Take Care of Your Mind, Take Care of YOU
You love your child unconditionally and you do everything for them. This 24/7 job is tough enough, but with something extra like AD / HD, your parenting job can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and a bit like a marathon. Constantly evaluating and making adjustments is not a one-time occurrence, but rather a series of optimizations and changes that require ongoing effort. All because you want your child to feel happy and successful. Law?
So what about you It is easy to focus your attention and energy on getting the help or support your child needs, but have you forgotten yourself?
Taking care of yourself will help you take better care of your child. The more you “fill your own bucket”, the more energy, love, patience, time, compassion … did I mention energy? … you can give your child as a present. Sounds simple enough. But how does one do it?
Take care of your brain!
Dr. Paul Nussbaum, author of Save Your Brain, teaches that a proactive, brain-healthy lifestyle is a great way to take care of yourself. There are five key steps to a brain-healthy lifestyle: diet, physical activity, mental stimulation, spirituality, and socialization.
-
Step one: nutrition
Your brain is a complex organ that needs essential fatty acids (EFAs), or omega-3 fatty acids, to function at optimal levels. EFAs help the brain communicate. * There is increasing evidence that omega-3 EFAs also have therapeutic benefits in ADHD, autism and other learning problems.
Next, eat a rainbow. Colorful fruits and vegetables contain “phytochemicals”, compounds that plants naturally produce to protect themselves from viruses, bacteria and fungi. Research suggests that a diet high in phytochemicals can help protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
Eat real food. The body uses whole grains, protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats most efficiently. Increasing nutrients while avoiding artificial additives, cutting down on refined sugars, and cutting down on saturated, unhealthy fats will make a difference in how you feel and function. Also, according to the Mayo Clinic, making healthy early life choices lower the risk of brain-related disorders.
-
Step 2: physical activity
You know exercise and exercise are good for your body, but it turns out to be important for a healthy brain, too. Exercise and exercise increase blood flow to your brain and reduce inflammation, which improves cardiovascular, joint, brain, and metabolic health. Exercise also improves the body’s ability to detoxify itself, improves mental balance, lifts mood, and reduces depression, anxiety, and irritability. It increases patience and self-esteem, and aids recovery from food addiction by increasing the release of dopamine.
How Much Exercise Do You Need to Take Advantage of the Brain? A study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that mental health benefits were observed after 20 minutes of physical activity, although the more exercise and intensity the better the effects.
-
Step 3: mental stimulation
New learning promotes new connections in the brain. Playing Scrabble, Monopoly, or any other board game is good for your brain health! Keep your brain active with sudoku, chess, charade, poker, bridge, any game that keeps your brain active and thinking in new ways. Reading, writing, and new learning also involve structural, chemical, and functional health-promoting changes in the brain. Lifelong learning leads to longevity and a healthy brain reserve.
-
Step four: spirituality
Meditation and relaxation techniques like deep breathing and yoga can help you slow down and turn inward for balance and symmetry. Learn to rewire negative thoughts by seeing mistakes as learning opportunities. Use self-talk to identify your mistake and verbally solve some solutions. You set an example for your child to follow. Your brain can adapt to a chaotic world, but it will function more efficiently when it reflects inward and rest. Go on – take a slow, deep breath now!
-
Step five: socialization
Socialization is important for brain health. It provides the opportunity for communication, critical thinking, creativity, and emotional expression. It has been shown that people who isolate or isolate themselves are at a higher risk of developing dementia than those who remain integrated into society. So think about and participate in activities that you enjoy. Isn’t it great to know that socializing and having fun in your community can help ward off susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases in old age?
A great example is the ImpactParents community. Here you will find a caring environment that encourages socialization between like-minded families raising a child with AD / HD. Just what your brain needs!
As a parent, you can take care of your own brain, teach by example, and provide the tools to help a child navigate the terrain of life. Your children will also learn to appreciate and care for their brains.
* Special Note: The body does not make EFAs, so we need to get them from food or supplements. Research has shown that the safest, most reliable source of omega-3 EFAs is a high quality fish oil supplement made in an oxygen-free environment to ensure freshness, molecularly distilled to remove environmental toxins, and third-party according to international purity standards has been tested and degrees of freshness.