Mindfulness & Resilience
By Dr. Meghan Smart
Cultivating Resilience in the Children & Families We Serve
Our mission at Just Human is to build a community that collects, stores, and redistributes curated home goods donations to families transitioning out of homelessness and escaping domestic violence. Part of why our mission is so important to us is because it helps us support the families’ emotional wellbeing. Having a home, not just a place to live, helps our families rebuild their lives and move forward. According to Dr. Meghan Smart, a NY-based health and wellness coach, having a safe and comfortable home environment is an essential step in building resilience and moving beyond trauma. Read on for more of her thoughts on how executing our mission can help the children we serve thrive.
Nobody’s childhood is perfect, but some kids face a lot more adversity than others. In the 1990s the CDC and Kaiser Permanente launched the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study. They studied over 17,000 kids in California, and linked a higher incidence of ACEs (abuse, neglect, trauma) to worse health outcomes. Interestingly the increased risk applies to both mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, addiction), and physical health outcomes (asthma, diabetes, heart disease).
Decades later we have a better understanding of the relationship between the bad things that can happen during childhood and long-term health outcomes. First, we know that the effects of these adverse experiences are cumulative and depend upon severity. Second, we understand a lot more about how the actual adverse experience influences human genes, and thus health outcomes. For example, toxic stress turns on genes that increase beta receptors in lung tissue, making it harder to breathe and easier to develop asthma. Interestingly, the genetic changes can result from events experienced directly by children and from events experienced in utero through a pregnant mother. Third, we know that cultivating resilience can help kids overcome adverse childhood experiences and achieve better health outcomes.
Resilience is the way that we bounce back from a bad experience. We may often think of certain people as “resilient” but it is important to recognize that resilience is not a personality trait, it is a skill that anyone can learn. One of the most effective ways that we can learn resilience is through mindfulness. Neuroscientist Richard Davidson found not only does mindfulness increase resilience, but the more you practice, the more resilient your brain becomes. Mindful people are better able to resist getting stuck in their own stories and more empowered to move forward in their lives. There are also big impacts on physical health. Studies have shown that higher perception of stress is linked with shorter telomeres- the protective caps on the end of our chromosomes associated with longevity- and that a mindfulness practice increases the activity of the enzyme telomerase, which regulates telomeres and promotes vitality. And again, these changes in genetic regulation apply both to the person who is practicing mindfulness, and the unborn baby whose mother is cultivating a practice.
Mindfulness can be practiced anywhere, but it is difficult to learn and practice consistently if you don’t have a safe space to do it. Just Human takes a family’s new safe space and turns it into more than that- a cozy, comfortable place that feels like home. This work is setting kids and families up for success in cultivating resilience, overcoming ACEs, and achieving better health outcomes. I am so grateful to Just Human for understanding that your home environment is the foundation to your health, and working to create amazing spaces for kids and families.
Dr. Meghan Smart is a NY-based health coach, pharmacist, yoga and meditation teacher. She offers 1-on-1 health coaching as well as group programming. Visit www.drmeghansmart.com for more information, or follow her on Instagram @drmeghansmart.