I hope you and yours had a wonderful Labor Day! Across the nation, the start of football season indicates Fall is approaching, but here, we’ll be enjoying summer temperatures for a bit longer.
As I write this, my youngest is moving into the dorm for his last semester of college—I am definitely aware the seasons are changing! I realize September is a month of transitions for all of us—and can be very stressful to many. I hope this month’s issue of The Grand Season will provide you with some practical tips on how to reduce unnecessary stress in your life.
Thank you for your support of The Grand Season and for supporting the local businesses who make our publication possible.
Melissa Whitton Associate Publisher/ Editor
THE GIFT OF CLARITY
For me the greatest beauty always lies in the greatest clarity.
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
When you quiet your mind, you can enter a world of clarity, peace and understanding.
Alice Coltrane
Clarity of vision is the key to achieving your objectives.
Tom Steyer
Beautiful things comfort; they bring a real clarity and ease. We have to continue to make our environments beautiful - it’s sort of like a prayer.
If you surround yourself with beautiful things, you have a better life - one with more oxygen.
Anjelica Huston
The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.
Conan O’Brien
There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Fearless means trusting your instincts and clarity of thought. Once you have made up your mind, don’t be scared of what if.
Ravi Shastri
Clarity affords focus.
Thomas Leonard
Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
CHECK MATE
Don’t let stress sabotage your relationship
“Stress impacts our love relationships more than we are aware of or acknowledge,” according to Judy Ford, a LCSW. She says, “Stress has become such a normal part of daily life that partners become immune to the symptoms and warning signs,” she said.
Ignoring stress only ignites it. “Even when a couple tries to ignore stress, like static in the air, it is felt and absorbed.” If partners do talk about being stressed, they may not know what to do about it, Ford added.
Also, “stress is contagious.” Ford compared stress to a game of ping-pong, where the tension “bounces back and forth between partners.” Partners become both unable to relax and enjoy each other, she said. Below, are a some ideas on how to protect your relationship from stress.
1. Recognize stress symptoms
Couples often become so accustomed to unchecked stress that they barely recognize it. So how do you know when your partner (or you) is stressed? Look for these signs: one or both partners are snappy, cranky, withdrawn, moody, pouty, teary, ornery, angry,
restless, hyper, agitated, overly excited. Or, one or both partners are self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, food, etc.
2. Listen
Learn how to listen. We all want the person we love to listen and understand what we’re going through. Unfortunately, listening is a skill few people actually do well, so make an effort to learn how to become an active listener.
3. Comfort
Many partners forget to console their significant other and instead try to problem solve. But, as Ford said, “Comfort each other first, problem solve second.” That’s because your partner might be looking for stress relief rather than a nitty-gritty brainstorming session.
4. Ask your partner what you can do.
An important way of supporting your loved one is to ask them flat-out how you can help. According to Ford, you might say: “Is there anything I can do to make your day go smoother?”
UnderNew Ownership
FLASHBACK
Answers on pg. 29
1. Which group released “Come a Little Bit Closer”?
2. Who released “Saturday Night”?
3. Which Dave Clark Five song pushed the Beatles off the top of the U.K. charts when it came out?
4. Name the group that released “Forever by Your Side.”
5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Hello, I don’t even know your name, but I’m hoping all the same, This is more than just a simple hello.”
Silhouette®
1. Is the book of Hosea (KJV) in the Old or New Testament or neither?
2. From Judges 16, what had Samson been to God from his mother’s womb? Nazarite, Philistine, Reubenite, Protestant
3. In Exodus 4, who had a staff or rod that turned into a snake? Noah, Aaron, Adam, Moses
4. How many books of the Bible are named for a woman? 0, 1, 2, 3
5. What biblical name means “peace”? Salome, Jacob, Abraham, Adam
6. Which of these died on Mount Hor? Paul, Noah, Aaron, Solomon
Two (Ruth, Esther), 5) Salome, 6) Aaron
DINING GUIDE
YOU LET IT GO!
Stress is a normal part of life, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. When you feel like you’re in the middle of a hurricane, take a moment to practice these ideas.
Just breathe
Your body already has a built-in stress fighter: your mind and your lungs. Focus on breathing slowly. Feel each breath. Try “grounding” yourself by taking stock of your surroundings and engaging your five senses. Tell yourself, “I feel my feet are planted on the ground,” “I hear the television is on in the background” or whatever else you’re noticing about the present moment. This may help ease your stress.
Go for a walk outside
Exercise—even if it’s just walking—can affect your mental health in profound ways. But you may be missing out on a few added perks by keeping your workout indoors. Research shows taking a walk in nature can alleviate depressive symptoms and significantly increase your mood. There’s something to be said for a little sunshine with your stroll.
Keep a gratitude journal
Or any journal, for that matter. Research suggests writing down negative thoughts can help clear your mind and jotting the things you appreciate can help improve your mental well-being.
Give therapy a shot
There’s nothing wrong with seeking mental health support. Experts agree that talk therapy is incredibly beneficial to sorting through and managing any negative emotions or behavioral health issues. And if you’re feeling weary of talking to someone face to face, online services can also be a way for you to sort out what’s going on with your psychological well-being.
Take a media break
Research shows that constant exposure to negative news can have a detrimental impact on mental health. If the cycle is weighing down on you, try unplugging or cutting back your media consumption for a period of time.
Go to bed an hour earlier
Sleep is a magical elixir when it comes to mental health. Research shows that losing Zs can make it difficult to regulate emotions and make you more irritable.
Dinner and a Movie!
7. STOP OVER PAYING AND NOT GETTING THE SERVICE YOU DESERVE!
8. We're Here To Answer Your Questions.
CALM & COOL
Don’t get mad—stay healthy. People who feel angry often and fail to deal with it effectively are more likely to have heart problems, including a heart attack, according to research from Johns Hopkins and other leading health institutions. The incidence of heart attack was almost five times higher in the two hours after an angry outburst, and the risk of stroke increased three-fold.
What’s the connection? Anger results in the increased production of stress hormones called catecholamines. These hormones increase blood pressure and play a role in the development of artery-clogging plaque, which over the course of many years, can lead to coronary artery disease.
“But the harmful effects of anger can also occur quickly,” says Johns Hopkins expert Ilan Wittstein, M.D. “A sudden surge of catecholamines during fits of anger can cause heart attacks, lethal heart rhythms and rapid weakening of the heart muscle itself, a condition known as stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome that occurs primarily in women.”
Here are some ideas recommended by Johns Hopkins for handling your anger in healthy ways.
Step back
Taking a brief time-out from a situation that makes you mad can help you think through it more logically. Count to 10 or walk away. This simple step can help you break a habit of hair-trigger reactions.
Aim for assertive, not aggressive
You can stand up for yourself and make your feelings known without shouting, pointing fingers, making threats and shaking your fist.
Talk to your doctor
In addition to managing the heart risk factors you’re capable of controlling, such as high cholesterol, if you have a history of heart disease and trouble managing anger, there’s some evidence that betablockers may reduce your risk of heart attack. Your doctor may also be able to point you toward angermanagement classes or therapy to help you learn other constructive ways to react.
A TIP
If your bananas start to brown on the outside, put them in the fridge. They will still get brown, but the inside stays firm instead of getting mushy.
Repair enlarged screw holes with a wooden golf tee. Use a hack saw to saw it flush, sand and finish!
While boating or fishing, tape small blocks of styrofoam to your eyeglass arms so they will float if they go overboard.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (R)
The fourth installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise is out now to rent on streaming, following its $398 million gross at the box office, and it seems that Will Smith gets to put an ugly chapter of his career behind him, thanks to the success of the film! Of course, Smith couldn’t stage his comeback as Detective Mike Lowrey without Martin Lawrence, who reprises his role as his partner Detective Marcus Burnett. Alexander Ludwig (“The Hunger Games”), Paola Nunez (“Resident Evil”), and Vanessa Hudgens (“Downtown Owl”) round out the rest of the cast, whose characters’ quips are the strongest elements in a film severely lacking in story and sense. Don’t think too hard with this one; just enjoy the ride. (Amazon Prime Video)
FLASHBACK
1. Jay and the Americans, in 1964. The “Jay” in this case was the second one, formerly known as David Blatt until he changed his name to Jay Black. He joined the group when the original “Jay” left.
2. The Scottish group Bay City Rollers in 1975. It was their first U.S. chart topper. The song debuted via satellite link on “Saturday Night Live.”
3. “Glad All Over,” in 1964. Except for the Beatles, the DC5, as they were called, was in the first wave in the British invasion, which included groups such as the Rolling Stones and the Bee Gees.
4. The Manhattans, in 1983.
5. “The Last Time I Felt Like This,” 1978, from the film “Same Time, Next Year” starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. The theme song was performed by Johnny Mathis and Jane Olivor.
Pineapples were a status symbol in 18th century England. In fact, they were so expensive that you could rent them by the night and take them to parties with you.
The Apollo 11 astronauts had to go through customs upon their return to Earth and declare moon rocks, moon dust and other lunar samples, according to the form signed by all three and filed at the Honolulu Airport in Hawaii on July 24, 1969.
An estimated 10% of Europeans are immune to HIV infection because they have an ancestor who survived bubonic plague.
Maine is the closest U.S. state to Africa.
As comedian Bob Hope lay on his deathbed in 2003, his wife Dolores asked where he’d like to be buried. His reply? “Surprise me.”
In 1939, George Bernard Dantzig, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, arrived late for a statistics class and copied the two problems on the blackboard, assuming they were the homework, then handed them in a few days later. Several weeks afterward, he was awakened by his professor’s excited knock at the door: The “homework” was actually unsolved problems in statistics that Dantzig had managed to prove.
FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS
G & A ROOFING
Find time to de-clutter your mind.
It’s
Start
Read
Visit
Get
Take
Watch
Talk
Listen to relaxing music
Breathe deeply
Play cards
Meditate
Listen to music
Color in a coloring book
Take dance lessons
Go for a hike
Write a letter to yourself
Write a letter to a friend
Go for a swim
Practice yoga
Clean your closet
Dance
Journal
Unplug from technology
Take time to garden
Watch the sunset
Drink a cup of coffee
Play with playdough
Give someone a hug
Take a walk
Hold someone’s hand
Pet your favorite animal
Take a nap
HOLLYWOOD HAPPENINGS
Robert Downey Jr.’s breakout film was actually his 20th film -- “Soapdish” (1991). It was then followed by “Chaplin,” which earned him an Oscar nomination. It took 21 more films before he scored again with “The Singing Detective” (2003). It was common knowledge that he had substance abuse problems, which made producers hesitate to hire him.
But 16 films later, Downey scored again as Tony Stark in “Iron Man” (2008). Then came “The Incredible Hulk,” “Tropic Thunder,” two “Sherlock Holmes” films, “The Avengers” (2012), and “Iron Man 3” (2013). He continued to play Tony in “The Avengers” sequels, “Captain America: Civil War,” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) before they killed Tony off! In 2020, his “Dolittle” film bombed and was a critical and commercial failure. However, winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “Oppenheimer” prompted Marvel Studios to hire Downey again, this time as Dr. Doom in two upcoming “Avengers” sequels.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
GROWTH IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Improving one’s health requires on-going attention to your physical and mental health. With the elections looming and events around the world, you may find yourself experiencing the blues. Here are some tips to help you take care of your mental health during this stressful season of life.
A natural high
Spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. And more specifically, looking at water provides a significant calming effect. So, take time daily to get outdoors.
Let there be light
Increased hours of sunlight can heighten the brain’s production of the mood-enhancing chemical serotonin, so be sure to fit natural light into your schedule as much as possible. Whether it’s a coffee on the patio or a simple walk at lunch, adding bits of natural light to your day can help.
Get social
Social connections – not on social media – but true human interactions are imperative to mental health. To keep up connections, start right at home with neighbors. Walking groups, game nights or social hours are great ways to ensure you’re adding social events to your calendar.
Find a furry friend
Connections don’t always need to be with humans. Pets, especially dogs and cats, can reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Plus, walking your pet is great for your cardiovascular health.
Get physical
Exercise makes us feel happier, improves our immune system and can even prevent heart disease – so find ways to move daily. Exercising with a friend or loved one can make it more fun and increase your chances of sticking to it.
AAA SENIOR PLACEMENT AZ
A Message from Sue Royer
“I was born and raised in inner city Chicago, the sixth of eighteen children with fifteen brothers. Being the oldest daughter, I was always a caregiver which I believe influenced me to pursue work in the healthcare industry. Today, I have three daughters and five grandchildren.
Years ago, I volunteered for hospice and knew immediately that helping seniors was my calling. I was soon employed by hospice but I felt something was missing. I realized it was the limited time I was able to spend with my clients. Having my own business allows me to provide the intimate hands on service needed in our community. I am committed to our seniors throughout their lives and I thank the community for the opportunity to serve.”
Sue RoyerDirector
About Us
Since 2002, AAA Senior Placement AZ has been offering FREE services helping seniors find safe, affordable and loving assisted living.
When it becomes too difficult for you or your loved ones to safely manage daily living and/or manage medical needs, call Sue Royer for help navigating the many options available.
We are specialists in all levels of assisted living care resources with referrals to Arizona’s best:
• Group Homes
• Assisted Living Communities
• In-Home Primary Care Physicians
• Home Health Care Therapy
• Transportation
• Private Duty In-Home Care
• Respite Care
• Alzheimer’s Care
• Memory Care
• Hospice
• Support Groups
Assisted living resources accepting:
• Private pay
• Arizona Long Term Care-ALTCS
• Medicaid
• VA Benefits
6 Reasons You Should Call
AAA Senior Placement AZ
• We are well known and respected in the medical community.
• All clients are given a thorough assessment to determine proper placement needs.
• There is never a fee charged to the senior or their family for our service.
• We are NOT contractually bound to any outside business. This allows us to serve our clients with only their interests in mind.
• Years of knowledge and experience in the field of senior care.
• AAA Senior Placement AZ is family owned, allowing us to give you quality, personalized service.
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