Tagged With "Stress Busters"

Did you know that yoga can reduce stress and heal the mind, body, and soul? Let me explain how yoga can prevent, treat, and heal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and toxic stress. In my personal experience as a Sonoma County preschool teacher, I noticed many children, parents, and teachers in our program had very high levels of stress and anxiety. We all live busy lives and tend to focus on the next activity instead of the one at hand. So I decided to try yoga. I started doing yoga with...

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/deportation-stress/520008/

On a recent day in early March, Laura Lopez met a former patient of hers in the waiting room of Highland Hospital’s pediatric clinic in Oakland, CA. The patient had forgotten her Medi-Cal card and called Lopez asking for help. But in the brief conversation, Lopez, a family specialist with the DULCE program, learned about some dire changes in the patient’s life. Laura Lopez “Without me even asking, she shared with me that she had separated from her partner, that she needs to apply for food...

Thanks to an explosion in scientific research now possible with imaging technologies, such as fMRI and SPECT, experts can actually see how the brain develops. This helps explain why exposure to adverse childhood experiences can so deeply influence and change a child's brain and thus their physical and emotional health and quality of life across their lifetime. The above time-lapse study was conducted over 10 years. The darker colors represent brain maturity (brain development). I have added...

Here is a short video clip that explains how toxic stress effects development. Learning to cope with stress is an important part of healthy development. When experiencing stress the stress response system is activated and once the stress is relieved the stress response winds down. In severe situations of abuse or neglect where there is no caring adult to act as a buffer from the stressor, one’s stress response stays activated. Absence of response from adults and constant activation of the...

An article posted by BBC News captures what the children of Syria are experiencing and how many of these children don't know anything but war. This is a huge public health concern that could lead to irreversible damage to an entire generation of children. Save the Children shares, "Millions of Syrian Children could be living in a state of "Toxic Stress" due to prolonged exposure to the horrors of war." I have attached the Report, Invisible Wounds produced by Save the Children if you're...

Thank you for sharing this video, Liz! Harvard is doing a great job putting this science into bite-sized videos.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your story! The photo of your preschoolers is fabulous. I also rely on my yoga practice to help me cope with stress. I put on a " Yoga with Adriene " youtube video every morning. This helps me get my tired and achy body moving more fluidly, and puts my mind in a much more positive space. She even recently created a video called "Yoga for After Disaster":

Laurie, What an inspirational story built on an empowering model! Don't you just wish we could replicate this everywhere!? Thank you so much for sharing your story here on Sonoma County ACEs Connection! Karen

Thanks, Karyna. We are seeing this in the families we serve - there is so much anxiety in our community due to both uncertainty about policy change and the awful rhetoric that is coming out of DC. It's hard for this stress not to effect children. Parents feel obligated to prepare their children for the possibility of parent deportation and that means we send children to school everyday wondering if they will see their parents when they return home at night. This is too sad.

As we approach another Easter without the excitement of community Easter egg hunts, school activities, and all the things that make the holidays special for community and especially our children- their POSITIVE Childhood experiences. Last year I coordinated a Easter Egg Hunt To-Go and have ran with the idea again this year. With the support of almost 20 organizations, it is coming together nicely. Inside the Easter Egg Hunt To-Go bags will be a dozen eggs including one golden egg with a...

Youth engagement is linked to positive outcomes for young people, adults, agencies and communities. Surrounding them with positive social connections, acknowledge young people as co-builders of society, encourage young people to express themselves, support young people’s leadership development, and encourages mental well being. Peacetown Summer Concerts are a 10 week series free to community that promotes peace and builds community. Beginning July 7th-September 8th, every Wednesday form...

It’s not time, but an integrated recovery plan that heals.

We all have inner strengths and resilience that can help us deal with challenges and stress. To help us manage stress, PACEs Connection and ACEs Aware created a handout based on seven evidence-based stress busters , as described in the Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health . These interventions can help reduce stress, improve health, and build resilience. Please share widely! The handout is available in the...