Greetings Connect The Dots families,
Firstly, this message comes to you hoping you and your family are healthy, safe, and doing well! Secondly, I want to acknowledge the challenges that our parents and children are facing right now, and provide as much support and encouragement as possible during these tough times.
Perhaps now more than ever, it’s important to implement daily strategies for mental and physical well-being. While much of the country is essentially shut down due to COVID-19, there is no question that many of us are (or will be) struggling with financial hardships, difficult interpersonal relationships, unpredictable events, and challenges to our mental and physical health. As we know, children often pick up on the energy and behavior of others, so it’s important to implement techniques to manage stress, anxiety, and “big emotions” in ourselves as well as our little ones during this challenging time.
With that in mind I wanted to provide some suggestions to help calm the nervous system and support overall health and resilience.
- Breathe. Yes, You! Take 5-10 deep, full breaths (if possible, in through the nose for 4 seconds and out through the mouth for at least 6 seconds). Deep breathing, with a focus on exhalation, activates the parasympathetic nervous system which reduces the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and provides vital oxygenation to the organs (including the brain, so we can think more clearly and with less anxiety ).
- Exercise. Just like our children, we need to have an outlet for all the pent-up energy so many of us are feeling right now. Not only does exercise help us breathe more deeply, it keeps our musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems healthy and strong. Also, multiple studies show exercising is as effective as antidepressant medication when it comes to our mental health! While many gyms and play-places are currently closed, there are activities we can do at home or outside to stay physically fit. We often encourage children to engage in “heavy work “or other activities that provide input to the proprioceptive system. This might include jumping on a trampoline, jogging, jumping rope, and doing calisthenics. Yoga and Pilates can active the core muscles, while riding a bike/scooter, roller-skating, swinging, spinning, dancing, and hanging upside down provides valuable input into the vestibular system.
- Sleep. Perhaps one of the most overlooked and under-utilized strategies to improve our mood and overall cognitive functioning is getting a good night’s sleep. When we sleep, our brain removes toxins and facilitates healing and our overall functioning. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics the current recommendations for how much sleep children needs are as follows:
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- Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours
- Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours
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Developing a healthy sleep hygiene routine facilitates a good night’s rest. This includes avoiding highly stimulating activities and screen time at least 1-2 hours before bed, and engaging in relaxing activities such as listening to calming music, taking a warm bath, meditating, reading a book, playing with putty, or similar calming strategies to prep the body for sleep.
4. Minimize Screen Time. Research now indicates that too much screen time can exacerbate symptoms of ADHD, decrease communication skills, and contribute to vision problems and poor sleep. The blue light many of our screens emit has been shown to suppress melatonin (making it more difficult to fall asleep), so there are many benefits to putting limits on screen time. By limiting the amount we as adults engage in, we can be a good model for children to follow.
5. Eat (and drink) healthfully. A diet rich in plants has valuable nutrients, vitamins, and other phytochemicals that are essential for optimal health, while water keeps us our cells hydrated and healthy. Avoiding high sugar drinks is important as research shows too much sugar increases inflammation in our bodies and can contribute ADHD-like behavior. While picky eating can be a substantial obstacle for many of our families, ensuring we as adults are exploring and ingesting lots of different types of healthy foods will help model for our children excellent eating habits and help keep our bodily systems (Including our immune system) functioning well.
6. Connect and Engage. While understandably difficult, reframing this stressful situation as an opportunity to reconnect with the ones we love can be helpful. Take this time to have “family fun time” and get to know each other even better! Video chat with long lost friends or close relatives. Playing board games can develop impulse control and social skills, making crafts together is an excellent way to develop fine motor/visual motor abilities, and starting an herb/veggie garden is a great sensory rich activity as well a nice way to get children more interested in various foods.
While many of these ideas may seem like common sense, it’s never a bad idea to be reminded of all the things that we have control over, especially when so much in our lives right now is not within our control. Stay tuned for more ideas and suggestions for things to do at home here on the Connect The Dots Facebook page! Please know we are thinking about all of you and are wishing you well. I know we will all get through this better and stronger, for together there is nothing we can’t accomplish.
Best wishes,
Marlena E. Ramos, OTR/L