Kids get stressed too!
It’s not just we adults who are stressed by what life throws at us. Our kids are also frequently challenged beyond their capacity to respond to the situation with harmony and equanimity. It is a feeling of overwhelm. The situations might be different, but the results are the same.
So what might the stressors be?
They vary according to the age of the child, but can include the following: separation anxiety, academic pressures, social pressures, over-busy schedules, illness in the family, perceptions of parental stress (e.g. financial worries, parental arguing), disturbing images and sounds from the media, natural disasters, and, of course, in current times lock-down and social separation.
How can we tell if our children are stressed and anxious?
Unexpected behavioural changes are often a sign:
- mood swings
- acting up, defying authority and even bullying
- changes in sleep patterns (including nightmares)
- withdrawing from friends
- complaints of headaches or stomach aches
- lack of concentration, inability to complete tasks e.g. school work. This might lead to rapid decline in academic performance
How can we help our children cope with stress?
- Make sure that you give quality time to your child each day. Have fun together. Be available to listen when they want to talk.
- Make sure that the child is physically active, out of doors preferably.
- If you learn about specific reasons for the stress, discuss possible ways to manage the situation.
- Prepare your child ahead of time for a potentially stressful situation such as a visit to the dentist.
- Remind your child that stress is normal, and learning coping skills can alleviate much of the negative impact that it can have.
- Mindfulness training or meditation would benefit children of all ages – and would be a very useful tool to take into adult life.
- Help your child to manage his or her day – time to play, time to be outdoors, time to work, time to sleep and so on.
- Make sure that your child is well nourished.
How can nutrition help?
Science has now shown us that there are clear links between common nutrient shortfalls, a poorly balanced metabolism, and our heath and well-being. Children who are picky eaters are often not able to function at their best, but even children who are generally well fed might fall prey to specific nutritional gaps due to an increased demand, and a temporary slowdown in digestion.
On the other hand, ongoing stressful circumstances place extra nutritional demands on the body and these need to be satisfied for a calm and happy life. The easiest and most assured way of achieving this is by means of good quality, food based supplements. And they sure beat visits to doctors and psychiatrists if they do work – as is most often the case.
What supplements are especially important?
- Maybe you haven’t heard this, but a happy gut is essential for a calm and happy mind!
The gut microbiome (bacterial population) communicates with the brain via the vagal nerve, neurotransmitters, and the immune system (the gut-brain axis) but the messages that are transmitted are directly related to the health of the bacteria resident in the gut.
Probiotics should therefore probably be part of the protocol used to assist your child with depression and anxiety. That’s especially true for children who have had regular treatments with antibiotics or issues with their digestive tracts (constipation, diarrhoea, bloating etc).The gut bacteria also need to be fed well – that’s a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and healthy fats, and low in refined and sugary foods and beverages.
- All the essential vitamins and minerals need to be there in abundance.
Some, like magnesium, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, and iron, are particularly associated with depression and anxiety, but actually all are important.
What happens is that during times of stress the body uses up essential nutrients at a very rapid rate, so it is easy to start running on empty. Getting everything needed cannot be left up to chance – and the modern diet happens to be a chancy one as far as supplying all the essential nutrients is concerned. - A stressed body results in consistently high levels of cortisol – an important hormone that is responsible for providing the body with the energy it needs to deal with the stressful situation. But chronic stress, and thus chronically high cortisol levels, is very damaging to health at many levels:
- depression and anxiety and mental illness
- poor immunity leading to regular infections etc
- poor sleep patterns
- cravings for sugary, processed foods which worsens the nutritional status as well as causing an increase in body mass, which compromises body image and self-esteem
- low energy levels
- low production of serotonin, which is called the happy hormone!
Cortisol levels can be managed by ensuring that the child gets enough exercise and physical activity and that the diet is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, and healthy fats, especially Omega 3 oils.
- Omega 3 oils
These need a special mention!
This is one of the most extensively researched supplements, especially in relation to brain and mental health.
Most of us eating traditional Western diets are short of these critically important nutrients, and it is my belief that actually we all should be supplementing with them. The recommended dietary requirement is a minimum of 3 fresh salmon meals a week – nobody I know comes anywhere close!DHA, a member of the Omega 3 family oils, is actually a structural building block of the brain. You can’t get more important than that if you want a healthy, well-functioning brain!
Other members (EPA especially) are potent natural anti-inflammatory molecules – important for many reasons but also because chronic inflammation is associated with depression and anxiety!
That’s a lot to absorb, isn’t it?
If you would like to know more about what I use and recommend please sign up for a consultation. I would be very happy to connect and make suggestions.
084 506 3643
andre.positiveoptions@gmail.com
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