My Wellness Warriors

Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19

The CDC, as one would expect, puts out some very helpful information about all things related to health.  If you haven't checked out their Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19 article, you really should.  Here's a brief excerpt from the CDC site with a list of links and emergency phone numbers you should keep handy.

Take care of your mental health

You may experience increased stress during this pandemic. Fear and anxiety can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions.

Get immediate help in a crisis

• Call 911
• Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish), or text TalkWithUs for English or Hablanos for Spanish to 66746. Spanish speakers from Puerto Rico can text Hablanos to 1-787-339-2663.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish, or Lifeline Crisis Chat.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
• National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4AChild (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-4453
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or Online Chat
• The Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116  TTY Instructions
• Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Crisis Chat or text: 8388255

Find a health care provider or treatment for substance use disorder and mental health

• SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and TTY 1-800-487-4889
• Treatment Services Locator Website
• Interactive Map of Selected Federally Qualified Health Centers
  
  Don't hesitate to reach out and ask for help. Talk to someone. Talk to a friend or trusted love one.  Talk to a professional.  Be very clear and use clear words "I need help."  
  
  Please share any other resources you know of that might be helpful in the comments below.

Tips for Handling Back to School Stress and Anxiety

It's back to school (BTS) time across the United States. Some children are going back in person. Some are doing a hybrid - in person and online. Others are opting for homeschooling. No matter how your children (young and old) are heading back to school, it's creating anxiety for both the students and the parents.

Understood.org has a very simple set of actions and conversations to have to help you help your child with BTS anxiety.  

Very Well Family's Tips to Ease BTS Anxiety

Very Well Family offers this list of signs that your child might be exhibiting with BTS Anxiety.  Please keep an eye out for these signs.

Signs of Anxiety

When kids are anxious, they may not know how to put their feelings into words. For this reason, it's important that parents know how to recognize the signs of anxiety. Here are some common indicators that a child might be anxious.

• Displays changes in eating and sleeping habits
• Has bouts of unexplained crying
• Complains of stomachaches
• Struggles to concentrate
• Appears more clingy than normal
• Gets upset or angry more quickly
• Expresses negative thoughts or worries
• Appears restless and fidgety

Lifespan's 5 Tips to Manage Back to School Anxiety (parents, that is)

Lifespan recognizes that children aren't the only ones experiencing stress at this time. Parents are, too!  Check out their five tips to help you as well as your children.

These are just a few articles that might offer some helpful suggestions for dealing with BTS anxiety.  Please share your best practices in the comments.

 

Different Ways to Deal with Stress

Anxiety and depression seem to be at an all time high for most people during 2020.  It's no wonder with all the changes, fears, extra work, maybe even things like diminished income in your family, children at home, children going back to school, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, tornados.  All of these things (and so many more) can add stress to every day life.

Over the next few days, Wellness Warriors will be sharing some articles that you might find helpful to help offer suggestions to deal with the added stress. Please take some time to read them and offer suggestions in the comments for things that are working for you.

How Should You Eat Chia Seeds?

Someone asked me if I eat my chia seeds whole or ground. Great question. There are some seeds that are recommended to be eaten ground to aid in digestion, but you can easily eat chia seeds whole. Here's my caveat - they quickly expand as they meet with liquid... so if you find that they get stuck between your teeth or irritate your gums, use ground chia seeds. Problem solved.

Dr. Axe answered this question in a blog post.  Click and read the full article for more information about how to eat chia seeds.

What's your favorite way to eat chia seeds?

Doing Push Ups May Save Your Life!

 

Why should you do pushups? Well, a recent study showed that being able to do 40 pushups may save you from having a heart attack. Plus you'll look pretty awesome.

Do what you can. Start slow. Do forearm planks to strengthen your body. Work on tricep, shoulder, bicep, and core exercises to strengthen your body overall. Start on your knees. Repeat daily. Increase as you are able. If you start now and work on this daily, you will be surprised where you end up by December 31st. Let's give it a try!

Here's a great article about how to do proper pushups (including some modifications both easier and harder!).

Try to do some pushups today. Let us know how many you did, how was your form, and what modifications you made.

Reduce Visceral Fat

You've probably heard about the dangers of visceral fat.  If not, please read up on it.  If you feel that it's an issue for you, definitely contact your medical provider.

Reading about visceral fat is one thing.  Seeing an image is startling.  Check out this image.  Wow!

This article by Harvard Health offers some tips on reducing your visceral fat and improving your health.

What are you doing to combat this dangerous health issue?  Please share your success stories!

 

 

Romaine Lettuce Recall

Did you see the E. coli outbreak linked to Romaine lettuce?  You can read about it at the CDC website.

You can use many types of greens in your lettuce.  They're all good (well, except iceberg lettuce).  Which greens are your favorites?  It's a good idea to mix them up.  This might be a good time to try something new.

What 10g of Halloween Sugar Looks Like

Wow!  It's Halloween and you know what that means?  Free license to eat all the candy you want.  It's OK.  Enjoy.  But keep in mind how much sugar is in each little bit of candy.  

Thanks Danielle Omar from My Fitness Pal blog for this great side-by-side comparison.  Click on that link to read the full article and be amazed.

Seriously, who ever stopped at 6 pieces of candy corn?  That stuff is so addictive.  It's like the crack of Halloween candy.

I prefer to eat the sugars that occur naturally in fruit.  Yes - it's the same amount of sugar... but it's nature's candy and has the fiber to go along with it.  And fresh fruit doesn't give me the sugar rush or crash.

How about you?

Face the Sun

Do you take time to get some sun every day?  We live in a confusing world of mixed messages.

Sun is bad for you.
Sun is good for you.
Wear sunscreen.
Sunscreen is toxic.

Yikes!  It's hard to take it all in.  But you can hopefully walk the line and find some balance.  Sunshine is good for the soul.  Try to get a little bit of sun each day.  In my house we joke about the 1970s baby oil and sun reflector tanning methods.  I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about:

• going for a walk
• facing the sun
• walking the dog
• playing in the yard
• getting out during lunch
  
  
  

There are many reasons to get some sun.  Here's a great article about the Benefits of Sunlight from Healthline.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy some sunshine each day?

Overfed and Undernourished

There's a documentary by this same name "Overfed and Undernourished" from 2014.  The film only got decent reviews. The part about the young boy trying to change his life from the inside out got great reviews.  "Something every parent should see."  The experts got criticized for inaccuracies. But I think the main points the film is trying to make regarding a global obesity epidemic are valid:

• Eat whole food.
• Avoid sugars and highly processed food.
• Get outside and enjoy fresh air and sunshine.
• Exercise.
• Drink water.

I think this picture says it all.

One of the quotes from the film that really spoke to me is this:  "If you eat food produced by people in white coats, then you'll need to be treated by people in white coats."