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Educational blogs for parents and professionals
Coronavirus Got You Down? You Are Not Alone!
As a mental health practitioner, I support people with various mental health conditions daily. My initial approach is to help clients first understand and recognize the elements and symptoms of mental health decline if they do not already. Many clients share that they have been struggling for a long time but were not aware of the elements of their conditions; and shame or embarrassment have kept them from seeking help or speaking out about their mental health challenges.
As the coronavirus pandemic began and the social isolation and distancing became mandatory, it made me think of so many who may be affected by mental health decline and are not even aware of its symptoms and effects on them.
I want to highlight some common thoughts or feelings that I encourage you to pay close attention to, and hopefully find the necessary help and support that you need during these challenging times. It is also important to understand that although many of these feelings and reactions are normal during a traumatizing pandemic, they can also lead to a deeper state of mental health decline.
Here is a list of some of the thoughts and feelings that I would like to bring to your attention:
1- Hopelessness
Giving into and repeating all the fear, thoughts, and negativity during this time can lead to a sense of hopelessness. This can be a sign of depression or a precursor to depression.
2- Panic & Anxiety
Panic is a sudden uncontrollable fear of something. If we spend too much time in panic and anxiety, this can have dramatic effects on our overall mental health and can lead to body pain and even panic attacks. This is something to pay attention to and I urge you to find ways to help decrease or distract you from panic, anxiety and worry.
3- Worry
Worry is a common trait of ours. However, as I described above, when we consistently feel worried it can turn into catastrophizing thoughts and have an overall impact on our emotional and physical wellbeing. Catasprophizing is ruminating on a negative thought and convincing yourself things are worse than they really are.
4- Feeling Overwhelmed
Many families, individuals, businesses and even our amazing heroic front line workers are more likely feeling overwhelmed right now. Feeling overwhelmed is not to be taken lightly or to be “shrugged off”. This is a common symptom of anxiety and an indicator that someone is doing “too much of something”. Feeling overwhelmed can also trigger panic and/or depression.
5- Lack of Interest/Desire
People who experience a lack of interest or desire in things that usually give them pleasure is often a core symptom of depression.
6- Engaging in Excessive Behaviors
This is a tricky one as many right now are binge watching Netflix and are bored and engaging in activities more than they usually would, including drinking alcohol. It is necessary to pay attention to this as this could lead to further excessive behaviors, and we need to check in on our mental health and strive for balance.
8- Case of the F*** Its!
Most of us know at our core that it is important to stay healthy, eat well, have balance in our lives and so on. But when someone feels overwhelmed, worried, has no interest and on top of that experiencing being alone in isolation, it is easy to get the case of the “F*** it’s”, which is a type of “I don’t care anymore” perspective. This can also lead to giving up on things that are important to your overall mental health like exercising, meditation, reaching out, and much more.
I want to encourage you in the midst of these chaotic times and this pandemic that we all experience some of these elements above; but I want to bring awareness to them and encourage you that “you are not alone” and if you recognize any of these thoughts and feelings in excess, I encourage you to reach out and seek help.
I feel very strongly about the use of music during these times. Being a music therapist, I see the many benefits of music to help validate as well as distract from many of our emotions and life situations that we may experience. I have turned to music many times myself to help release my emotions and worries during this time.
At the beginning of the pandemic I could not get the song “You Will Be Found” from the popular musical Dear Evan Hansen out of my head. I sat at the piano, recorded it, and felt especially drawn to the line that repeats “you are not alone”. I wanted to share this message with the world during this time and invited my music therapy colleagues from all over the world to join me in song. I have found so much comfort during these difficult times collaborating with 116 other music therapists across the world on this project and want to spread the message to the world that “you are not alone”.
As I have outlined above, I want to bring awareness to many of the thoughts and feelings that may arise during traumatic times and to educate others who may not know or understand its impact or effects. Please don’t be afraid to talk to others about what you are experiencing, seek help and know that “you are not alone”.
Thank you for taking the time to view this video and we encourage you to share this musical message with many others who may need to hear “You are Not Alone”!
Mewsic Moves is also offering telemusictherapy sessions during this time for those that need additional mental health support in dealing with anxiety and depression or also those that want to continue individual music therapy sessions but are practicing social distancing.
For more information please reach out to us:
email: john@mewsicmoves.com
phone: (818) 877-6797
Let’s Be Social
Photos by Claudia Wolff on Unsplash
Mewsic Moves Wins an Award!
I am so thrilled to announce that I have received the “Top Music Therapy Writer” award from Autism Parenting Magazine for 2014! This is a terrific magazine that provides education and support to families of children on the spectrum. The Autism Parenting Magazine was also proud recipients of the 2014 Gold Award for Online Resources (websites, eMagazines and blogs) in the category of Family/Parenting from the Mom's Choice Awards®.
Here is a list of some of the articles I contributed to the Autism Parenting Magazine:
I encourage you to check out this excellent magazine! Also, look for more articles from me this year. If you have questions or are interested in learning more about music therapy, please reach out to me. Your question might even inspire me to write my next article!
Click on the picture to the right to subscribe to the Autism Parenting Magazine.
Musically,
John Mews, BMT, MA, MFTI
john@mewsicmoves.com
www.mewsicmoves.com
You can also check out the Autism Parenting Magazine by CLICKING HERE
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Parents: This 5-Minute Ritual Can Change Your Life!
Parents of children with special needs usually adhere to a strict schedule of appointments that follow a set routine. But sometimes even the best-planned schedule will require last minute change ups, and when this happens, chaos often follows, which can last throughout the rest of the day.
Athletes use a visualizing process called, “mental rehearsal” to help them achieve their best performance. Have you ever tried visually planning your day first thing in the morning?
I promise you that if you practice this 5-minute ritual on a regular basis, you’ll find you're mentally better prepared for any eventuality, your general outlook improves, and you’ll feel much more grounded when things do go “off the rails.”
There are 5 simple steps to this ritual, one for each minute. I suggest you do this as soon as you wake up when your mind is in its most relaxed state. (This doesn’t work if you oversleep your alarm of course!)
First Minute:
Find a quiet place and breath deep. (Maybe play some slow classical music as background to help you relax) One of my favorite places to do this is in the shower.
Second Minute:
When you are feeling relaxed and calm, mentally start listing things for which you are grateful (e.g., I am grateful for my family, I am grateful for my health, etc.)
Third Minute:
Mentally forgive yourself and give yourself permission to make mistakes today. You can even visualize yourself in a stressful situation and guide yourself to a relaxing place of peace and resolution.
Fourth Minute:
Visualize your day's schedule and imagine that each item on your list is working out perfectly for you and your family.
Fifth Minute:
Acknowledge and appreciate that you are doing your best, your partner is doing their best, and your children are doing their best.
End with a deep breath and give thanks for the gift of Life.
Once you complete this morning ritual, you can go about your day knowing and trusting that things will work out for the best. You’ve given yourself some time and space to mentally plan as well as to guide your subconscious into planning and preparing your day to be a success.
Here are some books I recommend to parents who have children with special needs. These are great resources to help you find balance – taking time for yourself and your children to create a happier and healthier home life.
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
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Image Courtesy of Stock Images/freedigitalphotos.net
5 Reasons Why Music Therapy is Effective For Children With Autism
March is music therapy awareness month and I would like to highlight some of the reasons why music therapy is effective especially for children with autism.
1. It is multi-sensory
Music is appealing to most of our senses, which makes music therapy unique in that we can work on multi goals simultaneously. For example, a drumming exercise helps with eye-hand coordination, eye contact, motor and impulse control.
2. It is fun, safe and engaging
Music therapy provides a fun, safe and engaging environment for children with autism to explore and play. It also provides many opportunities for successful outcomes which helps to builds self-esteem and increases motivation.
3. It is structured and predictable
Music therapy can provide a structured and safe environment for children with autism to explore. Music that has a lot of repetition is predictable, which makes learning much easier for children with autism. The musical repetition helps them to self-regulate, because they know what is coming up next.
4. It is processed in all areas of the brain
Recent research shows that when we listen to music, all areas of the brain are lit up. Music therapists have known this for a long time, but now have the science to back it up. Music can help with speech and communication challenges, for social connection, for emotional regulation, motor control, and many other things.
5. It facilitates communication
Perhaps you’ve heard that “music is the universal language.” Taking this literally, we can use music in therapy to increase non-verbal communication through improvisation. Children with autism connect to music to express their feelings, emotions, and life stories. The interplay between the music therapist and child with autism is done in a non-threatening way, opening up many channels of communication.
Please feel free to share and comment on how you find music therapy to be effective for children with autism.
#mtawareness
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
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5 Main Benefits of Drumming for Children With Special Needs
Does your child have challenges with speech and articulation? Eye-hand coordination? Or even having difficulty with social skills or social cues? Then drumming maybe the right tool for your child to overcome and build on some of these challenges.
There has been a lot of research on the benefits of drumming over the past few decades. Drumming has been shown to help reduce depressions, boost immune systems and build self-esteem. In this blog I want to focus on five main benefits of drumming for children with speical needs.
1. Increase Communication and Speech
Drums can reinforce speech, vocalizations, sounds and even help with sentence building. You can use drumming to reinforce word syllables and then expand to full sentences. Have the child sound out each syllable or word as they simultaneously play it on the drum.
2. Support Eye-Hand Coordination/Motor Skills
Drumming can help strengthen upper body control, arm movement and increase eye-hand coordination, particularly if you use more than one drum. Drumming with mallets helps with reaching, grasping, fluidity of movement and fine motor skills.
3. Develop Social Skills
Groups drumming, with the proper facilitation, is a powerful exercise for people of all ages to strengthen social skills. Group drumming teaches children to listen, pay attention, turn-taking, sharing, and taking cues from one another.
4. Support Emotional Needs/Impulse Control
Drumming can help a child learn to regulate their emotions. It can be very useful for expressing emotions and to "get it out." Drumming can vent aggressions, and invite in a calmer state of mind, particularly improve impulse control.
5. Improve Self-Esteem and Fun!
Drumming is catchy and can be a lot of fun. If you have ever been in a drumming group you can surely attest to this. Drumming is a great way for children with special needs to play and to get physical exercise.
Drumming combines motor movement with auditory and visual feedback, which makes it a great tool for strengthening a variety of skills for children with special needs. Since drumming is multi-sensory, it facilitates greater engagement, encourages learning, brain function, and skill building all while having fun! I have seen drumming to be very effective for my clients. I hope you'll give it a try!
To get you started, I wrote a song that helps facilitate a fun drumming experience while working on various skills mentioned above. To download the full song, click on the image to the right, check it out and let me know what you think. Happy drumming!
You can also view my youtube video on how to make your own rhythm sticks! Click Here To View
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
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Child having a meltdown during holiday shopping