Tips for Raising Children with Disabilities Part 1: 'Regulating a Mother's Irritation, Anger, and Anxiety Through Nutrition'
"I want to improve my child's developmental disabilities as much as possible through nutritional therapy." When my daughter was still a toddler, I was desperate with that single-minded focus.
However, reality was a series of things not going as planned. Out of impatience that I wasn't seeing results, I found myself unable to stop feeling irritated every day, exploding in anger at my daughter, and then feeling depressed.
Far from seeing results, I was hit every day with incomprehensible behaviors (for example, flooding the washroom while playing with water, or knocking over all the books on the bookshelf) and was busy cleaning up the aftermath.
I had become unable to escape the loop of irritation and anger.
It was truly an emotional "explosion." I kept blaming myself, thinking, "Why can't I control my emotions like this, even though I'm a mother?"
What saved me was the relationship between "the autonomic nervous system, nutrition, and blood sugar levels" that I learned through molecular nutrition.
The true nature of anger was not my personality, but "hypoglycemia" and "nutritional deficiency"
During a lecture on molecular nutrition, I was made aware of a shocking fact.
Iron deficiency leads to mental instability and "short-temperedness"
There are times when it becomes difficult to control emotions due to the influence of female hormones
Minerals such as zinc, copper, and magnesium are related to those female hormones and anger hormones
And above all, what was significant was the perspective that"fluctuations in blood sugar levels" directly impact the autonomic nervous system.
In fact, when a "blood sugar spike" occurs, where blood sugar levels drop rapidly, the body secretes "attack hormones" like adrenaline to forcibly raise blood sugar levels. This was the trigger for the irritation I couldn't control myself and the surging anger.
"It's not that my personality is bad. I was just nutritionally deficient. And I was being pushed around by my blood sugar levels."
When I learned that, I felt truly saved.
The state of the "nerves" determines the "emotions"
While learning about molecular nutrition and development, I arrived at an important truth. That is, "the state of the nerves determines the state of the emotions (and vice versa)."
The "nerves" are spread from the center, such as the brain and spine, to every corner of the body. There are two main modes for the state of those nerves.
"Life-or-death crisis! Fight or flight" mode(sympathetic nervous system dominance)
"Safe state! It's okay to relax" mode(parasympathetic nervous system dominance)
When in state 1, the mind naturally attracts "anger, irritation, anxiety, and impatience."
This state of the nerves can be intentionally regulated through "nutrition" rather than willpower.In fact,regulating it through nutrition is the fundamental solution.
The bitter memory of 'intense anger' after eating sweets
Before I started controlling my diet and blood sugar levels, I experienced intense irritability, especially after eating large amounts of sweets.
I cannot forget one Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival) day when my daughter was a toddler. We had been treated to a meal at my in-laws' house, and after eating plenty of sweets, we were driving home together. It happened when my daughter made a request that I couldn't fulfill.
The moment I heard my daughter crying and screaming, an uncontrollable explosion of irritability erupted within me. I was in no state to drive; I shouted, 'Enough already!!!' and felt like stopping the car and just jumping out.
At that time, both my daughter and I were in a state where our anger was unstoppable due to fluctuations in our blood sugar and autonomic nervous systems. Looking back now, that was something that could have been prevented with knowledge of nutrition.
A 'mother's capacity' is built through nutrition
After that, I made my own nutritional therapy my top priority. By supplementing iron, adding minerals, and practicing a diet that stabilizes blood sugar, my autonomic nervous system gradually began to stabilize.
Of course, raising a child with disabilities is tough, so it doesn't mean irritability disappears entirely. However, before being swallowed by waves of emotion, I became able to objectively perceive, 'Oh, my blood sugar might be unstable right now,' or 'I'm lacking nutrition.'
Once I was able to properly control my emotions, a sense of composure naturally emerged in how I interacted with my daughter.
The biggest tip for making the parenting of a child with disabilities go smoothly is to 'regulate the mother's autonomic nervous system through nutrition' before focusing on the child's care.
Only when a mother has 'space' in her heart, supported by the power of nutrition, can the foundation for the whole family to move toward happiness be established.
Before pushing yourself by thinking, 'I have to do my best,' please first fill your own body with nutrition.
Taking care of yourself is by no means cutting corners; it is the most important strategy in parenting.
Afterword
Actually, this 'nutritional therapy to regulate a mother's autonomic nervous system' leads directly to 'nutritional therapy for your child' as well. I will talk about the mechanism behind that in another article.
Caution
Minerals such as iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium require a proper balance. It is not simply a matter of taking supplements.
To replenish minerals, the first priority is to review your diet to stabilize blood sugar. Then, you supplement minerals within that diet, and use supplements only when necessary.
For those who do not know what to take, how much, or how, I recommend consulting a professional for safe intake rather than doing it on your own.
Even with nutrients, doing it incorrectly can lead to health problems.
I also provide consultations, so please feel free to reach out here if you would like.