STRESSED OUT?

HEALTH 101: TIPS FOR A HEALTHY BODY AND MIND

 Welcome Back Bruins!

Whether you are coming back for your last semester or attending your first class, the Center for Health and Counseling is excited to welcome you for Fall semester 2017! 

As you prepare yourself for classes we wanted to share some healthy living tips to ensure that you have a healthy and successful semester. 

Keep your body healthy!

When surrounded by thousands of other students on campus and sharing classroom space, spreading colds and viruses is easy if you're not careful. These tips can help keep you from getting sick.

● Wash your hands. Studies have shown that simple hand washing can help prevent a large number of illnesses. So wash your hands, especially any time you'll be touching your nose, mouth or eyes or if you've been around others who are sick.

● Don't go to class. If you're sick, don't force yourself to go to class. It will only make you feel worse and infect other students. Email your professors that you're ill and stay home and rest, trust me, they will appreciate it. 

● Get to the doctor. If you have symptoms that aren't showing any signs of clearing up within a few days, you may need to take a trip to the Center for Health and Counseling. A simple cold can turn into something much worse if left alone, so seek help if you aren’t feeling any better. And don’t worry about it breaking the bank, a visit to the CHC medical clinic is only $10!

● Drink lots of fluids. Colds and flu can wreck havoc on your body, often depriving it of much needed fluids. Replenish these by drinking plenty of water you’re feeling under the weather. 

● Get a flu shot. With so many germs around, sometimes getting a flu shot is the best thing you can do to avoid getting sick. The CHC offers the flu shot every year at a reduced price!


Keep your mind healthy!

Students can get run down with so much going on. These tips can help you beat the stress.

● Create a routine. If you get yourself in the habit of studying, working out, and sleeping at certain hours, it will be easier to fit in all the things you need to do in a day without feeling too stressed out.

● Give yourself a break. If you've been working steadily for hours, give your eyes and mind a chance for a rest by taking a break. You can come back feeling more refreshed and ready to go.

● Understand you can't do everything. While you might want to go to class, work, play a sport, and participate in clubs and social activities, the reality is that sooner or later you're going to get run down by trying to do so much. Focus on doing the things you truly love and forget about the rest.

● Get help. If you're feeling overwhelmed, feel free to reach out and ask for help. At $10 a session our licensed clinical social workers and psychologist here at the CHC are available to talk at any time. 

● Take advantage of campus resources and programs. The Center for Health and Counseling offers a wide variety of services that can help you destress, including massages for only $10!

We hope you will use these tips and take advantage of the resources and services the Center for Health and Counseling offers. We are always here to make sure that you are able to be your most successful self!

Good luck on your new semester and welcome back!

Recipes to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

   Are you getting ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (May 5^th)? As with any holiday, you probably have a party planned with big meals planned and alcohol.

   Here are some “fun” alternatives beverages without the alcohol and fewer* carbohydrates.

Mock Margarita’s  

Serving Size: 4 ounces

1 6-ounce can frozen limeade concentration

¾ cup orange juice

2/3 cup unsweetened grapefruit juice

25-30 small ice cubes

Directions

1.   If desired, rub rims of margarita glasses with lime wedge; dip rims into a shallow dish of coarse salt or sugar and shake off excess. Set aside.

2.  In a blender, combine limeade concentrate, orange juice, and grapefruit juice. Cover and blend until smooth. With the blender running, gradually add ice cubes through the hole in the lid, blending until slushy. If desired, tint with a few drops of green food coloring. Pour into margarita glasses. If desired, garnish with citrus slices. Makes 8 (4-ounce) servings

[Source: Diabetic Living]

Sangria Style Cooler

Serving Size: 8 ounces

4 cups orange juice

1 ½ cups white or purple unsweetened grape juice

1 1-liter bottle ginger ale

2 cups cut-up  fruit (such as oranges, lemons, limes, pineapple, seedless grapes, peaches, and/or strawberries)

2 cups ice

Directions

1.      In a large bowl or pitcher stir together the orange juice and grape juice. Slowly pour in ginger ale; stir gently. Add the fruit and ice cubes.

2.      Ladle the juice mixture with the fruit into tall glasses. Garnish with mint sprigs. Makes 10 (about 8-ounce) servings.

[Source: Diabetic Living]

   

What dishes do you have planned for your meal?

Enjoy your favorite dishes, but the healthier alternative to cut down on carbohydrates. How about you try  Pepper-PorkTamales or flan**! Remember to be mindful of your portions and have FUN!

* Follow the links for the full recipes to go over the amount of carbohydrates per serving and other nutritional information. 

** This flan recipe has 29 g carbohydrates per serving while most recipes use up to 52 g carbohydrates per serving.

By: Esteban Moreno

How to Conquer Stress

Being bogged down by thoughts and emotions takes a toll on your mental health. It seems easier to pretend it isn’t there or to tell people that you’re okay when you’re really not. But in doing this, your mind is left to wander and chances are you will end up making yourself feel worse and often more stressed than before!

One of the many outlets for stress is to let your artistic side flow. You don’t have to be someone with previous experience with an art form, because the point is to do what makes you personally feel better, not create the next portrait to hang in the Louvre.

Find something that sticks out to you, ignore your inner critic, and go for it.

It can be anything from working with your hands (cooking, drawing, sewing) to music (playing a new instrument or even just relaxing and listening) to taking a drive out of the city and taking pictures of your new surroundings.

Whatever it is, be present within yourself, take a breath, and allow yourself to become absorbed into a new hobby.

By: Alex Edmunds

Meditation and Relaxation

With finals week approaching and the stress inevitably coming, try some meditation exercises to relax, think clearer, and reduce anxiety.

This can take as little as 5 minutes or up to 30 minutes if you choose, whatever you feel you need to become relaxed.  

Ways to Prepare:

Find a quiet, calm, and relaxing place. Preferably find a place where electronics are either not there or if they are they are not distracting. Meditation is something you can do anywhere such as school, work, or home.

What can Meditation do for you?

Meditation can reduce stress, fears, and anxiety. Meditation can also deepen sleep, stimulate clearer thinking, and enhance our creativity.

What are the types of Meditation?

There are over 30 different types of meditation that you can do. Some of the most common, easy, and stimulating meditations are; deep breathing, guided relaxation, mindfulness meditation, and yoga. Meditation is able to take us out of the world and our stress for a few minutes and let us just breathe, relax, and be calm.

Where can you find these exercises?

The easiest and cheapest way to find guided relaxation and mindfulness meditation is to search on Youtube for them. Deep breathing can also be googled or you can do the 4 second inhale, 4 second hold, and 4 second exhale. Yoga is either done by also a Youtube video or you can sign up for a class at school or a gym.

By: Lexi Koplin

School and Social Stressors!

Are you finding yourself stressing out about that presentation that you should do for your final? Do you have anxiety about group projects? Is it even worth it to make friends, and should you make time for them? Is being social too much work?

If you have been the one asking these questions, I might have some answers that will hopefully aid you to the point of relaxation, as well as being able to understand the importance of having a social life.

Q: Why do teachers make me do presentations? How can I present in an interesting manner?

A: One reason being is because once you start teaching the material yourself, you come to understand the material better. Another may be because since you are a college student and you think like a college student, teaching to your peers because the though process is the same, perhaps you may be able to answer questions that others may have but are too afraid to ask.

A couple tips to presenting…..

1. Don’t read word for word what you have on a PowerPoint slide. Everyone can read for themselves. Put a couple of key points on each slide, or perhaps a picture related to the topic instead.

2. Use a bigger font. Small words/small font=people will fall asleep. If it too hard to read at first glance, nobody will try hard to read it. Use big font and not too bright or dark of letters.

3. Use more animation in your voice because we have all been in lectures where the professor had the same voice the whole time.. It is hard to pay attention. Move around the room & face the crowd. Movement cause the students to follow where you go, which in turn creates some sort of focus.

Try it!

Being social can relieve stress!

After having your designated study time, take a moment to talk to a family member, go out to dinner, call someone on the phone or facetime. Taking a moment to talk to someone, allows your brain to take a break and engage in something else that it less taxing.

The key is to talk to people who are not stressful people or that cause you anxiety. The saying “surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, because energies are contagious,” could not be more important. A challenge to you would be, figure out who those people are to you.

By: Brittany Parry

Let’s Unite for World TB Day

Globally, two billion people are infected with tuberculosis (TB), the world’s leading infectious disease killer. TB is deadly and it can also be resistant to antibiotics. Each year, half a million cases across the globe are drug-resistant, meaning the drugs used to treat TB will not kill the bacteria. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is the deadliest and most dangerous type. It is resistant to at least four of the best anti-TB drugs and has spread worldwide. Now in more than 105 countries worldwide, XDR-TB is at least 20 times costlier to treat and takes more than two years to cure. In most places, less than half of all patients treated are cured, with death rates as high as 80 percent. On March 24, join CDC and its partners as we unite to end this deadly disease. Help us educate the public about TB and how it can be stopped. 5 ways to raise awareness about TB & drug-resistant TB before next week. 1  Sign up for CDC’s World TB Day Thunderclap. Add your social media voice to #UnitetoEndTB! 2   Use TB resources to raise awareness: Add World TB Day graphics to your website or social media messages. Share CDC’s animated infographic on the threat of drug-resistant TB. Find out what CDC is doing to combat drug-resistant TB. 3  Engage with CDC on social media at @CDC_TB, @CDCGlobal, and @CDC_NCEZID. Share a message with your community: Are you ready for #WorldTBDay on 3/24? Let's raise awareness to #EndTB: https://go.usa.gov/xXrtH #UniteToEndTB #WorldTBDay We can do more to raise awareness about #TB. Find out how: https://go.usa.gov/xXYqZ #WorldTBDay #UnitetoEndTB Drug-resistance is a serious threat to our ability to treat & control #TB. CDC is working to fight it: https://go.usa.gov/xXrt6 #WorldTBDay #UniteToEndTB 4  Make your own message! Tell @CDCgov how you are creating awareness or supporting efforts to eliminate drug-resistant TB. Use the hashtag #UniteToEndTB or #WorldTBDay.   5  Tell the world how you’re observing World TB Day: Tell CDC and others about your community’s World TB Day activities, and see how others are observing. Learn how CDC is combating drug-resistant TB at https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/solutions-initiative/drug-resistant-tuberculosis.html.

Tips to getting a better night sleep.

Getting a better night sleep can consist of a better routine before bed, exercise, nutrition, relaxation, and sleep positions.

Some routine ideas can include reading, listening to calming music, journaling, taking a nice bath, or drinking some sleep tea.

Nutrition can affect our night sleep. Drink less caffeine and eat less sugar. Don't eat right before bed, it turns the food into fat instead of using it as energy for our body. Instead, have a light snack or drink such as a glass of water and apple. 

Exercising can also put a big strain on our night sleep. The National Sleep Foundation states you shouldn’t exercise 3 hours prior to bed. This is because when we exercise we increase our body temperature and it energizes you. Your body temperature needs to be cool to fall asleep and relaxed not energized. This can differ person to person. If you are able to exercise an hour before and have no problems sleeping then go for it, this is only a suggestion.

Ever have nights that you lie wide awake with no hope of falling asleep? Try this easy trick, while you are laying in bed do some deep breathing, guided imagery, and progressive relaxation.  An example of this is inhaling for 4 seconds, holding it for 4 seconds, and exhaling for 4 seconds. Doing this 6 times through helps to relax and bring you into the sleeping state of mind. 

By: Lexi Koplin

Top 3 Sleep Solutions!

Do you sleep too much? Do you doze off in class? Is there a better way to nap? We have the answers to all your questions!

First off, is there such a thing as too much sleep? According to the National Sleep Foundation, they answered yes. This is for the people that sleep 11 hours or more a night, day in and day out. This may be a result that the quality of sleep that you are getting is poor, which might mean that you have sleep apnea or a chemical imbalance. If this is you, please seek medical attention.

Secondly, can you fight the urge to sleep when it isn’t appropriate i.e. in the middle of an in-class lecture? YES! You can! There are a couple of things that you could do to fight the urge. If you have a piece of gum, pop that in your mouth. If you are typing on your computer, switch to writing, bounce your leg, tap your toes, switch positions that you have been sitting in for the last hour, excuse yourself briefly and get up to go get a couple of gulps of water. All of these things that are listed are so simple but just might have a GIANT impact.

Last, but definitely not least, is there a trick to napping? Sure thing! For those of you that may not have gotten enough sleep previously at night, a nap can be a great solution. The trick is the length of your nap will determine the effectiveness. The recommended length is either 20 minutes or 90 minutes. The benefits with a 20 minute snooze will enhance motor skills versus 90 minutes where this will help make new connections in the brain and can aid in solving creative problems stated by the National Sleep Foundation. #ChoosetoSnooze

For more sources check out: 

https://sleep.org/articles/is-it-possible-_to-get-too-much-sleep/

https://sleep.org/articles/napping-health-benefits/

By: Brittany Parry

Are You Sleeping Enough?

  Do you feel you are getting enough sleep? Students are deeply pressured to do well in school while oftentimes being employed at the same time. Therefore, sleep is commonly neglected or limited even though it is crucial for your mental & physical health, as well as injury prevention.

     Don’t endanger yourself & others by getting behind the wheel too drowsy! A lack of sleep will impair your reaction time, judgement, mood while driving & vision. It is no surprise that drowsy drivers are responsible for 21% of fatal crashes each year. Those responsible are typically 15-24 or 75-79 years old and these accidents commonly occur between the hours of 6am-7:59am & 2:00pm-5:59pm.   [Source: Highway Safety]

   Individuals should be getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night. If you sleep 1-2 hours less than the recommended time, you are 1.3 times more likely to be in an accident while sleeping 2-3 hours less increases your risk by 3 times!   [Source: AAA Foundation]

    The people that are tired behind the wheel are those do not sleep enough, have undiagnosed sleeping disorders, take medication, and shift workers that work night shifts or long shifts [Source: CDC]. If you do end up losing sleep, be prepared for the multiple effects. There is a relationship between mood and sleep. Losing sleep may cause or enhance feelings of stress, irritability, motivation, anger, and depression. Could this impact how you drive? In reverse, mood & depression can lead to sleep problems as well. As a student, you may have already experienced this. How many nights have stress & anxiety prevented you from falling asleep?

If falling asleep is impacting your daily living, schedule an appointment with a counselor at the Center for Health & Counselor!

Prevent an accident by:

·       Pulling over to nap for 15-20 minute or switching drivers

·       Even better, improving your sleeping habits to get enough sleep. Learn more about sleep by visiting the “Choose to Snooze” event on March 9^th from 11am-1pm at the Student Event Center.

Learn more at http://drowsydriving.org/about/

By: Esteban Moreno