Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 11 Grooving and Moving. Exercise plays a huge role in managing my anxiety and depression. Get out with your daughter for afternoon walks, jump rope, grab a soccer ball and find a field to play on. My son and I love to have dance parties—we play our favorite music and dance our hearts out! Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins, the happy-making hormones. And when you exercise outside, you'll get an added bonus—Vitamin D— which also helps to uplift moods. Watching the Diet. As difficult as this may be to do for a child, reduce or completely cut out refined sugars. Opt for more whole foods and fewer processed foods. I noticed a tremendous change in my family's wellbeing when we started eating cleaner foods. Occasionally, we fall off the band wagon, and when we do, I can always tell! Trying a New Modality, like Chiropractic Care. When our spines are out of alignment, it affects the overall nerve energy in the body. Blockages to the nervous system affect every single bodily function, including your brain and the way you process emotions. Here is where a chiropractor comes in handy! When a chiropractor adjusts you, your nervous system functions much better. I was apprehensive at first but had come to a point where I was willing to try anything, and it was the best choice I made in my journey to healing. My son has been under chiropractic care since he was 5 weeks old and receives care monthly. Consider an alterna- tive therapy that might work for your family, like chiropractic care, acupuncture, functional medicine, or supplements. Start by making small changes. Once you feel like you've gotten a new routine down, introduce the next adjustment. Keep going. The resources mentioned above are lifestyle changes you'll need to commit to, so they can be overwhelm- ing at first. You'll most likely start to see gradual improvement—baby steps—before you notice a major shift. These practices, in conjunction with the tools given to you by your daughter's therapist, will help you make great strides in her healing. Don't be discouraged throughout the process and don't forget to care for yourself as well. E R I K A ERIKA SAYS: I understand what it feels like to carry such a heavy load for someone you love. I dealt with anxiety and depression as a child, and still do. Fearing that these issues could show up in my children has always been at the forefront of my mind, so I can certainly imagine feeling somehow responsible if I were in your shoes. But please know that your daughter's depression is not your fault. As parents, we tend to blame ourselves for situa- tions beyond our control. Taking on guilt for your daughter's diagnosis doesn't change the fact she has it. What it will do, however, is weigh upon your spirit. We carry enough unnecessary baggage as moms—let that go! What would be far more productive is for you to proactively seek ways to teach your daughter tools to help her control her symptoms. I spent most of my 20's in therapy, on medi- cation and trying to figure out why I had a so many mental health issues. I discovered that some of my symptoms were caused by childhood trauma, others by a hormone imbal- ance. I also learned that the food I was putting into my body was causing me to feel 'off.' The good news is there's a lot you can do to address your daughter's symptoms. Here are some changes I've made in my life that might be useful for your family: Practicing an Attitude of Gratitude. A few years ago, during a time when I was going through some difficult stuff, I had a friend who was facing her own challenges. One day I mentioned feeling hopeless and depressed, and she started texting me a daily list of three things she was grateful for. Small or big, it didn't matter, we decided to share with each other three things we were grateful for, each day. Buy a notebook to use as a family and document three things you're grateful for, ideally first thing in the morning. Let me tell you, it's not easy finding things to be grateful for when you're in a slump. But as the days, weeks,and months went on, it got easier to find gratitude and joy, even in small things. Getting Enough Sleep. Make sure your daughter is getting a solid night of uninterrupted sleep. Lack of proper rest can cause mood swings, increase anxiety and worsen symptoms of depres- sion. Children her age should get anywhere between nine to twelve hours of sleep. My 5-year-old son goes to sleep at 8 p.m. and gets up for school at 7 a.m., because I've found that even one night of insufficient rest can affect his mood dramatically.

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