by Guest | Dec 11, 2019 | Being Well, Work Well
By: Sydney J. Elliott, MFA, SydneyJElliott.com
Ten or twenty years ago, I would have never imagined myself sitting cross legged in front of a makeshift altar of sorts. On it are pictures of my dog I recently lost, a candle, some sort of crystal, a cup of coffee, and a deck of cards with inspirational messages printed on them. My obese, other-abled cat pushes open the door and flops down beside me as I draw a card, read the day’s message, and light the candle. Then I sit. And do nothing but breathe for five to ten minutes, sometimes stretching a little. Then I blow out the candle, try to take one word from the message to revisit during the day, and leave the space in the search for more coffee. My day can start now.
During the holidays, it’s easy to let the small rituals of self-care slip. Our schedules are usually more hectic, and we often are pulled in many directions while still having to work, take care of our families, and navigate the chaos of the holiday season. But having a daily ritual can provide us with a cornerstone to get through our day.
The ritual doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be writing before the household wakes up, doing yoga, walking the dog, or anything that fits your lifestyle. It can be anything that nourishes you in some way, a small gesture or action that becomes a healthy habit of self-care and self-recognition.
And rituals do not necessarily mean being alone. Maybe you go to an exercise class on a regular basis or go to church on Sunday. The main take away is not to stop, especially when it’s easy to when we are rushing through the holiday months.
If you don’t have a ritual or daily habit that nourishes you, set an intention to start one. Take a “forest bath” every morning, write, meditate, do artwork, knit, color, or anything that is not interrupted by distraction, and something that is just for you.
You don’t need an altar or crystals. All you need is ten minutes dedicated to quieting your mind. The physical benefits are a bonus as well.
It might be difficult to make the commitment and get started, but once you have it as part of your daily routine, you won’t want to let it go. If you have a daily ritual, keep doing it, especially during this time of year. If you don’t, give it a try. You are worth the time.
For more local health and wellness information follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you are looking for a place or community where you can start or continue your self-care practices, consider attending FREE weekly yoga classes taught by Sydney Elliott, Monday and Wednesday 12:00 – 1:00 pm. Class will start the first Monday of Winter Term 01/06/2020 at Tillamook Bay Community College, and is for all skill levels! You may also visit Sydney’s website at SydneyJElliott.com to learn more about her background in writing, editing, and various yoga practices.
by Shelby | Oct 11, 2019 | Being Well, Work Well
Have you ever needed to get across town or even out of town for a doctor’s appointment, but were unable to find a ride? What were your choices? This challenge often results in not getting needed care or having to wait longer than advisable to get care. Forgoing or postponing care should not be an option. In a community with limited resources, access to care can be a common barrier, especially for those who may need special ride arrangements.
Jody Bell, a native to Tillamook, has faced this challenge. Jody is very active in her community. She serves on the Tillamook County Wellness Access to Healthy Food Committee, Co-Chairs the Community Advisory Council for the Columbia Pacific CCO, crochets clothes for those in need, and socializes at her favorite yarn store. Jody is physically disabled and is in a power chair. It is her chair that allows her the freedom to be independent and take part in the community, however, at times her chair can be problematic, as she is not able to ride with friends or family in a standard vehicle. Jody has battled depression and has needed specialty care that she could not obtain in Tillamook. Fortunately, there is a program here that has made it easier for her to get care. Non-Emergency Medical Transportation through NW Rides is a program that makes sure members can get to services covered by Columbia Pacific CCO with no cost to its health plan members. This includes access to specialized vehicles with drivers for folks who use power chairs, and it also reimburses gas for those who have a car or whose family member provides a ride, as well as bus tickets. The transportation chosen is based on what is most appropriate for the individual member, rather than a one size fits all approach. Jody advised that you may order a ride by calling Columbia Pacific CCO’s Customer Service, and typically provide at least 48 hours of notice for the ride to be arranged.
“Taking a ride from a stranger, such as the programs in Portland, is fearful, but here, the drivers are local; they are great drivers, and I trust them,” Jody explained while further describing the program.
With NW Rides, Jody has been able to get the necessary care she needed not only in Tillamook, but in Newport and Warrenton as well. Without this program, Jody states, “my choice would to be to go without care.” NW Rides is a bridge in closing the gap in access to care. For Advisory Council Members like Jody who are involved with advocacy work, it is important to her to get the “word out” on what Columbia Pacific CCO offers. If you are an Oregon Health Plan member you can go to Columbia Pacific CCO’s website at colpachealth.org or call their customer service at 1-855-722-8206 to learn more information about the health plan benefit.
For more local health and wellness information follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Michelle | Apr 10, 2019 | Work Well
Truck Driver On the Road to Healthy Habits, Sees Results
For a truck driver, long hours behind the wheel make it important to be alert and healthy. And there are physical demands of the job, from tying down loads, tarping, the stress of driving, and even climbing in and out of the truck. For Ted Craig, age 48, the demands of hauling hay had begun to take their toll. Getting up and down off the trailers left him out of breath and with sore knees. Even though he was active, he was actually gaining weight and felt lousy.
To meet his CDL medical requirements, Ted was taking blood pressure medication and using a c-pap machine* to help him sleep at night. Frustrated that his health was negatively impacting both his job and his quality of life, he decided it was time to make some changes. He set several goals for himself – to lose weight, get off his blood pressure medication and unplug the c-pap machine.
The first change Ted made was to eliminate soda from his daily regimen. Not being a coffee drinker, Mountain Dew was his go-to drink on the road. “My job makes it hard because I am not home every day,” Ted said. “I was addicted to pop, drinking three to four 32 oz. sodas a day. Every store, every fast food restaurant, has soda on the road,” he continued. As with any major health behavior change, Ted shared that the first few weeks cutting out pop were very difficult.
Ted also noted how cost can be an issue. “Eating healthy can be more expensive,” he states, but he says, “What you put into your body, you get back out of it.” He went on to say that fast food restaurants are starting to accommodate people by offering healthier menu items and options. “You have to learn how to pick from the menu,” he added.
Ted and his wife are eating healthier meals at home as well, raising their own beef, eating more vegetables and cutting out sugars. To date, he has lost more than 50 pounds and his wife has lost about 45. They both feel better and have more energy. Their doctor is thrilled with their success and is sharing their story with her other patients.
Ted points out how important it is to have a goal. “It can’t just be about the weight. My dad was diabetic. I didn’t want to develop diabetes and go through the issues my dad faced. By the time he was 70, he had toes and even part of his leg amputated,” Ted added.
When asked what advice he would give to others, Ted highlights the permanence and gravity of the effort. “It’s a lifestyle you have to be willing to change. It’s something you work at every day, just like a marriage. You have to put in the time, to get the results.” Ted has already achieved two of his three goals, losing weight and getting off his blood pressure medication, and he has set his sight on getting off the c-pap machine next. As Ted’s transformation continues, he’s happy to share his journey with others, what’s worked for him and is encouraged to continue his progress, one day at a time.
For more tips and inspiration, visit our website Tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org or like and follow us on our Tillamook County Wellness Facebook page.
*A c-pap machine is recommended for people with sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), “sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. These episodes usually last 10 seconds or more and occur repeatedly throughout the night. People with sleep apnea will partially awaken as they struggle to breathe, but in the morning, they will not be aware of the disturbances in their sleep.” Symptoms of the disorder include: excessive daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, loud snoring (with periods of silence followed by gasps), falling asleep during the day, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes, anxiety, and depression. Not everyone who has these symptoms will have sleep apnea, but it is recommended that people who are experiencing even a few of these symptoms visit their doctor for evaluation. Sleep apnea is more likely to occur in men than women, and in people who are overweight or obese.
by Guest | May 30, 2016 | Being Well, Work Well
By Rea Anne Scovill, Ph.D.
When is mental fitness most crucial? When we tackle parenting. Let’s consider it as applied for this. In the olden days parents were often advised to count to ten before they responded to their kids. That was brilliant! It often allowed time for their Executive Brain (EB) to engage and calm their over-reactive Monkey Brain (MB). The EB could remind the MB that a child’s behavior isn’t life threatening (for parent or child) unless s/he’s running in front of a car. If s/he sasses a parent, spills milk at the table again, refuses to do homework or hits another child, calm responses work better. A parent’s MB may chant that another careless or defiant incident is intolerable, but that’s not true.
Parents can and must tolerate lots of these as they help each child manage without a fully developed EB. Our brains develop gradually, continuing the process until we’re at least twenty-five. Another old saying is that kids learn more by what you do than by what you say. That may be the main reason parenting is so tough. If no one’s shown you how to lead with your EB for yourself, how can you do it for your kids?
You can begin here with the FORMULA for how to develop mental fitness. F is for Focus; focus inward with your Executive Brain, and O, Observe what the Monkey Brain is saying in case this needs to be R, Revised. M is for doing this Monitoring continually to Maintain your Executive Brain’s leadership. U is for Using feedback from your body (tensing, increased heart rate or temperature, stomach tightness, etc.) to note when your Crocodile Brain (CB) has begun to trigger fight-or-flight. Doing this can give your EB a warning that it will soon get overwhelmed with MB chatter if it doesn’t step in to correct it.
L is for Lightening your Inner Child’s heart by providing for yourself things you enjoy doing, that calm and support you, frequently. Take a break to visit, meditate, read for fun, shop or have a restoring snack. This skill is required for demonstrating to, not just telling your MB and CB that fight-or-flight is really not needed. It’s not selfish pampering. Your kids need your self-care example, deeper calm and guidance from your recharged Executive Brain. A is for Applying this FORMULA process continually when alone or relating to others for building your mental fitness. You can learn more through resources recommended in the coming months, like workshops, videos, books, and speakers featured by YOW at www.tillamookcountyhealthmatters.com/events and at my website, www.mentalfitnessformula.com.
Our next article will focus on overall good self-care. In addition to managing the MB and CB, your Executive Brain must also Focus on and Observe the outer world. Fight-or-flight responses are created by the mind through the body. Your EB needs both to be well-tuned to keep you functioning effectively and without feeling stressed when you cope with life.
by Guest | May 18, 2016 | Being Well, Work Well
By Rea Scovill, Ph.D.
Fight-or-flight responses are reactions to danger, particularly life-threatening danger. They include: for fight, angry speech and physical or written confrontation; for flight, leaving the situation physically or through mental distancing and other forms of avoidance. They originated in early stages of human development, when life-and-death situations were frequent. At some point our fight-or-flight responses expanded from situations where our life’s at stake to situations where we just feel stressed.
This means that today, when our lives are rarely threatened, disturbing fight-or-flight impulses can occur many times a day. When we lose our keys, feel upset with another person or worry about something, our bodies may be triggered into action. A tense jaw or fist, upset stomach and racing thoughts offer nothing useful to cope with these events. In fact they interfere. For mental fitness, or even mental health, we must clearly grasp this fact.
Once we do grasp it, our brain will struggle to remember it from moment-to-moment. We may detect inner chatter that insists we can’t stand it when we lose our keys, etc. When upset with other people we might say we must have another person’s approval, or someone really deserves to be punished, or it’s unbearable when we don’t get rewarded for working hard. These extreme inner comments often trigger our fight-or-flight response. We need to learn how to stop all this by saying something like, “chill now, this is not about life or death, it’s just disappointing, annoying, hurtful, etc.” That would be the truth, and that would open us to the freedom of mental fitness. This seems so simple; why do we find it so hard?
For mental fitness you don’t need to learn the names of specific brain parts, though the brain is very interesting. You do need enough understanding to prevent frequent disruptive over-reactions. Here’s what you need to know about your brain to start. The first brain area is the frontal lobe, often called the Executive Brain. It functions as the director and manager of your being. It chose to read this article. It’s also supposed to advise the rest of your brain when fight-or-flight isn’t needed.
However, your Executive Brain can’t do this when it’s overwhelmed by your other brain parts. I call the second part the Monkey Brain because it’s similar to other mammal’s brains. It receives, processes and stores data from your senses and your Executive Brain. Its focus is to identify anything that it considers dangerous enough to require a fight-or-flight response. Once something appears threatening, it signals the third part, that I call the Crocodile brain, because it’s similar to a reptile’s brain. As it’s signaled, the Crocodile brain begins to trigger your body into action.
Your Executive Brain has to interrupt your Monkey Brain with reality checks all day long every day. Otherwise you’ll find yourself in one stage or another of fight-or-flight too often. Our next article will describe how 15-20% of us are wired to have these reactions more often and with more intensity than the rest of us. Our Executive Brain must take brain differences into account before we can relate to others with fairness and compassion.
by Guest | May 15, 2016 | Being Well, Work Well
May 16 – 21 National Prevention Week
National Prevention Week is an annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of, and action around, mental health and/or substance use. The overall theme for 2016 is “Strong As One. Stronger Together.” Explore the National Prevention Week website at http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention-week to learn more about how you can get involved, from planning a community event to participating in the “I Choose” Project.
The “I Choose” Project is an easy way to make a difference, be a positive example, and inspire others. Participating is easy – take a photograph of yourself holding a sign with your personal message about why substance abuse prevention or mental health is important to you. For example, you could write — “I choose prevention because I want to be healthy and happy.” Or you could include “I choose treatment…” or another “I choose” statement, such as “I choose not to give up because things do get better.” Send your photo to newmedia@samhsa.hhs.gov. In the email, also include: name(s) of people in the photo, organization (if applicable), state or territory, ZIP code, and the “I Choose” message displayed in the photo. After receiving your submission, SAMHSA will review and post your photo “I Choose” photo gallery at http://tinyurl.com/hb28qkf.
During National Prevention Week, watch for special information each day about prevention efforts, information and resources for a particular subject area:
Monday May 16– Tobacco
Tuesday May 17– Underage drinking and alcohol abuse
Wednesday May 18 – Opioid and prescription drug abuse
Thursday May 19 – Illicit drug use and youth marijuana
Friday May 20 – Suicide
Saturday May 21 – Mental health and wellness focus
Here in Tillamook County for the Year of Wellness, Dr. Rea Scovill will be conducting a two-part workshop call “Stress busting, self-care and mental fitness” – at the Tillamook Library on May 19 and 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; and in South County at Nestucca Jr/Sr. High on May 18 and 25 – from 6 to 7:30 p.m. This two-part workshop offers nine tools to help reduce stress and enjoy better health.
Develop a personal “workbook” to help you use the tools at home.
On Saturday May 21st, Dr. Scovill will present a screening of the video “Sensitive: The Untold Story” at Nestucca Jr/Sr. High Library from 10 a.m. to Noon, then at the Tillamook Library in the Copeland Room from 2 to 4 p.m. One in five people are highly sensitive, which can impact their relationships and perception of themselves and others — Join us for a screening of this important video that raises awareness and helps us to develop an understanding about highly sensitive people and the gifts that often accompany these challenges.
On May 18th, the Alzheimer’s Association brings an informative talk to the Tillamook County Main Library on Late Stage Dementia, in the Hatfield Room from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
There are so many ways to participate in the Year of Wellness – the online challenge is just part of YOW. You can always join in – attend a workshop, event, speakers, recipes in the Headlight-Herald and online. Visit a YOW Monthly Mover to enter the monthly raffles for a $25.00 Visa gift card and other special offers – Spa Manzanita and Roby’s Women’s Fitness Center are the locations in May. All challenge participants were entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes. Be sure you are in for Session #2. Sign-up today! Go to tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org, or visit your local library branch for a print booklet and more information.
We ALL win when everyone is in – it’s easy and fun. YOW focuses on simple things, just adding another serving of vegetables, drinking water, walking more, better sleep habits and quitting tobacco use will make for a happier, healthier Tillamook County.
For weekly healthy recipes, tips, resources, wellness challenge, and more, go to tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org or visit your local library branch. Together, we are the solution.
