Decisions, Decisions

It starts before you even open your eyes. “Do I get out of bed right now or sleep five more minutes? Wear a jacket or sweater, sneakers or shoes to school today? Eat oatmeal, toast, or a muffin for breakfast? Grab an apple or banana for lunch? Sit in front or back of the school bus? Raise my hand in class or hide behind the kid in front of me? Start on easy or hard test questions? Pick a fantasy or a mystery book for my book report? Write about snakes or cockroaches for science? Do harder or easier homework first? Do all my homework right after school or right after dinner?”

Experts call having too many choices "decision fatigue." Mizz C. calls it brain freeze.

Here’s how one stressed-out student describes "decision fatigue:"

After making many decisions they become hard for me too. They also . . . make me very tired and lazy to the point where I don’t want to do anything. If they start to make me tired I procrastinate or try to forget that I have a decision to make.

Mizz C. has loads of decision making tips that she'll be blabbing about in the future. Here are a few starters:

• Only make big decisions you're rested and fed. 

• Save your brain power for deciding the big stuff. Figuring out what activities to choose is way more important than deciding what to have for breakfast.  

• Put small decisions on autopilot. Go with the same food choices, if possible, for some meals or snack times. It's Oatmeal-for Breakfast-Week! Every Monday is Green Pants Day. Too many choices? Toss a coin! Heads up, it's a mystery for the next book report or snakes for the science project. Do harder homework first one week then easier homework first the next week. Decide which homework style works better for you. Stick with it for good. 

Now if only someone could help Mizz C. decide which shampoo to buy when the store runs out of her usual brand. Shampoo for curly, frizzy, dry, oily hair? Flower or lemon-scented? Economy or trial size? 

Never mind. Mizz C. needs a nap.

What a Pain!

Okay, middle schoolers. Guess which kind of pain 9-13 year olds are most likely to suffer in a month? "Blisters?" "Sore knuckles?" "Fear of flying saucers landing on my school?” None of the above. It's headaches.  

Mizz C. doesn’t want you to miss school or "you time" because of headaches. Some mini habits can help you prevent many of them. Ready?

• Drink several glasses of plain old water every day, especially before, during, and after sports. Dehydration, aka cells screaming: "water, we need water," can cause headaches.
• Get the right amount of regular sleep—9 to 11 hours a night for middle schoolers. Overtiredness causes many headaches.
• Eat healthy meals and snacks around the same times every day. Skipped meals can trigger headaches.
• Give your eyeballs a rest from too much screen time.
• Avoid caffeinated drinks. They can cause rebound headaches when you suddenly stop them. 
• If you get that tight, nervous feeling called stress, go for a walk or a run. Or stop to breathe slowly and deeply until you feel calmer. Or close your eyes and let your stressful thoughts float right out of your head. 

“Okay, okay, Mizz C. we get it. But I'm getting a headache right NOW! Make it go away. I have to finish my homework.”

Mizz C's Headache Begone Plan:

• Stick a wet washcloth in the freezer to make a Headache Washcloth Popsicle.
• Drink a big, cold glass of water.
• Eat a small snack.
• Set a timer for about twenty minutes. You remember timers from Mizz C’s posting on how to love, love, love timers as much as she does.
• Go get your Headache Washcloth Popsicle. Lie down. Put the cool cloth on your forehead. 
• Close your eyes and take a short nap until the timer goes off.
• If you still have the headache when you wake up, ask a parent for an ibuprofen if that’s what your family uses for headaches.*

Feel better now? Go play with your dog or your little sister then go back to your homework, headache-free.

* Mizz C. isn't a doctor even though she sometimes acts like one. She does know that headaches can be a sign of illness. So watch for other symptoms such as fever, aches and pains, or stomach ache. There might be a bug going around.