by Michelle | Jan 3, 2019 | Being Well
The Gift of Resiliency: Protecting a Growing Brain
By DeAnna Pearl, M.A.T, B.S., Certified Prevention Specialist, SOS Tillamook – Prevention, Tillamook Family Counseling Center
What does it take to build resiliency in ourselves? What is resiliency? The definition is the ability to overcome challenges of all kinds–trauma, tragedy, personal crises, plain ole life problems–and bounce back stronger, wiser, and more personally powerful.
It’s important because this is what we need to do when faced with life’s inevitable difficulties. AND it’s important because there is a growing social science research showing that you can bounce back, even from a lifetime of “risk factors” or very painful trauma or tragedy, and how you help those you care about bounce back.
However, it takes clear steps to create a safe and healthy community. There is a reason for age restrictions for legal use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, gambling, etc. The brain has not fully developed its regulatory system (frontal lobe) until the average age of 23. The resiliency factors that a community can provide greatly impact the access and exposure to risk factors during the most formable brain growing years, ages 0-24. The use of drugs and alcohol at an early age can hardwire the brain and can lead to abuse and addiction.
The simple act of reducing the normalization of use, abuse and addiction is a protective factor. Example, not providing scratch-it tickets in Christmas stockings reduces the potential brain pathways that can lead to highs and lows of gambling. Disallowing the casual use of alcohol under adult “supervision.” The brain makes connections with all of these experiences which can actually hard-wire it for future use, abuse and addiction.
Until the average age of 23, the brain is especially focused on seeking fun and easy entertainment. It first routes decision making through the (1) emotion center (amygdala) resulting in fight, flight, freeze or “freak out” responses. The dopamine, “feel good” chemical, quickly rewards the (2) pleasure center (nucleus accumbens) which then sends a signal to the (3) frontal lobe (where decisions and judgments are made) causing a reaction. Note: This is the last part of the brain to fully mature and does not have full facility to reason consequences or control impulses.
Continuous exposure to quick fixes such as gambling, drugs, alcohol, marijuana, opioids, sex and violence, means greater potential to be hard wired for external stimuli thus causing the potential cycle of addiction.
Can individuals learn to be more resilient, or are some just born with the ability to bounce back from adversity? Both! Research suggests that human beings are born with an innate self-righting ability, which can be helped or hindered. The findings are fueling a major shift in thinking about human development. Instead of obsessing about problems and weaknesses (splat factor) we are beginning to recognize “the power of the positive” (bounce factor). Identifying and building individual and environmental strengths better support helping people overcome difficulties, achieve happiness, and attain life success.
by Michelle | Dec 28, 2018 | Being Well
By DeAnna Pearl, M.A.T, B.S., Certified Prevention Specialist, SOS Tillamook – Prevention, Tillamook Family Counseling Center
Children represent a quarter of our population and informing them about safety and preparedness is an integral part of our community’s resiliency. Youth are strong and resilient in the face of disasters, often adapting to stresses that weaken most adults, and yet they are incredibly vulnerable. Young children, in particular, are completely dependent upon many systems in their lives for their survival: their parents, their broader families and communities, the institutions and organizations that care for them and teach them, and officials and policy-makers who shape their environment.
With this in mind, SOS Tillamook and Garibaldi Elementary School teamed up to bring a specific focus for October’s Red Ribbon Week (RRW.) RRW is a week of awareness for youth focusing on drug and alcohol prevention. However, “We need to move beyond just saying ‘no,’” comments DeAnna Pearl, SOS Tillamook Program Manager. “We need to help students learn about why we say ‘no’ and how it can protect one of the most valuable organs in our body, our brain.” By protecting our brains, we have a better chance of being safe and growing to our potential.
DeAnna visited GES 4/5th grade classrooms to talk about safety, how it works, and why we have rules. One question led to another. DeAnna, “How does walking on the sidewalk keep our brains safe?” Reply, “So we don’t get hit by a car!” DeAnna, “How do we keep our brains safe when we are sad? “Reply, we talk to a friend or adult.” DeAnna, “How do we keep our brains safe on the beach?” Reply, “Watch out for sneaker waves and don’t turn your back on the ocean.” DeAnna, “How do we keep brains safe from drugs or alcohol?” Reply, “Say no thanks, I got to feed the alligator in my back yard!” One of the best responses over the three days: “I didn’t know that there is a reason for rules.”
With this theme in mind, SOS Tillamook invited all GES 4-5th grade students to submit a picture depicting what being safe looks like for entry into the 2019 SOS Tillamook Calendar. The theme of the calendar is, “Prevention is Intention: Preparedness and Safety.” Of the artwork submissions, 20 were chosen as finalists. On Nov.15th at the GES Family Night, the final selections were displayed so attendees could vote on their favorite. The winning artists receives a certificate and recognition.
Watch your mailbox for the 2019 “Prevention is Intention – Building Safety Resiliency in Our Community” SOS Tillamook calendar featuring drawings from Garibaldi Grade School students about how to be safe. Other features include safety and preparedness information and community resources.
To find more information on kids and family emergency preparedness go to https://www.ready.gov/kids.
For more information on prevention, contact DeAnna Pearl, (503) 815 5426 or DeAnnaP@tfcc.org.
by Michelle | Dec 20, 2018 | Being Well
By Terra Marzano, LCSW, Rinehart Clinic
During the holidays, much of what we see in movies and on TV paints a picture of family togetherness. Scenes of a mom welcoming her son into her house or a family lighting their Menorah together remind us that holidays are spent with family. While close relationships exist in some families, for many of us the winter season is one of emotional strain, where the year-round grief of family estrangement is even sharper.
Family estrangement refers to the loss of relationship between family members, often to the extent that there is little or no communication between those involved. Estrangement can include emotional distance and/or physical distance. It can happen slowly over a number of years, or following a specific event. Sometimes the distance is temporary, sometimes it lasts a lifetime. Estrangement generally impacts all family members.
Though often difficult for all involved, emotional and physical distance can also be healthy. For those who have experienced family abuse, choosing to distance oneself can be a freeing and loving act. As painful as it may be, estrangement can allow for healing and recovery in challenging family relationships and pave the way for improved wellbeing.
If you are estranged from family members this holiday season, there are a number of things to consider, including:
- You aren’t alone. It is a myth that estrangement is unusual. The fact is, the more we talk about estrangement the more we realize how common it is. As we share our experience of estrangement, we understand how widespread it is and begin feeling less alone.
- Serving others helps everyone. Sharing yourself through volunteering can bring new meaning to your holiday season. Food banks, animal shelters, care centers and meal sites are ways to give to your community and be connected to the people around you.
- Friends can be family, too. Good friends can play the role of family — sometimes even better than blood relatives. It’s valid for the people you’re closest to, the ones who do the behaviors of family, to be family. You can choose your friends and your family.
- Support is available. Many people who experience estrangement find relief in talking with a therapist or counselor, someone unrelated to your or your family who is invested in your wellness. Your primary care provider can be a good starting point for resources in your area.
Given how common we know family estrangement to be, if you happen to enjoy close relationships with family, please be gentle with those around you who may be having a more challenging holiday season. Now is an especially sensitive time of year, let’s all be good to one another as we bring the spirit of the season to life.
by Michelle | Dec 7, 2018 | Being Well
Time flies when you are working on wellness! It’s hard to believe the “Year of Wellness” (now Tillamook County Wellness) is still going strong as it winds down its fourth year. So often, community coalitions are a flash-in-the-pan, dependent on government funding or grants, only to fizzle out when the well runs dry.
We’ve adopted a slightly different approach here in Tillamook County. We’ve developed a shared vision of improving the health of our community. Over these past four years, we’ve built an ever-expanding coalition of community partners who are willing to devote their time, treasure and talents to keep this work moving forward.
The most significant of these contributions comes from our backbone agency, the Tillamook County Community Health Centers and Public Health Department. They are keeping the wheels on the bus, so to speak, by providing coordination and fiscal oversight to the project. It is important to note that these funds do not come from the county’s general fund but rather from the clinic itself.
Another significant contribution this year, came from a generous donation by Adventist Health, Tillamook. Many of our partners have donated vital resources to our continued operation. These are often in-kind, such as all the paid staff time organizations devote to the coordination, planning, and programming involved in changing community health from the ground up.
Our media partners have also helped us get the word out through their contributions of “earned media.” We enjoy monthly interviews on KTIL’s Tillamook Today show (Shameless plug – tune in to 95.9 FM at 9:30 AM on the 2nd Friday of each month for Wellness news!) If you are reading this article, then you are probably aware of the countless inches of newspaper space the Headlight Herald has gifted us through our weekly Wellness column over the past few years. And the Tillamook County Pioneer provides this same level of generous coverage on-line. We are truly blessed indeed. These relationships allow us to devote our limited cash resources to things like community wellness programming, trail building and improved access to nutrition.
The leadership and support of our County Commissioners, Task Force and committee co-chairs, as well as from our leadership team are what keeps the wellness bus on the road and heading in the right direction. Representatives from Oregon State University Extension, Family & Community Health and Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) have provided vital services, bringing outside expertise to our local efforts. Through this partnership, we hosted several national experts in the areas of coalition building, community health and diabetes prevention from May through October of this year. The knowledge gained from these workshops has been put to use by our committees as they design specific action plans for 2019 and beyond, a process which is wrapping up at the time of this publication.
The tireless and selfless nature of our coalition partner and volunteer efforts has not gone unnoticed. In October of this year, Tillamook County Wellness was awarded the Oregon Health Authority “Place Matters” Organization Leadership Award. This statewide level of recognition validates that we are truly headed down the right road. It has invigorated our team to press on and see how significant of an impact we can make on improving the health of our county residents.
Focused on reducing risk for Type 2 Diabetes, our Wellness Action Committees include: Access to Healthy Food, Access to Physical Activity, Health Promotion, Health Screenings and Workplace Wellness. For a list of our coalition partners, visit our Community Partner page. If you’d like to join in this work or make a donation, contact tillamookcountywellness@gamil.com. For more information about Tillamook County Wellness, visit our website tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org and remember to Like and Follow us on our Tillamook County Wellness Facebook page.
by Michelle | Nov 29, 2018 | Being Well
By Betsy Bredau
We all find satisfaction being productive, contributing members of our community. For those of us who are retired, our identities and sense of self-worth may have been tightly intertwined with our profession and now that is gone.
Meanwhile, our rural county is blessed with great beauty, but our modest population means that we have an equally modest tax base and not much funding for extra services found in a wealthier, more populous county. Thus, non-profits and volunteer groups fill an important role. Social services, animal shelters, public lands, our hospital, schools and libraries could all use help. Here’s where we seniors come in: we are hard workers, self-disciplined and have old-fashioned common sense. In other words, we are perfect volunteers.
For ideas on how and where to volunteer your time, go to the Tillamook County Giving Guide, at www.tillamookcountypioneer.net and watch for the NEW 2018-19 Giving Guide soon to be in mailboxes throughout the county. Then match against your likes, dislikes, transportation needs, etc. If you try something and don’t like it, try something else until you find the right fit. If nothing appeals to you, or you don’t want to commit or you have no transportation, there is still something you can do. Bring a bag, wear a glove and pick up litter on the street outside your home or on your next walk. Even this small step contributes to a better community.
I chose to volunteer with the Northwest Oregon Restoration Partnership (NORP) nursery, part of the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP.) The nursery is located adjacent to the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) facility and is a cooperative effort of the TEP and OYA. My job is to weed small plants and plant seedlings. It may not sound like much, but it’s very satisfying to spend a day weeding four hundred native plants that will be used for salmon habitat restoration.
To my surprise, the most rewarding part of my job at the nursery has been working with the young men who become eligible to work there during the last year of their incarceration. For privacy reasons, I can’t disclose details, but it is apparent to me that our tax dollars are being put to sensible and worthwhile use for the rehabilitation of these guys. The staff does an exceptional job providing an environment to steer these young men in the right direction. It has been a powerful and positive experience that I never would have had if not for my volunteer work.
Volunteering is a like a good run on a beautiful day combined with a productive day at work: you have a sense of accomplishment afterwards and a positive outlook. Try it!
by Michelle | Nov 1, 2018 | Being Well
One food drive is better than two. Tillamook High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) teamed up with FFA to hold a community-wide canned food drive last week. The effort was a huge success, bringing in a grand total of over 4500 food items in just 5 days, a significant increase over last year’s haul of about 1000 items.
Student-led support of our local Food Bank has been happening for years. Both the ASB and FFA have been conducting their own annual food drives for as long as anyone can remember. The secret to this year’s success can be summed up in two words: Teamwork and Fun.
This year, organizers decided to try some new tactics. In addition to combining the two separate food drives into one, they added daily incentives and competitions to increase participation. The senior and freshmen classes competed as one team against the combined junior and sophomore classes. They offered “food-for-food” incentives like getting 2 cookies at lunch for a 2-can donation or a longer lunch period for 50% class participation. “Cheeseblock” classes competed to win a pizza party, resulting in the largest haul of 1800 items in one day.
Food donations were not limited to in-school activities. The community was invited to drop items off all week as well as donate food in lieu of paying admission to school sports events throughout the week. Paper bags were distributed throughout neighborhoods and students returned to collect many items.
Rachelle Metcalfe, ASB advisor, said she was very pleased with the overall outcome. “I am so proud of our student body. They really stepped up to make this such a success. And they made it fun for everybody.” Metcalfe noted that the event provided a good learning experience in that students had to consider the fact that not all families would be able to contribute food items. Student organizers strategized ways that would allow all students to benefit, while, at the same time, incentivizing participation.
Everyone benefits from activities like this that build community inside the school and out. This is what Wellness is all about.
