Kick The Stress This School Year – Back To School Mindfulness

Back to school for kids can be a stressful time of year.  They have new teachers, new and old friends to re-connect with and many have more challenging studies.  Recently, many students even have extra homework in the evening, which results in more stress.  The stress response in kids is similar to adults.  When their bodies are stressed it activates their adrenals and stimulates the cortisol production. Activating the ATP triangle.  (Adrenal, Thyroid, Pituitary)  Over time the continued elevated level of stress can contribute to adrenal fatigue.  Adrenal fatigue is an overstimulation of the adrenal glands by chronic stress over time and could lead to inconsistent levels of cortisol in the blood stream. 

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue include

• fatigue
• Insomnia or sleep disorders
• Poor digestion
• Poor immune function
• irritability
• anxiety
• Poor memory
• Loss of appetite
• Hormone dysfunction
• Increase acne

As a parent, we can snuggle with knowing how to decrease the stress. Wondering if we ask for less homework, hire a tutor, decrease extra activities or enforce an early bed time.  While all of these could work, there are items that can be included to help decrease the adrenal fatigue. These include healthy foods, meditation or breathing techniques and physical movement. 

Focus on including foods with protein, complex carbs and omega 3’s along with at least 6 cups of veggies and fruits each day.  An easy way to do this is with a smoothie each morning.  

Food ideas include:

Proteins

• legumes
• chicken
• fish

Complex Carbs

• quinoa
• Sweet potato
• Whole oats

Omega 3s

• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Chia Seeds

Meditation and breathing apps can be downloaded to their smart phone for free.  We suggest they use them during travel with a pair of headphones for instance on the bus or in the car on the way to and home from school. 

Physical movement opens up the cells to absorb any glucose in the blood, left over from the adrenal response.  Our suggestion is walking or bike riding for at least 20 minutes each day. This is also a great time to connect with nature and take a moment to be mindful of their body. 

Back to School Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 Scoop Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Natural Almond or Cashew Butter
• 1 Banana
• 1 Cup Coconut Milk or Hemp Milk
• 1/2 Cup Ice
• 1 Teaspoon flax or chia seeds
  
  Place all ingredients in blender and blend until creamy. Enjoy.