I was recently joking with someone in my DM's about having to turn the radio down to see better... how many of us have done this?
Picture it; you're in 4 lanes of traffic, trying to listen to the maps app tell you where you're going, you need to cross 3 lanes of traffic, and the kids are fighting in the back seat. How many of us turn the music down, and ask the kids for complete silence while we navigate this task?
How many of you can feel yourself getting anxious just thinking about it?
Or another scenario I find myself living regularly; I'm in the kitchen, concentrating on a recipe, while also mentally going through lists/to-do's, or just overthinking in general. The music is too loud, and the kids start running through the house yelling and arguing. Immediately I become overwhelmed and yell at the kids to 'Stop Running'!!! The music gets turned down before I lose it and then I'm in a heightened state for the next little while.
I'm a grown adult, with an awareness of my nervous system and I know when it's time for some regular maintenance so that I can tolerate the required amounts of stimulus in my life.
If you have a child, maybe with an immature nervous system, who has no awareness of this overwhelm on their nervous system, is just responding to their environment. Is their little body simply telling them that there's too much going on and they can't handle all the sensory input?
So how do we help them (and us) develop a more robust nervous system?
Exposure builds resilience. But NOT from the place of overwhelm. First, we need to CALM their nervous system, then slowly build.
How do we calm our/their nervous system?? Body work; massage, chiro, osteo; helping us to feel safe and supported in our bodies, and connecting again into our physical body. Energy work such as Kinesiology, or anything that addresses the emotional and mental aspects of overwhelm.
Reducing stimulus where possible. Pay attention to the types of shows your child is watching. If the scenes are really fast to change, and there's bright colours everywhere or a lot going on, then it's possibly overstimulating. Bluey is a good example of a less stimulating show.
Have music on quietly instead of the tv. Try and dim the lighting down in the evenings and turn off any that aren't necessary. Working with the natural light in your home during the day will also help with stimulus and circadian rhythms, supporting natural sleep cycles.
Nervous system support can also come from food too. Limiting stimulating foods such as high sugar/highly processed foods can help regulate behaviour due to our nervous system not being stimulated by the peaks and troughs of energy that come with low glycemic food. Look for ways to increase protein, healthy fats (butter, avocado, raw nuts and seeds, animal fat, dairy) in your/your child's diet so that energy from food is not only prolonged but also remains at a more consistent level.
Tools such as essential oils, pressure squeezing/massage, weighted blankets, a calm area/box can all be implemented to help support an overstimulated nervous system, and also to have available to children so that they can make it part of their daily ritual and use when needed, or maybe as part of their routine, like straight after school/daycare or when there has been a lot of extra stimulus, e.g. birthday parties/functions.
Find ways to regularly calm/regulate your nervous system, so that over time, it will build capacity to come back into regulation more easily. You'll also be building a toolkit for yourself to use in times of nervous system overwhelm, and modelling that to your children, which is the most effective way to teach them.
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