11/06/2026
I am seeing more and more emotional regulation difficulties in our children and less resilience or growth mindset. Perhaps it is due to the fact that play has transformed into passive screen play. Believe in the power of play!
Findings from a new large longitudinal study indicate that greater time spent in both quiet and active free play at ages 2–5 predicts stronger self-regulation abilities in later childhood, even after controlling for prior skills and other factors.
These results provide empirical support for the role of free play as a foundational context for developing key regulatory capacities, with important implications for early childhood practice and parenting interventions.
Free play predicts self-regulation years later: Longitudinal evidence from a large Australian sample of toddlers and preschoolers
Self-regulation skills are foundational to successful participation in society, and predict a suite of positive outcomes throughout life. It has long …
25/05/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HxG4xARtP/
People think they understand ADHD… until you try to explain what it actually feels like to live with it.
From the outside, it looks simple. Almost too simple.
But the reality is something most people never even come close to seeing.
**What People Think ADHD Is**
Most people reduce ADHD to just two things.
Distraction and hyperactivity.
They imagine someone who can’t sit still or someone who just loses focus easily.
And because it looks visible and obvious, they assume it’s manageable with a little more effort, discipline, or control.
But that version is only a tiny fraction of the full picture.
**The Reality That Stays Invisible**
ADHD is not just about losing focus.
It’s about attention that shifts without permission — even when you’re trying your best to hold onto it.
It’s about sitting down to start something important and feeling completely stuck, despite knowing exactly what needs to be done.
It’s about your brain choosing low-priority tasks, not because they matter more, but because they feel easier to begin.
And this constant internal battle is exhausting in ways that are hard to explain.
**The Mental Overload No One Sees**
Imagine your mind trying to process everything at once.
Thoughts don’t come one by one — they come all together.
Plans, worries, reminders, ideas — all competing for attention at the same time.
This is cognitive overload.
And when your brain is overloaded, even simple decisions can feel overwhelming.
That’s why something small can suddenly feel like too much.
**The Emotional Intensity Behind It**
ADHD is deeply emotional, even if people don’t talk about it that way.
Reactions feel stronger. Frustration hits faster. Disappointment lingers longer.
It’s not about being “too sensitive.”
It’s about a nervous system that processes emotions with more intensity and less regulation.
So while others move on quickly, you’re still trying to settle what you felt.
**The Time That Never Feels Right**
Time doesn’t behave normally with ADHD.
Sometimes it disappears completely. Other times, it drags endlessly.
You think you have time, until suddenly you don’t.
Deadlines feel distant… until they become urgent all at once.
This distorted sense of time creates a cycle of stress, rushing, and feeling behind.
**The Exhaustion of Constant Effort**
One of the least understood parts of ADHD is how tiring it is.
Trying to stay focused. Trying to stay organized. Trying to keep up.
It’s a constant mental effort that most people never have to think about.
So even when it looks like nothing is happening, there’s a lot happening internally.
And that’s what leaves you drained.
**Why Understanding Changes Everything**
When ADHD is seen only as distraction or hyperactivity, the real struggles get dismissed.
But when you understand the full picture — the overload, the emotional intensity, the time distortion, the exhaustion — it becomes clear that this is not about trying harder.
It’s about understanding differently.
Because ADHD isn’t just what people see.
It’s everything they don’t.
06/06/2026