Archives for 2019

School is out and summer is here! That means long, unstructured days along with pounding sun and stifling heat. Corralling the kids in an air-conditioned house all day is the last thing a parent wants to do, but how can you keep kids physically active over the long vacation and still keep them safe in the summer heat?

Lather Sunscreen, Repeat
Even the shade of a beach umbrella isn’t perfect protection from the rays of the sun, because light hitting water is reflected and scattered everywhere. Use sunscreen of a high SPF (at least 15) whenever your kids are outside. Make sure to reapply according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, twice as much if they’re swimming.

Be Active In The Early Morning And Late Afternoon
One way to keep the kids safe from the summer heat is to plan the day wisely. Set out on that bike ride in the early morning, before the sun reaches its zenith. Plan the picnic in the later part of the afternoon, when the sun’s fierce rays are weakening. Pick up some wise advice from the Spanish and spend the brutal hours from ten to two o’clock enjoying a siesta inside.

Keep An Eye On The Weather
Overcast days can provide some relief from the heat and the pounding of the sun. The UV index tends to be low in cloudy weather, so take advantage by scheduling outdoor activities. Hike through the woods, take a break at a nearby park, or an excursion to the nearest watering hole. Keep in mind that cloud cover doesn’t preclude sunburn, so be sure to slather your kids with sunscreen.

Cover Up
Lightweight, cotton clothes that cover a child’s shoulders and legs can help avoid sunburn, as can a hat and sunglasses, if you can convince your child to wear them. Swim shirts are a great way for your kid to avoid unintentional burning while splashing in the waves.

Drink Lots Of Water
Keep your children well hydrated during the summer months, especially when they’re active. Always carry sufficient amounts of water around so that you’re not caught unprepared.

Know The Signs
Heatstroke, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion can come on fast in both children and adults. Be aware of the symptoms so you can treat them quickly.

• Heat Cramps manifest as spasms in the legs, stomach, and sometimes in the hands. If your child experiences these symptoms, bring him someplace cool and make sure he drinks lots of water. The symptoms should ease within an hour or two.
• Heat Exhaustion is more serious and manifests in a variety of ways, including paleness, weakness, dizziness, nausea, and sometimes mild fever. If left untreated, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke.
• Heatstroke is life-threatening. It manifests as a high fever, with confusion, flushing, and sometimes with sweating and sometimes not. It must be treated as an emergency.

Helping your children stay active in the summer is a healthy behavior, but don’t hesitate to keep them inside during the peak hours of a heat wave. Take out board games, make an indoor obstacle course, or teach your kids how to make homemade ice pops to keep them occupied. Eventually the heat wave will break, and you’ll all be back outside, enjoying the fine weather.

All of the excitement, along with the constant hustle and bustle, makes big cities very attractive to many people. But, all of that commotion can also cause anxiety for a lot of people. Here are a few ways to relieve some of the anxiety caused by big cities.

Traffic
This one actually causes anxiety in almost everyone. When you’re stuck in traffic in the city, there usually isn’t any way out. You just have to wait. And, as everyone’s impatience grows, the honking starts. A simple drive to work or the corner market can become a stressful event.

Think about ways to avoid the anxiety caused by driving in the heavy traffic.

• Pick a different, less crowded, time to drive if possible.
• Use public transportation where you can sit back and relax with headphones or a good book.
• Drive a different route. Even if it takes a little longer, avoiding heavy traffic will make the drive much less anxious.

So Many People
The crowds of people can be overwhelming. It’s not at all uncommon to see bodies walking, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, on the sidewalks at certain times of day. And, if you are visiting or live in a big city, at some point you’ll find yourself on those sidewalks.

Some people just need their personal space. Call it their bubble, if you will. It can only be shared for so long.

If the crowds of people make you anxious, look for ways to break up the walk. Maybe duck into a shop or other building for a breather, or take a short break on a bench. If you’re lucky enough to have a park, it’s an ideal diversion.

Moving yourself away from the crowd give you a chance to re-energize. All it takes is a few moments, and you’re ready to dive into the throng again.

Public Transportation
It’s often the best way to get around in a bustling metropolitan area. But, understanding the schedules and routes will cause some anxiety in most people. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. You could even have a friend walk you through the process to make it less stressful.

Find an Outlet
Whether you like to read, exercise, jog, or are involved in some other activity, having an outlet is a great way to ease your everyday anxiety and prepare you for the next day. Always schedule time for you.

From the time your children are born, you nurture and protect them, guiding them through the intricacies of growing up. But at some point, you have to send them out into the real world. You can only hope that you’ve prepared them for the challenges that they’ll face.

But what if they’re being bullied? It’s probably not something that you planned for, and it can be tough for their young minds to comprehend. For their entire lives, everyone has been nice, and now someone is suddenly being mean. And you’re not going to stand for it. Here are some ways to deal with your child getting bullied.

Explain What’s Happening
Once you realize that your child is being bullied, make sure that they understand what is happening. They may be blaming themselves, thinking that they’ve done something wrong. Children need to understand that bullies have a problem, and that their behavior isn’t acceptable.

Gather Information
It’s important to let your child know that you’ll need to get other people involved to stop the bullying. They may be scared of what will happen when the bully finds out. They need to understand that it’s the bully that’s in trouble and not them. When you’re talking to your child, let them know that you’ll need as much information as possible to make the bully stop.

• What is the bully’s name?
• Is it just one person or a group of kids?
• Where is it happening?
• When is it happening?
• What are they doing?

Make Contact
Once you have all of the details, it’s time to make contact. Reaching out to the bully or their parents might not be the best idea.

If the bullying is happening at school, you’d want to contact the principal first. They can intervene, notifying the bully’s parents, and possibly arrange some sort of intervention that could solve the problem.

If it’s happening at a local club or other organization, you would want to speak to whomever is in charge. Your goal is to involve a third party with authority who will investigate the issue, involving the bully’s parents at some point.

Follow Up
Once all parties are aware of the bullying issue, there should be a zero tolerance policy concerning any threatening behavior. If your best efforts have failed, and the bullying continues, you could have legal options. Children aren’t allowed to threaten or harm other children.

If your child has been diagnosed with a speech or language delay, there is plenty you can do at home to reinforce the lessons they learn during their time with a speech therapist. Check out these eight ways to help your child develop language skills.

Reduce Audio Distractions
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, having the TV on or music playing are audio distractions for a child with a speech delay. Better to shut off the noise for a while, so that you and your child can talk to one another, one-on-one, with better clarity.

Speak Often
Encouraging a dialogue encourages speech, so it helps to talk (in short sentences) about what you’re doing, putting names on the objects you’re handling and repeating those words frequently.

Speak Clearly
Depending on your child’s age and their individual speech assessment, speak distinctly and in short, concise sentences. Model proper sentence structure, but keep it simple.

Repeat Often
In conversation, repeat what your child says back to you so they know that you understand what has been said. Consider adding on to what they say, perhaps by using a descriptor. “You want the ball?” “Do you want the red ball?”

Use Sign Language
Researchers have discovered that using sign language helps children with speech delays learn how to communicate until their verbal skills improve. This reduces frustration that may arise from the difficulty they have making their wants and needs known. You don’t have to memorize every sign in ASL, just check out YouTube videos for some basic signs to get you started.

Make A Game Out Of Mouth Muscle Exercises
Whether your child’s speech therapist has recommended the old button-and-string pull, or frequent use of a crazy straw, try to make a game out of the exercises so they enjoy them more.

Ask Them Questions
Give them a choice between two objects and ask them to pick. Do you want grapes or strawberries? Do you want milk or juice? Ask them to identify objects for which they may already recognize the words, such as Where’s the dog? or Where’s your sister?

Play
One of the best, and most fun, things you can do to support your child’s speech development is to play with them one-on-one. Even simple throw-and-catch games allow for an exchange of short sentences within the context of the game. Sing rhyming songs, and point out birds, trees, and other aspects of the natural world, all which help your child make the necessary language connections.

Perhaps you have days or weeks where you feel tremendously energetic. Your appetite for food, drink, exercise, sex, etc., tends to excess. You sleep little, talk a lot, and your mind runs wild. You feel powerful and capable, or perhaps irritated and tightly wound, all at the same time. Eventually, you crash from this elation, and when you do, you lose all interest in things that once engaged you. You feel listless, have little to say, struggle to sleep and focus, and grapple with feelings of worthless or fight thoughts of self-harm.

Such are the classic manic-depressive symptoms of bipolar disorder, a mental health syndrome that affects nearly 3% of the U.S. population. The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown. Genetics play a part, but so can stress and the onset of life-altering events. Most doctors believe the root of bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain that affects the neurotransmitters responsible for mood, energy, and activity levels.

Because Bipolar Disorder shares many common symptoms with other mental health disorders like depression, it is one of the more difficult disorders to diagnose. The most common sub-types are called Bipolar I and Bipolar II.

• Bipolar I is defined by manic episodes for which the behavior is sustained all day, all through the length of the episode. People suffering from Bipolar I may also experience depressive episodes, but they aren’t central to the diagnosis.
• The more common sub-type, Bipolar II, involves depressive symptoms and much less severe manic ones. The fact that the swings in the cycle are more muted often means the close friends and family of the sufferer notice the behaviors, rather than the sufferer his- or herself.

There are treatments for bipolar disorder. These most commonly include dialectical or cognitive behavioral therapy along with medication. Since every patient is as unique as their symptoms, it may take a little time to find the right medications that work best for you. They won’t cure the disorder, but they will help you keep your moods less volatile so you can live a more balanced and stable life.

Spring is coming and what better place to enjoy it than in New York City? Chock full of entertainment options, both low-brow and high, New York is the city that never sleeps, especially once the snow melts and the birds in Central Park start singing. Spring is a great time to peel off those sweaters and venture out into the world, stay healthy, and have fun.

Check out these eight fun things to do in the Big Apple in the spring.

Stop And Smell The Orchids
Take an uptown train to the Bronx where the New York Botanical Garden presents a spectacular tribute to the flora of Singapore, where the national flower is the orchid. Wander amid a magical natural display, check out the “supertrees,” the dramatic vertical habitats, and don’t miss the light show after dark.

Forest Bathe Under The Cherry Trees
Come March, shoot across the East River to the rival Brooklyn Botanical Garden for the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival, NYC’s annual homage to Japanese culture. Wander through the Japanese Garden and enjoy the calming influence of nature.

Walk The High Line
Located in the Chelsea area of Manhattan, the High Line is a mile-and-a-half long green way upon old railroad tracks. It’s a great way to get some exercise, people-watch, and take in the sights and sounds of a vibrant city.

Celebrate Spring At The Holi Hai Festival
Every year, the spring equinox marks the Holi Hai festival, and Governor’s Island is the place to be. Join exuberant revelers by tossing around water balloons and pigmented powder to cheer the (very colorful) arrival of spring.

Browse An Art Show
Every May, Randall’s Island Park hosts Frieze New York, a massive art fair under a massive tent. It’s a fully immersive experience that happens to include an amazing line up of food stalls.

Bike The Brooklyn Bridge
Use your own wheels or rent a CitiBike for about ten bucks to get some exercise while enjoying a stunning view of the Manhattan as well as the Brooklyn skyline.

Visit The Bronx Zoo
You’ll get a full dose of fresh air exploring this iconic zoo, the largest in the U.S. at 265 acres.

Skate Your Troubles Away
The calendar may say it’s spring, but cold weather can linger in NYC well into April. fortunately, the Wollman Rink in Central park is open until April 7, 2019, so you can enjoy making figure eights even as the tree buds start to bloom.

The winter blues are frightfully common. It’s estimated that about 10 to 20 percent of the population experiences some milder form of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD). SAD is a type of depressive disorder that occurs, or worsens, on a seasonal basis, most often during the dark days of winter. A smaller but still significant population may become debilitated by it. Since the turn of the seasons is unstoppable, finding ways to cope with depression in the winter is vital for good mental health.

Check out these four ways to help ease depressive symptoms during the cold season.

Embrace The Season’s Sporty Offerings
Exercise is a great way to make yourself feel better. It releases natural endorphins into your bloodstream which helps elevate your mood. Exercise also draws your attention away from worries by focusing your mind on the physical activity. Take up cross-country skiing, snowboarding, or ice-fishing. Or simply spend more time sledding, ice skating on a local pond, or hiking through snowy woods with friends.

Get Some Sun
Wouldn’t it be nice to spend a few weeks in Florida? Not everyone can afford to take the time off, but if you have some vacation days and a little extra cash, consider scheduling sunny vacations during the deepest part of the winter, when you know you’ll need the pick-me-up.

A more affordable alternative to a sun-filled vacation is investing in a light therapy lamp. Basking in this artificial sunlight for a few minutes each day is thought to positively affect your brain’s mood chemicals and make you feel, and sleep, better.

Don’t Forget The Vitamin D
Our body makes vitamin D only when exposed to the sun. The lack of sun means a lack of vitamin D, which has been correlated scientifically with many different kinds of depression. You can take vitamin D in pill, liquid gel, or gummy form to make sure you’ve reached a healthy dose of about 5000 IU per day. You may also want to shift your diet to include more vitamin-D-rich fish like sardines, salmon, and swordfish.

Try Something New
The doldrums of winter are a great time to get busy with a new and exciting project, take a class at the local community college, or learn how to knit, paint, or play the piano. Jolting our brain into learning a new skill rewires it, gives it focus, and fights the sometimes overwhelming mood changes and emotions that are associated with depression.

Coping with the winter blues takes some time, planning and energy. But if you find yourself overwhelmed during the winter, know that you’re not alone. Never hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional, who can help you get the treatment you need and deserve.

You know how important exercise is to your overall physical health, but did you also know that exercise is just as vital to your mental health? Exercise helps you sleep better, relieves stress, and boosts your memory and mood. Physical activity has also been shown to positively affect those suffering from anxiety as well as many depressive disorders. That’s one of many reasons why it’s so important not to let cold weather, or any other factor, interrupt your healthy exercise regime.

But how can you keep active outdoors when the mercury dips low?

Embrace Winter Sports
Maybe you can’t bike twenty miles while there’s ice on the paths, but you still can get some exercise. Skiing and snowboarding are two exciting ways to enjoy the great outdoors, but they can be pricey options and difficult to maintain on a regular basis. Alternatively, you could take up cross-country skiing, or it’s inexpensive and increasingly popular cousin, snow shoeing. Also check your local ice skating rink to see if they offer pick-up hockey games for beginners.

Embrace Winter Fun
You don’t have to travel far from home to enjoy the winter outdoors. Sledding, snowball fights, building a snowman, snow-tubing, or building a snow fort with your kids are great ways to get outside and fit in a little exercise. Less fun is shoveling snow, but it is still a rigorous work out. Check out your town’s website to see if the municipality allows ice skating on local ponds.

Embrace Walking
With a good pair of snow boots, you can walk anywhere, and the extra padding you’ll need to stay warm will soon have you sweating. A regular, brisk walk in a nearby park or around your neighborhood will keep your exercise regime on track.

Embrace The Japanese Practice Of Shinrin-Yoku
Known to English-speakers as “forest bathing,” Shinrin-yoku involves walking mindfully in the woods. Some research has shown that the practice offers restorative and rejuvenating benefits, including a reduction of stress and a boost in the immune system.

No matter what outdoor exercise you choose, be sure to dress in layers, drink plenty of fluids, and know the symptoms of hypothermia so you won’t risk staying out too long in the cold. Also consider alternating your outdoor winter exercise with indoor options such as spinning, Zumba, yoga, or swimming in an indoor pool, especially during periods of extreme freezes like polar vortexes.

It’s all too easy to get distracted in the workplace. With phone calls, meetings, emergency emails, instant messages, social media, and gatherings by the water cooler, it’s a wonder anything ever gets done in the office. But distractions like these take you away from the work you’re hired to do. If not controlled, distractions can lower your productivity and leave you in a chronic state of catch-up.

To make your working life more stress-free, check out these five tips on how to stay focused at work.

Prioritize A To-Do List
Making a list of what needs to be done during the workday (or during the week) puts your time in order. Prioritizing that list helps you sort your options so that you fulfill your obligations promptly. Posting the list in a prominent place at your work space, where it cannot be ignored, will help get you back on track when distractions (inevitably) pull you away from your projects.

Turn Off Distractions
If your computer is set up to alert you to tweets, Facebook notifications, Slack, Skype, etc., you’ll find it hard to focus on the task at hand. Fortunately there are a lot of tools available to block online distractions while you work. Check out KeepMeOut, StayFocusd, Cold Turkey, and Freedom.

Also consider putting your phone on mute and setting your instant messaging options to “unavailable” when you’ve got to get something done.

Work In Spurts
Few people can work effectively hour after hour without end. An occasional break, say, every 90 minutes or so, increases your ability to focus. Spend your break away from your work space. Take a vigorous walk, have a meal or snack, chat with a coworker, or listen to music. You’ll return refreshed for another sprint and better fortified to resist distractions.

Stay Fed And Hydrated
There are a lot of really good reasons to be distracted, but being hungry or thirsty are two of the best. Avoid these excuses to leave your office by having a bottle of water within reach at all times. Also keep healthy snacks available so you don’t have to raid the vending machine when hunger strikes in the middle of a paragraph.

Use Headphones
If you’re easily distracted by the chattering going on in the next cubicle, the ringing of someone else’s phone, or the rattle of wheels on the mail cart, consider cancelling out the noise with a good pair of headphones.

If soft, ambient music helps you concentrate, indulge yourself. Consider plugging into coffitivity.com, which surrounds you with the gentle hum of a morning cafe or the rumbling bustle of a university campus bistro.

There’s no doubt about it, winter is the season of coughs, sniffles, fevers, and the flu. Research has shown that our immune systems simply don’t work as well in colder temperatures. Furthermore, challenging weather drives us inside, where recirculating air systems make catching a family member’s virus almost unavoidable.

So how can you increase the odds that you’ll stay healthy during a bracing winter?

Wash Your Hands
Germs are everywhere, especially on hard surfaces like doorknobs, railings, train poles, and bus straps. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water to avoid exposure to bacteria and viruses, and always scrub your hands before eating.

Keep To Your Fitness Routine
Frigid weather and fewer hours of daylight conspire to make even the best-made fitness plans go awry. But regular exercise promotes good circulation, which allows white blood cells and other substances of the immune system get where they need to go. A quick trip to the gym won’t only make you feel good, it can help keep you healthy.

Get A Flu Shot
The flu causes workers in the U.S. to lose about seventeen million work days per year. A bad case can lay you up for ten days or more. A flu shot isn’t a guarantee that you won’t get sick, but your odds of staying healthy are better. Consider scheduling a shot in October or November, before the flu season begins.

Calm The Carb Cravings
Snacking on carbs causes a boost in serotonin levels, which helps you feel happier. During the long winter nights, you may be tempted to reach for less-than-healthy snacks to lift yourself out of the winter blues. But the extra pounds won’t improve your overall health. Instead, seek out protein to keep your stomach full longer.

While you’re thinking about your diet, consider taking in plenty of vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc, all necessary for the immune system to function well.

Hang Out With Friends
Though you may be tempted to curl up by a fire with a book, making the effort to stay connected with friends is important for your health. A recent Carnegie Mellon study showed that college students with a large social network have more flu antibodies in their system than those who kept to smaller groups. Hanging out with people has a positive effect on your immune system.

Get A Massage
Chronic stress can produce many physical changes in your body, including reducing the amount of white blood cells, the very lymphocytes you need to fight infection. The anxiety-reducing effects of a really good massage can significantly reduce levels of stress and thus boost your immune system.

It may sound simple, but the best way to stay healthy is to eat well and in moderation, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep, all year round.