I recently conducted my monthly social skills groups for children. The session’s topic was on communication skills. I have been running these groups for about a year now, and I continually notice the deficits our youth today face when it comes to communicating. It specifically hit me this session when discussing, and educating the groups on effective ways to communicate with others.

I try to stay current by showing YouTube videos and using apps on the tablet, alongside group activities, to keep the children engaged in the session. As I was preparing for this particular group, I started to worry as I was not finding good electronic material to use. After scouring the internet for material with no luck, I got an idea. I thought about the impacts technology has on our youth and realized that I was trying to accommodate the “new times” instead of focusing on the real, immediate need; face to face communication. I decided to take the route of disconnecting from all electronics during that session.

As you may have predicted, my kiddos were surprised when walking into the room with no electronic stimuli present. I asked them to put all electronics into a basket until the end of the session. They reluctantly followed the direction and proceeded to participate in the session. The session began with an overview of the day’s topic, followed by a partner communication activity. The children were asked to give specific directions to their blindfolded partner who was searching for the hidden eggs. Watching the pairs work on communicating with each other through directions and active listening was a fun and joyous sight. After each child had a chance to give and receive directions, the pairs worked together to discuss some of the communication skills that were found inside their eggs. 

Reflecting back on this experience, I think the most rewarding piece was seeing the children’s excitement as they left the session. They saw how fun it was to actually interact with friends and it seemed as if some real, positive connections were made. The group members seemed to forget about their devices in the basket for those 90 minutes. This success, for many of these children, is a huge accomplishment. It not only provided opportunities for the children to engage with one another, but it built their confidence in themselves. They can make friends! 

However, the children were not the only ones who learned a valuable lesson that day. I too saw the positive outcomes of disconnecting ourselves from electronics. Social skills are a key component to our society, but can be negatively impacted if our communication method is strictly through text messaging, snap chats, and other electronic approaches. I believe the change can start with us, the adults who influence our youth. What we model as adults can pave the way for what our children view as normal behavior. 

This phenomenon is not only present in today’s youth, but also in our society as a whole. I will admit, I do love some social media and reality TV time myself, but have been trying to decrease my electronics usage to strengthen the relationships in my life.

My challenge to all you readers is to take some time away from the electronics to build connections with yourself, others, and the environment. Ideas may be family dinners with the phones away, going for a hike, reading that book that has been on your list, inviting someone to meet up for lunch, or a walk in the park to name a few. Encourage your children to take some time to explore nature, use their imagination, and interact with others face-to-face. I think you will find yourself connecting in a meaningful way.

​Let’s model the change we hope to see in our youth and disconnect to connect.

Hi There! My name is Carah Elizabeth and I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Arizona. I’ve worked with individual suffering with eating disorders for over a decade.

Throughout my time in this field my interest in the connection between food and mood has been ever growing. We’ve all heard the term “Hangry,” the concept of one becoming less patient when hungry, right? I always tell people they have about 30 minutes between when I tell them I need to eat before I become hangry. There’s so much truth behind this concept, I’ve learned.

This concept has led me to explore further how nutrition is linked to mood and mental health issues. Our brains are our power houses, without the proper nutrition and rest it’s only natural that the power house would start to shut down a little. It needs fuel, just like our cars need fuel to get us from home to work / school, our brains and bodies need food to help us maintain emotional stability and get us through the day.

Does this mean I can just eat a bag of chips or a candy bar and my brain will be fueled? A resounding NO! Our brains can be damaged by low quality foods such as those that are processed or refined.

Processed foods create inflammation and oxidative stress. Whoa that’s a term that probably needs to be explained a bit. Oxidative stress occurs when the number of free radicals in our bodies outnumber the antioxidants, which prevent damage from occurring in our bodies and maintain balance. When the number of free radicals exceeds the antioxidants, this is when oxidation damages our cells, proteins and even our DNA!!! Crazy right!?!?

Processed foods also have an impact on our digestive tract. This was the big “AHA” moment to me. About 95% of the Serotonin our bodies produce happens in, you guessed it, our gastrointestinal tract! Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that assists with regulating sleep, appetite, mediating moods and suppressing pain.

So what do we do? How do we change this process? Make better choices in the kitchen!!

Giving your body high-quality foods rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants provides nourishment to our brain, fosters an environment to support the healthy, “good” bacteria in our digestive tracts and protects against oxidative stress. Choosing healthier, whole, unprocessed foods will also help protect you digestive tract to allow your body to absorb the nutrients, protect against the toxins and “bad” bacteria, limiting inflammation, and allowing the neural pathways between the digestive tract and brain to be active.

Research indicates that such nutrients as Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Folic Acid and B12 and Vitamin D may directly correlate to mood. Also studied are the comparison of nutritional intake around the world and overwhelmingly demonstrate that the risk of depression for someone consuming the standard American diet over a Mediterranean or traditional Japanese diet is significantly increased.

So what do we do now? How do we fix it? Awareness is the key. Start by being more aware of what foods you’re consuming and how you feel afterwards. Make small changes to your nutrition intake. Begin with increasing your intake of whole, all-natural foods, packing healthy snacks, and ensuring you’re eating high-quality foods regularly.

​There is no perfect, what you’re striving for is progress and health. Set a goal for yourself and share it with those around you for accountability. Maybe even finding a friend to team up with you and make the changes together. The main thing is to set a goal to start somewhere and follow through.