<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Dr. Sarah Crystal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dr. Sarah Crystal]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 20:55:05 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[“Nothing Works!”… What to Do When You’ve Tried It All and Your Child Still “Misbehaves”]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you are a parent who says: "We've tried everything, timeouts, rewards, consequences, charts, and nothing works…” You are not alone. I hear this from parents all the time. Here’s a hard truth... If your child is dysregulated, no “strategy” will “work” until they feel calm enough to process it. Let’s unpack what’s actually happening when “nothing works” and what to do. Behavior Is a Signal First things first: challenging behavior isn’t the problem, it’s the signal. It’s how kids say:  “I’m...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/nothing-works-what-to-do-when-you-ve-tried-it-all-and-your-child-still-misbehaves</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a567bbdaa2c7341eb4b6a16</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:11:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_e6c1c1c3d9674c9fa57ebddc00c7ed59~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Microdosing Self-Care. The Hidden Power of Tiny Regulating Moments.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Be honest…when you hear “self-care,” do you almost immediately think: “Yeah, must be nice.” Fair enough. Most traditional self-care advice feels like it was written for people without kids, without full-time jobs, or without toddlers melting down at bedtime like clockwork. But here’s the thing I teach every parent I coach: You don’t need a weekend retreat. You need five minutes to show your nervous system that it matters. Enter: microdosing self-care. Nervous System Care for Small Moments...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/microdosing-self-care-the-hidden-power-of-tiny-regulating-moments</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a567b8a9b48710c8ef369c2</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:10:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_d32223e93ac440c3afe80c1ddba4065f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can’t Access Your Skills in the Moment? It’s Not You. It’s Your Nervous System]]></title><description><![CDATA[You’ve read the books. You’ve practiced the scripts. You’ve even rehearsed what to say during your child’s next meltdown. And then…the moment hits. Your child is yelling, throwing, flailing. Your body tenses. Your mind blanks. And suddenly, every tool you practiced disappears. You’re not calm. You’re not grounded. You’re reactive or saying things you promised yourself you’d handle differently. If that sounds familiar, here’s something really important to understand...This is your nervous...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/can-t-access-your-skills-in-the-moment-it-s-not-you-it-s-your-nervous-system</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a567ae2925133b9bb7fe4c9</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:08:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_2a28e236413842bfb1b3df8f647ef56f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Your Mindset Is the Key to Parenting Your Adolescent—And How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Help]]></title><description><![CDATA[Check out Sarah's latest blog post for PEPS for parents! Eye rolls, risky behaviors, door slams – the adolescent years can be an emotional rollercoaster for parents and teens alike. As a parent, it can be hard to figure out how to regulate your own emotions, let alone help your teen regulate theirs. Dr. Sarah Crystal, a licensed Clinical Psychologist shares tips for how parents can use tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to shift their mindset and show up differently with their...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/why-your-mindset-is-the-key-to-parenting-your-adolescent-and-how-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-can-he</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a567a625c0b44b4bb712ae3</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:06:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_31716ff6d80e4cc99226081153dbc68e~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Diapers to Daily Mindset Shifts: How to Use the Cognitive Behavioral Model to Manage Difficult Feelings as a New Parent]]></title><description><![CDATA[Check out Sarah's latest blog post for PEPS for parents! Having a baby at home can be completely overwhelming and sometimes lead to a whirlwind of negative emotions and self-doubt. The good news? It doesn't have to stay this way. Read advice from a licensed Clinical Psychologist about how to incorporate the Cognitive Behavioral Model (CBT) to challenge negative thinking, manage the emotional rollercoaster of parenthood, and start feeling better.]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/from-diapers-to-daily-mindset-shifts-how-to-use-the-cognitive-behavioral-model-to-manage-difficult</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5679ef9b48710c8ef365f4</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:04:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_d98ffc0360a6494988efb42e2ce268e3~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Regulation Is Contagious: How Your Calm Shapes Your Child’s Brain]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you’ve ever successfully stayed calm during one of your child’s meltdowns and watched them slowly soften in your presence, then you’ve experienced it. And if you’ve ever totally lost it during your child’s meltdown, yelled, threatened, puffed up and dug in, and watched them escalate even more, then you’ve experienced it too. This is what I mean when I say: Regulation (and dysregulation) is contagious. This is neuroscience. The Science Your nervous system and your child’s nervous system are...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/why-regulation-is-contagious-how-your-calm-shapes-your-child-s-brain</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a56789a925133b9bb7fdf1e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:58:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_9268190a49ec4cc5a21ba9a382fc7cfa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Storm Is Storming: How to Ride It Without Getting Pulled Under]]></title><description><![CDATA[A mom in one of my groups said this the other night, after her daughter had a full-blown, 40-minute bedtime meltdown. "I kept hearing your voice in my head: you are the anchor in the storm. But wow, the storm was STORMING. I couldn’t stop it. I just held on and rode it out.” If you’re a parent, especially of a sensitive or intense kid, you know that feeling. You’re doing your absolute best. You’re trying to stay calm. You’ve got all your tools and scripts in your back pocket. You’re...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/when-the-storm-is-storming-how-to-ride-it-without-getting-pulled-under</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a567847aa2c7341eb4b6205</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:57:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_5da4b25dabe049eeb75c8b108a9e364d~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Handle the Overstimulated, Trapped-in-Your-Body Feeling]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the parents in my coaching group said something recently that has stayed with me: She said, “I was sitting with my daughter during yet another meltdown. I wasn’t yelling, I didn’t escalate… I was calm on the outside. But inside? I was screaming. Like, full body scream, but silent. I felt like I couldn’t take one more second.” If you’ve been there, holding space for your child’s chaos while your insides feel like they’re about to explode, I want you to know: You are not alone. And more...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/how-to-handle-the-overstimulated-trapped-in-your-body-feeling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5677f6aa2c7341eb4b613d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:55:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_9ef16fe951994f8aa2c2ddbba88b13c3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_832,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Are You Really Struggling With Food… or Just Fried from Parenting?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Check out Sarah's latest podcast feature! In this episode with Laura Conley, you’ll learn:     •    Why parenting is a learned skill (not something you're born knowing how to do)     •    What’s really going on under your kid’s behavior—and how to decode it     •    How unmet needs lead to meltdowns (in kids and moms!)     •    Why taking care of yourself is the most important parenting strategy of all     •    How to talk about food with your kids in a way that’s empowering, not damaging    ...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/are-you-really-struggling-with-food-or-just-fried-from-parenting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5675a3f5ac96cf0fd50394</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:53:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_d6e1296217614d5ea2c918b4a74f4464~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When You Freeze During Your Child's Meltdown...]]></title><description><![CDATA[A mom I once worked with told me about a moment that I’ve never forgotten. She said, “I was lying on the floor of the mudroom while my daughter screamed in my face. I wasn’t yelling back. I wasn’t comforting her. I wasn’t doing anything. I was just… lying there. Frozen.” She felt gutted. She’d been doing everything “right”, trying to co-regulate, validate, stay calm. But in that moment, it was like something inside her just…switched off. If you’re reading this and thinking, oh my god, I’ve...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/when-you-freeze-during-your-child-s-meltdown</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5674f1f5ac96cf0fd501e1</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:42:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_11c79823bac6498b9ca73865bdb2aded~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Child Isn’t Bad. They’re Dysregulated!]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the hardest things about parenting a child with big behaviors is how easy it is to misinterpret what’s actually going on. When your child is screaming in your face, pushing every button, or breaking down over what seems like nothing, it can look like: Disrespect Manipulation Defiance Overreaction But what if it’s none of those things? What if it’s dysregulation? Because here’s the truth I teach every parent I work with: Your child isn’t bad. They’re overwhelmed. And their behavior is a...]]></description><link>https://www.drsarahcrystal.com/post/your-child-isn-t-bad-they-re-dysregulated</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5674035c0b44b4bb711b8f</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:41:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4e58ad_3ca3ea566ea440d68398d03ec506eded~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Sarah Crystal</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>