It is totally crazy that people have to think about breathing, right? Isn't that something our body should be doing on it's own? Well yes, but in stressful situations and difficult times, sometimes we forget to slow down and breathe. It might seem not important or like there is no time to slow down and breathe, but there are serious medical benefits to taking time each day to breathe. Harvard Medical School wrote an article on breath control and how to establish a pattern of deep breathing. In the article it states, "Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange — that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, it can slow the heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure." (Harvard Health, 2020). By allowing yourself a few minutes a day to practice deep breathing, you could be benefiting your health greatly. This is also a great activity for children to practice as well. This activity can reduce stress before a treatment or procedure, it can help panic that may arise when objects such as needles or tubes are seen, and it can overall help them relax and be more comfortable in the hospital. Here are some tips to deep breathing for you and your child!
"First steps. Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down. First, take a normal breath. Then try a deep breath: Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your chest and lower belly to rise as you fill your lungs. Let your abdomen expand fully. Now breathe out slowly through your mouth (or your nose, if that feels more natural)." (Harvard Health, 2020). "Creating a routine - You may want to try several different relaxation techniques to see which one works best for you. And if your favorite approach fails to engage you, or you want some variety, you'll have alternatives. You may also find the following tips helpful:
Maybe ten to twenty minutes a day is too long right now, so start with five or six minutes. As time goes on see if you can increase the time you spend deep breathing. Especially for children, it can be difficult to sit still for longer than a few seconds so try playing calming music (linked in Activity Tuesday) and taking a few deep breaths together! It is great for your overall wellness! Remember you are incredibly strong. This hospitalization has nothing on you! You can do this! Encouraging Quote Of The Day: "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." -Aristotle *All Sources From This Post Are Linked Below! https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2255 https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response
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![]() Happy Tuesday Everyone! Yesterday was for self-care and mental health and it was awesome the things people submitted that they were doing! Today is activity Tuesday where the presentation is all about... MUSIC! Music can be super helpful throughout the hospitalization process and have many benefits on a child's health! Check out the presentation linked below! ![]()
It's Time To Dance!Happy Friday Everyone! This week has been jam packed full of content and material and today is super fun! It is a short post but the most important aspect is that today is all about dancing. Dancing boosts serotonin and just the overall mood of hospital patients. The two links below are for children's zumba that can be done from the bed (just doing the arm motions) or up on your feet. Participate with your child in the dancing and invite the doctors and nurses as well, they love to dance too. Hope you enjoy these dancing videos and this Fun Friday activity! Encouraging Quote Of The Day: "Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down." -- Charles F. Kettering Freud's Psycho-sexual Theory Of Development![]() According to Sigmund Freud, each stage of childhood development is associated with a body part that correlates to the overall sexual development of the child. There are five stages that go along with Freud's theory that explain childhood development from birth to death. The Oral Stage: This stage occurs from birth to age one and pertains to the specific body part of the mouth. Young infants commonly use their mouths as exploratory devices to understand their environment around them. The rooting and sucking reflex are very prominent as the child is focused on either bottle or breastfeeding as well as using a pacifier. The Anal Stage: This stage most typically occurs between the ages of one and three and the main focus is bladder and bowel control. The prominent reason for this stage is because of the typical age of potty training. It is very common around age two to three to potty train a child. Because of potty-training, the child becomes overly stimulated and focused on their genitals and private areas. The Phallic Stage: This stage occurs from ages three to six years of age and the main body part of this stage is the genitals. In this stage, children begin to realize the difference in sexes and that genitals differ in females and males. The Oedipus Complex is also very common where the child longs for the mothers attention as apposed to the mother giving attention to the father. This stage is a very prominent stage where teaching and education along with proper vocabulary surrounding the topic is very important. The Latent Stage: This stage occurs from six through puberty. This stage mainly focuses on inactive sexual feelings. Children develop social skills, and valuable relationships that impact their overall development. This period is widely known for when children explore the sexual energy that they do possess and the feelings they begin to feel. The Genital Stage: This stage occurs from puberty all the way through death. The main focus of this stage is the maturing of sexual development and sexual desires. When puberty begins, libido becomes active and it increases sexual desires and exploration for teenagers and children. At this stage, Freud believed that the ego and superego are fully developed. In the hospital, this theory can seem extremely unimportant, but overall it is. Understanding how your child sexually develops is very important and helpful as your child begins experiencing changes in their sexual development. For younger children, it is important to potty train and develop those skills and for older children, it is important to allow autonomy and individuality for sexual development if possible. Even though your children are in the hospital, their development in all areas is very important. Supporting your child through their sexual development is very helpful and powerful. For further information, there is a website linked below with more information about sexual development and Freud's theory. For questions and concerns, please go to the contact page and send us a question over email, Twitter, Instagram, or another platform. Hope you enjoyed Theory Thursday! Encouraging Quote Of The Day: 91. "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." - Deepak Chopra Website On Sexual Development And Freud's Development Theory: https://www.verywellmind.com/freuds-stages-of-psychosexual-development-2795962 ![]() Mid-week Woohoo! This week is all about something you do not get, sleep. Doctor Shusheel Patil recommends that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Doctor Patil also states that some people need more sleep depending on other factors in their lifestyle; in that case, those needs should be discussed with your primary care physician. The amount of stress that you are experiencing can cause ailments such as sleep apnea, sleep paralysis, and other sleep conditions; Doctor Patil also recommends seeing your family physician for those problems as well. Sleep is incredibly important when it comes to your overall and general health. Your child and you need sleep, and although it can be difficult, there are ways to get the most sleep possible. Children need anywhere from ten to thirteen hours of sleep (including naps) throughout the day. This is vital for development of the body. There are several ways to develop good sleep habits in the hospital. Some tips given by Doctor Patil include: creating a schedule for you and your child to sleep, creating incentives for sleeping longer lengths of time, if needed, use sleep aids such as melatonin or other natural sleep enhancers. Creating a schedule for sleep allows for better management of sleep and the greater ability to get the most possible sleep. Creating small incentives for sleeping longer periods of time for yourself and your child are great ways to encourage better sleep habits. The use of natural sleep enhancers are great ways to lengthen sleep and get better overall sleep. Talk with your child's doctor if they are having difficulty sleeping about the inclusion of Melatonin or other sleeping aids. Sleep is incredibly important and we want you to increase your overall health by getting a minimum of seven hours of sleep a night! You can do it! It might seem hard at first, so here are some tips to gradually increase your slumber length. Start by increasing your sleep schedule thirty minutes. Set your alarm thirty minutes later than normal. Another tip is if your body wakes you up after only a couple of hours of sleep, stay laying down in the position you are in and just relaxing. You might fall back asleep, but even if you do not, you are still resting your body and allowing your body to remain restful. For more tips and advice, check out our Instagram, Twitter, and other resources. Linked below is a video about sleep from Doctor Quan from Brigham And Women's Hospital about improving sleep habits and the importance of sleep. Encouraging Quote Of The Day: "Everything you can imagine is real." -- Pablo Picasso https://youtu.be/NAQz3pWloGU - Doctor Quan On Sleep ![]() Happy Tuesday Family! Hope everyone had a fantastic Monday and hope your week is going well! Today is activity Tuesday and linked at the end of this post is links and attachments to activity ideas and sets for your hospitalized children. These activities are all adaptable and easy to use and are safe for children who are immune compromised or not able to do much. Each week there will be an assortment of coloring pages that are easily printable straight from the attachment but also there is a link this week to a no-mess coloring book on Amazon for children. It is one of the best inventions that has been found for coloring! This week the main activity is play dough! Although it might seem messy and gross, it is an incredible sensory tool and toy for children of many ages. Play dough can be used for educational and recreational purposes. The link below lists numerous activities that can be done with play dough! Below are also kid-friendly word-searches to foster and promote education as well as online puzzles! We hope these activities help the process of hospitalization for your child and allow them to experience some fun and education! Leave us a comment for activities you would like to see or ideas for other posts! Remember, you are strong and can conquer this hospitalization! Encouraging Quote Of The Day: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." -- Arthur Ashe Activities For Tuesday - Play Dough Activities: http://mamaot.com/12-simple-play-dough-activities-for-preschoolers/
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![]() Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and a restful weekend! Today is Monday and that means a brand new week full of posts and interesting content! Below is the schedule for the week ahead: Monday - Motivational Post To Get You Through This Hospitalization! Tuesday - Be on the lookout for fun activities that are easily doable in the hospital. These include coloring pages, puzzles, online games, and more! Wednesday - Wellness Wednesday all about SLEEP! Theory Thursday - A whole post about Freud's Psycho sexual Theory Of Development Fun Friday - Watch out for the fun dancing that is about to happen at The Hospitalized Child Project! Be Ready! We wish everyone the best week possible! Tune into Instagram Lives held throughout the week and take part in the contact page and send us questions and comments! We cannot wait for this week! Welcome back to the week! Just to start off motivation Monday we wanted to say, You Are Strong! We are amazed by your excellence and ability to fight. Monday's Motivational Quote: "Be Strong because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever." In this troubling time, it can feel almost impossible to conquer your days, but it is possible! You are so much stronger than you think you are and you are more than capable of getting through this day. There is nothing that you can not overcome; no diagnoses, no treatment, nothing! We believe in you so that you can believe in your child. Be strong and know that you are supported and valued. Remember, you CAN do this! Persevere and overcome, you can do it! ![]() Hello Friday! Today's post is short but meaningful! Who loves movies? Everyone right! Below are some fun movies that help with emotion regulation and understanding of the medical world! All movies are kid friendly and very entertaining! Hope You Enjoy Watching Them! For Younger Children: - Inside Out: Found on Disney+ and is One hour and forty-two minutes long! Great for understanding emotions and allows for an opportunity to discuss the emotions you child might be feeling. - Brave: Also found on Disney+ and other platforms such as Amazon Prime Video. This movie is one hour and forty minutes long and teaches children how to persevere and overcome difficult situations. For School Aged Children: - Wonder: Found on Hulu and other platforms such as Amazon Prime Video. This movie is one hour and fifty-three minutes long and goes through a touching story about how every person is unique and can overcome their medical situation. - Kung Fu Panda: Found on YouTube and other platforms. Although this may sound strange, this movie teaches children to dream and have positive aspirations for themselves no matter the difficulty. For Older Children: - Tall Girl: Found on Netflix. This movie is one hour and forty-two minutes long and focuses on overcoming differences in appearance. The main character pushes through her physical challenges to become more confident and a better person. - Soul Surfer: This movie can be found on most popular movie platforms. It is one hour and forty-six minutes in duration and also teaches about the hospital environment and how to overcome and adapt to new circumstances. Educational Films For Children: - "Taking A Field Trip To The Doctor's Office" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXXmVqS3tLk - Doc McStuffins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwEbRoIvGw8 - Caillou At The Doctors - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZLtsys2M48 Blog On The Best Educational Movies For Children: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/educational-movies-for-kids_00482191/ Encouraging Quote Of The Day: "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." -- Wayne Gretzky Remember you can get through this! You can jump over hurtles and leap over mountains! You are going to get through this hospitalization! |
AuthorFuture child-life specialist here to help parents, caregivers, and supporters of hospitalized children. |