16485 Laguna Canyon Road, Suite 105, Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 646-4325

Back to School: How to Increase Focus & Manage Stress for Kids & Parents

Back to School: How to Increase Focus & Manage Stress for Kids & Parents
It’s that time of the year, again, where we’re getting back into the swing of things for the new school year. While a new school year brings with it exciting new changes, it can also bring about increased stress for both parents and kids. We’ve come up with ways for you and your kids to help improve their concentration and better handle stressful challenges that may come up, making it a more enjoyable year for all!

Concentration difficulties can manifest in a variety of ways, ranging from mild to severe. In many cases, changing the child’s diet, supporting them with specific supplements when necessary, and making some lifestyle changes can be very beneficial.

  • Supplements can be very helpful when the right ones are given. Talk to your DO or ND about supplements such as L-tryptophan, niacinamide, glycine, multivitamin/mineral supplement, zinc lozenges, and adrenal supporting herbs to figure out what may be best for your child’s specific needs.
  • Toxin overload may play a role for some when it comes to difficulty with concentration. Toxins (including heavy metals) can be found in many places, including our environment, in food and water, supplements (which is why where you buy your supplements matters!), vaccinations, food containers, and body care products. For many, filtering out these toxins is no big deal; some, however, do have an issue with detoxing, leading to accumulations of these toxinms that can impair learning and cognitive skills. Focus on buying organic food products, biodegradable and organic body care and cleaning products, and on drinking plenty of filtered water. Adding in foods that help bind and remove toxins from the body is also helpful, such as this Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie.
  • Screen time now seems to be an every day part of life, from using computers for school projects to relaxing in front of the TV (after homework is done, of course!). While this may seem menial, an association has been discovered between amount of screen time (including playing video games, watching TV, and using computers) and subsequent attention issues in children. Encourage your child to get outside and play, read hardcover books, or aid in dinner prep to help limit screen time.
  • Food additives can be an issue for many kids, with studies indicating an increase in hyperactive behaviors with ingestion of certain additives. Many of these ingredients are lurking in unsuspected places, meaning your child may be ingesting them far more often than you think. Look for the following food additives and try to avoid products that contain them:
    • Anti-caking agents (e.g. calcium silicate)
    • Bleaching agents (e.g. benzoyl peroxide)
    • Colorings (e.g. artificial dyes Red 40, Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5)
    • Flavorings (natural or artificial)
    • Emulsifiers
    • Mineral salts
    • Preservatives (e.g. benzoates, nitrates, sulfites)
    • Thickeners/ vegetable gums
    • Artificial sweeteners (found in sugar free and diet products)
  • Food sensitivities or allergies are more common than we think among kids and can lead to foggy thinking and difficulty with concentration. See your doctor to test for food allergies or to discuss an elimination diet, which is often more cost effective, though requires some planning to do successfully. Common food sensitivities or allergies include dairy, wheat, orange juice, refined carbohydrates, and salicylates.
  • A diet high in protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats can help stabilize blood sugar, which spikes with consumption of refined carbohydrates. Additionally, our bodies manufacture neurotransmitters needed for concentration from the protein that we ingest while the healthy fats in our diet help with conduction of neurotransmitters, making sufficient protein and fat intake even more important for memory and concentration.
  • Berries for the win! Berries, especially blueberries, contain a wide variety of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, which has been shown to protect the brain from free radicals and increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain, thereby increasing concentration.

High Concentration Power Snacks:

  • Organic Berries + Walnuts
  • Salmon + Leafy Greens + Olive Oil/Balsamic Vinegar dressing
  • Nut butter + Celery + Berries
  • Golden Milk (use nut or seed based milk for the dairy sensitive)
  • Dark Chocolate (70%+) Covered Berries
  • Avocado on Sweet Potato Toast

Stress Management is one of the main ways to help the school year flow more smoothly. Finding ways to manage stress together as a family is especially great, as it increases bonding time as well! One of those ways could be meditation, breathing exercises and other activities that you can do as a family. Therapy may also be considered as one of those activities. Instead of regular therapy, think more hypnotherapy on Harley Street. While the idea might sound radical, practices like mindfulness therapy and hypnotherapy have been around for centuries. When done by qualified professionals like those at The Mindful Therapist, the results could be quite fruitful not just for you but your family too.

  • Sit down as a family for a few hours at the beginning of the week to look at what that week has in store for everyone. Share projects that are coming up, big exams or presentations, excitements or concerns, and set one positive intention or goal.
  • Meal prepping can be a big stress reliever, taking the guess work out of the age old question “what’s for dinner”. Involving your kids in the meal prep (both with coming up with ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and with making the meals) makes it easier on everyone. This way, the kids won’t end up having to eat a dish they don’t like and the parents won’t be left banging their head against the wall trying to figure out meal plans! If you’re thinking about buying a meal kit subscription, check out reviews like sun basket vs home chef, with the kids to discuss which meals they would like to eat.
  • We can’t talk about stress management without discussing meditation! Whether in the form of taking a walk after dinner, going through a yoga routine, focusing on breathing, or listening to a guided meditation prior to everyone heading to bed, meditation is one of the best methods to handle stress. Try this family guided meditation or try one of these Best Meditation Apps of 2017.
Go on, make this year the best and most successful one yet!

Add Comment