So the holiday season approaches and brings up the big question: how do we celebrate and stay safe from Covid?
Great question!
For the most up-to-the-minute health recommendations, follow this CDC link:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
Stay well!
Teresa
Teresa Heald, LCSW
Fellow Idahoans, as a mental health care professional, I am strongly urging you to go get vaccinated against Covid-19. Governor Little had to activate the National Guard three days ago because we are down to FOUR (yes, just four) ICU hospital beds available in our entire state. *
These beds are being taken up mostly by unvaccinated people.
The situation in our great state is COMPLETELY unnecessary if all the unvaccinated Idahoans would simply go to their closest pharmacy and get the COMPLETELY FREE vaccine!
If you won't do it for yourself, please go get vaccinated to protect your friends, neighbors, immune-compromised individuals, and all the children under age 12 who CAN'T get vaccinated yet.
Covid is KILLING Idahoans. Every. Single. Day.
And it's so unnecessary!
Idaho, we can do SO much better.
If you're worried about it being "safe" to get vaccinated, well the FDA granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine just over a week ago.** Yay!! This means it's proven to be as safe as your standard flu shot that most of us get each fall.
We don't overthink getting a flu shot.
So let's stop overthinking getting a Covid shot.
I've been vaccinated since late winter. I'm doing whatever I can to not be a petri dish of Covid for the people around me, including my 10 year-old grandson.
Please, just do it.
Please, friends. Go get vaccinated!
With heartfelt love to you all, from a born-and-raised in Idaho gal,
Teresa
Tereas Heald, LCSW
* https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/gov-little-activates-national-guard-again-directs-hundreds-of-new-medical-personnel-to-help-idaho-hospitals-overwhelmed-with-unvaccinated-covid-19-patients/
**https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine
If you live out West, you already know that temperatures are reaching triple digits.
This puts many people at risk of heat-related illness, hospitalization, and possible death.*
The CDC has a free pdf on risks and how to prevent heat-related illness.*
The CDC report shows that the risk for hospitalization is highest for people 85 years and older.
Other risk factors for heat-related illness are
What to do?
Educate yourself on signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.*
Stay hydrated, out of the sun, and in air conditioned buildings or vehicles if possible.
During extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures, please check in on your friends, family, and neighbors to make sure that they are safe and staying cool and hydrated. This includes pets too.
Never leave a vulnerable person (child, disabled individual, elderly person) or a pet in a hot car!
If you're taking certain medications such as lithium**, it can put you at higher risk of dehydration.
If you have a mental health condition, please take extra precautions to stay hydrated, stay in temperature-controlled environments, and stick to your normal sleep schedule if possible.**
Be cool!😎
Teresa
*https://www.cdc.gov/pictureofamerica/pdfs/picture_of_america_heat-related_illness.pdf
**https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/757034136/how-high-heat-can-impact-mental-health
No doubt about it: we're all tired of Covid and all the restrictions, changes, and challenges that have occurred over the past 14-15 months. Many of us have lost friends and family members due to the virus. My heart goes out to each of you who have experienced this heartbreak.
So there is grief over losses. Sometimes from those big losses, sometimes from smaller losses.
Please feel the feelings. Even when they hurt. This process takes time, and you will eventually feel better as you allow yourself to grieve.
So, in addition to feeling those feelings...what else can you do this week to feel better?
Get vaccinated.
The sooner we all get our vaccines, the sooner we can all resume life with some amount of normalcy, and the sooner this pandemic will end.
Listen friends, are you worried about the long-term impacts of the vaccines? I was too. But not after I spoke with my doctor.
Earlier this year when I saw my dermatologist, our discussion immediately jumped to Covid. Through our masks, we talked about the benefits and risks of the new vaccines. When I mentioned that I was concerned because we don't yet know the long-term impacts of these new vaccines, my doctor said, "But we DO know the long-term impact of Covid. People are DYING from it!"
This site from Johns Hopkins University reports over 3 millions deaths worldwide as of the date of this post.
Please, if you meet the age requirements and your doctor approves, go get vaccinated.
If you're in the USA, the CDC has a handy vaccine site locator. Follow the link below to find a Covid vaccine location near you:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/reporting/vaccinefinder/about.html
If you're in the USA, it's totally FREE to get vaccinated, regardless of your insurance coverage and even if you have no insurance at all.
Let's wipe this rotten virus off the face of the planet!
To your best health!
Teresa
There are so many reasons that people may feel depressed, too many to count! But please know that depression is a medical (mental health*) condition and as such, it generally requires medical treatment.
The best way to treat YOUR depression may not be the best way to treat your neighbor's or your child's or your friend's depression.
So, what is the BEST way to treat depression?
Seek and follow the treatment recommended by your licensed health care providers.
A great place to start is with your primary care provider--such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant--or a psychotherapist or counselor. Any of these medical providers can assess you for depression and create a treatment program tailored just for you and your unique needs and situation.
You don't have to endure depression. There is treatment available. Take the first step today and contact a licensed medical provider for help.
You deserve to feel better!
Teresa
Couples who want to conceive a child but can not achieve pregnancy successfully may experience many emotional challenges. Infertility can lead to stress, depression, and anxiety, among other issues.1
But here is some great news: psychotherapy can increase the odds that a couple facing infertility can become pregnant.1 Isn't that exciting?!
In addition, talking to a psychotherapist may reduce depression, anxiety, and the distress that oftentimes accompany infertility treatment.1
A type of therapy, called cognitive behavioral therapy, actually works better than the anti-depressant medication fluoxetine in treating infertility stress.2
Who knew that going to a therapist could increase the odds that a couple can achieve pregnancy?
If you are struggling with infertility, perhaps seeing a psychotherapist or counselor trained in treating infertility would be a helpful addition to your treatment.
Be well!
Teresa
1 Frederiksen,, Y., Farver-Vestergaard, I., Skovgard, N., et al. (2015). Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal Open, 5(1).
2 Faramarzi, M., Pasha, H., Esmialzadeh, S., et al. (2008). The Effect of the The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Pharmacotherapy on Infertility Stress: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 108(1-2), 159-64.
Looking for an easy way to increase your ability to focus?
Try a fidget!
Fidgets are anything you use that keeps your body in motion while doing a task. We may tap our fingers, bounce our legs, click pens, squeeze stress putty, or fiddle with our nails or our keys.
Research proves that fidgeting improves the ability to concentrate, especially in individuals with ADHD. This article gives you more information on how fidgets improve your focus.
Fidgets also help reduce the experience of anxiety and stress, and can help to calm a person who is mildly agitated.
Here's a great glow in the dark fidget that mimics popping bubble wrap, and you can use it over and over. I got this one at amazon.com.
You will probably want to mute your microphone if you're using a pop bubble fidget like this during a conference call or while attending a webinar. It makes a very faint but noticeable sound.
But not all fidgets make noise; most of them don't. Fidgets come in many sizes; some are small enough to carry in your pocket or on your keychain. And almost anything can become a fidget if it keeps your hands busy while you talk, read, listen, watch a training, attend a conference call, study, or contemplate your bank statements as you prepare for tax season.
Have fun while you focus!
Teresa
Want a quick tip to help you feel less anxious?
Organize something.
Organizing is you exerting control over some group of objects, like your kitchen spices, a shelf full of books, or your sock drawer.
When you put something small or minor in order, you experience a greater sense of control, and that feeling of control lowers your anxiety.
Try it for yourself and see if organizing something makes you feel a little less anxious.
Be well!
Teresa
Motivation and goal achievement are hard enough. It can be extremely difficult when you are living with depression, anxiety, or other health conditions.
Or also if you're faced with something overwhelming and frightening, like...living through a global pandemic.
So, here are a few quick tips to help you overcome your late January motivational slump:
1. Make a list of your top two or three tasks per day (or per hour, depending upon your level of busyness and responsibilities.). Cross them off when you do them. Yay! It feels good to accomplish stuff!
2. Plan a reward for each task completed that is in line with your new habit goal. Think of low- or no-cost rewards, and consider your five senses too. For example, I recommend using scented body wash and shampoo as a reward (actually a tool) to help people meet their waking up by _______ a.m./p.m. goal (whatever your be-out-of-bed goal happens to be). So, let's say your wake up goal is 6:30 a.m. On the days you get out of bed and into the shower before or by 6:30, you reward yourself with using the scented products. If you don't make your goal, you use regular or unscented products. (If you have allergies or sensory aversions to commercial scents, try adding a skin-safe essential oil to unscented products or light a natural candle as a reward). Other rewards can include listening to a favorite song, watching the sunrise, petting your dog or cat, calling a friend, eating your preferred breakfast, or (wait for it) wearing a new pair of socks. I know! New socks feel amazing! (It doesn't take much to thrill us during this pandemic, does it?) The possibilities for small rewards are endless.
3. Cut yourself some slack. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that has turned our world upside down. So, if you broke your new year's resolution to start exercising daily, then please stop beating yourself up. Be kind to yourself! Maybe shorten the goal to something more achievable, such as exercise three times per week, and instead of an hour (gah!) each time you do exercise, maybe start with, hmm, five minutes? Smaller goals are less intimidating than big, scary ones, are easier to complete, and give you the satisfaction of making progress--however small--towards your best life.
Be immensely kind to yourself. Change is difficult.
If you're finding yourself really struggling with day-to-day life, you may benefit from seeing a counselor. Many (including me) offer sessions via privacy-safe on-line platforms or via phone. Some insurance companies are covering the entire cost for mental health services provided via telehealth or phone! Call your insurer to find out what mental health benefits your policy covers*.
Now, since you accomplished reading this post to the end, go reward yourself with some Eagles music, a funny cat video, or a pair of nice fluffy socks.
Happy 2021!
Teresa
