Take 5 to Thrive

Take 5 tO THRIVE

Working under the COVID-19 Stay at Home Order may feel overwhelming. It is vital that you check-in with yourself and assess your own needs.

Take 5 to Thrive.

1. Take care of yourself. When we become overwhelmed and stressed, it’s easy to forget about ourselves. We cannot function our best when we aren’t prioritizing our basic needs. Ensure that your most basic needs are met. Eat healthy meals. Make sleep a priority. Take your medications. Take restroom breaks. Have a plan for your children, pets, and family to receive the care that they need while you are away. Let your supervisor know if you feel overwhelmed and need a break. Keep your mind and body in good condition by taking care of yourself the same way you would take care of your favorite person 

2. Take YOUR time. When anxious and in a crisis, we may feel rushed. Mistakes are easily made when we operate in haste. Slow down. When your feelings get intense, stop what you’re doing and take a few deep breaths. Even if only for a minute. Feel your feet on the ground. Take in your surroundings using all five senses. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Feel? Take note that most times, there is no imminent physical threat. Your thoughts make you feel anxious. This grounding technique reminds your body that you are safe and helps reduce feelings of anxiety. Deep breathing exercises and meditation can also help bring things back into focus for you. There are apps and YouTube videos (as short as 60 seconds) that can help guide you.

3. Take back your routines. Ensuring the safety of our family and the Stay at Home order has made our normal routines a distant memory. Routines help us feel in control and keep us anchored. Therefore, it is important that we try to keep some of our normal routines in place. Continue with your same grooming habits in the morning: brush your teeth and have a cup of tea. Workout at home instead of the gym. Facetime or have a zoom meeting with the friend or family member that you normally visit on weekends. Even if it’s for a shorter time, at a different time, or done in a different way, maintain some sense of normalcy.

4. Take time for things that you enjoy. In times like these, it is easy to overindulge in the news. Set boundaries! Limit talk about COVID-19. Say that you would prefer to talk about something else and limit time on social media. Get the information that you need to keep you and your family safe and spend your time doing things that you enjoy. Make time for your favorite television show. Read a book. Play a card game or board game. Keep up with your gardening. This is also a time to explore new hobbies. Write some poetry or the first chapter of your book. Try Tik Tok.

5. Take advantage of available support. In the helping profession, we tend to forget that we can and should reach out for help when we need it as well. When we are feeling stressed, it can be easy to overindulge in vices: gambling, tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, and food. Don’t be a victim of the Quarantine 15 (extra pounds). This will ultimately hurt you more than it temporarily helps. Contact your trusted friends, family, and loved ones to discuss how you feel. Inquire if they are feeling the same way. Why or why not? Have self-compassion and forgive yourself. Remember that this is hard, and you are doing the best that you can in uncharted territory. Counseling and support are also available virtually. There is also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline number, 800-273-8255, where trained counselors are available 24/7. All calls are confidential.

   OHCC Behavioral Health Team

Tips for Talking to Kids about COVID-19

Tips for talking to Kids about covid-19

Tips to Talking to Kids about COVID-19

Your child’s routines have been drastically changed. There are a lot of unknowns such as when they will return to school or daycare, when they will be able to see their friends again, and when their parents will return to work. They may see people walking around grocery stores wearing surgical masks and gloves. This can be very scary for us all, especially a child that is still learning the world around them. It’s important for us to take time to talk to our children about what is going on around them and how they feel about it. Here are a few things to keep in mind during these discussions.

Guard the information your child receives and the way they receive it. If you are anxious, take time to calm down before having this discussion with your child. Children not only hear what you say, but they pick up on cues of how you feel based on how you say things as well. Be mindful of the amount of COVID-19 related news that you play in the home or car. Your child hears what you hear, even if it seems like they are not paying attention. Also, try to avoid having strong reactions to news received about COVID-19 in the presence of your child. You do not want your child to perceive COVID-19 as a big scary unbeatable monster. In addition to the sad stories, there are stories of hope and survival. Make sure that the information your child receives is balanced-not just scary.

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Listen. Comfort. Support. Find out what information your child already has. Try to get them to explain what they already know. Try to get them to ask you questions. Also, try to get them to talk about their feelings. Help them put their emotions into words. Listen to what they say. Correct misinformation, but do not cut them off or dismiss how they feel. Provide them with comfort. Provide them with support. This will help them feel comfortable speaking with you and coming to you with more questions in the future.

Age appropriate discussions. Don’t volunteer too much information to your child. Too much information may be overwhelming and confusing to them. Speak to your child using terms and analogies for things that they understand. Avoid the use of language that may lead to stigma or blame. Make sure that you are honest and accurate in the information that you provide.

Empower them to combat COVID-19. Educate your child on steps they can take to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Model these behaviors as well. Hand washing with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds. Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or their elbow. Keeping their hands out of their mouth, nose, and eyes. Keeping their distance from people who are sick. Social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others. Keeping things clean at home including commonly touched surfaces (light switches, alarms, cell phones, remote controls, etc.).

Help them keep parts of their routines. Same as adults, routines help children feel anchored, in control, and safe. It is important that we try to keep as many of their normal routines in place. Morning, grooming, and bedtime habits such as brushing their teeth, changing into pj’s before bed, and reading their bedtime story should be maintained. They should also continue to do some schoolwork and be allowed time for outside play. Allow them to Facetime or have a zoom meeting with their friends and close family members under your supervision. Help them maintain some sense of normalcy.

With school closures, cancellations of extracurricular, time off from work, and mandates to work from home, many of us have more time with our children than we have had in a while. We should enjoy this time and use it to strengthen our time together. Have movie nights, play board games, play outside in the yard, and make sure that you keep the lines of communication open.

OHCC Behavioral Health Team

Keeping Calm through COVID-19

Keeping Calm Through Covid-19

Have you been feeling uneasy and nervous? Has it been constant or excessive? You may be experiencing symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety is the mind and body’s response to perceived danger. It is natural to experience symptoms of anxiety during times of stress. For example, if a bear is in front of you, you will have racing thoughts, sweaty palms, a rapid heartbeat, and a fight/flight/or freeze reaction. However, if you are constantly experiencing the same symptoms when you are watching the news or settling in for bed, this may be a sign of anxiety.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) may not be a vicious beast in front of you, but it might feel that way. So, what can you do to combat the symptoms of anxiety that this uncertainty brings?

1.     Identify your feelings. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and express how you feel. Share your feelings with a friend or loved one. Write a journal entry or anonymous blog post.

2.     Seek support. Ask those around you if they are feeling the same way you are. If so, why? If not, why not?

3.     Practice relaxation skills. One of the best ways to manage anxiety is by engaging in “Mindfulness” activities. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your awareness on the present moment and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Practice yoga, meditation, or engage in spirituality. You can also do deep breathing exercises including box breathing which consists of 4 seconds of breathing in, hold for 4 seconds, 4 seconds breathing out, hold for 4 seconds, REPEAT. (YouTube has many great videos to demonstrate all of these relaxation skills for FREE!)

4.     Keep busy. Play a board game with a friend or child. Clean that junk drawer or closet you have been putting off for days (or years). Binge watch a new Netflix series or catch up on movies on Amazon Prime. Read a book.

5.     Limit time on social media and/or news outlets. We all want answers, and everyone seems to have them nowadays, but it is not healthy to become obsessive. Get updates from trusted media outlets that are important to your immediate workplace, neighborhood, and family. It is easy to get swept up in mass panic, but that will not make this easier for you or your loved ones. Use boundaries! Limit talk and conversations about COVID-19. You can say that you would prefer to talk about something else. Also, limit time on social media.  

6.     Forgive yourself. This is a strange, new, scary time in the world. Have self-compassion. Forgive yourself for having human reactions and take care of yourself as you would your favorite person. Remember that this is hard, and you are doing the best you can in uncharted territory. 

You CAN wash your hands regularly with clean running water and soap, use hand sanitizer when water and soap are not available, practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others, cover your mouth and nose with your elbow when you sneeze or cough, limit/avoid travel, and stay home if you’re sick (even if it’s mild). 

You CANNOT control what is happening with others. Instead of focusing on fear or things that you cannot control, do what you can and spend your time in a positive manner. Protect your body and your mind. They need each other.

There is also a Keeping Calm through COVID hotline number, 1-866-310-7977, where trained counselors are available 24/7. All calls are confidential.

OHCC Behavioral Health Team

Colon Cancer Awareness

colon cancer awareness

Colorectal cancer is the cancer of the colon (intestines) and rectum. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. Deaths have been decreasing for several decades with increased screening as well as improved treatment. 

Risk factors for colorectal cancer include being overweight, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and heavy alcohol use. These are all things that you can change. Risk factors that you cannot change are being older, having a personal or family history of colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. African Americans have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer in the US.

Some symptoms of colorectal cancer are changes in bowel habits like diarrhea, constipation, narrowing of the stool, the feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that does not go away when you have a bowel movement, rectal bleeding or blood in your stool, abdomen pain, and/or unintended weight loss. 

The US Preventative Task Force recommends colon cancer screenings should start at age 50 until age 75 for those who have an average risk of developing colorectal cancer. The screenings can include either a fecal occult blood test, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy. The best test for you is determined by your healthcare provider. 

If you would like to schedule a colon cancer screening with one of our providers, please call (225) 665-6422.

Sabrina Grantham, PA

Why is American Heart Month Important To Black People?

Why is american heart month important to black people?

Was that title eye catching enough? I ask because many of my patients are black, or African-American, and when I initially have conversations with them about heart health it often seems to be a foreign concept. That is to say they know having a healthy heart is important, but they often don’t know how to achieve or maintain this status in their everyday lives. To go one step further, when I ask if they have a family history of heart disease it’s almost certainly an affirmative response in one form or another. Considering those responses and the fact that February is also American Heart Month, I decided to write a summary about cardiovascular health disparities affecting black people and simple ways to improve those outcomes that the everyday person should know.

Health disparities are defined as preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.[1] A person’s race or ethnicity should not put them more at risk for having heart disease or stroke, but unfortunately, it is one factor that affects a person’s likelihood of suffering a heart attack or stroke and further affects their chances of survival if they do suffer from either. It should be no surprise to many that the African-American population are regularly plagued by many of the worst health disparities on record and those related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) are not exceptions. Among the various minority population groups, African-American men have the highest overall death rate from cardiovascular disease.[3,4] CVD age-adjusted death rates are 33% higher for the black population than for the overall population in the U.S. Also, black people are 30% more likely to die from heart disease. They are also twice as likely to have a stroke and much more likely to die from one than whites.[2]

Now I know statistics sometimes don’t make sense to people who are not fans of statistics. So allow me to present the above information in a more practical sense. Let’s say we have 100 black patients in a clinic and are watching to see how many of them are going to have a stroke over their lifespan in comparison to 100 white patients. For our example, if 40 of the 100 white patients were to have a stroke then that would mean 80 of our 100 black patients would likely have stroke. When looking at the death rates in those same 100 black patients, 33 of them are going to die of a CVD related cause before even 1 patient of another population dies of a CVD related cause in the U.S.

When I think about those statistics in that manner it hits differently. When I recognize that I can name so many patients, friends, and even family members who have suffered from some type of CVD with severe outcomes, it makes those statistics even more appalling. There are many other feelings and emotions that tend to arise the deeper you look into the data, especially reasons why black people are affected at such higher levels than others. But for me the feeling I choose to focus on is motivation. Motivation to help spread information like what was mentioned above. Motivation to educate others about CVD so that preventing it is more attainable. It just so happens that my motivation aligns with the purpose of American Heart Month.

To raise awareness about heart health and urge those around you to prevent heart disease are some of the goals of American Heart Month. Since we have done the former in previous paragraphs, let’s now focus on the prevention portion to finish things off. Seeing that many of the causes of CVD in black people originate from poor health decisions I believe mentioning healthy behaviors that should be followed is necessary. Some easy and simple actions include completing 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (running, walking, bike-riding, etc.) at least 3 times per week, maintaining a balanced diet and healthy weight, and seeking medical care even before you are sick. Yes, I did say seek medical care before you are sick so that you prevent a negative outcome before it happens. If these decisions are made early on and consistently followed then the 100 patients, family members, and friends that were counted in our examples will be just as likely, or even less likely, as anyone else to have CVD. Thanks for reading.

Byron Jasper, MD, MPH

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References

1. CDC. Community Health and Program Services (CHAPS): Health Disparities Among Racial/Ethnic Populations. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2008

2. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2009 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation 2008.

3. State of disparities in cardiovascular health in the United States. Mensah GA, Mokdad AH, Ford ES, Greenlund KJ, Croft JB Circulation. 2005 Mar 15; 111(10):1233-41.

4. Racism and cardiovascular disease in African Americans. Wyatt SB, Williams DR, Calvin R, Henderson FC, Walker ER, Winters K Am J Med Sci. 2003 Jun; 325(6):315-31.