Tips to Help You Through This A-Typical School Year
2020 brought more challenges than we all expected...
Typically, Back to School can be a hectic and stressful time for kids and parents. For most of us, this year has brought even more challenges. These challenges will double as we navigate schools opening back up to in-person.
Even though we cannot change the circumstances, we want to give you the tips you need to make the transition from quarantine to the classroom as easy as possible - empowering every member of the family and supporting teachers + school staff.
Effects of Quarantine on Children + Teens
Reports show an uptick in restlessness, irritability, anxiety, clinginess and inattention with increased screen time in children during quarantine. Feelings of isolation, social exclusion stigma, and general fear has led many families to report symptoms of acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder, grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Additionally, physical wellness has been on the decline during this time. Loneliness and stress also have a negative impact on the strength of your immune system.
Traditionally, children are more physically active during the school day and keep a more regular sleep pattern. With the increase of screen time and calls to "stay inside," there's been less physical activity paired with poor dietary patterns, leading to weight gain.
It's time to make some changes!
While at Home
Meal Prep: Fuel the body + the mind.
Prepare healthy meal + snack options the night before or for the whole week.
Use as many living, whole foods as possible. The fewer processing steps, the better. Reach for things that are naturally grown!
Start each day with a healthy breakfast that supports brain function instead of one that's loaded with sugars or simple carbohydrates.
Create a Routine: Ease stress + get better sleep.
Get up and get ready for the school day as though you're leaving the house to do it.
Have a dedicated space for class calls + homework. If you use the dining room table, have an organized box or rolling cart to keep school supplies at the ready.
Take regular breaks.
Use a chart that includes (screen-free) time for kids to be kids!
Exercise: Strengthen the lungs, heart, immune system, + release mood-boosting chemicals.
Make a playlist of happy songs to dance to and get your body moving!
Do jumping jacks, squats, pushups, and burpees in between classes, assignments, math problems, written paragraphs, or reading book pages.
Practice drills for your favorite sports. (YouTube can be a great resource for drill ideas, but we recommend learning them or writing them down to keep additional screen time to a minimum.)
Spend Time Outside: Vitamin D for our immune systems!
Put your bare feet in the grass and read or do homework in the sunshine.
Go for a 10-20 minute walk around the neighborhood.
Throw or kick a ball with a family member.
Stay away from screens as much as possible; shut them down to avoid continuing screen time.
Supporting Emotions
Did You Know?
Aroma is able to directly affect the brain’s limbic region, the center of emotion and memory. Because of this, essential oils can be used to create a positive emotional state, create an environment of relaxation at the end of a long day, and much more.
Because of their sourcing and purity standards, Young Living essential oils + their aromas are uniquely able to lift the spirit where other oils may not have such a powerful impact.
The Feelings Kit Protocol - For Kids
Empower your child with this simple protocol, pairing Young Living essential oils with affirmations that will help them work through the emotions they may be going through at this challenging time. This is an excellent way for the whole family to work through the feelings we've been experiencing over the last 6+ months and help to bring more harmony into the home. (Check out the link above for affirmations for adults for this protocol.)
For children, use the dilution chart along with your favorite carrier oil as applicable to your child's age and other needs.
For the best results, apply each oil - in the order below - twice a day for 30 days. You can also use the Feelings Kit protocol or the individual oils as often as you like.
Apply Valor on the bottoms of your feet.
"I have confidence in myself." or "I am brave."
Apply Harmony on the energy points of the body (energy / chakra points: crown of head, brow, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, and base).
"I am open to give and feel love." or "I feel calm."
Apply Forgiveness clockwise on the navel.
"Mistakes are part of learning." or "I am kind."
Apply Release over the front and back liver in a circular motion.
"I release negative feelings from my body." or "I use my words."
Apply Present Time to the wrists and behind your ears.
"I let go of my past." or "I am aware."
Apply Inner Child under your nose.
"I am enough." or "I matter."
Apply Valor once again on the bottoms of your feet.
"I have confidence in myself." or "I am brave."
Transitioning Back to Campus
Socializing with Confidence
Re-introduce socializing as soon as possible in a way that is comfortable for your family.
Share strategies to make new friends, conflict resolution, and how to be kind.
Discuss ways to feel secure in who they are as an individual, stand up for themselves in productive ways, and grow their self-confidence.
Show how diversity can be a good thing + how we can learn and grow together rather than let differences divide us.
Build tools for constructive and positive communication with others who may have different beliefs and opinions.
Healthy Hygiene
Practice proper handwashing techniques. Find a favorite song to sing to encourage washing for 20-30 seconds.
Go over the negatives of over-using hand sanitizers out of fear.
Create a system for returning home each day that works for your family's needs, like leaving shoes outside.
Open Communication
Check-in with each other, where children share what happened in their day and parents share how their day was, too. This builds stronger bonds, more trust, and helps children learn social skills they can also apply outside of the home.
Build ways to be solution-minded, both in dealing with problems that arise in the home and better equipping kids' + teens' problem-solving skills on their own.
Sharing feelings can help alleviate stress and worry.
Ready to Get Started with Your Own Essential Oils?
When you invest in your wellness, you're not alone - we're here to walk alongside you as we grow in wellness, purpose, and abundance. Together, we'll help you find answers to your questions and build lasting relationships along the way.
We're here to pay it forward. A friend helped empower us and now we're here to share what we've learned so you can make the best choices for you and your family, too!
Start by claiming your free guide, like Simple, Natural Ways to Boost Your Mood. You can also head over to learn more about why it's important for us all to become educated consumers.
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