The worst is definitely not over, people. Yes, let's take the needed sigh of relief that the calendrical end of this nightmarish year might offer, but remember that, in some ways, the nightmare is just getting started. Hold on for dear life to whatever joy you've got left, and please, please, please, if you're reading this: stay home as much as you can, if you can. Wear a mask. Avoid gatherings. Do it for all of us.

The world has been saying "no" a lot lately. So I've made a conscious decision, and here it is: This holiday season, I'm going to say "YES" as much as I can.

Just because you're keeping safe doesn't mean you can't have fun

Let us uphold the three hundred million years of mammalian wisdom that course through our veins: the knowledge, baked into our DNA, that we must let go of the comforts of the past in order to welcome what is to come.

I'm not sure what it is about my parental role that has bestowed me with some preternatural sixth sense about where everything is. Nor am I certain how I wound up the guardian and keeper of things in this relationship. But perhaps more aptly, I'm very attuned to things being lost and missing, and desperately wanting them to be found.

In my last post, I said we were finding our rhythm, but when rhythm becomes too predictable, it becomes monotonous. What punctuates your rhythm?

Take some time now, when your hair isn't on fire, to get all your calm-down tools in one bag or basket so that when things heat up, you can help yourself or your loved one get regulated and reconnected.

Press play and discover the hidden gifts in your mind. Allow yourself to be delighted, filled with wonder. Accept a gift from a long-lost friend or loved one. Allow that gift to heal the parts of you that are in most need of extra care today.

If more of our students--heck, if more people in general--could work toward achieving this level of mental well-being, our world would be in a much better place. This is why I'm a mental health warrior.