Winter 2017
BalancedLiving Coping with a Traumatic Event pp 6-7 Pushing Past Your Plateau pp. 8-9
...In this issue... Difficulty Staying Asleep Talk with Your Child About Drugs MINES Eye: Square Breathing Exercise
BalancedLiving Winter 2017
MINES & Associates 10367 West Centennial Road Littleton, Colorado 80127 800.873.7138 www.MINESandAssociates.com
A word from your Employee Assistance Program...
. . . . . . . . Credits . . . . . . .
National Center for PTSD ©2017 Difficulty Staying Asleep? pg 4
Welcome to the Winter 2017 issue of BalancedLiving!
To put it simply, 2017 has been a busy year in many ways and we can hardly believe it’s almost over. Whether this last year has been full of triumphs, challenges, or a little of both, we want to finish out the year with some resources that are sure to boost your resilience, and tackle next year with gusto!
If you have trouble sleeping due to anxiety or nightmares, know you are not alone, look no further than page 4 for some insight. Next, page 5’s article, Talking with Your Child About Drugs, goes over one of the more challenging topics every parent has to deal with. Likewise, tragedy is something we all face sometime and page 6’s article covers some good techniques for coping with a traumatic event. Feeling Stuck? Try page 8’s article, Pushing Past Your Plateau, to help form a strategy sure to help you reach your goals. Finally, finish up with a very simple but very useful “Square Breathing Exercise” on page 10 and a delicious Sausage and Kale Linguine recipe on page 11. Always remember your Employee Assistance Program is available 24/7 at 1-800-873-7138 to help you if you need to talk. We know things can be rough sometimes, which is why we are always here to listen. To your health!
– The MINES Team
Life Advantages - Author Delvina Miremadi ©2017 Talking with Your Child About Drugs pg. 5 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ©2017 Coping with a Traumatic Event pp. 6-7 The Staywell Company, LLC © 2017 Pushing Past Your Plateau pp. 8-9 The MINES Team MINES Eye: Square Breathing pg. 10 www.food.com Recipe: Sausage & Kale Linguine pg. 11
2017 Total is your way to connect the dots between the 8 core dimensions of wellness: Physical, Occupational, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Social, Spiritual, and Emotional Wellness. Understanding these dimensions is the first step toward a sense of complete wellbeing. In 2017 we take this concept of wellbeing and tie it into the bigger picture, your community. Your community’s wellbeing and your own are tied together in a two-way street. Simply, you influence others, and in turn they influence you. All year we will be looking at ways to strengthen your connection with your community by providing information, insight, and resources to help you on a personal level along with ways to give back to the community so that we can all help each other be well and flourish!
Total Wellbeing Community
In 2017 we aim to build on the concept of communal wellbeing. We will be providing resources, stories, and tools to help you stay well and it turn help those around you with their wellbeing. Check out our articles in this magazine and head to minesandassociates.com/ newsletters to check out our monthly newsletter with even more great wellness information.
Enhancing Social Wellness Inspire Wellbeing
The 8 dimensions of wellbeing don’t just apply to one person, they apply to our entire society. Social influence is a huge factor that contributes to each of our levels of wellness, but it all starts with the individual. With this in mind, our challenge to you in 2017 is to see how you can not only enhance your own wellbeing but those around you as well. Get out there, get involved, be well, and see if you can’t inspire your friends and loved ones to do the same. Game on!
Total
Wellness Webinars
Support from the experts
Wellbeing
Join our partner, Brown Richards, for any of their monthly webinars. 2017 will cover great new topics ranging from improving your credit, having a stress free summer, turning negatives to positives, and much more! Visit our website to learn more, or register for upcoming events at www.minesandassociates.com/webinar.
Is there a topic you’d like to see us explore? We’d love to hear from you. Shoot us an e-mail at communications@minesandassociates.com and let us know what you’d like to see.
www.MINESandAssociates.com | 800.873.7138
Difficulty Staying Asleep Distressing Dreams or Nightmares: Nightmares are typical for people with PTSD. Usually, the nightmares tend to be about the traumatic event or some aspect of it. For example, in Vietnam veterans, nightmares are usually about traumatic things that happened in combat. In dreams, the person with PTSD may also attempt to express the dominant emotions of the traumatic event; these are usually fear and terror. For example, it is not uncommon to dream about being overwhelmed by a tidal wave or swept up by a whirlwind.
Night Terrors:
These are events such as screaming or shaking while asleep. The person may appear awake to an observer, but he or she is not responsive.
Thrashing Movements:
Because of overall hyper-arousal, active movements of the arms or legs during bad dreams or nightmares may cause awakening. For example, if one were having a dream about fleeing an aggressor, one might wake up because of the physical movements of trying to run away.
Anxiety (Panic)Attacks:
Attacks of anxiety or outright panic may interrupt sleep. Symptoms of such attacks may include: • Feeling your heart beating very fast
• Feeling really cold (cold sweat)
• Feeling light-headed or dizzy
• Feeling disoriented or confused
• Feeling that your heart is “skipping a beat” • Having difficulty breathing (e.g., tight chest, pressure on chest) • Sweating
• Feeling really hot (“hot flashes”)
• Feeling fearful
• Fearing that you may die (as a result of these symptoms) • Thinking and feeling that you may be “going crazy” • Thinking and feeling that you may “lose control”
Hearing the Slightest Sound and Waking Up to Check for Safety:
Many people with PTSD, especially combat veterans, wake up frequently during the night. This can be for various reasons. However, once awake, a “perimeter check,” or a check of the area, is often made. For example, a Vet may get up, check the sleeping area, check the locks on windows and doors, and even go outside and walk around to check for danger. Then the Vet may stay awake and vigilant and “stand guard;” he (or she) may not return to sleep that night. M
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Talking to Your Children About Drugs While talking to your kids about drugs may be uncomfortable, by advising your children on what to do when they encounter drugs, can help them make better decisions and say “no.” If you think your child may be using drugs, don’t accuse your child of drug abuse or try to catch them using. This may backfire, and your child may become rebellious, defensive, or even unwilling to communicate. You need to keep up healthy communication in order to help, so talk to your child about the realities of drugs. Say that you are giving them this information because you want to protect them from any threat to their health or future that you can. Show them you care by informing them while also encouraging them to talk to you.
Warning Signs
Warning signs of drug abuse can vary, but there are some warning signs of drug abuse that are more common. Common symptoms of drug abuse include when someone: • Lets go of hobbies, sports, or friends that were once important
• Has bloodshot eyes, sleepiness, or weight gain or loss
• Is easily irritated or depressed
• Has blackouts, memory lapses, tremors, hallucinations, or delusions
• Stays away from the family by being in their room • Stays out all night
• Avoids saying who they’re with or where they’re going
Common Drugs and Drug Myths
• Borrows money or steals items
• Begins to have academic or behavioral problems in school
There are two illegal drugs that are commonly used by teenagers: marijuana (also referred to as pot) and cocaine (also referred to as coke). Unfortunately, there are many myths that these drugs are harmless and safe to use. That’s not the case. Make sure your child knows this.
Talk to Your Child About the Realities of Common Drugs
Marijuana can be physically and psychologically addictive. Some studies show that when long-term users try to quit, they can suffer from withdrawal symptoms like irritability and insomnia. Smoking pot can also cause lung cancer, like cigarettes, and marijuana can also negatively affect a person’s ambition and drive. Although coke is typically known as a riskier drug, your children may not know what that risk entails. Cocaine and “crack” (cocaine that is smoked) is highly addictive and may have unpredictable effects. Cocaine can be lethal by triggering a heart attack or seizure, and an injection of coke can create a risk of contracting many diseases.
Self-Esteem Can Help Them Say “No”
Drugs are often alluring to children who are trying to “fit in.” If your child has a problem with self-confidence, he or she may be more willing to take drugs to impress others. However, by helping your child build self-esteem and self-confidence, you can help your child know they do not need to take drugs. Your child will be more likely to turn down drugs when his/her self-worth has been built up at home. M Winter 2017 Balanced Living 5
Coping with a Traumatic Event What Is a Traumatic Event? Most everyone has been through a stressful event in his or her life. When the event, or series of events, causes a lot of stress, it is called a traumatic event. Traumatic events are marked by a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death. Traumatic events affect survivors, rescue workers, and the friends and relatives of victims who have been involved. They may also have an impact on people who have seen the event either firsthand or on television.
What Are Some Common Responses?
A person’s response to a traumatic event may vary. Responses include feelings of fear, grief, and depression. Physical and behavioral responses include nausea, dizziness, changes in appetite and sleep pattern, and withdrawal from daily activities. Responses to trauma can last for weeks to months before people start to feel normal again. Most people report feeling better within three months after a traumatic event. If the problems become worse or last longer than one month after the event, the person may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an intense physical and emotional response to thoughts and reminders of the event that last for many weeks or months after the traumatic event.”
What Is PTSD? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an intense physical and emotional response to thoughts and reminders of the event that last for many weeks or months after the traumatic event. The symptoms of PTSD fall into three broad types: re-living, avoidance, and increased arousal.
• Symptoms of re-living include flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme emotional and physical reactions to reminders of the event. Emotional reactions can include feeling guilty, extreme fear of harm, and numbing of emotions. Physical reactions can include uncontrollable shaking, chills or heart palpitations, and tension headaches. • Symptoms of avoidance include staying away from activities, places, thoughts, or feelings related to the trauma or feeling detached or estranged from others. • Symptoms of increased arousal include being overly alert or easily startled, difficulty sleeping, irritability or outbursts of anger, and lack of concentration.
Other symptoms linked with PTSD include: panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts and feelings, drug abuse, feelings of being estranged and isolated, and not being able to complete daily tasks.
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What Can You Do for Yourself? There are many things you can do to cope with traumatic events:
• Understand that your symptoms may be normal, especially right after the trauma. • Keep to your usual routine.
• Take the time to resolve day-to-day conflicts, so they do not add to your stress.
• Do not shy away from situations, people, and places that remind you of the trauma. • Find ways to relax and be kind to yourself.
• Turn to family, friends, and clergy for support and talk about your experiences and feelings with them. • Participate in leisure and recreational activities. • Recognize that you cannot control everything.
• Recognize the need for trained help, and call a local mental health center.
“You may need to consider seeking professional help if your symptoms affect your relationship with your family and friends, or affect your job. If you suspect that you or someone you know has PTSD, talk with a health care provider or call your local mental health clinic.” ~ or call your Employee Assistance Program ~
What Can You Do for Your Child? Children may struggle with a traumatic event in ways very similar to adults. Knowing what you can do to help a child recover is important when helping him/ her rediscover a sense of normalcy. Try these steps: • Let your child know that it is okay to feel upset when something bad or scary happens. • Encourage your child to express feelings and thoughts without making judgments. • Return to daily routines.
When Should You Contact Your Doctor or Mental Health Professional? About half of those with PTSD recover within three months without treatment. Sometimes symptoms do not go away on their own or they last for more than three months. This may happen because of the severity of the event, direct exposure to the traumatic event, seriousness of the threat to life, the number of times an event happened, a history of past trauma, and psychological problems before the event.
You may need to consider seeking professional help if your symptoms affect your relationship with your family and friends, or affect your job. If you suspect that you or someone you know has PTSD, talk with a health care provider or call your local mental health clinic. M Winter 2017 Balanced Living 7
Pushing Past Your Plateau We promise ourselves we’ll change our lifestyles for better health. We start diets, launch exercise programs, or try to quit smoking. And then we stall. We hit a plateau, putting us at risk of losing precious gains or quitting altogether.
A healthy lifestyle change is just that -- change. “A lot of people believe that change is easy, but we are fundamentally conservative creatures, and we don’t change until we have to,” says Michael J. Mahoney, Ph.D., an American Psychological Association spokesman and professor at the University of North Texas. “It doesn’t take much to throw us off course because we are such creatures of routine.” So sticking with a new routine is tough. Dr. Mahoney suggests you focus on being consistent, especially in the first six weeks of a change. That way, you build new patterns of behavior. Once that happens, odds are you’ll “begin to speak to yourself about the change in a more positive tone, instead of a negative one.”
Make a pledge
Pledging to reward yourself if you meet your goals can be a great tool for getting past plateaus. The reward that awaits you can serve as a symbol of what you’re trying to do and give you something to look forward to. “The symbol could be anything,” notes Dr. Mahoney. It could be a piece of jewelry or a new golf club, for instance. Once you earn it, you can set your sights on a new reward for the next step. When you’re trying to get past a plateau, he recommends you focus each day on your behavior, your effort, rather than on your goal -- the amount of weight you’d like to lose, for instance. One crucial skill you’ll need is patience. This, more than anything, will help get you past plateaus.
“Most people don’t see a traffic jam as an opportunity to practice patience,” Dr. Mahoney says. But the skills that help you put up with a stalled interstate “will help you realize and understand that plateaus are a natural part of life and they’re going to occur, so if you learn patience you’ll get over plateaus.”
“Progress,” he notes, “is not always linear. If we understand this going in, it helps us be more patient with the plateaus, so that we can get past them and keep going.”
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Winter 2017 Balanced Living
Six steps to progress Are you stuck on a plateau? Here are six tips for pushing onward from Michael Mercer, Ph.D., coauthor of the book Spontaneous Optimism: Proven Strategies for Health, Prosperity and Happiness: 1. Define your aim clearly. “It’s impossible to hit your target if you don’t know exactly what you’re aiming at,” says Dr. Mercer, who gives about 50 speeches a year to executives and other audiences.
2. Don’t let laziness creep in. “Sure, it’s easier not to do something,” he says. Instead, stay focused on your path. If you promised yourself you’d exercise at 6 a.m., don’t hit the snooze button when the alarm goes off. Remind yourself firmly about your goals and get moving. 3. When you don’t want to exercise or you want to quit your diet, take three seconds to picture how you want to look or feel at the end of your program. A lot of people begin such programs because they want to look attractive to others, while others are interested in improving their health.
4. Use a time-limit approach to your program. “Give yourself, say, 12 weeks to accomplish a goal within your program,” he says. When you reach that goal, set a new one and give yourself another 12 weeks. “This enables you to track your progress and helps you to define your target. Use the scale, measuring tape or other device to measure your progress in the time period and to help you set new goals. The best cure for putting things off is a deadline.” 5. Give yourself rewards for reaching your daily, weekly, and monthly goals. “For instance, tell yourself you’ll go to a movie you’ve been wanting to see if you get your exercise in that day,” he says. 6. Think about committing to a self-punishment if you fail. “I worked with a group that had to write a check to charity and put it in my hands. If they didn’t reach the goal, which was well within their limits, I was to mail the check by a particular date,” Dr. Mercer says. “Every one of them reached the goal.” M
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MINESEye
The importance of staying mindful.
With MINES Eye we will focus on meditation techniques, basic yoga poses, and mindfulness practices to help you stay in control of your thoughts and expand the capabilities of your mind as well as body.
Square Breathing
Square breathing is a simple mindful breathing technique that you can do almost anywhere and anytime. By practicing square breathing you can slow your heart rate, focus your mind, and ease anxiety helping you to become more calm, present and able to focus on the current moment. One of the great things about square breathing is that it is quick and easy, meaning you can do a quick session in between phone calls or other daily tasks, while you drive (or are stuck in traffic), or practice it for longer as part of a larger meditation or relaxation session. Feel free to use the diagram below as a guide.
Inhale... Begin by slowing inhaling while counting slowly and steadily to 4.
Hold...
Once you’ve finished inhaling, hold your breath for another steady count to 4. Seeing a pattern yet?
Exhale...
Next, exhale slowly again counting to 4 as you do so.
Hold...
Once you’ve exhaled you want to “hold out” your breath for another 4 count.
Repeat...
Simple right? Feel free to repeat the cycle, or square, as many times as you’d like. We suggest doing the full cycle at least 4 times. M
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Winter 2017 Balanced Living
SEASONAL RECIPE
Sausage & Kale Linguine
Ingredients: • •
• • •
8 ounces dried linguine 8 ounces andouille turkey sausage, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick 1 teaspoon olive oil 8 ounces red bell peppers, cut into 1/4 x 2 inch slivers 6 ounces onions, thinly sliced
• • • • •
2 cloves garlic, minced 12 ounces kale, cut into 1/4 inch strips 1 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese salt & freshly ground black pepper
Directions: 1. Boil linguine in salted water to desired doneness, 8-11 minutes; saute sausages in olive oil, over high heat, until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. 2. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic; saute, stirring, 2-3 minutes until onion begins to brown; add kale and stir until wilted, 1-2 minutes; add broth and stir until boiling. 3. Drain pasta and return to pan; add sausage mixture, cheese, salt and pepper; toss to combine and serve. All done, enjoy!
Makes approximately 4 servings Nutritional analysis (per serving): 349.6 calories; 5.3 g fat (1.7 g sat); 7.3 mg cholesterol; 61.4 g carbohydrates; 6.7 g from sugars; 15.3 g protein; 5.5 g fiber; 225.9 mg sodium. M
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Helping you keep
your balance
Your Employee Assistance Program is here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week It’s confidential, FREE, and available to you and your family. For information or confidential assistance call 1-800-873-7138