BACK TO SCHOOL + FAST-PACED KIDS
Guess what's back, back again?
It's back to school!!
For parents and kids alike, returning to school often brings:
• excitement, nervousness, or anticipation for a new grade
• a change in routine
• early (or earlier!) mornings
• increased periods of sitting
• new social situations
This has the potential to bring about stress! This stress can put nervous systems in fight or flight (sympathetic) mode and can play a big role in how you and your kids navigate the school year.
What happens, most frequently, is that a child (or adult!) will become stuck in fight or flight mode when under stress (this applies even more to a kid who is fast-paced). So, what might this look like? We might see:
• heightened senses (because the body perceives that it is under threat when stressed)
• the inhibition of the ability to filter information (i.e. the school lesson, a new concept, someone tapping their foot, conversation, or the AC in the background)
• a decrease in the ability to focus
All of this together means that information is coming in but likely isn't making it to the correct place due to overstimulation! This would make learning difficult for anyone but can be especially hard for a child who is still learning how to regulate their body, thoughts, and emotions. This might be seen on different levels depending on the child, but it can make even the task of getting to school seem monumental.
Another thing that fight or flight mode does is turn down (or off) the rational thinking part of the brain – it switches into survival mode! This can create tension and make controlling behaviors incredibly difficult for a kid, whether at school or at home. This might look like disobedience or acting out, but it's very likely that they are not able to regulate themselves due to an unbalanced nervous system!
That's where – you guessed it! – chiropractic comes in! In order to help your child begin to regulate, neurological chiropractic uses gentle adjustments that are focused on stimulating the rest and repair (parasympathetic) mode of the nervous system – the calm part! If they're stuck in fight or flight mode, removing interferences so that their body can readjust and calm means that they can become unstuck – they'll likely be able to focus better, take in new information, and regulate their behaviors more easily!
This resetting of the nervous system can take time. Taking the first step and getting your child scanned (we use INSiGHT neurological scans) to see how deep the stress is and the impact it is having on their nervous system is crucial if one is considering neurological chiropractic care! Understanding where your child is at is so important in regard to taking care of their health – you want to see them thrive, and this is a great place to begin!