“WHY I’M IN …” An interview with Mari Tasche, Oregon Health & Science University
What drew you/your organization to partner with Tillamook County Wellness?
When first introduced to Tillamook County Wellness, I was inspired by the work of the committees and felt that TCW aligned with my passion for improving the wellness and quality of life of others, particularly those made vulnerable by current systems. I have always been actively involved in my community, whether coaching youth soccer or coordinating a community-wide couch to 5k running group. As an exercise physiologist looking to transition into public health and plant my roots on the north coast, TCW provided a great opportunity to understand the region’s needs and get involved in efforts to address community health.
What, if any, changes have you seen come about as a result of this work?
Improving the health and wellness of a county is challenging work and truly takes a village. TCW is a unifying force that brings people and organizations together to share knowledge, leverage resources, and provide support. This strengthens our connections, creates unity, and fosters collective progress for the betterment of our community. I have seen many organizations coordinate and collaborate on projects, programs, and initiatives they might not have otherwise pursued together.This coalition has also taken ownership of the community health needs assessment and improvement plan to address the region’s top health and social needs. Efforts include evaluating and refocusing the work of committees, pursuing or supporting grants, establishing or strengthening partnerships, and broadening community outreach and engagement.
What have you learned from being involved in this work?
I have learned that opportunities are endless if you make the effort to reach out. Many people want to see this county thrive and want to contribute their part to make that happen. It is inspiring and fuels my optimism for this work. I have also learned that this work is like climbing a mountain with no top. It’s endless, but if you enjoy what you are doing, it doesn’t feel like a daunting task- and don’t forget to celebrate the small steps!
What are your hopes for this work as it relates to you/your organization?
My role has continued to evolve since joining a few years ago, and I strive to find my niche and how to best contribute my time and resources to TCW. As I wrap up my master’s degree in public health this fall, I am looking to align my final projects with TCW initiatives and develop relevant content and materials to drive this work forward. As a regionally based employee with the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network at OHSU, I aim to pursue future opportunities for cross-over and collaboration.
What are your hopes for this work as it relates to changing community health in Tillamook County.
Changing community health takes a multifaceted and dynamic approach. I hope that TCW continues to address this challenge holistically by strengthening a diverse network with a unified message, comprehensive strategy, and county-wide framework that can meet the needs of every individual and help them live their best, healthy lives.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I appreciate being a part of this coalition and look forward to what we can accomplish in the coming years.
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
I’m a perfectionist. I always have been, and I probably always will be in some capacity. So, my health improvement journey has been a struggle. Somewhere in the 21 years before I started trying to change my life, I had gotten this idea that if I couldn’t do it perfectly the first time, I couldn’t do it at all. I’m sure some of you have felt similarly, especially when it comes to your health. There have been countless times where I’d stuck to my goals for a week or two, but I am inevitably confronted with a birthday party, a night out, or anything that might challenge your newly formed habits. I’ve always felt it’s a zero-sum game- I default on my healthy habits one time, and my progress is null, and I might as well give up. Many of us who have embarked on the journey of improving holistic health have experienced this, and it’s okay. What will be more damaging than one day, one week, or one month of falling back, is if you believe that the progress you’ve made up until that point means nothing because you weren’t perfect.
This is where progress over perfection comes in. Recognizing that you are making progress, but you’re not perfect, is the way I’ve been able to transform my habits over the last 6 months. Instead of chastising myself for not exercising one day or eating something that does not serve my body, I recognize that overcoming these habits is a longer journey than I had been led to believe. Crash diets, unrealistic societal expectations, ‘lose weight quick’ schemes, and the like have warped my thoughts about health for a decade, and I know I’m not alone in this. If it has been instilled in you for so long, it will inevitably take more than a couple months to fully change your mindset. Giving yourself grace in this journey of feeling better is more important than absolute perfection. But you must want to feel better to make these changes sustainable.
It takes dedication to make that progress and change your lifestyle. I started with upping my fiber and protein intake through whole foods and reduced the simple carbohydrates and sugars in my diet. It took me mere weeks to feel more present in my body, have more energy, and improve my sleep quality. It took me months, however, to make these practices a daily habit. Instead of giving up when I gave in to the residual cravings, I would wake up the next day and continue with the goals I had been working towards. My world does not stop when I eat a chicken strip, and I promise that yours doesn’t either. Maybe pair that chicken strip with some roasted vegetables like brussels sprouts, broccoli, or a simple garden salad to make it more nutritious. It’s all about adding what you need to satisfy the craving in a healthier way, and after you eat it, move on to meeting your goals. The name of the game is progress, not perfection. But when I tell you, I went from needing a nap in the middle of the day to function to having the energy to take me through the entire day without a yawn, I am telling you the truth.
I am only 6 months into my progress over perfection journey, so I’m no expert. But what I will say is I have never in my life felt as good as I do today, and every day gets even better. I started with my eating because I had no energy to introduce exercise into my routine, now I have too much energy to sleep if I don’t exercise. It’s a beautiful problem to have. I would not have gotten this far if I had given up the first time that I ate something I told myself I wouldn’t. Which probably happened within a week of starting the journey if I’m honest. The name of this game is grace- give it to yourself, to others, and remember that it’s all about your overall progress, not being perfect.
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
When we think of healthy relationships, especially around Valentine’s Day, our thoughts often go to dating or marriage. We know it isn’t always hearts and roses when it comes to relationships. It can be a lot of hard work and it doesn’t always work. It might surprise us to know that the health of our adult relationships ties back to the earliest stages of life.
Long-standing research has shown that secure bonds of attachment between a baby and its caregiver play a significant role in a child’s development. In one study, researchers observed mother rats who licked their baby rats, a form of maternal bonding. Those babies had higher levels of serotonin (a feel-good hormone) than baby rats who did not get slobbery kisses from their moms. Even more interesting, the pups licked by the mother experienced functional changes in their DNA; changes that altered how their brains and bodies responded to stress.
Former California Surgeon General, Nadine Burke-Harris, explains the rat experiment in her book, The Deepest Well, to highlight how positive, early life experiences impact the brain’s ability to tolerate stress and manage emotions. Going back to our rat families, researchers were amazed to discover that even if baby rats were exposed to significant stress and trauma, if they had that bonding experience, they were less affected by it than rats without the stressful environment and no maternal bonding.
What does the rat experiment have to do with having healthy adult relationships? People who don’t experience secure attachment during early stages of development tend to devote more energy to managing their emotions or protecting themselves emotionally, rather than using their energy to explore, learn and safely interact with others. Having the ability to recognize and manage our own emotional states and co-regulate those with other people is key to having healthy relationships. Along with having empathy, these are the basic qualities of Emotional Intelligence (EQ), which is also tied to greater academic and job success in life.
When early, secure attachment doesn’t occur, other positive experiences can help fill the gap. Consistent, nurturing experiences in childcare and preschool environments and with extended family, neighbors and other community connections contribute to “licking our pups” and, thus, play a large role in helping kids build resilience and the foundation for strong and healthy relationships.
School bus drivers, teachers, staff, and counselors who interact with kids daily are often serving in these roles. We are fortunate to have trauma-informed educators and staff in Tillamook County, who understand and utilize these practices. We teach children the ABCs so they can learn to read and write. Increasingly, schools are integrating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) to guide kids’ understanding of how emotions drive their thinking and behavior. Early bonding and attachment are the ideal, but it is only one opportunity to support raising healthy and resilient humans.
Every community touchpoint matters. Programs such as Scouts, 4-H, youth sports and other positive outlets for kids, not only put them with nurturing mentors and coaches but also help them develop essential skills for managing emotions and working together with others. By the way, those programs are always looking for volunteers (hint, hint).
If we are struggling with maintaining healthy relationships, there is help and hope. Tillamook Family Counseling Center, along with all our local medical providers offer counseling. Tides of Change is a valuable resource for people who have experienced or are experiencing intimate partner violence or domestic abuse.
It’s also important to remember that you are the only person you will be with your whole life. The healthiest relationship begins with us. We need to treat ourselves the way we would counsel a friend, with compassion, patience, and love.
References: Burke-Harris, N. (2020). The Deepest Well. Pan Macmillan.
AUTHOR: Michelle Jenck, Adventist Health Tillamook Director of Community Well-Being
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.
“Dating violence is preventable, especially if education about healthy relationships starts early,” said Valerie Bundy, executive director of Tides of Change. “This month and beyond, we want educators, youth, and community leaders to join along with middle, high school and college students, to raise awareness of the differences between healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships.”
The good news? Talking about healthy relationships and dating abuse can help break the cycle of violence and stop abuse before it begins. Each February, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month highlights these issues by providing resources such as this Healthy Relationship Quiz (see below), and tips below for recognizing “warning signs” – opportunities for prevention of abusive relationships.
COVID-19 has changed dating and relationships, and in some cases endangering people that are dependent on an abuser, quarantine restrictions provide control and limits access or exit. “We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg and the pandemic has put extra pressure on all our relationships,” Valerie continued. “It’s important to talk about what a healthy relationship looks like, that relationships can change over time, and to let people know that Tides of Change is always available.” They provide resources for those experiencing abuse in a relationship or assistance with past abuse through counseling, support groups and connections to resources. Services are free and available for all ages. Bilingual/bicultural advocates are available and there are multiple ways to access Tides of Change services including discrete ways through an online chat at their website or text messaging. Tides of Change’s mission is to provide hope, safety and support to those impacted by gender-based violence and shift cultural norms through advocacy, education, and community collaboration. Contact Tides of Change for more information about teen dating violence awareness at 503.842.9486, Toll-free: 800.992.1679, text: 503.852.9114, email info@tidesofchangenw.org, or online at www.tidesofchangenw.org.
Studies show 1 in 3 high school students experience physical and/or sexual violence that is perpetrated by someone they are dating or going out with.* 43 percent of dating college women and 28 percent of college men say they experience violent and abusive dating behavior.* During February’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), sharing resources and information about healthy relationships to “Know Your Worth” and work together to prevent dating abuse. Know Your Worth is all about learning about healthy relationships and self-empowerment! Everyone is deserving of a healthy, loving relationship.
For Teens & Young Adults – In any relationship, you have a right to:
Be treated as an equal
Make decisions about your own body
Choose your own friends
Express your own thoughts and opinions
Live without fear or intimidation
Feel good about yourself
Spend time by yourself
Choose what to wear
Say no
Change your mind
Spend time with your family
Feel safe emotionally and physically
Private use of your phone or computer
Spend time doing things of interest to you
Tell the truth and be told the truth
End a relationship
If you’re concerned that your rights or the rights of someone you care about are not being respected, call Tides of Change at 503-842.9486, Toll-free: 800.992.1679
For Parents, Teachers, and the Community
The following may be warning signs that your child or another young person you know might be in an abusive relationship:
You notice that their partner is extremely jealous or possessive.
You notice unexplained marks or bruises.
You notice that their partner messages or texts them excessively.
You notice that your son or daughter is depressed or anxious.
Your son or daughter stops participating in extracurricular activities or other interests.
Your child stops spending time with other friends and family.
Your child’s partner abuses other people or animals.
Your child begins to dress differently.
“Warning sign” is another way of saying “opportunity for prevention.” If you are concerned about your child’s relationship:
Tell your child you’re concerned for their safety.
Ask questions that focus on their experience, and let them do most of the talking.
Believe them, take them seriously.
Be supportive and understanding.
Never put down their partner.
Avoid telling them what to do. Remember that ultimately your child must be the one who decides to leave the relationship.
Contact a local Tides of Change advocate at 503-842.9486, Toll-free: 800.992.1679 or online at www.tidesofchangenw.org to help start the conversation.
loveisrespect is a project of The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The purpose is to engage, educate and empower young people to prevent and end abusive relationships by providing information and support to concerned friends and family members, teachers, counselors, service providers and members of law enforcement. Advocates provide free and confidential support through online chat at https://www.thehotline.org/, text (send loveis to 22522*) or phone, 1-866-331-9474.
*Statistics from the American Psychological Association and Department of Justice.
AUTHOR: Laura Swanson, Tillamook County Pioneer Editor and TCW Advisory Committee Member
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
