Taking Good Care of A-CHOO!

Written by: Jennifer Voorhaar, LCSW-C

As I sit down to write this blog, someone down the hallway sneezes and there’s a round of “Bless you” that comes from open office doors. I chuckle to myself and think, “Tis the season.” It really ‘tis the season for all of the things. But, is taking care of yourself one of them? I might take a wild guess and say you are likely at the bottom of any must take care of lists, if even on it at all. So, here is your invitation to consider putting yourself not only on the list but on TOP of the list.

Maybe you can consider “BLESS YOU” as that invitation:

Be present in all things. Mindfulness is vital for health and wellness. With so many things happening this time of year, we are often multi-tasking, checked out, or just not mentally and emotionally present. Give yourself permission to enjoy the moment, the meal, the people. 

Love yourself.  Take care of yourself in the same way you take care of those around you whom you love. Self care moments can be found even in the busyness of the holiday season. 

Express yourself. Advocate for what you need. Speak up. Consider saying “no” to things that don’t serve you while opening up opportunities to say yes to those things that bring you joy!

Stay well. Germs are all around but we can combat them by the little things such as washing our hands, covering our coughs and sneezes, staying home if we are under the weather and resting when we need to rest.

Soups, stews, and chili are the season's best. Feed your mind, body and soul well. Whether it is with a bowl of warm goodness or a salad full of vegetables or some other whole food meal, feed your body to have the energy to enjoy this season and to stay well.

Yearly appointments are important. Whether it’s a flu vaccine, an annual physical, our yearly mammogram or some other annual appointment, be sure to schedule them and follow through for preventative health and wellness.  The end of the year is a great time to look at the year ahead and put some notes on the calendar to be sure those appointments aren’t forgotten.

Outsource when needed. Ask for help. Delegate. Nowhere does it say that you have to do all of the things. So, who can help wrap presents? Who can bring a dish to a family gathering? Who can help run errands? Ask. Delegate and then… accept the help!

Understand what you need for the weeks and months ahead. Sit down and journal about how you want things to look and feel. Consider action steps to take in order to experience the holidays in that way.

A Balanced Approach to Holiday Treats

Written by: Tracy Pritchard (MS, CNS, LDN)

We know that foods is an important part of many holiday traditions. Halloween is fast approaching and the stores are stocked with all kinds of candy. In addition to the tailgate parties or spreads associated with both college football or the NFL, we are entering a season of parties and celebrations that are intimately associated with foods such as cookies, candy, party platters, and alcohol: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead of worrying about the next several months, try to manage one holiday at a time and consider some new traditions.   

Since holiday activities are a great way to have fun and catch up with friends are family, consider some tips to kick off the season. Halloween is for those of all ages and those fun-size candies seems to be everywhere, including work. If you know you are likely to eat several throughout the day, instead of putting the wrappers in the trash, keep them visible so you don’t lose track of how many you consumed. If you know that you will have a hard time limiting these extra goodies, be intentional about choosing the one(s) that you truly love and pass on the ones you aren’t really interested in. When planning and preparing for the work week, try to bring extra snacks with you that are aligned with your health goals. This could be some whole fruit, trail mix, or popcorn. Keep in mind that you are probably not the only one trying to make or stick to healthy changes – consider finding some coworkers who want to find (or share) healthier options. This is also a great opportunity to get others involved in a challenge to drink more water or to get more physically active by setting some step or mileage goals. The holidays are entering at the same time that it is getting darker out earlier and the weather is getting cooler. People are likely not spending as much time outside and would welcome the opportunity to incorporate healthy habits at work. 

If you love the idea of celebrating holidays with food, Halloween is a great time to practice your creative skills! With the latest trend of charcuterie boards, you can use this concepts for a CharBOOterie board with cheeses, meats, dried fruits, nuts, olives, and chocolates. If you are looking to get festive with your dinner menu, try incorporating some fall foods and flavors such as pumpkin, apples, or winter squash into your menu. Experimenting with fall herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cumin, or ginger is another way to embrace the season. You can enjoy a healthy balanced meal and add some fun snacks and appetizers as well. You may enjoy finding some new traditions this season such as Halloween-themed recipes you can make with the whole family. Check out the link for a variety of fun recipes including mini mummy pizzas, bat energy bites, or spiderweb guacamole!  

You may not be someone who likes to participate in trick-or-treating and that is ok. This may be a good opportunity to meet friends out for dinner and establish your own traditions.  

For those participating in trick-or-treating:

Healthier Treats

Instead of mindless grabbing a huge bag of candy, consider healthier treats or offer alternatives to the traditional bite-sized treats. This may include packages of dried fruit, pretzels, trail mix, individual applesauce containers or squeeze pouches, or other small snack items. Ok, ok, if you believe that Halloween treats MUST be a certain type of candy, perhaps do not stock up on personal favorites in case there are leftovers you will be less tempted to keep (and eat) them all! 

Other Treats

Some people may want to consider non-food options. Aside from less sugar, this also allows those with food allergies to have a little fun. Think about items that you may find in a birthday party goodie bag. Some ideas may include stickers, spider rings, temporary tattoos, pencils, fun erasers, glow sticks, or small toys. 

Halloween Dinner 

Be sure to make time to eat a balanced meal before heading out. Going out hungry is more likely to lead to snacking on treats in-between houses and overindulging at the end of the night. 

Before and After the Haul

Have plan prior to Halloween night when everyone is very excited. This is a great time to talk to kids about moderation and making healthy choices. Let them know beforehand what the expectation is on how much they may take at each house and how much they will be allowed to keep and eat. One option is to allow them to keep enough to have a piece or two each day for a week or two until they are no longer excited about it. Try to pair the candy with a healthy snack such as a whole fruit or veggies. If there is just too much candy, most kids won’t be upset about giving up on their (hard earned) candy if you offer to trade for a fun activity like going to a movie or to a trampoline park. If you prefer to repurpose the candy, you may want to save it to fill a pinata at the next birthday party, use in a project, or save what you can to help decorate a gingerbread house. If you would like to donate the candy, you can donate to a homeless shelter or to care packages that are sent to troops overseas – sometimes a familiar treat can be comforting around the holidays. Many dental offices participate in a Halloween buy back program where you can trade in your candy for incentives like coupons, toys or other prizes. Depending on their age, let kids help decide what to do with all of the extra candy. 

Tap here to check out our featured recipe: Curried Butternut Squash Soup from Rebecca Katz Kitchen

Focus and Attention: The difference, our abilities, and how to increase them

Written by: Leslie Wells

Many may not realize or consider the differences between focus and attention. Season 1, Episode 14 of The WingSpace Podcast provides listeners with a full length episode on the subject, complete with explanations and examples, but for the purpose of this blog, here’s the short hand: 

Attention v. Focus

“According to the Information Processing Model — a model used in psychology to describe how we make sense of the information we get from our environment and our minds, and how we take action — attention is the process that allows us to bring what we perceive into short-term memory. By doing this, we become conscious of the perceived information and can decide what to do with it. Since short-term memory is limited in capacity, paying attention to fewer things prevents us from being overwhelmed by all the information available in the environment and in our minds.” 

“Focus is characterized by being locked into a task for a prolonged period of time. However, like attention, it is not always intentional — even if we tend to think the opposite. Let's say you have a problem with your boss, and you can't help but think about it during your off-hours. You spend a lot of time stuck on those thoughts, and the more you try to move your mind away from them, the more it latches on. That's focus. Not a productive type of focus, but still focus.” (Concetta Cucchiarelli, June 24, 2024)

A healthy attention span and ability to focus may be characterized by higher levels of productivity, good listening skills, and a strong orientation to detail. Lacking attention and focus, however, may look more like forgetfulness, difficulty retaining information as it’s being heard/read, or difficulty prioritizing/completing tasks. Since our abilities to pay attention and direct our focus can be influenced by biological, environmental, emotional factors, and beyond, there are many things we can do to improve them. 

Physical/Biological 

Sometimes the barrier to attention and focus has to do with excess energy in the body, or contrarily, a depletion of nutrients, hydration, or sleep. Starting by examining physical and biological factors can look like:

Prioritizing movement- adding steps, stretching, and maybe even a little sweat to your day can relieve stress and increase blood flow, which both support increased levels of concentration

Eating brain nourishing foods- foods such as blueberries, leafy greens, eggs, and fatty fish contain nutrients that support concentration. 

Prioritizing sleep- 8-10 hours of sleep is the recommended amount for adults to function optimally throughout the day. 

Environmental

Setting up for success might have less to do with what’s going on in the body, and more to do with what’s going on in the space around the body. Creating an environment that supports high levels of focus and attention can look like:

Eliminating distractions- this could mean using earplugs or headphones to reduce loud noises, adjusting the climate or lights to be comfortable for longer periods of time, choosing a comfortable seat, or even communicating the need for privacy.

Listen to music- music with a slow tempo, repetitive nature, and few/no lyrics can help increase concentration. 

Use organizational tools- timers, to do lists (and distraction to do lists!), and calendars provide visual or auditory cues/reminders to keep us on track.  

Mental/Emotional 

While they may be less obvious, mental and emotional conditions may also be the culprits of lacking attention and focus. Processing emotions and creating mental space looks differently for everyone, but here’s a few great places to start: 

Concentration Exercises- games or puzzles that challenge memory or attention to detail can help increase abilities to focus and pay attention over time.

Meditation- if you’re new to meditation, tune into a free guided meditation here to give it a try!

Externalize- engaging in therapy or journaling can help to clear the clutter in our minds and make sense of issues that are otherwise distracting, confusing, and exhausting our energy!

To learn more about attention and focus, tune into Episode 14 of The WingSpace podcast!

Sources:

https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writing-success/the-psychological-processes-of-attention-focus#:~:text=In%20simple%20terms%3A,they%20hold%20very%20different%20purposes.