Tag Archive for: stress

Stay Healthy and Happy This Holiday Season

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The holidays are supposed to be fun and joyful, right? Right! However, with the holiday season comes stress and, in some cases, even depression. Being realistic, planning ahead, and seeking support can help.

Be Realistic

Shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, and even attending holiday parties and events can leave you feeling overwhelmed during the holiday season. Remember, you don’t have to do it all. Pick a few things that are most important to you and your family. If you always decorate inside and outside, just choose one and alternate year after year. Families change and grow and so do traditions. Select a few to keep and incorporate new traditions, especially ones that aren’t a ton of work.

Sticking to a budget is also important during the holidays. Prior to shopping for gifts and groceries, decide what your budget is and don’t go over it. Money does not buy happiness.

Set realistic expectations for relationships too. Just because it’s the holiday season doesn’t mean everyone suddenly gets along. Setting aside your differences is important. Accept your friends and family as they are even though you may not agree with some of their thoughts and behaviors.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead can also be helpful in alleviating holiday stress. Set aside certain days to shop, wrap, bake, decorate, and connect with family and friends. Breaking up everything you have to do into manageable blocks of time will help reduce the anxiety that comes with last-minute scrambling. 

Learn to say “no”. You’ll be appreciated a lot less if you are feeling resentful and overwhelmed because you put too much on your plate. If you feel you must help, add time for those projects into your agenda when planning ahead. Be sure to manage expectations by understanding what’s being asked of you and don’t take on additional tasks that weren’t on your original agenda.

Take Time for You

Self-care is important, especially during the holidays. Find something to help clear your mind such as breathing exercises, going for a walk, listening to music, or going for a drive. Spending 15-minutes alone with no distractions can help restore your “inner calm”.

Sometimes just having someone to talk to can ease the burden of a stressful situation. Call a trusted friend or family member and talk about anything! Get your mind off of what’s stressing you out or hit the topic head-on, you’ll know what works for you by how you feel after the conversation. Additionally, there are social media channels, support groups, and even online events that can provide a support system to help ease the tension.

While many people experience stress during the holiday season because there’s just too much to do, sometimes people feel anxious and depressed because they don’t have a packed agenda for the holidays. If you or someone you know feels isolated or lonely, reach out to your community. Get involved in social events through work, school, or even the church you attend. Dedicating some time to volunteering is another great way to fill your schedule and lift your spirit.

It’s important to know when symptoms are becoming unmanageable and you need to seek help. If you’re feeling sad, anxious, irritable, hopeless, or unable to sleep or do your daily tasks, it might be time to reach out to a professional. Mental health providers have tools to help you feel better by talking through and processing your feelings. There is nothing wrong with asking for help! Make sure that you are prioritizing your mental health because we all need time to recharge.

Learn more about NOAH’s counselors and how you can request an appointment here.

Employee Health and Job Burnout

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Work can be a source of pride and excitement, a social network for meeting new people and engaging in like-minded conversations with colleagues. When an employees’ workload is maxed out, it can cause mental health challenges and if employees do not balance work and life effectively, they may become disengaged and less productive. Let’s talk about the importance of employee health and how little or no health maintenance in the workplace can cause job burnout.

What is Burnout?

Job burnout is a type of work-related stress causing physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and a loss of personal identity. Some experts believe the term “burnout” could be caused by depression, however researchers suggest that personality traits and family life may also influence who develops job burnout. According to an Indeed.com study, 52% of people report feelings of burnout from work. Expecting to power through like nothing else is going on isn’t realistic. Did you know that nearly half of working adults were already feeling burned out before the COVID-19 pandemic began? Whatever the cause, job burnout can affect your physical and mental health. Being able to identify the symptoms is the key and then, seek help.

Symptoms

  • Finding it difficult to concentrate.
  • Lack of energy and productivity.
  • Being critical or cynical at work.
  • Change in sleep habits.
  • Loss of satisfaction from work accomplishments.
  • Being impatient with coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Using drugs or alcohol to feel better.
  • Unexplained headaches.
  • Stomach or bowel problems.

Causes

Employee burnout is always around. It can come and go. But what everyone experienced during 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic shifted employee stress and burnout to a whole new level.

There isn’t one sole reason burnout may occur – various other factors can contribute and increase the level in which you may experience burnout such as:

  • Work-life imbalance. If your job takes up too much of your time and effort and you don’t have energy to spend with your family and friends, you might burn out quickly.
  • Lack of control. If you are not part of the team and your voice and ideas are not heard, this affects your ability to participate and therefore you may reduce your productivity. Being micromanaged in areas related to your schedule, assignments or workload — could lead to job burnout. So could a lack of necessary resources you need to do your work. If you do not have adequate tools to effectively complete daily tasks, you are less likely to engage and may experience work-related stress.
  • Unclear job expectations. If you’re unclear about your role and job duties or what your supervisor or others expect from you, you’re not likely to feel comfortable at work. This can affect your overall job performance.
  • Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. If your boss micromanages you or you feel intimidated by leadership, this can contribute to job stress. Being undermined can also affect the way in which you work, possibly leaving you confused or less confident in completing daily tasks, unsure of whether you are doing your job ‘right’ or not.
  • Extremes of activity. Monotony in the workplace where you just plug away at your desk doing the same thing over and over can lead to fatigue in the workplace. Over time, this can create job burnout and in some cases, depression. If your environment is chaotic and ever-changing where you need a constant burst of energy just to remain focused — it can lead to fatigue and job burnout.
  • Lack of social support. If you find yourself feeling isolated at work or in your personal life, you might feel more stressed. After a period of time, this could impact your productivity and lead to burnout.

Additional risk-factors such as working long hours, experiencing a consistent heavy workload with little control or ability to ask for help can not only cause job burnout, but it can affect job performance and decrease productivity. Unaddressed job burnout can cause:

  1. Fatigue, sadness, or anger.
  2. Excessive stress which can lead to health-related issues such as: vulnerability to illness like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.
  3. Alcohol or substance misuse.

How to take action

The first step is to evaluate your situation and make a list of what it is that needs to be changed in order to decrease job burnout. Schedule some time with your supervisor. Review your list and work together to change expectations or reach compromises that clarify your role and priorities so that you are successful and confident in your position. Next, seek support from co-workers, friends, or loved ones. Sometimes talking about your work environment helps to flush out areas of concern that you may not even know existed but that were causing work-related stress and burnout. Lastly, focus on you, outside of the workplace by trying some of the following tips to help reduce stress:

  1. Exercise. Try signing up for a yoga or tai chi class. The goal is to increase your level of movement by spending at least 30 minutes per day taking part in some sort of physical activity that allows your mind and body to focus on your well-being.
  2. Mindfulness. Focus on your breath flow and be aware of what you’re sensing and feeling without interpretation or judgment. At work you may try to face situations with openness and patience, and try not to judge.
  3. Sleep. Develop a routine where you are getting up and going to bed as close to the same times each day. Create a space that is inviting in your bedroom so that when it is time to sleep, your body and mind can easily relax. Try not to use electronic devices before bed, instead read a calming and mindful book or spend a few minutes stretching and practice deep breathing.
  4. Diet. According to the Sleep Foundation, most experts recommend eating two to four hours before bedtime. The body takes quite a bit of time to properly digest a meal. People who eat well ahead of bedtime have a better chance of digesting their food which can reduce their risk of poor sleep. Foods to avoid before sleep include:
    • Spicy foods 
    • Foods high in fat
    • Acidic foods
    • Caffeinated beverages
    • Alcohol 

If you are currently struggling in the workplace and believe you are experiencing job burnout, talk to a doctor or a mental health provider about your options.

Why Do I Feel Like This? Stress or Anxiety?

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Imagine yourself getting ready for your day. As you get out of bed and jump in the shower, do you find yourself thinking about how busy the week has been and all the things that need to be done around the house? Or are you feeling a deep sense of dread, but you can’t quite figure out why? Your stomach feels nauseous, and you haven’t been able to sleep because your mind never turns off? Both stress and anxiety seem similar because they are part of the same response system in our body when dealing with a perceived threat.  How do you know if how you feel is stress or ongoing anxiety? It can be hard to tell. Here are some things to consider.

Stress is most often related to a specific situation or circumstances in your life and is short term. For example, you are in school and have two exams and a paper due in 3 days. You feel pressured and stay up late to study.  During this time, you experience tightness in your neck and shoulders and find yourself more irritable than normal. Once the tests are done and the paper has been submitted, you feel much better and can now enjoy time with your family and friends.

While anxiety can have very similar symptoms to stress, it is usually more generalized (not focused on one specific event or circumstance) and will linger longer than stress. Many times, a person with anxiety will say they don’t know why they feel worried or can’t sleep. Anxiety shows up in a variety of ways and is different for each person. Irritability, upset stomach, difficulty falling or staying asleep, excessive worry, and feeling like something bad is about to happen are all symptoms of generalized anxiety.

Everyone will experience stress or anxiety at some time in their life. Here are some quick tips to manage your symptoms. First, know that stress and anxiety can often bring with it a range of unpleasant physical symptoms. If you find your heart beating fast or have trouble taking a deep breath, find a way to slow down that works best for you. This could look like:

  • Focus on breathing with intention.
  • Engage in box breathing – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEmt1Znux58
  • Talk to a trusted friend/family member.
  • Move your body by engaging in some enjoyable physical activity.
  • Briefly place your face in cold water.

It can be hard to decide when to seek help for your symptoms. A good rule of thumb is if your symptoms are impacting your everyday life or are getting in the way of taking care of yourself. Seek the advice of your PCP or a behavioral health practitioner. Most people experience symptoms of stress or anxiety at some time in their life and both respond well to treatment. Just know that how you feel does not have to take over and you can find ways to take control of your thoughts and feelings!

Bouncing Back to a Better You by Dr. Alethea Turner, Associate Director – HonorHealth Family Medicine Residency Program

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Many of us deal with stress on a daily basis. Some causes may include pressures at work, unhealthy relationships, medical issues, financial problems and even past traumas. All of it can lead to bad habits, poor health and a general sense of unhappiness.

Resilience is our ability to bounce back and regain control. We might not always be able to change our circumstances, but we can change how we handle stress.

6 Tips for Coping with Stress

  • Relationships – Think about the relationships in your life. Which ones bring you joy? Take time to connect with those who add positivity to your life. Schedule a weekly date night, monthly dinner with your friends, or even call a relative you love.
  • Nutrition – Emotional eating is real! We often use food to celebrate our wins and to drown our sorrows. Yet, unhealthy eating can make us feel tired and bad about ourselves. Try to cut out sugary drinks, pack only healthy snacks, or cut down on portion sizes. If you are eating out choose items that are healthiest on the menu rather than those packed with calories.
  • Mental Health – Stress can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression, like worrying all of the time or feeling hopeless. Talk to your doctor and consider meeting with a counselor. It might change your life.
  • Exercise – We all know that exercise is good for our health, but did you know that it is also a powerful tool for managing anxiety and depression? Turn on some music and dance in your room, or go for a walk over your lunch break. Getting your body moving can help you in more ways than one.
  • Sleep – Good sleep habits are essential for recovering from a stressful day and for keeping your mind and body healthy. Create a bedtime routine that includes sleeping in a cool, dark and quite room. Try to sleep around the same time every night and avoid looking at a screens (TV, cell phone, tablets…) at least 30-60 min before bed. Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night.
  • Mindfulness – Mindfulness is another way you can achieve calmness and control over your feelings. It is about being completely aware of your thoughts and emotions, being focused on a single moment or action, and accepting yourself. You can practice mindfulness in many ways including writing in a journal, taking a minute to focus on deep breathing, meditating (there are apps for that), or even listening carefully to someone you are talking to.

Tip the scales in your favor! Introducing even ONE of these practices into your daily life will help balance out stress and negativity, and can help you build resilience and a greater sense of well-being.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child’s Brain Development by Dr. Patricia Avila, Pediatrician

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Did you know that suffering a potentially traumatic event during childhood also known as ACE or Adverse Childhood Experience can have long lasting negative effects on a child’s health, brain development, and life potential? 

Adverse Childhood Experiences can include experiencing violence, abuse, neglect, witnessing violence in the home, loosing a family member, mental health issues in a parent, substance/alcohol abuse by a parent, or instability from divorce or having a parent become incarcerated. 

These events lead to what is called toxic stress. Research shows that this toxic stress negatively changes a child’s brain and body by affecting the child’s brain development, hormonal system and immune system. These changes can persist for years and can lead to long term behavioral, mental, physical health problems.

The toxic stress from ACEs on brain development can impact a child’s potential to: 

  • Develop normally – leading to delays in development.
  • Focus and learn – leading to learning disabilities, dropping out of school, lack of future job opportunities.
  • Make decisions – leading to increase risk taking behaviors such as involvement in drugs and unprotected sex, unwanted or teen pregnancy.
  • Develop mental illness – leading to increase depression, anxiety, and rates of suicide.
  • Form healthy, stable relationships – leading to continuing this cycle of toxic stress in their children and families.

Research also shows that toxic stress from Adverse Childhood Experiences negatively affects a child’s body and can lead to chronic health problems like: 

  1. Obesity.
  2. Cancer.
  3. Heart disease.
  4. Autoimmune problems.
  5. Asthma and chronic lung disease.
  6. Headaches.
  7. Early death from general poor health.

The more of these events a child has suffered, the higher the risk of developing these long-term problems.

The GOOD NEWS is that we can do something about this! Research also shows that we can PREVENT and UNDO the harm done and the future harm on a child’s brain and body. There are some simple things that parents/caregivers can do at home to help regulate a child’s stress response and change the negative impacts of the stress hormones to keep them healthy and on track with brain development.

These include providing our children with: 

1. Supportive and nurturing relationships.
a. Tell them and show them how loved, special, and important they are.
b. Spend quality time doing activities that they enjoy. Simple activities like making art, dancing, cooking, playing games, reading, and singing together are excellent choices.
c. Keep connections outside the home with friends and family members.
2. Regular physical activity. Recommendation for 1 hour of physical activity which does not have to be all at the same time. These can include sports, dance parties, hula hooping contests, hiking, playing tag, chasing the family dog, or anything you can think of to get your child physically active.
3. Healthy meals.
a. Avoid high sugar foods/drinks. Avoid high fat foods or foods/snacks high in carbohydrates.
b. Include fruits and vegetables with every meal. 5-9 servings of fruits/veggies per day are recommended. Fruits and veggies provide nutrients that no other foods can provide.
c. Include foods rich in healthy Omega 3 fatty acids such as fish, nuts, avocados, flax seeds.
4. Restful sleep.
a. Keep a routine with a regular bedtime.
b. Make sure the bedroom is quiet, calm and free of distractions.
c. Avoid all electronics including cell phone, tablet, computer, and TV 1-2 hours prior to bedtime.
5. Getting mental health care for yourself as parent/caregiver and for your child.
6. Practicing mindfulness.
a. This can include meditation, breathing exercises, and prayer.
b. Talk with your child about how they are feeling physically and emotionally.
c. Practice talking about, writing down, or drawing what you are grateful for each day with your child.

All of these will build connections in their brains to help them succeed in school, behave in ways you would expect and become happier, healthier, and more successful.
When parents and caregivers manage stress in positive ways as well, your brain also changes in ways to make you happier and healthier.

Learn ways to manage your stress as a parent/caregiver:

  1. Know what is stressing you out. When you know what exactly it is, you can better deal with it.
  2. Ask yourself “can I do something about this?” If the answer is no, then let it go and focus on something else. If the answer is yes, break it down to small steps so that it is not overwhelming.
  3. Have faith. Think of other times you have overcome challenges. It has been proven that people who attend church, pray or practice other forms of spirituality have less stress.
  4. Relax. Use breathing exercises, meditation, listen to music, or take a nap.
  5. Form healthy habits for yourself by getting good sleep, exercising, and eating well.
  6. Take time for yourself like reading a book, picking up a hobby, or spending time with friends.
  7. Make connections with others. Have a support network that includes friends and family. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
  8. You are never alone. Your child’s Pediatrician or Family Doctor can also be a great resource and support person for you. They can help give you ideas, resources, and help connect you with others who can help.

Additional resources:
Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor. It is Free and is available 24/7.
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text LOVEIS to 22522. Available 24/7.
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD, 1-800-422-4453 or chat/text at www.childhelphotline.org. Available 24/7.

Amazing Brain Series of booklets to help parents/caregivers:
http://preventchildabuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ABSapps.pdf
preventchildabuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ABSwhateveryparent.pdfpreventchildabuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ABStrauma.pdfpreventchildabuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ABSteen.pdf

Other websites with great ideas for parents/caregivers:
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/family-building/everyday-practices-to-make-your-child-feel-loved/#gs.4csgtk
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/family-building/family-life-is-important-for-kids-mental-health-and-adjustment-to-life/#gs.4csmks

PTSD – Symptoms and Resources.

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PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like:
• Combat.
• Natural disaster.
• Car accident.
• Sexual assault.

It’s normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. At first, it may be hard to do normal daily activities, like go to work, go to school, or spend time with people you care about. But most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months.


If it’s been longer than a few months and you’re still having symptoms, you may have PTSD. For some people, PTSD symptoms may start later on, or they may come and go over time.

What are the symptoms?
PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not appear until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than four weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you might have PTSD.

There are four types of symptoms of PTSD:
• Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms).
• Avoiding situations that remind you of the event.
• Having more negative beliefs and feelings.
• Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal).

Symptoms may not be exactly the same for everyone. Each person experiences symptoms in their own way.

Can children have PTSD?
Children can have PTSD too. They may have symptoms described above or other symptoms depending on how old they are. As children get older, their symptoms are more like those of adults.

PTSD symptoms in children 0 – 6 years of age:
• May get upset if their parents are not close by.
• Have trouble sleeping.
• Act out the trauma through play.
PTSD symptoms in children age 7 to 11 years of age:
• May also act out the trauma through play.
• Drawings.
• Stories.
• Some have nightmares or become more irritable or aggressive.
• They may also want to avoid school or have trouble with schoolwork or friends.
PTSD symptoms in children age 12 to 18 have symptoms more similar to adults:
• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Withdrawal.
• Reckless behavior like substance abuse or running away.

Will people with PTSD get better?
“Getting better” means different things for different people. There are many different treatment options for PTSD. For many people, these treatments can get rid of symptoms altogether. Others find they have fewer symptoms or feel that their symptoms are less intense. Your symptoms don’t have to interfere with your everyday activities, work, and relationships. There are two main types of treatment, psychotherapy (sometimes called counseling or talk therapy) and medication. Sometimes people combine psychotherapy and medication.