Monday, July 29, 2013
Being lucky is a state of mind
A few times a year we have a raffle at work, whether a
fundraiser or a "team-building" incentive. At the sign-up table, a colleague and I were filling out the
ticket stub for the latest raffle when we both spoke up at the same time. She said, "I'm not a lucky
person ... I never win anything."
At the exact same time I said, "I am a really lucky person — and I
just might win that grand prize."
Later, I thought about that encounter and our relative
perspectives. She has a beautiful, young family and supportive and caring
parents that live nearby. She has
a good job, lots of friends, and enjoys good health. Certainly a lucky person by my definition.
On the other hand, I also have a supportive husband. My two
grown children and grandson live thousands of miles away. I have a good job and still enjoy
good health, even though I am more than 25 years older than my colleague. Yet I self-identify as a lucky person
and she doesn't.
Christine Carter, PhD, is a sociologist at University of
California at Berkeley. She
reports research shows that people who believe themselves to be lucky are far
more satisfied with their lives than people who think of themselves as unlucky.
Lucky people
are happier with their family life, their personal life, their financial
situation, their health and their career. How lucky we feel is connected to how
much gratitude we have, as well as to our confidence and optimism — incredibly
important positive emotions. Luck is hugely related not just to our success,
but to our happiness. In fact, the word happy originally meant lucky — hap meant
"chance" or "fortune."
Well, you guessed it, my colleague won the grand prize and I
didn't win any of the prizes. I
still think I am generally a very lucky person, and she thought it was a
"fluke" that she won.
It's all a matter of perspective.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Use your head when dealing with concussions
Kasey collided into another soccer player hitting her head
on the ground. She was a “little shook up” but still wanted to play. When the
game was over she felt “sick and had a headache.” Should Kasey have kept
playing?
According Anthony Alessi, MD, a member of the Backus Medical
Staff and Neuro Diagnostics of Norwich, Kasey should not have continued
playing. Kasey could have had a concussion and it was a bad idea for her to
stay in the game.
Dr. Alessi
explains that the brain is made of soft tissue and is cushioned by spinal
fluid, within the skull. When a head injury occurs, the brain can move around
inside the skull and even bang against it. When this happens, a concussion
occurs — a temporary loss of normal brain function.
Most people recover fine from concussions with appropriate
treatment. It’s important to take the proper steps if you suspect a concussion.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a few signs and
symptoms of a concussion include:
•
feeling dazed, dizzy or light headed
• not
“feeling right”
• nausea
or vomiting
• headache
• blurred
vision.
An additional source of information is a free app for your
smart phone, provided by The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), a trusted
authority in managing sports concussions. The app “AAN Concussion” is a
valuable resource for coaches, athletic trainers, doctors, parents and athletes
to quickly evaluate the individual.
If you or a
teammate has a hit to the head inform your coach or an adult immediately. Dr.
Alessi says the best treatment for a concussion is rest. Individuals recovering
from a concussion should avoid activities that require a lot of thinking and
concentration.
Concussions can be prevented by taking simple precautions,
such as wearing appropriate safety equipment.
Lisa Cook is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Cook or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Paying attention to present will pay dividends in future
Mindfulness is a relatively new term for a relatively
ancient concept: Being present and
grounded in the moment. It is an
attentive awareness of the reality of things, especially of the present
moment. It simply means paying
attention to what you are seeing and doing.
For example, I was not being mindful when I picked up and
applied my glue stick instead of my deodorant stick. That was a wake-up call for me: I decided to research the
concept of mindfulness.
My friend Amy Dunion, RN, Coordinator of the Backus Center
for Healthcare Integration (CHI), suggested I start by exploring the work of
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. He is internationally
known as a meditation teacher, author, researcher, and clinician in the fields
of mind/body medicine, integrative medicine, lifestyle change, and
self-healing. He is an expert in stress reduction, relaxation, and the
applications of mindfulness meditation in everyday living to improve the
ability to face stress, pain, and illness across the lifespan.
On his website www.jonkabat-zinn.com, he offers some very basic advice to
cultivating mindfulness. It says “In order to live life fully, you have to be
present for it. To be present, it
helps to purposefully bring awareness to your moments — otherwise you may miss
many of them. You do that by paying attention on purpose, in the present
moment, and being non-judgmental. This requires a great deal of kindness toward
yourself, which you deserve.”
Mindfulness is a great tool for stress management and
overall wellness because it can be used at virtually any time and can quickly
bring lasting results.
There are several simple and convenient exercises to
experience mindfulness in our daily life.
• Just breathe.
Simply stop what you are doing and sit quietly in a comfortable
position. Then take three slow
deep breaths, paying attention to the feel and sound of your breathing.
Especially when you’re upset, this exercise can have a calming effect and help
you stay grounded in the present moment.
• Listen to music.
You can play soothing new-age music, classical music, or another type of
slow-tempo music to feel calming effects. Focus on the feelings that the music
brings up within you, and other sensations that are happening "right
now" as you listen.
• Savor the present.
Why does living in the moment make people happier? Because most negative
thoughts concern the past or the future. As Mark Twain said, "I have known
a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."
Well, this all may seem like an impossible task in these
busy times. It may take a lot of
practice, but being focused, grounded and calm should be a great outcome to
practicing mindfulness. And like
Dr. Kabat-Zinn says, “we deserve it.”
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Stress relief tips in our ‘Anxiety Society’
Is there anyone these days who can say these are not
stressful times? In fact, when we
were looking for a catchy title for a health education program, we named it “Anxiety
Society.”
And for good
reason. Approximately 18% — or 40 million Americans — suffer from anxiety
disorders, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
We all experience some degree of stress on a daily basis. According
to The New York Times Health Guide, stress generates from situations or
thoughts that make you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. Anxiety centers on
feeling apprehension or fear.
Stress in low doses is normal, and even beneficial, as it motivates you, and makes you more productive.
Stress in low doses is normal, and even beneficial, as it motivates you, and makes you more productive.
My colleague Eric Sandberg, PhD, of the Backus Center for
Mental Health, has given numerous presentations on stress and anxiety. During
the “Anxiety Society” presentation, he explained that stress is external, and
anxiety is internal.
That’s an
interesting way of looking at it.
The only thing we can control is our response to the inevitable stresses
of life. There are degrees of
anxiety. In cases of severe
anxiety, when a person is overwhelmed with deep panic and fright, professional
medical help should be sought immediately.
The mild stress that we encounter daily can be managed with
some easy techniques, according to Dr. Sandberg. He offers some self-help
stress busters:
• Imagine warming your hands by a fire on a cold night
• Be nice to someone
• Recognize one of your strengths
• Make plans for a great future
• Read, hear, make a joke
• Pet a pet
• Talk to a friend
• Take a walk
• Recreation
And my personal favorite:
• Eat healthy, tasty food
My colleague Lisa says when she is stressed, “I go to my happy place.” When I asked her to explain, she said, “I imagine myself at the beach, or playing with my daughters in the back yard, or relaxing in our favorite vacation spot in Maine.”
All great ideas for relieving stress in these tough times.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, July 01, 2013
How do you eat when no one is watching?
Last week, my husband confessed to me that when I am working on a weekend and he has to fend for himself, a friend provides him with the fixings for a peanut butter and grape jelly on white bread sandwich (“none of that all-natural stuff”). Then he washes it down with a diet cola.
I felt a little faint hearing that, but I figure if that’s
his worst crime, I have it pretty lucky.
But I am not deterred. I
will still continue on my quest to provide healthy, yet tasty meals for the
family.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created an easy to navigate its website, www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. It is chock full of ideas, recipes and advice on nutrition and food preparation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created an easy to navigate its website, www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. It is chock full of ideas, recipes and advice on nutrition and food preparation.
The basis of the food guidance system is the “My Plate”
program. This is an updated, easy-to-follow replacement of the previous “My Pyramid” system, which I could never
understand anyway. “My Plate”
illustrates the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy
diet using a familiar image — a place setting for a meal.
One of the links, “Ten Tips Nutrition Education Series,” provides a wealth of information on all
types of topics. One of my
favorites is “Ten Tips to Liven Up Your Meals With Vegetables and Fruits.” I
thought Tip #1 might appeal to my husband, especially when I am not home to
prepare the meal:
Fire up the grill
• Use the grill to cook vegetables and fruits
• Try grilling mushrooms, carrots, peppers, or potatoes on a
kabob skewer
• Brush with oil to keep them from drying out
• Grilled fruits like peaches, pineapple, or mangos add great
flavor to a cookout.
We all know it’s important to eat tasty and nutritious meals
for good health and vitality...most of the time. But it’s also important to occasionally treat ourselves to
favorite “forbidden” foods like grape jelly, white bread and cola.
My secret treat
is chocolate-covered macaroons, but I am not quite ready to confess that one to
my husband.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
