Article

So I was doing the last of the mandatory EEO training for work and stumbled upon an article talking about reconnecting children with the outdoors. It was actually harder to get through than I thought it would be. I took issue with many things the main one being what they were labeling it. The label was Nature-Deficit Disorder, Does that sound like a real thing to anyone else? Or does it sound like someone gave a name to something in order to draw attention to it. As the article states it is not an official diagnosis (how can you diagnose a child not going outside) but a term to describe children not going outdoors and how they have more issues. I am sorry but that is where parents should be coming in. Lets see they list attention difficulties as one of the symptoms well the child certainly has no problem paying attention 8 hrs a day to Call of Duty whatever because it is something they want to do. Going outside is not going to change that, going outside shows someone there is a world beyond what goes on in the house. Two more things that are tied with not going outside emotional and physical illness. Hmm thats a no brainer on at least the physical illness part going outside and being active or sitting in the house sitting in their room or on the couch playing video games snacking. This is where the supposed "obesity empidemic" is coming from parents letting their little darling snack on all that sugar and play video games and not making htem go outside. How about people instead of blaming all the sugar and insisting that places get ride of sugary drinks and snacks making you children put down that remmote/game controller/etc.. and go use their imaginations,build forts out of sticks,find a friend or four and play basketball, or set up a game of street hockey wether its on inline skates or on their feet. HAVE them do something!!! This is the part where I use an example from my life. I know someone having trouble getting their almost ready to graduate kid to take initiative with his life. WELL hmm lets see you always bought him $100+ shows all the name brand clothes and didn't require him to do more than wash his body and get ok grades in school (no real consiquence if he didn't though)now he's nearing the age where he is suppose to be an adult and he has no functioning skills. The only thing he knows is how to sit in the bedroom and play Call of Duty or whatever the newest video game is. Now the parent is complaining to me that the kid has no drive no ambition but if I say anything about well maybe its because...I am cut off and told well I would rather he do this then out doing drugs. It makes me laugh because wasn't it just last week you told me you caught him smoking pot? So even though you are too lienient on him so that he doesn't rebel and do drugs he still is doing drugs. Boy anyone else spot the missed logic. There is a difference in being a friend and being a parent. Thats what this article should have stated. Be a parent get your kids outdoors lets not label something as a disorder when its really not. So people take action don't let you kids be part of some fake disorder that tells them its not your fault you just have nature-deficit disorder and the cure is to go outside. How about we just say GO OUTSIDE and leave it at that.

Stress, Depression, and Worry

For me stress, depression, and worry all seem to go hand in hand. Yea I have a high stress job and being a single mom (specifically for me) or a parent period is full of worry. However being paired with the depression that I have been fighting for years and as a combination its a bad thing. Between the three after a while life became so overwhelming. Has any one else experienced that? What did you do to cope? I took the advice of my boss and actually went to see a therapist and for the most part he helps but there is a piece that he can't seem to touch. That piece that is there but you have no real name for why its wrong. Its actually kind of funny because its easy to bury so its the last to come up. Its the easiest to hide and the hardest as I have said to identify. Any ideas from anyone? I just found a new blog called wired to worry and its kinda of a self help for those who area stressed, suffer from anxeity, and to be more assertive. I have just subscribed to the author's newsletter so I will be back in a couple weeks after trying out some of the techniques and self help seminars to see if maybe something more self help rather than profession help that is not reaching that one thing. So if your interested stay tuned and we will see.