Did you know that children with depression can do powerful things? It is estimated that over 264 million people worldwide are diagnosed with some form of depression. Many of those people fall into the category of a child 12 years or younger. Sadly the second leading cause of death of young ages 15-29 years old is suicide according to the World Health Organization. Most of the world do not have proper access to mental health resources. In the country ranked #2 for death by suicide, Russia, 45,178 people die by suicide every year. In India, ranked #21, 220,481 people die by suicide every year. Imagine if we could shift these statistics and provide a way to empower people with hope and purpose. Imagine a world where people choose to live a full life of contribution in harmony. I believe it is possible and it starts with personal responsibility.
The following blog is about children with depression. I share about what science says (empirical studies). I talk about some personal tough stories (parents and guardians pre-screen before sharing with your children). I share updates on all Move Happy® things. If you stay to the end, I share with you something I created to help shift the statistics in favor of hope and life for children around the globe.
#1 Aspect: Know What Depression Looks Like In Children⠀
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WebMD has a great article written including perspectives from a couple of child psychiatrists. What they found was that depression is possible in toddlers and pre school age children. It is long term sadness and withdrawl from activities they are normally interested in for two weeks or more. ⠀
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Depression in children usually manifests before puberty as an anxiety disorder. These young children will have separation anxieties or fear going to school or talking to people outside of the home. They will be “socially mute.” ⠀
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I was that child. ⠀
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I never received official treatment outside of 1 consult with a child psychiatrist because I didn’t talk to the psychiatrist so they didn’t think it would be of use. I was also homeschooled until 6th grade so mom didn’t know I wasn’t talking to my classmates since she & my bro were the only ones there 😂 ⠀
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I talked all the time at home so they had no clue until 9th grade when I hit some stressful situations and transitions. I had a best friend Anneliese that was in 5 of my 6 classes, both loved Mariah Carey and we both were hanging out all the time outside of school. Too much time around people can sometimes get on people’s nerves. We naturally started fighting and I didn’t know whether we were going to be friends anymore. This was very stressful for me because I cared about her and enjoyed spending time with her. I wanted to fix it but didn’t know how.
I also had transitions in our home with my eldest bro coming back from his Air Force stint in Okinawa. I love my brother as any sister should. However, he had unstable anger growing up and anytime he was in a stressful mood, he would lash out at me or my middle brother. A lot of that stemmed from his modeling of parenting from my dad and his anger that stemmed from his father (our grandfather) whipping him with belts and what not growing up.
Abusers abuse often times because that’s what they learned was normal. Since my brother was getting kicked out of the military for poor choices in who he was associated with and delayed reporting of theft on their part, (neutral discharge), I was afraid for my life that he would do something even more drastic than when we were children. I ended up not talking to anyone for 2 weeks and didn’t want to go to school, completely wanted to disappear. I talk more about it in last week’s blog. Had I had the voice to speak up as a child and say what was going on to my parents, perhaps the abuse could have been stopped much earlier. Because I didn’t have a voice then, I choose to share with you from my perspective what to look out for and also what science has collected as norms of children who exhibit depression.
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Do your child a favor and take them more than once to treatment if you feel something is off. Go multiple times and if finances are an issue, ask if they offer a sliding scale for low income. I say go more than once because I went when I was 5 years old. The abuse had happened from 3-5 years old and an incident with one of my friends caused my parents to suspect something had happened to me. I didn’t know this psychiatrist and didn’t trust even my own family at this point. I was forming my beliefs of people and was also ashamed of what was happening to me. I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on because I thought it was my fault (I was told consistently that it was my fault from my abuser that it became my own beliefs). He was in pain from the abuse he had received from our father and in turn used it to abuse me as well. Both my middle brother and I chose to rise above the statistic of abused becoming abusers and have been able to accomplish pretty spectacular things in life. I’m not where I want to be yet, and I love the journey.⠀
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If you’re in the United States, there are medical insurances available for all children under the age of 18 if you cannot afford it. Don’t just think this is a phase. If it lasts more than 2 weeks, take action and get your child some help. ⠀
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I’d love to hear your input, ideas or stories that will positively add to the topic and perhaps help another parent that is struggling to find the right resources.⠀Please screenshot the blog title and tweet me your ideas, stories and insight to make a positive impact and let people know that I’m not alone in this experience.
#2 Aspect: What Are The Signs & Symptoms of Depression in Children?⠀
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Some children mask their depression with anger and acting out, while other children’s symptoms and signs look stereotypical to depression in adults such as sadness, loss of interest and lower mood according to WebMD.⠀
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I remember being such an angry child. I never understood why but looking back I believe my anger was there because in my heart and gut I knew I should have received more protection from the abuse that happened from age 3-5 years old. My subconscious was aware of what was right and wrong and acting out was my way of screaming for help. I’d yell at my mom and was terribly disrespectful. I could never explain in words why I was so angry. ⠀
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I took it out on mom because she was the one that was there, home schooling me and knew about most of my business. She was super nosy but I SO appreciate her being so. She wanted to help me but didn’t know what was going on in regards to the abuse. She suspected but income was a struggle in the house hold and me not talking that one session to the psychiatrist told her and my dad that it would be a waste of money. The psychiatrist might have even said something like “some kids don’t want to talk,” instead of allowing me time to build trust with her.
I remember eating at the dinner table and mouthing off to mom one day, I was 9. Dad spoke up and said, “Erin, that is very disrespectful. You need to think about your actions and how that’s making your mom feel.” It only took dad one time to stand up for mom for me to make a shift. My response, “I learned it from you.” It was very childish, but it was the truth. He wasn’t ready to receive the information yet though so the negativity happened on and off for a few more years.
I watched him belittle mom at times because he was having a short temper (he smoked cigarettes when he would be out in sales all week and come back and not smoke to keep it a secret). He was withdrawing from a drug that would make him agitated, short tempered, and also transitioning to a home full of 3 kids under 15 years old instead of wining and dining business owners. He was also the sole financial leader of our household and the pressure of financials for outside sales was stressful. He probably was in a job that wasn’t right for his personality but didn’t see a way of doing anything else to take care of a family of 5.
Dad had never learned proper ways of communication because he grew up in a single parent family for most of his upbringing. My grandparents split when he was young because his father had some PTSD (undiagnosed). Grandpa was a World War II soldier. The military did not have a term for PTSD at this point and many solders were told at that time to tough it out. The death and violence my grandfather was exposed to transferred to his home life. I don’t remember a lot because he died when I was 7 but I heard stories in family get togethers of him getting a whip or belt out when the kids misbehaved. Later in life grandpa was diagnosed with schizophrenia as he was caught running naked across some train tracks. He most likely had mental illness that was misdiagnosed, then mistreated, unsupported both in society and in his career which later influenced his parenting style and the way my father viewed himself when he became a dad.
Dad modeled that behavior from what he had learned growing up to my eldest brother. He’d deny ever yelling and say he was just raising his voice. To his credit, abused people and stressed people in general can have bouts of short term memory loss where they black out their behavior. It got so bad when I was 5 I drew dad and mom a picture and told my dad, “daddy I don’t want you guys getting a divorce.” He was shocked a 5 year old knew the word and that his behavior was impacting and stressing his little girl. Prior to that point he would deny to my mom that he had a problem. I was his princess and that opened him up to getting help for his anger. Mom and dad went and got some therapy and got some help from my aunts and uncles to watch us so they could go out and have healthy quality time together to rebuild their relationship. Things weren’t perfect but it was a lot safer when I stayed at families homes than when I was at home alone with my eldest bro.
How we behave can make someone else in turn behave in ways we don’t want them to. I’m not perfect by any means, but I choose to break that cycle of abuse and also to be a vessel for those that have depression because a lot of what stems of the diagnosis is based on situational chronic stress.
Every post I make reflects that of kindness and compassion towards all people because I know people are influenced by my content. I strive to choose kind words because I think about how it makes the other person feel (because of that one conversation my father spoke sternly with me and a lot of reminders from mom how to turn the other cheek). I choose to be an example of forgiveness and a change agent in the world because too many people stay silent to the abuse and pain they are going through. That being said, this part might be too much for children to read….
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Growing up I didn’t have much privacy because anytime I went to the bathroom my eldest bro would barge in and say he was going to pee on me or gross stuff. I had a lock on the door, but he figured out how to unlock it. There was a bathroom downstairs, he just chose to torment randomly for some reason.⠀
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He was our babysitter many times because it was a cheaper way for my parents to go out. I’m not angry at them, I just think putting a mentally ill child that isn’t receiving treatment in charge of their siblings is not good. There were times he would be so angry when his player died on a video game. I would just be sitting on the couch next to him afraid to make a sound because he would lash out in random anger by proximity. Yet, for some reason I wanted to sit by him because he was my big brother. I probably annoyed him and he wanted his space but instead of using a healthy way to get some space, he used violence that had been modeled to him.
He would run around the house chasing us with a knife on multiple occasions while mom and dad were out enjoying a nice dinner to take a break from the chaos. My middle brother recently told me that he witnessed dad choking my eldest bro when we were kids. I don’t remember that but it makes more sense why our eldest bro would then abuse us. He would threaten us if we told on him. He had been abused and continued the cycle. Luckily after an incident when I was 5 and that one visit to the psychiatrist mom decided to find babysitters outside of the family.
Tammy was a great babysitter and she’d braid my hair and play fun games with me. I remember she lost her baby later on in life and had to give birth to a stillbirth child. That was really hard to witness and learn about life and death. She was very much a part of our family and a source of protection for me. Mom set that situation up as a healing agent along with some connections through their church.
I didn’t understand what family really meant and thought all children dealt with things like abuse so it didn’t make sense to talk about it. We attended the church every Sunday and had home school events we would go to. Mom sang in the church choir and we would go to the daycare on Thursday nights while she rehearsed. However outside of that, I didn’t socialize much with children except 2 girls down the street. We didn’t have cell phones to text our friends and we didn’t have the internet until I was a little older.
Had I been in a public school setting, perhaps a teacher would have suspected my anxieties and encouraged mental health treatment sooner than 14 years of age. However, my mom did the best she could to provide the best education possible because of the low income area we lived in. I am not angry at their choices because I see the good in it as well as the pain. I am much more empathic towards people because of my experiences.
Many of the patients I worked with when I got hired at the State Psychiatric Hospital had been victims of abuse and my personal experience allowed for me to provide even better care because I understood life through their perspective.
I’m no theologian, however there is a beautiful verse in the Bible that gave me hope and meaning from all of the darkness I experienced. It comes from Genesis 50:19-20, right after Joseph had been sold into slavery from his siblings and had come back triumphant as a person who could kill his siblings or send them to prison. Instead, Joseph chose kindness towards them.
Joseph said, ‘”Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid I will provide for you and your children,” and he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.’
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I made a conscious decision when my brother was got out of the Air Force and on his way back home from Okinawa to email him and tell him how I was feeling and what he had done when we were children had really messed me up. I also chose to tell him I forgave him because I didn’t want to hold onto the anger anymore, and I also believed that he deserved a second chance. I had witnessed a sermon from my youth pastor Paris Mullen and his sharing of the abuse he had been through and his choice to not continue the cycle encouraged me to have a conversation with my brother. You’ll hear from Paris on my podcast on or around April 5th, 2020.
My eldest bro could have done many things like harm me when he returned or denied what he had done. But he didn’t. He apologized and asked me not to speak about it to anyone else because he was ashamed at himself. Bro, I get why you did it and I love you anyway. However, I felt compelled to share my story because abuse is still happening to children globally and more conversations need to be happening to change the statistics. Since then my bro has had some ups and downs and is doing his best being a single dad to 3 boys and helping make sure my mom has everything taken care of in her home. I’m proud of him making his own personal shift towards being a loving and caring parent with his boys.
What provided me the confidence to email him when I was 14 and he was traveling back from the Air Force contract overseas was a combination of encouragement from my counselor, and my mom’s friend Rebecca giving me a book called the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.
In the book was an assignment to create my personal life values of what are most important to me. I decided that I was going to live a life of purpose and be excellent in all things that I choose to focus on. I would not worry about things I could not control but I would do everything in my power to be prepared for success and expect it in myself. I decided that I was not going to be afraid of the future but be able to create a life of my own design.
I have the gift of vision but at that time it was so overwhelming my thoughts automatically went to worse case scenarios and the brain damage that occurred from the abuse made it even more challenging to be positive and have any sort of hope. The constant fighting and bickering I had been exposed to in the house growing up was also a challenge to choose to be happy, but it was something that I believed I deserved and wanted.
So I decided I would make it happen with the help of Rebecca and the book to provide structure. I also chose to talk to Anneliese and mend things. She just recently ran for office for Washington State this past year. She chose to forgive me for my odd behavior and we were able to rekindle our friendship into adult hood. Though we don’t get to talk all the time, I cheer her on from the sidelines and I know she’s cheering me on too. I still had rough days after that point with my bro and in life in general, but I chose on those days to do something kind for others because it helped me to not ruminate on my depressive thoughts. Or I’ll write a song and share it on my TikTok account (new thing for me recently).
I felt in my soul that more families need to hear my story because it’s much more common than people want to talk about. According to this article from Compassion, child abuse happens in 1 out of 5 women and 1 in 13 men (perhaps even more men do not report it at all). The abuse occurs most often with someone the child already has a relationship with. It’s not some stranger in a white van. It’s someone who has most likely experienced some sort of abuse from someone else and the cycle continues. Kathy Lee has a powerful video on the statistics of child abuse that increased my awareness and compassion towards other people as well and a nation wide curriculum that is available to schools.
I am so grateful my parents made church a consistent part of our lives because the spiritual encouragement was what I needed and the fellowship with other children my age helped give me hope when I wanted to end my own life at 14 years of age. I counted the pills 💊 in the bottle of my anti-depressants that were prescribed by my doctor 2 days after our appointment.
He refused to have a discussion with me about alternative options. He lied to my parents and said I agreed to try the medication out and sent me out after a 30 second conversation. Luckily I felt safe enough to tell my mom what thoughts I was having and she encouraged me to throw the pills away. She encouraged me also if I was ready to go to a counselor because she didn’t have the skills herself to help me. She and my dad called their friends and asked them to pray for me because they weren’t ready to deal with a suicidal teen. I didn’t want to be one but lacked the resources within myself to improve my mental state. Too many transitions were going on in my life and I needed to learn some mental skills. I am SO grateful I got some treatment (3 sessions were max of what insurance allowed and helped equip me well into adult hood).
Not all kids are as lucky as I was to have the friends of my parents, Tim and Rebecca, Chuck and Arlene, The Coppesses, and so many other adults pray for me and step in and help mom when my brother was too much to handle and my dad was gone working to provide for us. My hope is by telling my story that I can help change 1 person from harming themselves or even thinking about ending their life.
Mom started going to a regular weekly Bible study group with my grandma (dad’s mom) too and they’d have weekly talks on the phone about the home work assignments for their classes. My grandma, Joyce, loved my mom like her own daughter and said all of her daughters were not daughters in law but daughters in love. Those weekly check ins with Joyce allowed mom to have more protection from dad’s anger issues (and lack of recognition that it was a problem). These were choices she made to get social support which in turn helped to model healthy ways of building community to me. It also shaped my view of what family was about despite the example that had been modeled to me from 3-5 years of age. It is something I hope to have one day if I’m blessed enough to be married again.
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I wish I wasn’t so mean to my mom when I was younger, I didn’t know how to voice my feelings like most children don’t. I’m so grateful mom listened to her intuition of my anger and started making changes within herself that helped model to me healthy relationships in adulthood and the power of forgiveness in others. She learned to start speaking up for herself through those weekly calls with grandma and surrounding herself with people to protect her and help lower dad’s stress as well.
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Pay attention to anger🚨
#3 Aspect: Know What Is The Global Prevalence of Depression In Children
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According to the American Family Physician (AAFP), in America Depression affects 1-8 percent of the 74.2 million children in the United States (that’s an estimated 74,200-593,600 children in the United States diagnosed with depression). That is just children that are diagnosed. ⠀
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If we include those that don’t receive treatment, it could be even higher. I was one of those kids not diagnosed until later into my teens. And the diagnosis from a doctor that lied caused me to not trust him so I never took medications until after college when I was struggling in a PTSD transition working at Fort Lewis with soldiers, spouses and retired veterans.
I could have had a lot more energy during my teens and twenties and not struggled as much with some medication help. I encourage you if you’re a parent to help encourage your children to open up about their mental health and let them know that it’s okay to take medication for their brain just like they might for preventing seizures or juvenile diabetes medication. I’m sure there are more children like I was experiencing episodes of depression that may manifest like anxiety before puberty, or random bursts of anger.⠀
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It is estimated that 2.2 billion children worldwide are dealing with their own diagnosis of depression with even more not being diagnosed and not being treated. ⠀
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I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas and added comments to help create a proactive approach to children with depression world wide. Do me a favor and screen shot the title of this blog and your additional stories and insights on my snap profile, @TheMoveHappy and tag me in it to let me know you read the blog. I’ll be giving random shoutouts on my social media accounts as a thank you for your contribution.
#4 Aspect: What Causes Depression in Children & What Are Some Practical Strategies To Support Them?⠀
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What causes depression in children is similar to adults: a variety of answers like chemical imbalances, situational stressors, abuse, lack of movement, mental illness etc. ⠀
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Some practical strategies to empower children to move towards their own happiness might sound simple, but honestly and authentically giving them your full attention. It doesn’t mean they’re in charge of your time if you’re the parent. ⠀
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Let them know, “hey Susie I’m going to finish this text message to your dad about dinner since he’s at the grocery store then I’ll give you my undivided attention.” ⠀
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“I heard you joined the band at school today, tell me all about it” and listen⠀
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“It looks like from your body language that you’re upset. Is there something you want to talk about?” and listen⠀
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or ⠀
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My favorite when I was a kid “Hey I’m going to go on a walk, would you like to join me and tell me about your day?” My mom was really good about getting me to talk about my feelings when I was finally calmed down. I spent a lot of time in timeout in my room because of my anger. I learned to be alone and reflect and also got into journaling to help channel my anger.
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What are some of your favorite strategies to help children that might be struggling with depression or anxieties? I’d love your responses of this one by screenshoting the title of this blog and posting your insights on my LinkedIn. Make sure to tag me in it by using this link. I’ll be giving random shoutouts and share your insights on all my social media channels. We all learn from one another to better the 🌍. ⠀
Move Happy Updates
The Move Happy Movement Podcast© is releasing episode #36 tomorrow 6p CST here. Her name is Jayede Vincent, she is a TikTok influencer with over 1.2 million followers known for her dancing and singing videos. She also provides tutorials on her LinkedIn account to help others who want to improve their online presence. She is a big sister, who recently had brain surgery at a very young age. She gave of her time despite her sister’s healing to add value to you. I didn’t know her sister was going through the surgery process until after we recorded. People like this are who you need to be connected to if you want to improve in your compassion. I DM’d her and asked if she would be willing to be interviewed on my podcast and she graciously agreed. She’s only 18 and is making huge waves in impacting people in a positive way.
If you listen to it, and love it, I’d be honored if you’d go to my iTunes and give it a review. Please also connect with her on her LinkedIn and let her know you heard about her through this blog. I’ll be giving random shoutouts to the best reviews on my social media and podcast recordings.
As for the podcast listeners, we’re at 447 downloads! If you’re one of my listeners and enjoy it, please do me a favor and rate and comment on iTunes letting me know who you’d like to hear from on the show and I’ll work my magic 💫. When we get to 1000 downloads I’m doing a giveaway to all my followers!
The Move Happy World Tour Experience 1.0© is happening later this summer in Nashville, TN! For those that haven’t heard yet, it will be an experience you won’t want to miss! We’re having live musicians 🎶, inspirational speakers and complete life transformation. I just spoke with the PR for a billionaire that was once bankrupt and discovered his own happiness which lead to him increasing his income larger than he had ever had it in his life. They’re in full support if it aligns with their schedule and what not. I’m also working on getting NFL Hall of Fame player to attend through the connections I am making every day on social media and through my content I post consistently. If you have a personal connection to Mariah Carey, that would be a dream fulfilled to sing with her on stage one day. If it happens at this year’s event I think I’ll pee my 👖 🤣. Once we have a successful event this year we’re taking it on the road to different countries around the globe to help build community world wide. It’ll be great for me to be able to travel and improve my perspective so I can add more value to YOU 💜.
Nothing is official yet until I get paperwork submitted and the building rental covered. I believe it will be happening very soon and would love your support by sharing this blog and any time I post about the event to your friends and loved ones. I am not keeping one cent for organizing it because I want the world to know that people do care about your life and there are people who want to make a difference.
I also work a full time job and am running 2 businesses by myself and recognize I cannot do it all on my own. I am delegating some tasks within my business to Alex, my super fan from Instagram that is graciously giving of their time to help me focus on getting this event taken care of and enjoying the process 🌈. If you see any posts on Insta tagging me in them with some good content, thank Alex for helping me for FREE. I literally am trying to mail a gift card to Alex but I don’t know where they live and don’t want to be weird 😆. If you’re friends of Alex and you’re reading this (or her mom) shoot me your contact info and we’ll create something special as a thank you to their efforts. I’m looking for other helpers for my twitter, snap (@TheMoveHappy), LI, and TikTok. If you’re willing shoot me an email and I’ll give you shoutouts and possible $$$ if it can be a consistent thing. I am very very particular so make sure you have confidence in your creative and a coachable spirit since you’d be representing my brand and my reputation.
All earnings for the Move Happy World Tour Experience 1.0© outside of the cost for organizing the event and paying for the rental of the facility will be donated to the John W Brick Foundation that funds research in alternative methods for people with mental illness. Anyone struggling with depression or that works with those who do should attend. You’ll leave equipped with the skills and practical action steps to move towards your own happiness. If you’d like to be on stage in some fashion, email me and send me a brief reason why you’d be a great fit. I have a few slots left for the right kind of people. My goal is to allow you to speak on stage for free with sponsorships from advertisers.
If you’d like to support and buy your ticket pre-sale now it’s only $49 for general admission up to $4,997 VIP and perks here. The event will be at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville late July or Early August. Once I get the deposit I’m allowed to select the date. We’re $11,299 away from the goal of renting the building give or take additional fees for hiring sound/audio visual, event coordinators & marketing costs!
I’m also working on connecting with local restaurants to sponsor the VIP dinner so if you’re reading this and own a restaurant in the Nashville area and want to support and build your business brand, email me. I’ll be providing sponsorship packages soon to those wanting to support a good cause and get your name out there in the world. Depending on the date of the show, I should be having a speaker that has spoken as a keynote in over 25 countries, is on the board of all fitness organizations and started the foundation funding research for alternative methods for people with mental illness. You will NOT want to miss his truth bombs!
If you cannot attend and want to donate to the event, feel free to do so here. It’s my PayPal account and soon will have an official landing page but don’t have the skills yet myself or the time. If you’re really good at landing pages and would like to donate your time or have a cost effective offer for me with exchange for a shoutout and mention at the event, feel free to email me.
General seating is $49, 1st tier VIP $397, 2nd tier VIP $1,297, 3rd tier VIP $2,497 4th tier VIP $4,997.
General seating $49 – first come first serve upon door entrance
1st tier VIP $397- seat reservation provided
2nd tier VIP $1,297 – seat reservation provided, 30 minute consult with Erin Nicole & goodie bag
3rd tier VIP $2,497 – seat reservation provided, 60 minute consult with Erin Nicole, advertising of your business at event & goodie bag
4th tier VIP $4,997 – seat reservation provided, 60 minute consult with Erin Nicole, advertising of your business at event and leading up to the event in digital and print, 10 minute time slot on stage, 1 complimentary guest ticket & goodie bag for both
Order pre-sale tickets here. Everyone that orders pre-sale tickets in January will be entered into a drawing for Back Stage Passes 🔥 🔥 🔥
Move Happy is moving into the business world! “Work Happy: The Practical Tools For Effective and Inclusive Workplaces©” is in beta.
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Employees will benefit from this because the workshop is designed with you as the main focus in a positive manner. Employers will benefit from this because people that are cared for work harder and take less sick days, thus increasing your bottom line 💰. The workshop includes a follow up refresher (2 days total). Email me – subject “Workplace Workshop Interest” to get on the waiting list. Provide me a brief summary of the issues you’d like turned around in your workplace, your role, who are the key leaders at your workplace that make the final decision and their contact info (if applicable), size of your organization, and name of the EAP you’re associated (if applicable).
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The first 5 companies/organizations that sign up in January receive 50% savings and a shoutout at the Live Event! The workshop cost varies depending on the size of your organization & in person or online. Small organizations (5 or less employees) that want the training done online will cost less than larger companies that want an in person training because I customize this workshop to fit your business needs.
Work Happy: The Practical Tools For Effective and Inclusive Workplaces© Workshop starts at $1,997 (plus travel and accommodations). That’s only $333 each for you and your team of 5 to be able to improve the productivity, improve the culture, and decrease the sick time utilized. Your business deserves to grow and your team deserves the best culture possible. I believe I can help cultivate that with you. To sign up your small business for the workshop pay here. And email me a screen shot of your receipt to be entered into the drawing for back stage passes to the live event & shoutout on stage.
Have a larger organization? No problem, email me the details requested and I’ll work with your organization to provide a meaningful experience for your team and a profitable experience for your bottom line.
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As always, when you purchase from Move Happy®: ⠀
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💜 30 percent goes back to mental health research of your choice or if you don’t have one in mind, it’ll automatically go to our partner and ⠀
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♥️ 10 percent to your local Big Brothers and Big Sisters chapter and if you don’t have a local chapter it’ll go to your countries’ chapter or one of your choice⠀
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💜 or you can select all 40 percent to go towards the Move Happy World Tour 1.0 Experience© and any extra funds collected to cover the event will go directly to my non profit partner John W Brick Foundation.
#5 Aspect: Know How Can Move Happy® Help Children With Depression⠀
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If you are a parent or work with children that have depression I have a free journal I designed for my patients in a psychiatric 🏥. My patients had a variety of diagnoses, though mainly schizophrenia, bi-polar or schizoaffective which is a combination of both, and secondary diagnosis of depression. My patients loved the group and spread word around the hospital. Though I did not get the program empirically evaluated yet, I believe it is safe to use for your school group or at home. Keep in mind the journal questions were originally designed for adult patients so you might need to explain some of the questions in ‘kid friendly’ language. If you have questions about the journal if its right for your situation, feel free to ask your medical professional. I’d love more feedback on it if its effective for people of all ages. When you click the link it’ll ask you to put your email in (feel free to unsubscribe after that but should be immediately followed by a second email with the download link).
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What I’d suggest with younger children that aren’t writing quite yet, is to read aloud the questions and have a family discussion or small group discussion if you’re using this in school.
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If you find value in this journal with the children you live with or work with, all that I ask is that you share what you loved most with a friend or family member by having them go to my download link or having them purchase it in my store. ⠀
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If you are using it for educational purposes, email me for permission first before massive copies are printed as I poured my heart into this journal and it is my business (and copyrighted). If you choose to download for free and you find value in it, I’d be honored if you’d screenshot a particular section that was meaningful to you and write a review tagging me in it on your Instagram channel and anywhere else you feel like sharing it to help spread awareness for mental health & depression.
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So there you have it folks. Depression in children is real. It doesn’t mean those children cannot grow up to be amazing human beings. I appreciate all the good and the bad that helped to shape me into the person I am today. However, there are many children in lower income areas of the world that do not have the social support that I was blessed to have. Many of these children feel hopeless and disconnected from their families and might be thinking of ending their own lives.
You never know what a person is going through and how your actions can make or break them. Let’s all take personal responsibility to be intentionally kind towards everyone; even those that have done us wrong. I’m no saint, I just have experience from pain and kindness and a sprinkle of life guidance through personal development books and supportive mentors. If I can change just 1 life decision from ending badly, all of my efforts will have a purpose.
Won’t you join me in this journey to help decrease depression’s power over our lives and help reach another person and give them a hand up 🙋♀️?
I’d love to stay connected to you. I release weekly blogs generally around 3p on Saturdays. I post an announcement on all social media but sometimes people don’t get the message. If you could do me a favor and let someone you care about know when to expect my content, that’ll help spread awareness and build my brand and life mission: to empower people world wide to move towards their own happiness through mindset, community and fitness.
I love you all. Please don’t forget to tell someone you love them today and that they matter, even if they’ve done you wrong.
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