Self-Care & Mental Wellness: Kris Astle Of SMART Technologies On The Top Five Self-Care Practices That Improve Mental Wellness
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Nourish your bodies and minds. Exercise, nutritional food, sunlight and laughter all help balance our brain chemicals in healthy ways. Promote them as a family and in ways your child can explore as an individual as they begin to discover who they are and what makes them happy.
Our children are facing challenges that didn’t exist just a short while ago. They are growing up with social media, constantly being connected, and the hurried pace of life today, as well as the pandemic, and the often frightening news. In short, our children are facing unprecedented mental health challenges. Anxiety, depression, and even suicide are on the rise. As parents and educators, what can we do to raise children who are mentally healthy? In this interview series, we are talking to authors, parenting experts and mental health professionals who can share their expertise and advice on Raising Children Who Are Mentally Healthy. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kris Astle.
Kris Astle, SMART Technologies Global Education Strategist & EdShift Podcast Host.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! None of us are able to experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful because of the support he/ she gave you to get where you are today? Can you share that story and why you are grateful for that person?
I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with an amazing mother. From a very early age, I was a pretty independent child and I’m sure I was responsible for all of my mother’s grey hair. She was so good at balancing letting me go and letting me do some ridiculous things (we won’t count the number of bones I broke) while also always being there when I needed her. She wouldn’t do things for me, but she would problem solve with me. My passion outside of education is horses, particularly starting wild mustangs. She was there with me when I got my first mustang fresh from the wild. (Not everything went as planned!) She sat with me as I talked out ideas and sat outside the pen as I worked with the horse. My mom is no longer with us, but that once wild horse is now my daughter’s show horse and the rock that she leans on when the world gets to be too much. My mom is with me with every new wild horse I work with and every challenge both the horses, and life, present me with.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
I’m very excited to be presenting at ISTE with my EdShift Podcast co-host Katie Novak. We’ll be speaking about how brain chemicals such as dopamine influence learning and what we as educators can learn from the brain. There is so much we can do to influence the learners’ biochemistry to set them up for success in the classroom. I’m extremely passionate about this topic and I’m excited to share it at ISTE.
Let’s talk about raising emotionally and mentally healthy children. In the Western world, humans typically have their physical needs met. But what has led to the tremendous downgrade in emotional and mental health that we are seeing today, especially for children? What is lacking in the mental health arena? Why are so many of our children struggling today?
When I compare my childhood experiences to those of my daughter, they are vastly different. My world was much smaller in so many ways. My circle of friends was confined largely to my neighborhood and my exposure to the world limited to what I caught on the evening news.
Technology has changed that. Our children today have access to the whole world. And the whole world has access to them. They are exposed to local and world events that cause them stress. Voices and opinions,contentious and otherwise are given a platform and often elevated. Our kids may not yet have the skills to discern what is real and what is fake. Our kids are grappling with tough situations much earlier in life. This has put a tremendous amount of pressure on them as they try to live up to unrealistic standards. They are facing challenges in the virtual world that their parents never encountered and it is impacting their well-being.
How does technology play into the equation of mental and emotional well-being? What about social media?
Technology can actually impact us at a biochemical level, impacting both the dopamine and serotonin levels in our brains. This means it can do things like disrupt our sleep schedules, disrupt our focus — we get a little dopamine boost from checking playing games, or checking social media. In the short term this might not hurt our mental health, but over the long run, drops in productivity can damage self-esteem and self-confidence, and those dopamine hits become addictive.
A study done by the University of Utah suggests that teens that use social media are three times more likely to suffer from depression.
One of the things I worry about with kids, especially teens and social media, is the need to always be “on” — that they are constantly capturing and showcasing their life, and being rated on it by their social media followers This can lead to a lot of stress. And brings us back to biochemistry, stress leads to increases on cortisol levels, which can impact sleep, disrupt learning, etc. This can be problematic on so many levels. Kids start to compare themselves against a standard that doesn’t truly reflect reality, just an edited moment of time. That can take a toll on their sense of self and can also lead to cyberbullying. Raising good digital citizens is something we all need to be thinking and talking about.
Obviously, this is a huge issue, and it seems to be growing. What are some small, practical tips, or tweaks, that parents and educators can easily implement to help their children who are struggling?
My first suggestion would be to limit screen time in order to build healthy digital habits. Taking phones away at night can help to build better sleep habits. Or, consider waiting to introduce phones until students are in high school to ensure your teen is ready to take on the responsibility of having a mobile phone and the access to the digital world it provides.
There are many helpful tools already integrated into phones to help manage access and usage. Consider restricting app usage or monitoring the types of apps and content your child uses. In cases where a child needs access to a phone, it’s important to teach them healthy habits and educating them on the risk and benefits associated with social media. It’s important that they learn what good looks like when it comes to using technology and have the tools and knowledge to develop and practice healthy habits.
In your professional opinion, what are certain triggers or signs that the state of a child’s mental and emotional health is not at its best? What is the best way to be proactive and address these signs from the get-go?
Withdrawal or lack of interest in activities or from friend groups that previously meant a lot to your child, disrupted sleep patterns, changes in eating habits, slipping grades in school are all possible indicators that a child may need mental or emotional health support. In the classroom this can also look like students acting out, a lack of focus and attention, or other unusual behavior. I feel like all kids could benefit from some form of mental health support. We don’t always spend a lot of time teaching kids concrete strategies to navigate some of the challenges they face in the world today.
Given that anxiety and depression are on the rise in kids around the world, being proactive in helping them recognize the symptoms and understand that there isn’t anything wrong with them is a great place to start. Providing kids with insight into the many different ways there are to address the symptoms so they can feel better and more like themselves is really important — there are many places they can go to get the support and knowing it’s out there is the critical first step. As soon as you see a change in your child and suspect something is going on, connect them with a coach or therapist. This can be online or in-person, whatever feels most comfortable for your child. Services like Brightline, which provides virtual mental health care for kids and teens make it very easy to quickly get your child connected with the right professional for their needs.
Do you think we can do a better job of educating our children about their emotional and mental health? What would that look like?
It’s incredibly important that we discuss mental health with our children. Talking about your own mental health can be daunting but often helps your child feel comfortable talking about their own. Talking openly about mental health builds students’ emotional-awareness, a core principle of Social Emotional Learning. SEL skills are essential to ensuring students have the right knowledge and balance of skills for success now and in the future. We need to explicitly teach kids the skills they need to navigate the challenges life will throw at them to help them protect their mental health. These are skills like setting and achieving goals, approaching challenges in positive and optimistic ways, being aware of and managing their emotions, navigating conflict, empathizing with with the feelings of others, making responsible decisions (and understanding how our developing brains and hormones may act against us when we are trying to do just that), standing up for people from different backgrounds and with different beliefs. These skills often fall under the umbrella term social emotional learning, which can be a confusing term and has become a bit charged as of late, but it refers to an important set of skills that kids need to be learning and practicing both at home and at school.
Ways to do this include getting kids to explore their behaviors and their motivations. Why do they react the way they do? My daughter has severe anxiety; she has worked with her therapist to identify the behaviors her anxiety triggers. We can then work to identify strategies to help her navigate those emotions in the moment so they don’t overwhelm her or prevent her from doing the things she wants to do.
Another great exercise is to try to understand what might be going on in their friends’ worlds when they act in ways that may seem mean or hurtful. Have them guess why their friends might be behaving in the ways they are or even why someone might be posting that on social media.
This is an opportunity to unpack it together. Talk about what your kids share and why they share it. Talk about what you share and why you share it. Think about what you are sharing about your kids and the impact it might have on their lives. By discovering our different behaviors and motives behind it, we can become more aware of our emotions and mental healths.
Meditation can also be extremely helpful. It takes practice but just like working out builds muscle over time, practicing breathwork and focus helps us connect with our emotions in healthy ways. Apps like Headspace make this more accessible than ever.
Here is the main question of our interview: Can you share with our readers your “5 things parents can do to raise children who are emotionally and mentally healthy”?
1) Mental health support is more accessible than ever — so make sure they know what their options are. Telehealth means that students can meet with a therapist from the comfort and security of their own rooms. This gives them someone they can trust who can actively teach them some of the skills they need to navigate our rapidly changing world. I feel like this is almost essential in this day and age.
2) Mental health support for parents matters — take care of yourself, too. Parenting has changed drastically in the past few years and now we need to learn new skills. I know from experience that when you pair anxiety and hormones on top of a bad day, it feels like managing a fire breathing dragon. Ultimately, we feel unsuccessful and like we’re not doing a good job but of course that’s not true. We have a new set of challenges to overcome and it is absolutely okay and encouraged to seek professional help.
3) Have screen-free family time. This will look different for every family, but set aside time to connect with screens and devices and talk to each other. My family enjoys preparing and sitting down to a meal together, both at home and on camping trips. We have a no device at the table rule for meals that works for us.
4) Have and enforce boundaries when it comes to devices and screen times even if it feels like you are the only one. It shouldn’t matter what your child’s best friend does at their home. Boundaries are good and enforce healthy device habits — for people of all ages.
5) Nourish your bodies and minds. Exercise, nutritional food, sunlight and laughter all help balance our brain chemicals in healthy ways. Promote them as a family and in ways your child can explore as an individual as they begin to discover who they are and what makes them happy.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources you recommend to our audience reading this interview?
I have many — Richard Culatta’s Digital for Good is a practical guide that help parents and children discover the path to becoming responsible digital citizens.
The short film The Troll by Shane Koyczan is a digestible film for all family members and is great for discussing the impact of social media and bullying.
Jennifer Williams Teach Boldly is an excellent resource for parents and educators who don’t want to limit screen-time but instead, use EdTech for social good.
One of my favorite podcasts include the Raising Good Humans Podcast with Dr. Aliza and of course I can’t forget Fact vs Fiction by Darren Hudgins Jennifer Lagarde who discuss the importance of teaching critical thinking skills in the age of fake news.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
You never know what an idea can trigger. Just one comment, suggestion or encouragement can lead to big impact.
Personally I would suggest that more schools begin teaching kids how to grow and cook nutritious food. Understanding where your food comes from, what goes into it and why it’s good for our bodies and minds, helps to impart healthy, lifelong habits.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
Give the EdShift Podcast a listen, wherever you get your podcasts. My co-host, Katie Novak, and I discus practical strategies for teaching and working with students to build responsible, digital citizens and life-long learners.
(Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/show/777LiFDqjWDZNLf3rkBQrC
Aple Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-edshift-podcast/id1588772351 )
If you’re going to ISTE, make sure to catch our session: “What’s Dopamine got to do with it? Knowledge & Tools for Active Learning” happening on Tuesday, June 27th at 430 pm.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
