13. Dental Floss and Mental Health
Teaching Little Brains
English - May 02, 2020 02:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MB - ★★★★ - 5 ratingsHow To Education teaching brain learning neuro coaching writing inquiry pbl time busy Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Flossing sucks! It’s uncomfortable to the gums, which often bleed, you never cut the right length piece of floss - it’s always either too short to hold onto, or way too long to do your whole mouth. By the time you’re done, your fingers are purple because you’ve got the floss wound so tightly around them that you’ve cut off all circulation. Then, you have to wipe down the mirror after, cuz you’ve launched bits of white sh...stuff all over it - what is that even anyway?! PLUS, there’s like ZERO gratification in flossing. There’s no visible difference in your mouth - except for the fact that your spitting out blood. Your gums are throbbing. And, for what?!
Teeth and our brains are very similar - if we neglect them, they will rot. Mindfulness and other practices that improve mental health, are things we need to practice on a regular basis - like flossing. And like flossing, it is not something we can do the night before, and week after our bi-annual dentist appointment. Also like flossing, it is a preventative health measure, and one that can be uncomfortable at times, and hard to remember to do. it’s one of those things that you don’t see the benefits of until much later, often when it’s too late and there’s a serious problem, so, while it may seem tricky or even forced at first, stick with it, because the benefits will compound, and the consequences of not taking care of your dental or mental health, are dire.
This coming week is Mental Health Awareness Week in Canada. What are you going to do to celebrate it?
Here are some ideas:
Get outside
Practice mindfulness
Write in your gratitude journal
Get some exercise
Call a friend or family member
Contact Carly Lowis
Read a book
Watch a movie...or two... or five
Put on some fancy clothes
Enjoy your favourite treat
Listen to some music
Dance
Bake - if you like that kind of thing
Do some yoga
Listen to your favourite podcast
Floss your teeth!
Take care of your mental health!
Tag me on Instagram @teaching.little.brains and/or Facebook
LINKS To Things Mentioned in the Episode
Canadian Mental Health Association - Mental Health Awareness Week
Carly Lowis - Life Coach - [email protected]