Recently, my kids were watching the second Secret Life of Pets movie. I appreciate how the storytellers told Max's tale of anxiety and how his experience at the farm helped him overcome it. It was genuine and well thought out. Indeed, animals and people find help dealing with their anxiety through a farm.
At Simple Sparrow Care Farm, we witness all ages, backgrounds, and abilities overcome fears and build confidence through mindful practices at the farm everyday. Anxiety is physically debilitating and actually inhibits our brain from processing logic (https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body#1). An anxious mind and body cannot connect emotionally or in any meaningful way with others nor can it think rationally. The anxious mind is active in the brain stem and diencephalon, regions of the brain responsible for body function (like heart rate, breathing, and muscle control...also our stress response of fight, flight, freeze). It is a process for the brain to go from these regions to higher brain functions (in the limbic and cortex). In these higher functioning regions, emotions and logical thinking happen. If the mind is kept in an anxious state, emotional awareness and reason are inhibited.
(More about the brain by Dr. Bruce Perry here: Perry, B.D., (The ChildTrauma Academy). (2013) 1: The Human Brain [Video webcast].
In Seven Slide Series. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsgDkeH52o )
Relationships are fundamental to our existence. We are created for relationship, to function as a community. Anxiety effectively destroys relationship because it eliminates the mind and body's ability to attach, that is to connect with another living thing. (A great book on this is "The Body Keeps the Score" by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk). Without relationship, without community, we become more anxious. And sometimes, the very thing we need to sustain us (community) causes us anxiety. Oy vey.
What's the solution? How can we effectively combat anxiety?
In the movie, Max (a Jack Russel) struggles with anxiety after the baby is born because he realizes there are so many risks in the world for the new child. To control the risk, Max strives to protect his human boy at all costs. But when he cannot control everything, he begins nervous scratching and ends up in the dreaded "cone of shame." The family decides to take a trip together to a countryside farm and bring along Max and Duke (their other dog). Once at the farm, Max must face his worst fears and learn he survived them!
Facing fears and living through them. That builds resilience. Resilience is like an anti-anxiety serum.
Whereas anxiety causes release of stress hormones in our minds and bodies, resilience is linked to the reward system in our brains and causes a release of feel good hormones. This slurry of happy boosts our confidence, improves our mind's ability to access the limbic and cortex (for relational and logical thinking), and reduces anxiety.
The risks in life didn't change for Max, but his outlook did. He built resilience, grew in confidence, and did it all through relationship at the farm. Rooster, the farm dog, co-regulated Max (help him cope).
Here at Simple Sparrow, it looks very much the same. Often, an anxious/nervous child will visit with a parent, friend, or therapist. Perhaps that child had an adverse experience with a dog. When they see our farm dogs, they may run away from them or start screaming or both...clearly distraught. We NEVER force people to interact with something they fear. But we do provide a time and space for them to confront their fears and work through the source of their anxiety.
We are a trauma-informed care farm. Among many other things, we are aware of people's body language. We know how to wait for a persons body to tell us they are listening and ready for relationship. In the case of the child with anxiety and fear of dogs, we can put the dogs in a pen so they are within view but out of reach. Then we talk about something that has nothing to do with dogs. We may walk over to hold the bunnies or feed the chickens. We show them how to pet the goats or interact with the llama. We many cut herbs in the garden or plant seeds. We talk about these experiences: What do the chick feet feel like? Does the rabbit fur feel like a blanket? What will the flowers look like when they grow? What does this herb taste like? etc.
Then we start talking about the dogs. The dogs names are Mojo and Amigo and they like digging in the garden too! If you throw that ball, Mojo with bring it back to you. Would you like to meet them?
When the child is ready, they meet the dogs. But the MUST DECIDE they are ready for this new relationship. We never force. And more often then not, the child will decide to be brave. They decide to face their fears and meet a dog. They still may wince when Mojo drops the ball at their feet or jump back when Amigo plops down on their feet for belly rubs, but after a few seconds, they come back to the relationship and throw the ball or kneel down to give Amigo pets. Sometimes they even lay their heads on the dogs for snuggle and give the best hugs ever.
Resilience. The anti-anxiety serum. Readily available at your local farm.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Graffiti for Christmas
What was the best Christmas present you ever got? Was it a train set? A bike? Easy Bake oven?
For me, the best gift I ever got was from a complete stranger in Beruit, Lebanon: graffiti.
Ahmed is a graffiti artist who tags walls and buildings with sparrows. We have never met, but our lives have intersected at this serendipitous moment. A new friend, Brady Black is an American artist and is in Beruit sketch-documenting the revolution. (All art shown is by Brady Black and shared with permission via Facebook). Brady has been posting about the revolution since it started and I highly recommend following him at #RevolutionSketches.
In Fall of 2019, Lebanese people began protesting government corruption. It began as peaceful demonstration in the streets where entire families, grandparents, children, moms and dads, rallied to proclaim "enough is enough." More about the protests here: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/trust-lost-protests-continue-beirut-lebanon-picks-new-pm,
my favorite (about the women leading the charge) here: https://www.albawaba.com/editors-choice/women-lead-beirut-protests-banging-pots-and-pans-1319854
and another favorite (and muse for this post), how street art is a flood of "colour, chaos, and commentary":https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gallery-street-art-brings-life-downtown-beirut
To summarize:
- The Lebanese people are fed up with government corruption...the system set in place to protect them and enrich their lives is failing them and refuses to change
- Protesters have chosen peaceful and creative methods of protesting... even instilling rules to ensure safety to their "enemies". Here's a list of rules:
"1) Total peacefulness, avoid clashes of any kind 2) Insulting any religion if prohibited 3) Accepting the lawful trials of leaders 4) Respecting the Lebanese Army, even if the army was forced to take harsh actions against protesters 5) Protesting in the streets and in front of govt building encourages the achievement of our demands 6) Preventing politicians from taking too long by escalating peaceful protests 7) Spreading new ideas instead of fake news 8) Swearing/cursing is prohibited 9) The revolution is spontaneous decentralized and does not have a specific shape 10) No central leader for the revolution *NO PRESIDENT, NO LEADER, NO COMMITTEE representing the revolution."
- The leaders are responding by barricading themselves in and doing whatever they want anyways. Meanwhile, banks are closing, tensions rise, and riot police are attacking peace loving protesters.
Brady posted about the wall on Facebook recently.
These new walls that showed up last night are mocked as the whole point of the 60 days of protesting is to get the govt to listen to the people. Walls dont give that listening dialogue kind of vibe. .
Would be an absolute tragedy if they became Beirut’s largest graffiti canvas tomorrow"
I asked Brady if, pretty please, I could have a sparrow on the wall.
Sparrows have significant meaning for me. No, I do not live in a society where the government has barricaded itself in against peace-loving protesters (at least literally), but I feel the tension between leaders and "the people" in my own life and experiences. Additionally, the sparrow symbolizes God's provision (hence the name for my farm "Simple Sparrow.") It speaks of God's sovereignty and attention to detail even in the midst of human oppression. The sparrow reminds us to keep trusting God and His provision.
Matthew 6:25-26 says:
"..do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
When I checked Facebook the other day, I was over joyed to see a sparrow on that wall!
"His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches over me..."
Please pray for the people of Lebanon. They are protesting corruption and wrong doing. They are a resilient and courageous people. They are setting an example we all ought to follow when faced with hardship.
To the people of Lebanon: my voice is small but I add to the cry of the chorus of voices calling out for justice and peace and progress. Keep going my friends. Thank you for setting an outstanding example for the world to follow when government and leadership fail us. God be with you, may peace continue to reign among you. The world is watching.
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