Is my brain OK?

After watching this SNL skit, I thought, if adults are having a hard time after Covid, how are kids doing? Change and loss are handily effective catalysts for mental and emotional distress. Now consider that teens are already experiencing change and loss related to the ending of childhood in exchange for a body they may not feel comfortable in. Emotions and feelings they may not yet understand are further exacerbated by neurological changes and fluctuating hormones. Add to this, any concept of a safe, stable, and nurturing environment has just been yanked out from under us all in the face of a global pandemic. Oof!

Author Leah Campbell published an article titled “For Some Kids, This Last Year Qualifies As An Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)”. “The term ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), comes from the landmark 1998 ACEs Study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente.” The study found that adverse childhood experiences are linked to increased risk factors leading to poor physical and mental health outcomes that can extrapolate well into late adulthood.

ACEs are potentially traumatic childhood experiences that are categorized into three domains: Abuse, Neglect, and Household Dysfunction. Within these domains, ten types of adversity are identified as toxic stressors. Toxic stress is defined as prolonged activation of stress response systems in the absence of protective relationships.

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parking lot thoughts:

racism, discrimination, and parental ACEs influencing their children's ACEs. Financial jeopardy, food insecurity, distance learning, social isolation, conflicting messages, misinformation, grief over the loss of a loved one, civil unrest