MyUmwelt.ca

A great resource for anyone who may need some extra support at this time. Many thanks to medical students (Adina Landsberg, Maya Rosenkrantz, and Nicholas Brochez) and Dr. Matt Carwana for creating this living document. Please feel free to share widely. https://tinyurl.com/FamiliesFRST (Family Resources Support Tool)

This is a fantastic resource for parents. Here is just one example of a video put out by kidcarecanada.org. Kid Care Canada brings the science of human development to all of us. Check them out for a wealth of information on parenting, child development and evidence based behavioural changes we can all make. https://kidcarecanada.org//early-experiences-last-lifetime/

A thoughtful graphic. I've definitely ridden the wave of all of these as the weeks have unfolded but as we learn to settle into a new normal we have the power to choose where we place our thoughts and our energy and what we feed our minds. "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." ~Viktor Frankl Credits: TheCounsellingTeacher.com Carrie Stephens Art

This beautiful painting by Dr. Saira Maliha captures what I think so many are feeling right now. Thank you to all of you who are staying home and fully participating in this effort. We are all in this together and what each one of us chooses to do makes a difference. Every person who doesn't get sick enough to need services, saves our health care workers added exposure. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And I am on my knees begging you: "The physicians of British Columbia are on the frontlines in the battle against COVID-19. This crisis is unlike anything we have experienced in our lifetime. We are working flat out to be there for our patients and their families. Doctors cannot do this alone. What the public does now will impact the health of British Columbians the weeks and months ahead. Lives depend on your actions now.... Our province is in a state of emergency. Here is the directive from our Provincial Health Officer, Dr Bonnie Henry: Stay home unless absolutely necessary. This means no dinner parties. No shopping. No sports, even outside. Have coffee with a friend online. Keep two metres or six feet away from everyone if you must go out. That’s about the width of a car or the length of two arms stretched out. Wash your hands frequently. Tell your loved ones to do the same. This is especially important for young people. We sometimes see you out in the park or at the beach. You can get sick from this virus. More importantly, you can be carriers and cause a lot of harm to parents, grandparents, and other loved ones. The time is now. We can’t wait one more hour or one more day. Let’s save lives, together." Doctors of BC #stay-home #BCdocs

A great article on what we can do with our kids (now that school is out in Canada too): "Our kids will remember this for their whole lives. How do you want the...m to think about it? Feeling in control is hard when the world is so unpredictable, but it’s important for our wellbeing. For our kids, helping them feel in control means starting with them and their interests. For adults, one of the only things we can control in this is our behaviour, and how we relate to our kids. It’s the challenge of a lifetime." https://www.thelocal.it//ten-top-tips-for-keeping-kids-ent

Wash your hands like you’ve just been chopping jalapeños and you are about to put in your contacts. ~Dr. Bonnie HenryWash your hands like you’ve just been chopping jalapeños and you are about to put in your contacts. ~Dr. Bonnie Henry

She's coming to Surrey! Yes!! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conscious-parenting-with-dr-sh

When we know better we can do better. https://www.facebook.com/563681406/posts/10157763610681407

News from the Surrey North Delta Local Action Team. Would you like to know more about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and healing trauma? Here's your chance - for free!

More food for thought...

A FANTASTIC podcast from Kelty Mental Health on sleep and youth mental health. Sleep is a huge issue for our youth. I hear about this (directly from our youth) every. single. time. I do a youth clinic shift. So, I absolutely believe these statistics. Just a few pearls from Dr. Smita Naidoo and Andrea Bell: "Over 70% of children in Canada are not getting enough sleep." ... "Usually in children aged 6 and over we are looking (at the need for) anywhere between 9 to 11 hours of sleep. In puberty, that changes again and the evidence is now saying anywhere from 8 to 10 hours." "Sleep really is the main pillar of health that is not talked about. 80% of mental health issues have a sleep problem associated with it." ~Dr. Smita Naidoo "Social cues get lost when there is a lack of sleep. So a parent's ability to pick up on the child's cues, as amazing as we are or as amazing as we are trying to be, we drop the ball when we are bagged or we do too much or we are juggling too many things. I feel that when my children are on their "A" game as far as sleep is concerned their ability to creatively solve a problem, whether it be a social problem, whether it be a chess game, his ability to strategize on the soccer field, navigate with friends at school, ...he's able to look at feelings and emotions with a much clearer perspective when he's had a better night's sleep." ~Andrea Bell. Focus on RED: R - Routine - Come up with a regular bedtime routine E - Environment - Create a calming environment D - Devices - Avoid devices 2 hours before sleep Tune in to hear this FREE podcast (Where you are - Episode 4): https://keltymentalhealth.ca/podcastsleep

Kelty Mental Health is a province wide resource based at BC Children’s Hospital for parents and families who would like more information about mental health and substance use. The goal of the podcast is to help meet care providers of children and youth ‘where they are at’ and to give them practical tools they can use at home and when connecting with services across the province. It was an honour to be asked to kick off their new series ‘Where You Are’ on promoting Resiliency in Children and Youth. What can we do to help support our kids when they are struggling? Tune in and check it out! https://keltymentalhealth.ca//bounce-back-promoting-resili