COVID-19 increased the prevalence of anxiety and depression by 25% worldwide. It has such a profound impact on mental health. There were so many different stressors linked to it, like loneliness, being frightened about what would happen and worrying about the financial implications. I think as parents many of us are worried about the effect this had on our children.

They had to deal with the struggles of decreased socialization during that period. It was one of my biggest worries, my boys missing out on their social connections when we were confined to our house. This article suggests helping your child by making a coping toolbox so they have the resources they need to calm themselves when life feels difficult.

Fortunately, something as simple as chewing sugar free gum can make a big difference. So, it’s well worth adding gum to the toolkit to help your child soothe themselves when times feel tough.

Learning To Focus

Mindfulness is about being able to stay in the moment and not getting lost in your negative thoughts and worries. It’s being able to FOCUS on the now. Chewing gum can help with paying attention to the flavour of the gum, the changing consistency as you chew or just the chewing motion. It’s about being very aware of what you are doing, so your brain doesn’t drift off to uncomfortable places leading you to become overwhelmed.

Increased Blood Flow

The very act of chewing makes us salivate which causes insulin to surge in preparation for eating food. The action sends glucose and oxygen to our brain, which can the flow of blood to your brain. So, you can benefit from being more focused and alert.

Releasing Tension and Stress

Chewing gum was always included in US Army rations because it was thought to help with releasing tension and stress. The act of chewing has been proven to reduce the stress hormone cortisol. So, buying sugar free gum seems like such an inexpensive way to support anyone struggling with low moods and their mental health.  Stress is inevitable in life. But its important not to let your body stay in stressful situations for too long. If you are getting a lot of headaches, stomach upsets and struggling to sleep then its time to deal with that emotional overload before it causes you physical harm.

The Wrigley Science Institute has undertaken research which proved that sugar free gum helped people feel more relaxed when dealing with stressful situations. I think it might explain why so many football managers are always vigorously chewing gum during the most important matches!

Less Fatigued

People that chew gum were found to feel less fatigued than those who didn’t. So even if they are dealing with the same workload, they do not find it as stressful. They then have more reserves to fall back on before feeling its all getting too much!

Widely Available

Life always has a habit of throwing you a curve ball. Things crop up that shake you to the core. But you have to try and get back up and carry on. It’s great that something that is as widely accessible as gum and easy to incorporate into your life can be so useful for helping with mindfulness and easing anxiety.

A therapist can cost a small fortune.Therefore it is a good if you can use cheaper methods which can still prove successful. I know about the financial burden as I have had a couple of marriage counselling sessions! After three I couldn’t justify the money anymore (£70 an hour). I would much prefer to take my chances and crack open a packet of sugar free gum!

You might also want to read my article about how sugar free gum can help you recover from an operation.