The topic of pediatric mental health has been garnering attention and with good reason and I’m discussing the correlation between pediatric mental health and massage. Stress and anxiety and mood and behavioral disorders have been growing at an alarming rate. We can point to reasons such as a global pandemic, social media for older kids, screen time for younger ones, school gun violence, to name a few. What our kids are grappling with today is significant and unfair, things we never had to deal with it as children in the 80’s or 90’s. More and more children are seeing therapists and taking medication.
We See it In Our Communities
A mom friend in my daughter’s school is struggling with her own son, who is having a really hard time. They have been to a number of doctors from a neurologists to a cardiologists, who have found nothing physically wrong. He was in therapy and are returning soon. They’re telling him that he has a lot of anxiety. I asked her what her pregnancy and postpartum were like. I asked her what his early years were like. All of them she would describe as difficult with a lot of sadness and crying on her part and his. This young boy is sensitive to his mother’s feelings too and doesn’t like to see her sad. Even the physical growth of this child has been stunted, which is not uncommon when we are in survival mode. This does not come as a surprise when she describes his in utero experience.
Mental health during childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones. It means learning healthy social skills and knowing how to cope when problems arise. Children who are mentally healthy have a positive quality of life and can function well whether at home, school, or in other groups.
This episode on Dr. Becky’s podcast clarified what is going on and is worth a listen. I’m keenly interested in the reality of growing up in America, especially for my eight-year-old, who is gearing up for some difficult years.
In my work, I’m focused on infant mental health, which starts in utero. In other posts, I talk about the impact of the pregnant mother’s stress on baby. We’ve often heard anxious moms have anxious babies and we know the short- and long-term impact of stress during pregnancy in postpartum and beyond, which I write about here.
Mind Body Connection
Pediatric health professionals are seeing children who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other behavioral concerns. Therapists who work with children have wait lists and I’m shocked by the number of elementary school aged kids struggling with anxiety and depression and with suicidal ideation as they grow older.
In industrial America, we have, to date, only prioritized physical health. There is more attention given to mental health now. However, the mind body connection is still not understood and recognized widely.
What role does massage play in all of this? Pediatric mental health and massage are connected. Daily practices can support our physical and mental health to prevent disease and sickness. Healthy eating, movement, meditation, being in community and nature are some prime examples. At the root of the problem is alienation from ourselves, others, and nature. At the basic physiological level, we need touch, which connects us to ourselves and to others. Check out this NIH study on the impact of massage on children who were depressed.
Touch is the first sense that develops in utero and the last sense to leave our bodies when we die. It is the only sense we cannot live without but it is grossly neglected every day, especially in America. We know how important it is to tell our children we love them but it is even more important to show them through the expression of loving touch.
Outside of the health benefits like sleep and healthy digestion, massage facilitates stress reduction, body awareness, self-regulation, and coping skills. Massage is proven to increase dopamine (the feel good hormone) and decrease cortisol (the stress hormone). Children, who are massaged, are less anxious and stressed and have better coping skills. They have healthy attachment to the adults in their life and it doesn’t matter how old they are! It also helps with the bonding in the family.
Looking to the Future
We have an anxious generation of kids and when we have a mental health epidemic among children, I look to the adults and what circumstances we’ve created to create this epidemic, similar to the obesity epidemic among kids. We can do something about this and I believe it’s never too late to change their trajectory. Medication will only bandaid the symptom without looking to the root cause of their anxiety.
My goal is not only to teach parents how to massage their babies but how to make it a part of their family’s lifestyle that extends far beyond infancy. I know very well how hard it is to make healthy practices into habits, especially when you’re a busy, overwhelmed mom and I’m committed to supporting interested families in making the connection between pediatric mental health and massage.
My own girls, now eight and three, still ask for massage and see it as a tool to feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally. I see the benefit it has on them and want to share it with as many parents as possible. Whether you have an older infant, toddler, preschooler, tween, teen, it’s never too late!
This is why we are hosting our first FREE 5 Day Massage Challenge (May 13-17) with the goal of introducing massage to families who are new to it, and supporting those who already know about it in making it a habit. Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/966041078858151/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
