Helping Stressed-Out Kids Cope with Life: Shoshana Chaim on PYP 460
Channel: Sick to Fit | Plant Yourself Podcast
Date: 20/04/2021

Everybody's stressed out these days, and the pandemic has made it much worse.

Especially for kids, whose lives have been turned upside down by lockdowns, remote schooling, and stressed-out adult caregivers.

And while each of us can do our part to create a more just, peaceful, and nurturing world, we still have to deal with the world as it is, and help children to do the same.

Enter Shoshana Chaim, a long-time kindergarten teacher and physical education and yoga instructor, and plant-based health educator, with her new children's book, I Am a Peaceful Goldfish.

We talked about the central message of the book, which is that conscious, slow, deep breathing is the most immediately effective and instantly accessible forms of stress reduction.

And that all cognitive approaches to stress management must be built on top of biological ones.

We spoke about writing a children's book, and the importance of getting the tone right - simple, but not condescending.

And about this is really a stealth "adult book," so parents and teachers can be reminded of the importance of breathing for their own physical and mental health.

If you have young children, or know any, this conversation will empower you to empower them to respond to life's challenges with resilience, and to restore their emotional equilibrium through one of the most powerful modulators of mood: each breath we take.