Holistic Holistic Health Associates :: Meditation, Frederick, MD

By Denise Ordonio, Licensed Massage Therapist and co-founder of Holistic Health Associates

Before personal computers, video games, text messaging or cell phones, kids used to simply play together and enjoy each other’s company. I remember playing outside for hours until I heard the bell my Mom would ring to summon us home for a hearty home cooked meal. The only time we’d spend in front of the television set was to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. Families did a lot together when I was growing up. Some of my fondest memories include family reunions and watching my Dad play horseshoes with my Uncle’s while all my cousins and I looked for fireflies.

Things have really changed, and I’m not sure for the better. Life has turned into a fast paced rat race even for our kids. For example; it’s the norm these days for kids to be involved in multiple activities, like dance, baseball, football, cheerleading, soccer, music lessons, scouts and swimming. Many of these activities are very competitive puts an undo amount of pressure on our youth. Competition is not the problem, but when it is constant the intensity is excessive.

As a massage therapist, I have treated several young athletes for various complaints, most of which are stemming from the stress of having no down time or time to recover from a sport. These days we have our little ones involved in too many activities.

Andrée Aelion Brooks, author and former New York Times journalist, calls attention to the overscheduled child in her book Children of FastTrack Parents.

Brooks concluded that exposing children to extracurricular activities too early is not necessarily a good idea. Some children are not able to function well with so many responsibilities and can develop stress disorders.

There are two kinds of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is the pleasant stress we feel when we confront the normal challenges of life. A child who enjoys soccer, for example, may thrive on the pressure associated with practice and games. Distress, on the other hand, occurs when we feel overwhelmed. The same child who thrives on soccer may become overwhelmed if he is also involved in four or five other activities. I remember coaching soccer for my kids and there was always at least one daisy picker every year on the team. Those were the kids who had no desire to be there except that their parents had signed them up.

The good news is you can easily reduce stress when you change or remove what is causing it. The best way to know if you’re stressed out from too many activities is to check to see if you’re meeting the basic needs such as good nutrition, plenty of sleep, keeping up with schoolwork and good health. If you find your kids
dashboard dining on fastfood regularly or missing school because of being too tired from staying up half the night to get the homework done, you are probably in need of an activities check. If they are doing too much, cutting back on extracurricular activities may be the solution. Lighten up gradually and find balance in an unbalanced world.

I know that with my family, after years of juggling three kids and about 15 activities, we finally figured it out and told our kids to decide what “ONE ACTIVITY” would make each one of them the happiest. I was shocked that our kid’s didn’t even balk at having to cut out so many other choices and you wouldn’t believe how much it changed our lives. I still remember it as “how we stopped the insanity”. My family still struggles with being overachievers and we definitely have too many hobbies, but we focus on regular massage, nutrition and exercise to keep us in check.

Vacation from Stress using Massage