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.
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.
As we step into a new year, many of us may be reflecting on different aspects of our lives. Although many of us might think of New Year’s resolutions such as eating more veggies or trying out a gym membership, taking a moment to look at our personal relationships and where our individual happiness lies is just as important in terms of our overall well-being. Tides of Change, a local advocacy organization, provides an overview of how our relationships can function to both positively and negatively impact our health – and offers information around how to access free, confidential services for anyone who might need support in any stage of a relationship, both past and present:
Did you know your relationship affects your health? All types of relationships, negative and positive, both past and present affect your health. Relationships with your friends, your family, the person you are dating or with your partner all affect your health.
Healthy relationships promote overall health and well-being, lead to better physical and mental health outcomes and a longer life. Unsurprisingly, unhealthy and abusive relationships contribute to poor health in a variety of ways. Relationships change over time, so a relationship that starts out fun and exciting may not stay that way.
Unhealthy relationships where one person in the relationship uses a variety of methods to gain and maintain power and control over the other person are, unfortunately, common. According to surveys from the National Domestic Violence Hotline, approximately 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). It occurs across every demographic line of socioeconomic status, education level, sexual orientation, race, and religion. It can happen to anyone. IPV is a cycle that generally gets worse over time—not a one-time incident. People who choose abusive behavior use jealousy, isolation, emotional and psychological abuse, coercion, intimidation, shame and threats.
Many people assume that abusive relationships are defined by the presence of physical violence, but research shows that emotional and psychological abuse are used long before any physical violence occurs. Over time, the control tactics cause chronic, toxic stress for the person subjected to them. In terms of health impacts, psychological abuse is as important an indicator for health outcomes as physical abuse. This means a person can experience negative health consequences as a result of an unhealthy relationship without ever being physically hurt by their partner. Unhealthy, abusive relationships affect a person’s immediate and long-term health–reproductive, physical, mental and behavioral health are all potentially impacted in abusive and controlling relationships.
If you are choosing to use power and control and abusive tactics in your relationships and would like to choose differently, please contact Choices Domestic Violence Intervention Program at (503) 530-8927 or at https://www.choicesdvip.com for more information.
Successfully managing mental or physical health conditions while in an unhealthy relationship can be particularly challenging. Controlling, abusive behavior harms the partner who is subjected to it, and can also harm the health and wellbeing of children growing up in homes where abuse is the norm. The Adverse Childhood Experience Study, or ACEs, demonstrated the connection between growing up with violence in the home and experiencing long term chronic health conditions as well as behavioral and mental health conditions later in life. As with childhood ACEs, experiencing abuse can contribute to things like anxiety and depression as well as common chronic illnesses such as high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic pain symptoms even after the unhealthy relationship has ended.
If you or someone you know are concerned that your relationship is affecting your health, there is hope for healing. At Tides of Change (ToC), we believe everyone deserves a healthy and supportive relationship. ToC serves people of all genders with free, confidential advocacy services and ongoing resiliency and support groups. Our services and our 24-hour helpline are available to anyone who has questions about their relationship and about what resources are available to them. ToC provides services for all stages of healing, both for present and past experiences. Tides of Change is located at 1902 2nd St, Tillamook, OR 97141. You can connect with us by calling 503-842-9486 or at www.tidesofchangenw.org . You are not alone, ToC is here to support you.
AUTHOR: Tides of Change
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
It’s hard to be anxious, sad or angry when we are counting our blessings. This makes sense but it can be hard to see bright spots when life is throwing curve balls at us every day. The real curve ball is that, by practicing gratitude, we can actually avoid becoming anxious, sad or angry when faced with challenges. There is some pretty amazing science behind why practicing gratitude improves our mental and physical well-being.
According to Justin Hersom, LCSW at Adventist Health Tillamook, “it is natural for us to have a slight negative perception in life, as it helps us stay safe.” He goes on to say, however, that people tend to “over-practice” negative perception and then struggle to notice positive things in life. “Learning to stay present inhibits anxiety and learning to develop gratitude shifts neuropathways which can allow us to experience more fulfilling interactions and events in life.” As part of his practice, Justin often guides clients toward gratitude practices, such as daily gratitude journals of 3 to 4 things a person is grateful for that day, no matter how big or small; “and it can’t be the same thing daily.” He points out. “Sometimes we are not in a place to experience gratitude. In that case, working with a mindful belief system, we can just try to have the desire to be grateful.”
Justin Hersom, LCSW at Adventist Health Tillamook
Mindfulness can mean different things to different people. Justin explains to clients that being mindful is an intentional focus on the present, defined as now to the past 8 seconds, without judging our emotions but just accepting what we are experiencing in the moment.
These good feelings are not just fleeting. A regular practice of gratitude or mindfulness, especially if we include deep breathing, can be a game changer when it comes to our health. Just as it takes time and intentionality to build other healthy habits, over time, a regular practice of mindfulness can change the way the body functions, reversing the negative impacts of chronic stress. As part of his Lifestyle Medicine program at Adventist Health Tillamook, Dr. Ben Douglas shares that “patients who struggle with anxiety or depression often tell me they have trouble sleeping at night because their brain won’t be quiet. Mindfulness and deep breathing are techniques that can teach your brain that it is ok to be quiet and go to sleep.”
Health Impacts of Deep Breathing Practices
“Take a deep breath. You got this.” This is the advice my son’s baseball coach gave each player as they approached the batter’s box. What do we do when we have to speak publicly and are nervous? We take a deep breath. What do we tell a child who is crying, upset or angry and trying to tell us what happened? Yep. “Take a deep breath.”
We know deep breathing helps us calm down in stressful situations. The reality is that most of us live in a chronic state of stress. This deep breathing helps regulate the body’s stress response. And, just like a baseball player’s batting average gets better with practice, our bodies adapt to a regular mindfulness practice in ways that make the body more efficient and healthier.
A growing body of research shows that mindfulness and deep breathing techniques make positive changes to virtually every system of the body. When performed consistently, deep breathing practices have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, anxiety and pain and offer many other mental and physical benefits.
When our nervous system is calm, we feel safe and are better able to handle stress when it comes our way. We can keep things in perspective, avoid overreacting emotionally and have healthier relationships with others. This practice can also improve our executive brain function and memory. This is because chronic stress engages a part of the brain that “turns off” our planning and organizing brain (pre-frontal cortex) and “turns on” the fight-flight or freeze part of our brain (amygdala).
So how does it work exactly? There is a muscle in our body, the diaphragm, that is like a shelf between the heart, lungs and other organs. There is also a long nerve, called the Vagus nerve, that connects to all those organs. When we breathe deeply, the movement of the diaphragm and the activation of the Vagus nerve, shifts our body and mind from “fight-flight-freeze” to “rest and digest.” Our heart rate decreases, we get more oxygen to all the parts of the body, including the brain, and levels of stress hormones like cortisol are reduced. All of these changes reduce inflammation in the body which can prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
So how does it work exactly? There is a muscle in our body, the diaphragm, that is like a shelf between the heart, lungs and other organs. There is also a long nerve, called the Vagus nerve, that connects to all those organs. When we breathe deeply, the movement of the diaphragm and the activation of the Vagus nerve, shifts our body and mind from “fight-flight-freeze” to “rest and digest.” Our heart rate decreases, we get more oxygen to all the parts of the body, including the brain, and levels of stress hormones like cortisol are reduced. All of these changes reduce inflammation in the body which can prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
It might feel awkward at first to try a mindfulness practice but, just like with other new activities, it gets easier with regular practice. The good news is that it can be done anywhere, only takes a few minutes and it costs nothing.
In Breath: Deep, slow inhale through the nose, fully inflating the lungs, belly visibly rising/extending for 3-4 seconds.
Out Breath: Slow, controlled outbreath through the nose, belly draws in, diaphragm up, fully exhaling for 5-7 seconds
In his practice, Justin Hersom encourages clients to practice the cycles of inbreaths and outbreaths for 3 to 5 minutes at a minimum.
If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic pain or are experiencing other mental health concerns, please contact your primary care provider.
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.
While some people have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, many of us may lie awake stressing about coordinating festive meals, wrangling relatives, and wrapping presents. As we navigate the pressures of winter celebrations here is some guidance to bring good tidings and advice on how to jingle all the way to the New Year. ‘Tis the season to incorporate good expectations, boundaries, and communication.
Key Concept: You’ve got this.
This time of the year may bring up feelings of stress, excitement, and even grief. As we reflect on the past and look forward to the future, it is important to find time to be present. Holidays can be a dizzying flurry of activity and emotion. We rarely allow ourselves the opportunity to pause and appreciate our capacity to manage the demands of everyday life, one moment at a time. You’ve got this.
Plan ahead.
Set up healthy expectations by creating realistic goals around finances, cooking, and patience. As the shopping list grows, timers ring, and controversial topics surface, you can pivot with confidence. Know your budget, evaluate your time management, and take a deep breath when the conversation turns frosty.
Practice flexibility when presented with change.
It is almost cliché to say that the holidays, though merry, can make you feel Claus-trophobic. Each year provides an opportunity for new and unexpected challenges. This year, try to react calmly to surprise guests, tangled lights, supply chain disruptions, broken appliances, and cats climbing the freshly decorated tree.
Acknowledge your feelings.
Convincing yourself that you feel happy or “fine” is one way to survive the hustle and bustle of the Yuletide. Then again, identifying how you actually feel can be a relief, reduce hostility, and more accurately reflect on the reality of a situation. Addressing difficult emotions can create opportunities for more honest living, encourage conversations, and cultivate problem solving.
Take care of your own needs.
Step outside for fresh air, keep up healthy habits, or practice saying “no.” It is important to give yourself an opportunity to recharge and help you maintain boundaries. Find ways to implement self-care that sustains you through all the holiday festivities.
Shake or embrace the social atrophy.
Let’s face it, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our ability to relax without six feet between one another. We can dust off our social skills instead of enduring awkward silence. Consider planning for activities that create conversation, build new memories, and make us laugh like charades, Pictionary, or coordinating a white elephant gift exchange.
Move forward with kindness and curiosity.
Assume positive intent. Humans are complicated beings and our greatest task ahead includes accepting people as they are. As we approach the New Year, the best policy is to advance with grace and humility.
Seek professional help if you need it.
Despite your best efforts, if you find yourself consistently sad or anxious, experiencing increased physical discomfort, having trouble sleeping, becoming more irritable, or unable to complete normal activities, talk to a friend, family member, or your doctor. If these feelings last for a while, you might benefit from meeting with a mental health professional.
Take control of your holiday stress this season.
AUTHOR: Karen Sheelar, Behavioral Health Clinician at Tillamook County Community Health Center
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
In a nutshell, a Peer Support Specialist helps someone move away from fear and toward hope. I try to empower people in their recovery through these shifts, establishing and reinforcing a trusting connection with them. The connection is genuine and plays a big role in the specialist’s ability to understand the story the client tells of themselves and of their addiction. A peer support specialist walks the line next to someone else, empowering along the path toward recovery. We explore their plans of recovery and support them in realizing their hopes and dreams. Sharing my lived experience is key in the peer support setting through which I serve people. I help by sharing hope and letting them know that their past does not have to define their future. Another important aspect of the Intentional Peer Support system is the conversation that is shared and the knowing that comes out of it. The conversation helps create the momentum of moving towards goals, moving towards hope. In my work, I help people keep their dreams alive by reminding them of what can be. “What are your hopes and dreams? What is your path to recovery?” I am also a recovery mentor, and with the clients’ permission, I can shift gears and suggest ideas while sharing more of my lived experience on how I’ve navigated recovery.
What attracted you to this work?
What attracted me to this work is how it offers me to give back to the community. I thought that because my addiction affected the community, my recovery should also have an effect – this time a positive one. Before helping others, I was struggling with addiction myself for 30+ years. I have been clean now for 14 years. I have been at the Tillamook Family Counseling Center for 5 years, where I was recruited by a friend as the first peer support specialist serving the county at this agency.
How do you engage with clients?
When I meet with someone for the first time I ask, “what happened?” I want to know where they grew up, what it was like for them, their hobbies, what was going on when they first started using, and what things are like for them today. It gives me a glimpse of what I’m working with and what I can relate to. For example, if I am speaking with someone about their addiction and they have shared that one of their triggers is related to a difficult relationship in their life, I can follow up and ask the question, “what if you didn’t have that trigger?” Prior to coming to the counseling center I would ask people I was sponsoring in the Narcotics Anonymous program, “What’s wrong?”, and I learned that kind of question isn’t as helpful as it may seem. A more effective question to ask people is, “What happened?” The question “What’s wrong?” sets a negative tone, asking “What happened” and learning from their answer opens the door to a conversation. One of the biggest barriers people have in my experience is that they feel their experience defines them, which makes it more difficult to see the new and positive possibilities that exist for them.
What do you wish people knew about substance disorder?
Being trauma informed is key when understanding the “why” of addiction and helps people connect the dots of what they want.
To reach Doug, you can contact the Tillamook Family Counseling Center at 503-842-8201 or https://tfcc.org/ .
AUTHOR: Brett Buesnel, AmeriCorps VISTA at Tillamook County Community Health Center
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
