The pandemic has been tough on kids. Doctors are seeing more kids coping with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and substance use. The Academy of Pediatrics issued a state of national emergency in children’s mental health, and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory in December calling it an urgent public health crisis.
And it’s not just mental health. Because children’s brains and bodies are still developing, high doses of stress and adversity – like we’re getting with the pandemic – can actually affect the way a child’s brain develops and put both their mental and physical health at greater risk.
California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris says there’s plenty of hope. Science shows that safe, stable, nurturing relationships can affect brain and body development in a positive way, and help buffer the negative effects of stress.
In this 7 minute interview with NPR, Dr. Burke Harris highlights why it’s so important to protect children from stress, what to focus on (knowing that parenting feels tougher than ever right now), and why “self-care is not selfish.”
Listen to the full interview for more on how we can protect the kids in our orbit.
Explore more tools and resources to help your kids here on Number Story.
It’s that time of year again, and I am sure you have noticed how fast the Holiday season is taking over stores. For some, this can trigger the body and create stress or dread….
[Content warning: Suicide.]
In recent years, during the month of Pride, I’ve always been extremely excited about the celebration—the glittery and colorful extravagance all throughout the month of June.
However, this year, I’ve taken a pause to really understand my journey, the one I’ve taken individually and the one the queer community is on at the moment. I feel blessed to live in West Hollywood in Los Angeles, one of America’s queer-friendly meccas, though the sparkle in my heart has dimmed as I feel increasingly more concerned for my community across the country where our safety, protections and rights are all at risk. Unfortunately, none of us are safe.
I’ve lived with bipolar disorder for the last 13 years. Though the initial years were brutal, once I understood my triggers and what it takes to stay well, I’ve been privileged to have stayed healthy for much of the last decade. This included — to my relief — my first pregnancy and post-partum period and serving in high-intensity public health roles through the pandemic, as California’s Acting Surgeon General and previously the office’s first Chief Health Officer.
I love music. Recently, I was listening to a random playlist Spotify generated for me when a song titled “Before I Have A Daughter” by Bre Kennedy started playing. Bre Kennedy sings about building a garden that grows on the same ground where tears have fallen and hearts have also been broken. Her goal is to learn to tend to this garden so that it flourishes on both the good and bad days.
