherapists to provide the required assistance, and treatment usually includes a mixture of psychological and pharmacological treatment, so the treatment depends on the severity of the seizures and the extent of the patient’s response, so that the treatment plan includes cognitive behavioral therapy, and in many cases the patient needs to use of antidepressants or antidepressants.

This article was written by

Rejuvenating and stimulating complex

Psychologist

Mona Bakhit

Book a psychological consultation with your psychiatrist now

symptoms
Having a low history of general academic performance below the expected level of the student according to his IQ.

Repeated failure to complete school assignments on time.

Low organizational and study skills that contribute to a low level of academic achievement.

Repeatedly putting off homework in order to play or engage in time-wasting recreational activities.

A family history of family members suffering from problems with academic performance.

Some negative behaviors to draw attention away from the educational process.

A high degree of anxiety negatively affects performance during tests of all kinds.

Pressure by parents to the extent that affects academic performance.

It may happen as a result of some environmental factors or psychological stress (divorce – death of a loved one – change of residence – change of school itself).

Objectives
Achieving a level of academic performance in accordance with the student’s mental and academic capabilities.

Completion of homework and school assignments on a regular and permanent basis.

Achieving a balance between academic goals and social needs.

Modifying negative behaviors when facing difficulty in the educational process.

Reducing the level of anxiety associated with the examination period.

Parents set realistic expectations regarding the student’s abilities.

Solving family conflicts and environmental pressures to improve academic performance.

Methods and procedures used to deal with low academic achievement
A psychological evaluation of the student to assess the current degree of learning difficulty (example: if he needs a different type of education, such as: integration)

Psychological measurement of the student through psychological tests such as the level of intelligence, distraction and others.

Determine the psychological and social history of the student, as well as the history of family achievement for parents and family members.

Medical examination (hearing, vision, etc.)

Cooperate with the school to develop educational plans that focus on the student’s strengths and compensate for the weaknesses.

Apply effective recall skills.

Continuous communication with teachers to help the student to complete homework.

Dealing with test-related anxiety.

Implementing a daily system that allows organizing play dates, spending time with the family, and completing homework.

Support and praise for the student’s scholastic performance. (by parents and teachers)

Family counseling to resolve psychological and social conflicts within the family.

Using appropriate methods and techniques to deal with the psychological problems of the student.

Book a psychological consultation with a psychiatrist

It is known as spousal violence
Behavior issued against the intimate partner, which causes physical or psychological harm and pain to one of the two parties to the relationship in the absence of the language of dialogue.

construction between the two parties.”

Spousal violence takes many and recurring forms

1. Physical violence

It includes any abuse directed at the partner’s body, such as slapping, kicking, throwing hard objects, using sharp instruments, or threatening to use them, or actually hitting them.

2. Moral violence

It includes any abuse that leaves a bad impression on the soul, and destroys morale, such as insulting dignity, insult, marginalization, intimidation, abandonment, continuous criticism, suspicion, and lack of communication.

3. Sexual violence

It is any act by the husband that leads to sexual abuse of the wife, and it is considered one of the disturbing and dangerous manifestations of violence, especially since it is often kept secret as a result of the wife’s shyness. The husband is like the wife’s abstention from intimacy.

Factors causing marital violence
Marital violence is one of the negative manifestations that both eastern and western societies suffer from, and the factors causing it differ according to the society, culture, and prevailing values in that society. We can collect the factors that cause its occurrence as follows:

1. Psychological factors

It is especially represented in the failure to satisfy the emotional needs of the individual, which leads to the failure of the spouses to communicate well with each other, and the inability to dialogue. The other, which is the explosive or direct cause of the occurrence of violence.

2. Social factors

There are several social factors that may be the reason for the husband’s abuse of his wife, foremost of which is social upbringing where he was brought up in a violent environment, which formed a weak and distrustful personality, and this is what leads him in the future to treat this weakness with violence, so that he gains strength over the weaker than him; And she is his wife. In addition, the husband may resort to imitation and simulation. Where he witnesses at a young age the violence that his father inflicts on his mother, and he grows up in a family that does not respect and weaken women.

Especially if the wife is at the highest level, which generates tension and imbalance in the husband, so he tries to compensate for this deficiency, looking for situations in which he can criticize and belittle her, whether through verbal insults such as insults or physical insults such as beating to control her and prevent her dominating him.

3. Cultural factors

The customs and traditions rooted in the cultures of many, which carry with them ideas that discourage women’s rights and discriminate against the male over the female, as they diminish their size and role, and in turn exaggerate the size and role of the male, and encourage them to exercise power and violence over females in the family from a young age, and accustom them in return to submission and acceptance violence and bear it.

Psychological effects of marital violence
Spousal violence has a range of psychological, social and economic effects. Where both the family and society as a whole are affected by the state of marital violence, as divorce and legal problems between spouses increase, which in turn affects children.

Dealing with the phenomenon of marital violence:
This phenomenon is dealt with through two axes

The first axis

Awareness and education for those about to get married

Which is a kind of prevention for the occurrence of such a phenomenon, where each party in the relationship is educated about his role, and what are the rights and duties of each of the two parties to this relationship.

The second axis

Captive counseling for already married couples

To find out the problems that may affect the current relationship and try to solve them by resorting to specialists.

Book a psychological consultation with a psychiatrist

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Domestic violence against men

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مجمع التجديد و التحفيز

Violence against men is a controversial topic of research, as the actual number of male victims may be greater than indicated by statistics from judicial records; Because there are so many males who do not report abuse, men who report domestic violence may face social stigma due to being accused of lacking masculinity, or other insults to their masculinity, and intimate partner violence against men is generally less noticed by society than intimate partner violence against women, and this puts another obstacle in front of them to report the case. Also, the existence of a degree of social and cultural acceptance that women’s harm to men is a response to the harm that men initiated against women is an additional factor for men’s non-disclosure.

Women’s use of violence has its reasons
Self-defense from male partner violence.

self-defense.

Revenge.

The desire to get rid of male dominance in the family.

Inadequate anger management skills.

Antisocial personality disorders.

Borderline personality disorders.

Take drugs.

criminal history.

Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Depression.

Communication problems.

Jealous.

Exposure to sexual abuse during childhood.

stress.

Violence against men takes many forms

Physical violence includes slapping and beating by the wife or a member of her family, in addition to throwing him some things that would cause him harm.

Psychological violence, which includes the use of insults and verbal abuse, screaming, interfering with a man’s social relations such as his friends and family, the way he spends money, and the use of threats to obtain personal goals, such as threatening to expose personal matters that may embarrass him in front of others, or threatening to leave him, and it may also be in the form of Threats of false allegations of domestic violence directed at the wife.

Sexual violence, and although there is little talk about sexual violence against men, it is an existing phenomenon, and it includes the wife’s refusal to have sex with her husband as a form of discipline to him.

Many men remain silent about the practice of violence against them for many reasons, which may be their lack of awareness of the partner’s practice of violence against them or because of concern about children and fear of not being able to see them again on the one hand, and unwillingness to make their children live away from their mothers on the other hand. Also, the fear of embarrassment resulting from exposing the nature of the relationship with his wife or partner and the abuse he receives. Among the reasons are also the love of their partner and the belief that it may change with time, as well as the financial situation and the lack of a place to go to.

Any physical, verbal, or psychological abuse, etc., is a clear violation of basic human rights, which may later lead to serious consequences such as mental disorders (depression and anxiety), and suicide also in extreme cases. Alcoholism, smoking, and drug abuse also increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

On the other hand, there are effects on the level of the entire family, such as family disintegration, the negative impact on the lives of children, and the increase in the rate of violence in society in general.

If you believe that you are suffering from violence from a life partner, do not hesitate to consult a specialist or book a psychological session online through the Renewal and Stimulation Complex by clicking on the following button

Book a psychological consultation with a psychiatrist

The days of Eid Al-Fitr are approaching, and some of us are looking forward to this joyous occasion with joy and longing.

Let us learn about the motivating factors for psychological problems for the period before the Eid or during the Eid period

factors

1) The person was exposed to psychological trauma before the Eid period, the inability to deal with it, and the lack of assistance to help him overcome the period in a healthy way.

2) Increasing family visits and social events that may bring us together with people with whom there is disagreement, anger, or other negative feelings or attitudes that increase the burden of these days on us and prevent us from the pleasure of enjoying this beautiful period.

3) Also, social media may play a role in stimulating this kind of disturbing feelings, by promoting the exaggerated atmosphere of clothes, sweets, luxurious gifts, and relationships that are always portrayed to us as more than ideal, and therefore our perceptions or expectations for this period have a kind of Exaggerated idealism

…. Ok

How do we overcome and face these days with a reassuring heart?

‎ First: Praise be to God, Glory be to Him, with gratitude. Whatever distress or distress afflicts you, it only happened for a great wisdom that the Lord of the heavens and the earth knows, so perhaps it is good.

Second: making a schedule and planning in advance for this period, for example planning the budget and not exaggerating the importance of clothes, gifts, or other things, planning the dates of visits, receptions, etc., and focusing on the joy of Eid itself and the noble meanings it carries, such as joy, tolerance, and compassion.

Third: Reducing the ceiling of expectations, thus avoiding any negative feeling that was not taken into account

Fourth: Exercising, such as walking for as long as you can, helps greatly in stimulating endorphins in the brain to balance disturbing feelings. Gradually, you will feel joy, comfort, and a decrease in anxiety and distress.

Fifth: Reducing or even refraining from following social media for certain periods to prevent exposure to exaggerations and idealism that have nothing to do with reality.

Sixth: Surround yourself with your loved ones and friends as much as possible, and take a break whenever you feel the need.

We ask God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, that it will be a blessed Eid for everyone, and you will be blessed with plenty of health and wellness, and Happy New Year

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