Happy Earth Day!

I found this amazing resource (pictured below) that is a perfect activity to do with your child....it combines mindfulness, gratitude, and the outdoors and does NOT require any special materials or other people. Perfect for social distancing!  Win-win!

Get outside today and enjoy this scavenger hunt.  (Edited to add that in the event that you are quarantined inside, you can still participate in the scavenger hunt-- see what you can find in your home and by looking out a window!)

I hope everyone is hanging in.  I feel like, in my house anyway, there is some sort of grief process happening with all of us, but especially with my child.  It changes with every new development about shelter-in-place requirements and confirms my suspicions that one of the toughest things to deal with from a mental health perspective is the not knowing.  We can't wrap are heads around and process what we don't know!  This leaves us in a perpetual state of uncertainty which can manifest into anxiety.

I believe that mindfulness is the antidote.  Be here now.  Hopefully this activity will help us to focus on the present, ground us a little, get us outside and let us breathe deep and show gratitude for all that we have.  Happy Earth Day!

Lean On Me

My goodness, I had no intention of going so long without an update. Unfortunately, my little has had SIX anxiety/panic attacks in the last few weeks, but these have calmed down considerably.  We attribute the calm to a lot of guided meditation (thank you, Yoga With Adriene), taking a small dose of melatonin at night, and being in virtual contact with friends.

If you are on facebook (and you probably are), I highly recommend downloading facebook messenger for kids.  It functions through your facebook account, so you have access to it 100% of the time and you decide/approve the kids with whom your child can connect.  The kids are able to form their own mini-groups, and my son has had such a great time creating games with his friends to play together (their own versions of pictionary, quiz games, etc).  They have a standing daily video call, and I think it really lifts his spirits, allows him to feel connected, and gets his mind off of the stress of this new kind of living.

The other day I saw a meme that alluded to how "really screwed" we all will be in twenty years when our kids, having gone through being schooled at home by a bunch of day drinkers, will be the ones running the country.  Funny!  But not necessarily so.  On the contrary, I believe the inverse:  while this is a horrible set of circumstances, lives are being lost and the world is in a perpetual state of grief and mourning, our kids are being forced to let go.  To slow down.  To reconnect with nature.  To gain a true understanding of supporting each other as members of our communities.  They are learning what it means to have and to keep the faith.  They now know the importance of being a neighbor and of helping each other.

We lost the soul legend Bill Withers this week.  As a West Virginian, I have always fostered a sense of pride from our favorite son.  Play "Lean On Me" for your kids and yourself this week, and take care.