Wellness Wednesday - March 9

With midterms this week, we've been talking a lot about stress among the student body. It's important to help adolescents develop good strategies for managing stress in their lives, but that doesn't always mean avoiding stressful situations. It's also important to celebrate the successes that come after they have worked their way through good stress.

How can stress be good for kids? Read "This is the Type of Stress Your Kid Needs" by Kristen Mae @ Lifehacker
Why should I let my kid be stressed? Read "Building Resilience and Resourcefulness in Your Teen" by Joani Geltman

OK, OK, but how can we keep the bad stress under control? Here's a quick 4, with concrete ideas:
(1.) Healthy eating habits are one of the most important ways to keep things in line, and this doesn't just mean good nutrition. 

• Taking time to put phones and homework away and eat with family helps kids learn about work-life balance. 
• Talking at the dinner table builds social skills. If "How was your day?" doesn't pan out, try "Roses & Thorns": go around the table and have everyone share something good that happened and something bad, big or small.
• It's important to make sure your children eat enough at meals--not too much and not too little! Eating disorders can develop or worsen during the pre-teen and early teenaged years.
• It doesn't have to happen every night--family life goes through busy waves--but a habit of sitting down for dinner together as a family is one of the greatest predictors of whether a teen will avoid drug and alcohol abuse through adolescence. (Breakfast works, too!)

(2.) Regular exercise is one of the best ways to get a kid out of a funk.  Middle school is a great time to take up running, yoga, or lifting weights (not too much on those growing bones!) and there are a ton of good apps, websites, and online videos to help kids explore new areas for exercise. They can also join the gym with caregiver permission, and that's a great opportunity to meet friends for a social outing. Then, when it's a particularly moody or grouchy day, you can tell them to "Go for a run!" and get a little peace and quiet while they're working up their endorphins!

(3.) We all need more sleep!  This is the tough one for many households, but one of the most important things you can do is get cellphones and devices out of bedrooms at night. Set up a charging station in the kitchen, hallway, or somewhere where alerts & notifications won't disrupt your kids' sleep. Even if they don't wake up, the chirps and lights can lead to a less restful sleep. Worse, it's very easy to keep scrolling late at night instead of letting yourself fall asleep.

(4.) Time with friends, pets, and family help people focus on the pleasures of life. Go for a walk together or run errands. If you don't have family nearby, set up a time when they can bake cupcakes with an elderly neighbor or do chores for them; they'll learn to respect people's personal journeys. Game night at home will get all kinds of eye rolls, but it won't be long before their friends are asking if they can join in too. The hokey things are also when memories are made.

If you are concerned about your child's stress level, talk to their pediatrician. Our guidance counselors will be glad to talk to you or to set up a time when they can meet with your child. Braintree also has access to the Interface system for mental health referrals, for students or adults.

Be well, Bulldogs.