Holy Toledo things are hard right now, aren’t they? Butte County was already plagued with high rates of homelessness and poverty, then the Camp Fire and all its devastation happened, and now Covid 19 has thrown everything into high stakes shambles. For most of us, just about every single thing we do has been up-ended. All the things we have to do have gotten more complicated and difficult, and many of the things we want to do, well we can’t do them right now. Work is hard. Basic errands are hard. Kids are SO hard. What to do with them, how to be there for them, how to keep spirits up and role-model navigating this new normal… it’s all so ridiculously hard and stressful. As a teacher, my level of anxiety has been through the roof since I still don’t know what school is going to look like. If I’m being honest, I have to say sometimes it’s all too much, and I’ve spent more than a few mornings of late crying in my coffee to the chickens.
Good Morning Chickens!
It helps. The coffee, because of course, and the chickens because they are funny. Mostly though, those morning sessions help because I’m investing in time outside. Stress increases cortisol levels, depletes serotonin and can make a person depressed. Both oxygen and sunshine increase production of serotonin, so my mornings outside help my system rebalance and regulate. While working in the coop I’m pretty constantly mulling over and processing what I can do to support my kids: my own personal child and my 60 sixth graders starting school with me in three weeks. I have a gazillion questions for the upcoming year, and not a lot of answers. It seems most likely that we all will be spending copious amounts of time behind screens. From personal experience, and from working with my daughter, I know that excessive screen time is a sure fire way to feeling cranky and depressed. Plenty of thoroughly researched studies corroborate this as fact. Unfortunately, at least in the immediate future, hours of screen time seems unavoidable. The one, single anecdote I can offer is: get outside.
I am super excited to be part of an organization that supports advocating for abundant time spent in nature to heal the effects of our current experience. Outdoor Education For All works to “promote ecological literacy, health, and wellness, and to build a citizenry active in natural and cultural resource conservation and stewardship.” As a staff writer, I get to do this work with them through the lens and perspectives of a teacher, parent, and lifetime local. There is a lot of opportunity in our region to create space where nurturing and healing of both land and people can work in tandem. As we participate in experiences that broaden and expand our knowledge and appreciation of this place we call home, we also promote well-being and balance in our personal lives.
Our kids are having a hard time right now. Heck, we are all having a hard time right now. Although we have dealt with repeated trauma these last years, we are still lucky to live in an incredibly beautiful corner of the planet. When we notice our kids struggling to manage their emotions, when we ourselves are having a hard time regulating, let’s take it outside and explore our corner some. We’ll be doing our minds and bodies a favor in that fresh air and sunshine, even if we’re just drinking in nature and having a cup of joe with the chickens.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/stress-depression#1