Why Adults Need Recess, Too!

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Who doesn’t love recess? Time to move and play? We all should hopefully know how important recess is for children at this point. But, over the last few years I’ve realized just how much movement and getting my own recess benefits my mental health during turbulent times. There are many reasons why we ALL need movement and time to play now more than ever. 

Creating My Own Recess

Like my favorite group exercise instructor says, “A rolling stone gathers no moss!” I was never an athlete as a child. Playing sports or taking dance classes weren’t things I thought I could do. Activities that required organized group exercise weren’t things I was jumping into readily. I didn’t overextend myself or take on a whole lot of risk as a kid. By the time high school rolled around and there was turbulence to deal with, I had no real physical outlet. Then, my mother joined a gym so I went a few times with her. At first, the discomfort was foreign but I went along because at the time there was little left to do. Afterwards I would feel more clarity, my mood improved and I wanted to make healthier choices in life. I realized if I was going to start moving forward in this stagnant part of my life, it was going to be only me who could do it. The benefit of exercise came to me by accident. I got healthier and happier and found myself at college the following year. I slowly created this movement habit for myself, and it stuck!

Keeping the Recess Habit Amid Motherhood

As a new mother, I remember telling my OBGYN that I was having trouble sleeping. I was anxious and didn’t feel like “me”. I was stressed about not sleeping, about the baby waking and a hundred million other things. My doctor urged me to first start moving and get back to daily or weekly “Recess” appointments with myself. She reminded me to start setting time aside for movement and to begin with group exercise classes again and if I didn’t feel a change soon to check in. I committed to two days a week for an hour each day. I got a babysitter for the kids and made time for my vigorous play. The doctor was right. Soon my sleep improved and so did my overall well-being. I can say that the past two years could make you feel as though you are in the throes of something new and stressful every time we pull back the next month on the calendar. The stress of this time right now can be reduced by that endorphin release and thus helping our circadian rhythm. 

Connection and Mental Health

During COVID, I continued to attend group classes as much as i could. Between changing schedules and the upheaval of a life that we once all knew as normal, moving has been one thing that has stayed constant. Mental Health is now getting some new awareness and I am here for it! And movement that incorporates connection like the kind i’m describing could be the way for so many of us to attend to their wellbeing. Moving with a group keeps me accountable, it forms a sort of team bond and mentality, and it makes me feel I matter to others. 

Mothers and children especially have taken on so much change and challenge over the past three years.

As a society we are looking at movement for kids as a necessity tool for their education. Even pushing back strongly against using recess as a privilege that can be lost. Instead, to see movement for children as a necessary part of their day — as a right in their education. When I look back on my time as a young person I could have used a heck of a lot more movement. The reason why kids love recess so much is probably the same reason why group exercise benefits me too. 

In a 2019 Harvard study, researchers found clear evidence that physical activity lowered or prevented depression. I have to guess that if group movement had entered my life earlier chances are I may not have skipped so many days of school as a teenager. Perhaps i would have been able to handle the waves instead of sinking. 

Adults need recess now more than ever. 

Adults and kids need recess — particularly during turbulent times in life. I have learned the best peace is there. A time of Mental Wealth.  

After doing some research I also found that many local gyms and group exercise studios on the Seacoast now offer and cater to teens and college age students and have nursery hours. Perfect when you need that physical outlet!  

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When I was 12, I received a coveted writing award at my 8th grade graduation. So right about now my 12 year old self is super pumped to be writing for Seacoast Moms! Writing loads of poetry helped get me through many challenges as a preteen. Even as a poet, I also write in advocacy and about deeper challenges as a parent and as a woman. Expressing my feelings and writing about what I've learned while becoming a grown up may hopefully be relatable to others. In college I was set on a law career but took one intro to education class and fell in love. I received my Master's in Education from Lesley College through a life changing program called "Art Integration in the Classroom". During my years teaching 4th grade, I also coached for The Girls on the Run program and witnessed the importance of extracurricular activities, teamwork and movement for children. Once my daughters came along, I made the tough decision to pause my career and focus on motherhood. I became the organizer of my family (and chaos) as a stay-at-home mama. The trick I found to support my extrovert passionate personality was to not "stay-at-home". My children and I quickly became involved with our community in Portsmouth, NH. I suddenly found myself as a master non-profit volunteer, becoming skilled at event planning and fundraising and eventually social media marketing and management. I helped lead a nature playground committee at our local school which successfully raised tens of thousands of dollars over several years. Within our PTA, I've planned many events and led our group members to think of outside of the box while using ways to connect with the community and secure sponsorship for The Ecology School Fund as well as The Nature Playground Fund. I've dived in to Social Media management promoting kindness, connection and celebration. Motherhood has found me coaching a youth sport that I knew nothing about, navigating the health and special education field for both my daughters and advocating for enhancing special education and for invisible disabilities such as Dyslexia and PANS/PANDAS awareness. Over the last 12 years as a Seacoast Mom the one thing that I've learned is that kindness can go a long way and that you truly never know what another mom or family could be dealing with. So offer a helping hand when you can, a compliment or an unexpected smile. It can and will change someone's life. I like to speak up when it's important and believe we should skip the small talk and get to the grit of life. I love my family, friends and community fiercely.