"I am obsessed with this movie because I don't want to live in this world - a world with a pandemic, with what's happening in Afghanistan, with that kid in the street with the automatic rifle."

"I have social anxiety."

"I am so stressed out. I hate my life. I hate homework. I can't handle the stress."

These are actual statements out of the mouths of children I know. Have you heard something similar? These sentiments are heartbreaking, and they are real.

Our kids are not okay. I just recently realized this. I guess I thought, like many of you, that when our kids went back inside the school buildings with in-person instruction, they would be okay. They are not. And just last month, the experts - the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association, to name a few - weighed in by declaring child and adolescent mental health a national emergency.

Since this declaration, several states have taken action. Maryland, Colorado, New Jersey, and California have passed legislation expanding access for children who need mental health services. How do we expand these services to those at risk? And how do we know if our kids need help? Again, I thought everything would be alright until I heard those statements above. 

Now, I am no mental health expert, so I will not claim that I have solutions. This post is more meant for us to be aware, open, and proactive about supporting our children, even if they seem fine. In fact, we speak openly about this crisis inside the walls of Mind the Mat. This fall, we had many clients with teens request specialized kids' yoga classes. After much thought, we added a series led by a trained trauma-informed yoga instructor. So, we thought we would start here and hopefully create a bigger effort beyond our smaller MtM and Alexandria communities.

Although I am not a psychotherapist, I am a physical therapist. There is much data supporting the positive impact of physical activity, breathwork, meditation, and overall human connection on mental health. So, let's give this a try, and if you can figure out how to get your teenagers to this class, will you let us know so we can tell other parents, including me (LOL)? We are, in fact, a tight-knit community. Let's use this woven network to our advantage and support all kids.