by Guest | Feb 2, 2022 | Being Well
Social media is a mixed bag of sorts. It can lead to poor sleep quality, and fuel mental and emotional fatigue. It can be a very toxic experience depending on your perspective, how much time you spend on it, who you follow, and how you choose to interact. It can also be a wonderful tool which connects you to the people you love, niche hobby groups, meet-up opportunities, cultural awareness, and so much more! It’s a truly powerful source of communication. The speed in which the information, thoughts, feelings, and concepts within the content is exchanged can quickly overwhelm and exhaust anyone. It’s healthy to sometimes step back and take a break from the virtual world for a period. There are other ways to engage online which might help lessen the stress you’re feeling from the content you consume.
Being intentional about who you follow can make or break your experience online. There is so much aggression and misinformation, curating your feed will change the way you see the world. Follow users who matter to you and unsubscribe from those who cause you undue stress. Some differences in opinion are totally healthy and normal, but if those you follow engage in a way that is disrespectful, what are you gaining from that connection?
Find stimulating content creators that reflect your unique interests. This can help you to meet others virtually and build a real connection over time! You might find a local group meet-up to make friends in person. Social media is intended to foster connection and collaboration, it’s all about how you use it.
On the other hand, seek out accounts from people with diverse interests and perspectives. Find people from cultures completely different than your own. Find people who don’t look or think anything like you and try to put yourself in their shoes. Social media functions by putting us in a labeled box and providing increasingly tailored information to us based on our activity. Building cultural awareness is an intentional process but can lead to unbelievable opportunities and insights.
Sometimes it can seem like there are insurmountable divides in our society, and closing those gaps starts when we see the world through someone else’s eyes. Social media allows us to conveniently see and interact with perspectives from all over the world for the first time in human history. It gets a bad rep, but as with any technology it’s all about how it’s used.
Phones nowadays have locks and filters that can limit the amount of time we spend on social media apps. They have analytic trackers that can show you your usage history. These are valuable tools at your disposal! The distraction of a never-ending news feed can be alluring, but the apps benefit when you lose track of time. Setting timers on your phone will put the power back into your hands. Taking a break from social media all together is a wonderful chance to recalibrate and connect back in with yourself.
Social media should be used to your advantage, not to take advantage of you. Hopefully these tips can help you to feel more in control over your feeds and encourage you to try something new!
AUTHOR: Erin Washbon, OHSU Dietetic Intern
Other wellness questions? Email us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org. For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
by Guest | Jan 19, 2022 | Being Well
Hoping to slow down and embrace living in the moment this year? After another unsettling year, many of us are looking to regroup and find a “new normal” as we enter into the new year. Dedicating a few minutes a day to mindfulness can help reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity, and promote happiness – and who couldn’t use a little more of that in 2022?
Too often, we find ourselves in a frenzied, unhappy and unsettled state-of-mind. Many people simply feel there are not enough hours in a day. Cultural norms tell us that multitasking is good, that “busy-ness” is both normal and noble. People are told to learn to say “no” but find it difficult because everything seems to be of equal and vital importance.
This constant state of activity and worry places a heavy toll on both the mind and the body. It can contribute to anxiety, depression, addiction and damaged relationships. An overloaded nervous system, in a constant state of fight-or-flight, produces chronic stress that has far-reaching effects.
Enter Mindful-Based Stress Reduction. Through a regular practice of cultivating awareness of experiences and sensations and learning to view them without judgement, things begin to fall into place. Priorities shift and emerge. Our sensory system remains calm amidst a stressful day. We experience life with a sense of clarity and objectivity.
We can only change something if we know what the root of the problem is. A mindfulness practice strips away every voice – including our own. We become an interested observer of what is happening in the body and the mind. It is like watching a movie with flashbacks and foreshadowing. We are “let in” on the back story that explains the characters’ behavior.
The practice itself can be as simple as spending five minutes each day, sitting quietly, breathing deeply and simply being present with acceptance. We accept who we are, where we are, just as we are in that exact moment. Thoughts may come and go and that’s okay. Often, they provide clues as to the source of our anxiety, past hurts, and frustrations. Rather than stuff them or block them, we allow these thoughts and feelings to appear. We greet them at the door but we don’t invite them to stay.
While a regular, defined practice is ideal, we can incorporate mindfulness into everyday activities. We can catch ourselves reacting to a situation and tune into it through our mindfulness viewer. Research shows that awareness in and of itself is enough to alter patterns of behavior. It takes on a snowball effect. The more we catch ourselves, the more quickly we hit the reset button until the brain recognizes the situation as non-threatening and resets itself. It is important to remember that, when we catch ourselves in an unhealthy habit, we do not attach any negative self-criticism. Acceptance without judgement is key. Setting an intention for healthier behaviors and self-healing are equally important.
As with any new task, the more often we practice the new habit, the more automatic it becomes. And just like building our muscles or mental focus, regular practice creates a new default. Two important benefits of a mindfulness practice are nonreactivity and self-regulation. Without expressly working to develop them, these two traits emerge. We often only realize it when we catch ourselves remaining calm in a situation that would have generated fear or anger before.
Mind-body classes such as Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga include a component of mindfulness. Locally, class schedules can be found at the Tillamook Family YMCA or in the Tillamook Bay Community College course catalog under the community education, Fitness & Health section.
To learn more, check out the New York Times “How to Meditate” for mindfulness and meditation basics, at-home exercises, and strategies for any challenges you may face. If you are looking for guided mindfulness videos, there are many worth exploring online. Try checking out the “Goodful” page on YouTube for meditations, or look for the “Calm” or “Headspace” pages on YouTube, the app store, and streaming platforms (you can find “Headspace Unwind Your Mind” on Netflix or “A World of Calm” on HBO Max).
AUTHOR: Tillamook County Wellness
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Guest | Jan 19, 2022 | Recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups Brussles sprouts, halved
- 2 teaspoons margarine or butter, melted
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix margarine, honey, mustard and onion powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Spread sprouts on baking pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
4. Add roasted sprouts to the mustard mixture and stir until evenly coated. Serve warm.
5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
Honey is not recommended for children under 1 year old. Try brown sugar.
Photo & Recipe Source: https://www.foodhero.org/recipes/roasted-honey-mustard-brussels-sprouts
by Guest | Jan 12, 2022 | Being Well
Every day we hear the results of another study, telling us what is making us unhealthy. Eat this, don’t eat that. Move like this, not like that. It can be overwhelming to figure out what to prioritize or even where to begin.
Awareness. This is where it all starts. We see things more clearly when we take a step back and give them our undivided attention. Take a few moments each day to breathe. Just be. Relax. In doing so, the busyness of the world, the noise of our self-talk, the daily to do list, they all disappear and we are simply left with ourselves and the truth. Layers of thought, emotion, and even traumatic events are often responsible for the “dis-ease” that causes disease. Without going through this process, it may not matter what changes we make to our nutrition or exercise habits. Our bodies seek balance. This applies to our emotional state as well. When we are out of balance, there are a whole host of physiological processes that go off-line as well.
Unfortunately, the typical American lifestyle does not lend itself to mind-body balance. Change is hard. Crazy hard. It’s really inconvenient. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance. It takes time and effort to change the way we live our lives. For most of us, this is where we end up – in a state of knowing we need to do something but not believing that we can really do anything about it. To be successful, we need to make the changes to our habits small, easy-to-adopt, and enjoyable.
Tips for Successful Behavior Change
Why we want to make changes is almost as important as what we want to change. The “why” often determines our chances for success. If we are making a change for our spouse or boss, or as a quick fix (think high school reunion), we might not be as emotionally invested as we need to be successful over the long term. You need to have good reasons to make any lasting change. Maybe it is to be around to see your kids or grandkids grow up or maybe it is about improving your quality of life. Whatever it is, it needs to be meaningful to you.
Setting SMART goals is key to successful behavior change. SMART is an acronym for research-based characteristics that significantly increase the likelihood of reaching one’s goals. They should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
For example, if I want to walk 2 miles a day but am currently completely sedentary, I need to break down my goal into manageable pieces. I also need to be realistic. How far can I, and more importantly, will I, walk each day. Maybe it is just a daily walk to my mailbox for the first week. Then, I can walk to the end of the block, then 3 blocks, and so on until I have achieved my goal. It is important to set a time frame for each level of goal attainment. This can be daily or weekly. It needs to be short enough to generate immediate success but also long enough to form a new habit as a foundation for the next step and that usually takes about 8-10 weeks.
Work with your strengths and interests when approaching changes. If you like to cook, then it makes sense to find healthy recipes you would enjoy making. If you hate cooking, it will be important to simplify what nutrition changes you are making so that you can still be successful. It can be as simple as choosing the prepared veggie tray and a container of hummus from the grocery store. This principle is especially important when it comes to physical activity. If you enjoy being outdoors, consider walking or hiking. If you like people, music or dancing, you could join a group fitness class. If you want something more mindful, try Tai Chi, Qigong or Yoga. The key is to look for ways to integrate a positive, healthy change with your personality, interests and strengths.
One of the reasons people struggle with behavior change is because they have been unsuccessful in the past. Three common reasons for this are 1) Setting unrealistic goals 2) Giving up after the first setback, or 3) Taking on too many changes at once.
To avoid these, it is important to set a narrow list of ridiculously small goals. This allows us to celebrate mini victories which perpetuate future successes. BJ Fogg, a researcher at Stanford University, recommends starting with what he calls “Tiny Habits.” He uses an example for someone who wants to develop the habit of flossing their teeth. He suggests flossing one tooth each night after brushing your teeth. Just one tooth. A small, simple act is perceived as more doable and we may be more likely to persist and build on that activity. This is a very real characteristic of human nature and it explains a lot when it comes to why behavior change is so difficult.
To summarize, there are some tricks to successful behavior change:
- Become aware of what you want to change and why
- Set SMART goals
- Make changes that fit your personality, strengths and values
- Start small (REALLY small) and build on your successes
AUTHOR: Michelle Jenck, M.Ed., Community Well-Being Director, Adventist Health Tillamook
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Guest | Jan 12, 2022 | Recipes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1⁄2 cup chopped onion
- 1⁄2 cup diced or grated carrot
- 2 1⁄2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup diced potato (fresh or frozen)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) cooked and diced chicken
- 1⁄2 cup low-fat or nonfat milk
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional)
- pepper to taste (optional)
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- In a medium saucepan, sauté onion and carrot on medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add broth, potato, thyme, garlic powder and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
- While potatoes are cooking, stir flour and milk together in a small dish.
- Add chicken to the saucepan and stir 1 to 2 minutes until heated through.
- Slowly add milk mixture and stir as the soup thickens. Boil gently for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Before serving, add vinegar and pepper, if desired.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
- Substitute the diced carrot with any combination of carrot, celery, pepper or leek.
- Substitute other vegetables such as corn or broccoli for half of the potatoes.
Photo & Recipe Source: https://www.foodhero.org/recipes/chicken-chowder-two
