Mom guilt and not having enough time are two of the biggest drains on the moms I work with. They feel guilty for all the things they think they should have done differently that they didn’t know about.
They put extra icing on that guilt-laden cupcake because they feel guilty because they don’t have the time for the things they think might help their children.
It can seem like a no-win situation.
It can feel like to give your kids a healthier lifestyle, that you need to do a lot more.
I can hear it now. “But women work full-time today” and “I don’t have the time.”
What If Making Healthy Changes Actually Made Things Easier?
Simplifying is so important.
What if doing some of the things that are good for your child actually means taking a load off your plate?
Before I go into that let’s recap some of the things that are throwing kids off so that we can understand where we might need to pivot.
Last time I was specific so let me help you break this down more specifically so you can figure out what might be the biggest culprit affecting your child’s ability to learn, focus and manage their emotions.
There are three areas that have changed exponentially in recent decades that have seriously impacted our children’s brain health. They are:
- Your child’s brain and body bio-chemistry
- Your child’s brain organization and brain development
- Your family’s rhythm
There are a multitude of changes in recent decades that have altered the bio-chemistry and brain organization of our children’s brains and bodies. I touched on this before but to help you get clear on what could be triggering your child, take a list at the culprits below and try and determine which ones are most likely your child’s biggest triggers.
Top irritants and stressors that are changing our kids brains and bodies:
- The food we eat
- Too little exercise
- Too little sleep
- Too much screen time
- Toxins in the home, school and environment
- Chronic stress and over-scheduling
- Too little time outdoors
Changes to these crucial habits and practices is seriously going to impact bio-chemistry, hormones, brain development and mood. And yet decades ago, no one thought much about ‘how to’ make this work. Now, trying to weave this in can seem like a daunting task to say the least.
How We Strayed From Our Roots
It seems the changes started with processed food–which in the mid 20th century became increasingly popular until today where many adults admit to having only the most basic of cooking and food preparation skills, thus being completely dependent upon the food industry to ‘prepare’ the majority of their meals.
Even the processed food has changed in the last twenty to thirty years. It’s laced with additives, chemicals, dyes and food that has been so chemically altered it is no longer a food product.
We’re sicker than we’ve ever been.
…and speaking of sickness as much as you hear about the over-prescribing and misuse of antibiotics–you couldn’t live without them. Like really.
The Life-Saving Interventions We Couldn’t Live Without
I had a kidney infection and grapefruit seed extract wasn’t an option I even considered. Antibiotics saves lives. Many medical interventions saves lives and even offer choices—like waiting until you are financially ready to have a baby.
Whether it’s C-sections that save many a mother and child’s life or that women (and men) have choice through hormonal contraception–advancements are without a doubt amazing. However, sometimes our medical advancements come with side-effects and complications that we can only foresee years in advance.
Even Our Gut Bacteria Has Changed Exponentially in Recent Decades
My own daughter had an overgrowth of candida albicans (yeast) in her gut that was so high it was off the charts. Since she had never been on antibiotics at that time and didn’t drink chlorinated water, we were stumped as to how this developed. Until we learned that the birth control pill is notorious for causing yeast overgrowth in the gut which is passed from mother to child.
…and if you’ve been following me for awhile, you know all about how gut bacteria influences brain chemistry – meaning your child’s ability to learn, focus and manage their behaviour.
…and then there’s the simpler stuff that seems so mild we assume it’s relatively insignificant.
Where Have all the Children Gone?
Neighbourhoods are quiet. Neighbourhoods used to be filled with the sounds of kids playing, screaming and even running through your carefully manicured flower bed. But that isn’t happening.
Instead children are inside, sitting down in front of a gaming unit or some other electronic device for hours–sometimes into the wee hours of the morning and then heading to school to sit more.
Their sleep is often neither restful nor restorative because melatonin levels (sleep hormone) are compromised as a result of the blue light from screens—never mind the neural over-stimulation of playing a video game, being on social media or watching a TV show that changes scenes every few seconds.
Saving a Life with Side Effects
Am I asking you and your family to go retro–like 1800’s retro? Heck no! I don’t know what I would resent more–the lack of indoor plumbing, the loss of my refrigerator or saying bye-bye to my curling wand.
It might seem overwhelming and impossible to make these changes to diet and lifestyle, but my experience is that only happens when people try to do everything at once or are working harder not smarter.
Healthy Changes Can Be Smarter, Not Harder
For example if you know your child’s diet needs an overhaul – don’t even think about trying to do that overnight because you will likely set yourself up for failure and probably end up with mutiny from your child.
If you know you want to cook healthier meals but feel like you don’t have the time – then it’s likely that you have never learned all the times saving strategies that I teach in my program like batch cooking, chopping everything on a Sunday and so much more.
Are Your Kids Pitching In?
You know what’s another time saver on so many levels? Giving your children responsibility. My good friend is a parenting coach and said most kids today are not given enough responsibility and it’s one of the prime causes of parental burnout.
Do you need to do all the chopping and food prep or do you have a child that you never think to ask? Are you doing all the chores at home? If so, why not have your children contribute more which leaves you more time to do things like meal prep and God forbid – relax!
It’s Not Easy Doing It Alone
The reason my programs are six months is because trying to learn everything from meal prep to healthier cooking, to lifestyle changes that are more in sync with the natural rhythms of how we evolved as well as developing lower brain levels and strengthening connections in your child’s brain that may have become weak or compromised is not something I would wish for any busy mom to try and take on by herself.
Trying to take all this on by yourself will almost certainly lead to overwhelm and failure – leading you to feel that awful powerless feeling that can be so freakin’ paralysing.
So please be gentle with yourself, okay?
Bringing our Families, Bodies and Brains Back into Balance
Many of the modern disorders are the result of us straying too far from our roots–too far from our humanity and the result is imbalance. I can help you regain that balance both in your family’s rhythm as well as your child’s bio-chemistry as well as their brain development.
If you want to learn more about how you can balance your child’s brain so they can reach their full potential with learning, focus and managing their emotions and be a happier more confident kid then schedule a free Better Brain Breakthrough call here.
In Health & Wholeness,
Lorraine
