Mental Health Resources to Help During the Holidays

Mental Health Resources to Help During the Holidays Mental Health Resources to Help During the Holidays Mental Health Resources to Help During the HolidaysIts all too easy to get depressed around the holidays. This year, give yourself the gift of getting help.  While the holidays are often a happy time, they can be tough for many people. A survey conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 64% of people said they’re affected by the “holiday blues,” and 24% said it affects them a lot.You shouldn’t feel bad about feeling bad, but if you do want to try and enjoy the holiday cheer, there are mental health resources you can use and steps you can take to try to improve your mood.Dial 211You’ve definitely heard of 911. And you’ve probably heard of 411. But did you know there were other X11 numbers out there for Americans to call? Like 211, which was created back in 2000 to provide callers access to different kinds of local community services. Those services include resources to access food and shelter, especially for those who might have trouble affording them. Relevant to the topic at hand, you can dial a french hen and a partridge in a pear tree twice (that’s 211 in Christmas numbers) to gain access to affordable local mental health resources, like counseling and support groups. It might be known as the season of giving, but there’s no reason it can’t also be the season of asking for help if you need it!Check this online resourceMentalhealth.gov  has a list of resources for affordable mental health access, including links specifically for veterans. We know nobody likes making phone calls anymore, so this is a way to hopefully get some help without having toâ€"ughâ€"talk to someone out loud.SMS SOSSpeaking of not making phone calls, there are resources you can text if you want to use your phone to get help but, as mentioned above, you’d rather hide under a rock than have a conversation on the phone.7 Cups is a resource that lets you text or online chat a therapeutic “listener.” You can choose your listener based on their spec ialties, expertise, and other characteristics. Whether you just need a quick person to talk to or longer-term help, 7 Cups could be a way to get over the holiday blues, as well as blues you face at other times of year too.If you’re having a serious emergency situation, you can reach out to the Crisis Text Line. They do warn you on the site that it’s only if you have an urgent need, so while it could be a lifesaver, you should stick to the other links we’ve provided if you’re not at a crisis point.Small steps each dayIn addition to people you’ve never met that you can reach out to, you shouldn’t hesitate opening up to friends and family, if you feel comfortable doing so. There are also steps you can take on your own to try and make the dark days of winter a little brighter.“Practice acceptance,” suggested therapist Kimberly Hershenson. “Make a list of what you can control in the situation (getting enough sleep, eating well) and what you cant control (your kid having a temper tantrum). Focus on what you can control to make change and accept what you cannot control.”And that’s not all!“Read affirmations every morning. Starting your day with positivity kickstarts your day on the right foot,” advised Hershenson. “Start a meditation practice. Search guided meditation on YouTube or download a free app such as 10% happier (which teaches you meditation techniques).”Hershenson also contributed to a previous post we did about managing your mental health on a budget. All of the tips from that article can be applied to holiday or season-specific depression. One such tip Hershenson offered was about technology before bed: “Turn off the TV, computer, and your phone an hour before bed. Technology stimulates the brain causing our minds to stay active and unable to wind down. Turning off technology allows us to slow down and prepares the body for rest.”Alisa Kamis-Brinda, psychotherapist and owner of  Serenity Solutions Therapy  was also a cont ributor to that previous mental health post. She directed us towards a list of tips she had written on her site for dealing with the holiday blues:Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.Eat healthy meals and avoid overeating at parties. Fill up on fruits and vegetables and avoid standing near the dessert table.Avoid excessive alcohol use. Drink water and other non-alcoholic beverages.Exercise for stress management. If you struggle to find time in your schedule for this, park in the furthest spot at the mall and walk an extra 10 minutes while you are there.Schedule time for you. Not every minute needs to be filled with shopping, cooking, cleaning, and visiting.Say “no” when your schedule is too busy.Plan to spend time with positive people and limit time with those who are toxic. Consider volunteering to be around people who care.Make a budget and stick to it. It’s not worth it to overspend now and struggle with finances in the new year.Be realistic about your expectations regarding how others will behave. Don’t expect Aunt Sally and cousin Joe to get along if they fight every year at the holiday dinner.Take pressure off of yourself. It is more important for your mental health to follow the above steps than it is to try to be perfect and get everything done. Prioritize, delegate and give yourself a break.Giving yourself a break from the phones and the computers every so often is probably a good idea regardless of the time of day. We have constant access to infinite information these days, and much of it can be stressful. You shouldn’t feel bad about taking a break for your own well-being, especially when it comes to something you couldn’t fix anyway.As Hershenson said above, it’s important to try and focus on the things you can change. Since it is the season of giving, you could even consider volunteering if you’re able to and up for it. It can help you feel like you’re making a positive change in the world and might take your mind off your own prob lems for a little bit.Regardless, know that help is always out there. We hope you have a festive and cheerful holiday season, and that the blues don’t get to you too much.How do you deal with holiday stress? We want to hear from you!  You can  email us  or you can find us on  Facebook  and  Twitter.ContributorsAlisa Kamis-Brinda, LCSW, LCADC,(@SerenityAlisa) owner and primary psychotherapist at  Serenity Solutions, LLC, in Philadelphia, PA, helps overwhelmed, stressed out professionals and new moms learn how to slow down anxious and angry thoughts so that they can be in the present moment, relax and enjoy life again.Kimberly Hershenson  (@kimhershlmsw) has worked successfully with clients who have experienced problems such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, personality disorders, and difficult relationships. Her aim is to create a warm, supportive, and safe space for her clients to help achieve their personal goals. She believes that, together, they can wor k on understanding feelings and behaviors regarding clients’ areas of concern while helping them to practice healthier coping mechanisms in order to fully participate in life.

What To Do if You Miss Your ACT Test

Maybe you were sick—you were up all night, feverish and full of aches —so when the morning of your test came around, you just werent up to testing. Or, perhaps you just didnt feel prepared. You hadnt taken the time to study for the ACT, so on the morning of the exam, you decided to miss your ACT test and figure it out later, even though you had already registered. What in the world do you do now? Its pretty simple, really. Youre going to apply for an ACT Test Date Change. ACT Test Date Change Procedures First, go to actstudent.org and log into your account.Once youre in your account, select Make changes to your registration.Follow the prompts to select a new test date, making note of the regular and late registration deadlines.If youre trying to change your test date and its already beyond the late registration period, then youll need to apply for Standby Testing. ACT Test Date Change Cost Although youve already paid the registration fee for the ACT or ACT Plus Writing test, youll have to pay the test date change fee. In addition, youll be charged the regular ACT registration fee for the new date, or, if you register late, the late registration fee as well. ACT Test Date Change Issues If you dont have access to your account for some reason—perhaps youre on a mountaintop with no WIFI—then contact ACT at 319-337-1270 to change your ACT test date. Make sure you have the following information in hand when you call so youre not scrambling down the mountain attempting to quickly locate your moms credit card at base camp: Your name exactly as it appears on the ID you will use when you go to take the testA credit cardYour addressThe test center where youd like to testThe test date on which youd like to test Get Ready for Your Next ACT Test Date Even though you didnt make it to the test center to take the ACT this time around, youll have another chance. Theres still plenty of time to do well on your college admissions exam. If you opted out of taking the ACT because you were unprepared, then take this additional time to prepare and study. There are several ways to get ready for the ACT exam without spending a fortune or months of time. Look into online resources, including sample test questions provided by the ACT.

Single System Research Design Effect Of Meditation On Sleep

MEMORANDUM TO: Prof. Fontaine Fulghum FROM: S.Zimbaldi DATE: June 20th 2015 RE: Single-System Research Design: Effect of Meditation on Sleep Introduction A single-system research intervention was implemented with a 46-year-old Caucasian female as the subject. The participant is a single personal trainer who lives in Northern New Jersey. The subject has recently dealt with various life changes, such as the death of a family member and the sudden illness of another. She has reported having great difficulty falling asleep due to feeling â€Å"anxious† and her â€Å"mind racing† throughout the evening hours. The subject reports that it takes well over an hour for her to fall asleep on any given night. Due to her health conscious daily living practices, she is uninterested in utilizing any form of medication to assist her in falling asleep. Additionally, due to the subjects busy lifestyle and early morning work hours, she expressed great interest in attempting to determine a method that would assist in regulating her sleep schedule, as currently, it is negatively impacting various areas of her life. For this research study, the researcher and subject have agreed upon utilizing a fifteen-minute meditation sequence prior to bedtime, which is intended to calm the mind and regulate the body in preparation for sleep. This intervention will be implemented after the researcher collects seven days of baseline data. The intervention and follow up stages will also be recorded forShow MoreRelatedSingle-system design. Meditation to decrease anxiety.1937 Words   |  8 PagesAbstractThe paper summarizes a single-system design aimed at improving the participants score on the Clinical Assessment of Anxiety through the intervention of meditative breathing. A baseline of three weeks was measured followed by four weeks of treatment phase. 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This neglect may be due to the dominance of pharmacological tre atment and the decline of psychotherapy, the severity of the disorder, or the inadequacies of previous attempts to understand and manage schizophrenia from a cognitive behavioural framework (Birchwood amp; Preston, 1991; Goggin, 1993) There is a growing commitment to the design of psychotherapeutic treatments that are grounded inRead MoreCardiovascular Disease ( Cvd )9447 Words   |  38 PagesInterval: 1.54 billion – 1.58 billion) [14]. Apart from that, healthcare systems in both Australia and worldwide are affected by the burdening cost of treatments for hypertension and CVD. Classification of Essential and Secondary Hypertension Hypertension is basically categorised as either primary hypertension (EH) or secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension is caused by pre-existing disorders which include obstructive sleep apnoea, aldosteronism, artery stenosis, renal parenchymal disease, excess

Bill Gates Essay Free Essays

When I was young, math and science were the easiest subjects for me and I read all the time. In my house, weeknight TV was not allowed but reading, board games, card games and puzzles went on for hours. In sixth grade, I did a project as a young inventor and entrepreneur who manufactured and marketed a new project. We will write a custom essay sample on Bill Gates Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now I wrote my first computer program when I was 13 years old. To me the computer was a constant challenge to be mastered – I was HOOKED! I noticed In high school that PC’s id not exist and businesses and unlettered used computers that were bigger then refrigerators. After high school, I went to Harvard University and that Is where I really started to keep up with the latest developments In computer technology. I dreamed that by creating a PC, business and school tasks would be so much easier. I wanted to solve peoples everyday problems and make money In the process. So I took a leave of absence from Harvard university to start a software company In 1977 and Paul Allen and I formed Microsoft In New Mexico. I also created the term â€Å"Intellectual property to protect software programs with copyrights. My goal was to put a computer on every desk and in every home In 1978, Microsoft moved to Bellevue, Washington. After my partner left, I focused on individual computer users and our international sales force. Microsoft grew dramatically. Microsoft Windows was created in 1985 and we sold $140 million in products that year. I was working 16 hour days and busy with work until 1 993 when I finally proposed to Melinda French, one of my product managers at Microsoft. Over the last ten years, I have donated millions of dollars to charities focused in the education, health, art and cancer areas. I have also made ere to donate to computer centers at schools, colleges and universities throughout the united States. I am the proud dad of a daughter and a son and even though my work and house has a lot of technology, if you really want to do something good for children the most important thing I can tell you is to read, read, read. Bill Gates Essay By Jake-Lang constant challenge to be mastered – I was HOOKED! I noticed in high school that PC’s did not exist and businesses and universities used computers that were bigger then refrigerators. After high school, I went to Harvard University and that is where I really darted to keep up with the latest developments in computer technology. I dreamed solve people’s everyday problems and make money in the process. So I took a leave of absence from Harvard University to start a software company in 1977 and Paul Allen and I formed Microsoft in New Mexico. I also created the term â€Å"intellectual property’ every desk and in every home! In 1978, Microsoft moved to Bellevue, Washington. Work until 1993 when I finally proposed to Melinda French, one of my product the United States. I am the proud dad of a daughter and a son and even though my How to cite Bill Gates Essay, Essays

The Ebola Virus Essays - Biological Weapons, Tropical Diseases

The Ebola Virus A virus is an ultramicroscopic infectious organism that, having no independent metabolic activity, can replicate only within a cell of another host organism. A virus consists of a core of nucleic acid, either RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coating of antigenic protein and sometimes a lipid layer surrounds it as well. The virus provides the genetic code for replication, and the host cell provides the necessary energy and raw materials. There are more than 200 viruses that are know to cause disease in humans. The Ebola virus, which dates back to 1976, has four strains each from a different geographic area, but all give their victims the same painful, often lethal symptoms. The Ebola virus is a member of a family of RNA viruses known as ?Filoviriade' and falling under one genus, ?Filovirus'. "The Ebola virus and Marburg virus are the two known members of the Filovirus family" (Journal of the American Medical Association 273: 1748). Marburg is a relative of the Ebola virus. The four strains of Ebola are Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Reston, and Ebola Tai. Each is named after the geographical location in which it was discovered. These filoviruses cause hemorrhagic fever, which is actually what kill victims of the Ebola virus. Hemorrhagic fever as defined in Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary as, a group of viral aerosol infections, characterized by fever, chills, headache, malaise, and respiratory or GI symptoms, followed by capillary hemorrhages, and, in severe infection, oliguria, kidney failure, hypotension, and, possibly, death. The incubation period for Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever ranges from 2-21 days (JAMA 2! 73: 1748). The blood fails to clot and patients may bleed from injections sites and into the gastrointestinal tract, skin and internal organs (Ebola Info. from the CDC 2). The Ebola virus has a tropism for liver cells and macrophages, macrophages are cells that engulf bacteria and help the body defend against disease. Massive destruction of the liver is a hallmark feature of Ebola virus infection. This virus does in ten days what it takes AIDS ten years to do. It also requires biosaftey level four containment, the highest and most dangerous level. HIV the virus that causes AIDS requires only a biosaftey level of two. In reported outbreaks, 50%-90% of cases have been fatal (JAMA 273: 1748). Ebola can be spread in a number of ways, and replication of the virus occurs at an alarming rate. Ebola replication in infected cells takes about eight hours. Hundreds to thousands of new virus particles are then released during periods of a few hours to a few days, before the cells die. The several cycles of replication occur in a primate before the onset of the fever and other clinical manifestations (Ornstein, Matthews and Johnson 7). In most outbreaks, transmission from patient to patient within hospitals has been associated within the reuse of unsterile needles and syringes. High rates of transmission in outbreaks have occurred from patients to heath-care workers and to family members who provide nursing care without appropriate precautions to prevent exposure to blood, other body fluids, vomitus, urine and stool. Risk for transmitting the infection appears to be highest during the later stages of illness, which are often characterized by vomiting, diarrhea,! shock, and frequently hemorrhaging (JAMA 274: 374). Even a person who has recovered from the symptoms of the illness may have the virus present in the genital secretions for a brief period after. This makes it possible for the virus to be spread by sexual contact. Complete recovery is reached only when no particles of the virus are left in the body fluids, this however is rarely attained. The disease, for humans, is not airborne, capable to be passed on through air travel, but for nonhuman primates it has been a possibility in a few cases. Ebola Zaire was identified in 1976 in Northern Zaire and was the first documented appearance of the virus. This strain of the virus effects humans and nonhuman primates. Close contact and dirty needles spread the Ebola virus. The center of the epidemic in Zaire involved a missionary hospital where they reused needles and syringes without sterilization. Most of the staff of the hospital got sick and died. This outbreak infected 318 with a death rate of 93% (Le Guenno et al. 1271). Another fatal case was reported one year later in Zaire but nothing major ever became of it. The most recent case recorded was

Paper on WWII essays

Paper on WWII essays In A Bridge to Far the Allies try to end World War II by dropping soldiers behind enemy lines and cut off supply lines. The movie goes into great detail of the confusion and power struggles amongst the leaders of the allies. In 1944, the German armies were being pushed back across the Low Countries. The Allies' great strategic problem was the Rhine, the wide river which formed Germany's western border. A daring plan was conceived which would overcome the Rhine obstacle and open the road to Berlin. Market Garden, as the plan was codenamed, involved parachuting spearhead units onto the great bridges over the Rhine and securing them for the critical few hours it would take for an armored column to drive up and relieve them. It is easy now to point to the flaws in Market Garden, but at the time it looked like a daring and viable alternative to slogging it out against the Siegfried Line. No-one had anticipated that the Dutch people would pour out onto the streets in throngs, thinking th at they had been liberated, and thus slowing down the armor. The intelligence indications of heavily-equipped German units in the zone were ignored because they were inconvenient and from outside the intelligence community. Critically, the plan allowed for only one single road to be available to the Irish Guards for the key northward push. The film illustrates very effectively the way in which a plan can develop its own momentum, regardless of the shortcomings which riddle it. The sequence of the boarding and dropping of the paratroops is an excellent scene, as is the German ambush which delays the progress of the armored column. A Bridge to Far was an excellent display of what happened with the plan itself, but it also went into great detail of the behind the scenes actions of the leaders, giving the viewer a better concept of the power ladder for the allies. The historical quality of the movie appears to be very genuine, from the armor ...

Synonymous vs. Nonsynonymous Mutations - Definitions

Synonymous vs. Nonsynonymous Mutations - Definitions Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the carrier of all the genetic information in a living thing. DNA is like a blueprint for what genes an individual has and the characteristics the individual shows (the genotype and phenotype, respectively). The processes by which DNA is translated using Ribonucleic acid (RNA) into a protein is called transcription and translation. DNAs message is copied by messenger RNA during transcription and then that message is decoded during translation to make amino acids. Strings of amino acids are then put together in the right order to make proteins that express the right genes. This is an intricate process that happens quickly, so there are bound to be mistakes, most of which are caught before they are made into proteins, but some slip through the cracks. Some of these mutations are minor and do not change anything. These DNA mutations are called synonymous mutations. Others can change the gene that is expressed and the phenotype of the individual. Mutations that do change the amino acid, and usually the protein, are called nonsynonymous mutations. Synonymous Mutations Synonymous mutations are point mutations, meaning they are just a miscopied DNA nucleotide that only changes one base pair in the RNA copy of the DNA. A codon in RNA is a set of three nucleotides that encode a specific amino acid. Most amino acids have several RNA codons that translate into that particular amino acid. Most of the time, if the third nucleotide is the one with the mutation, it will result in coding for the same amino acid. This is called a synonymous mutation because, like a synonym in grammar, the mutated codon has the same meaning as the original codon and therefore does not change the amino acid. If the amino acid does not change, then the protein is also unaffected. Synonymous mutations do not change anything and no changes are made. That means they have no real role in the evolution of species since the gene or protein is not changed in any way. Synonymous mutations are actually fairly common, but since they have no effect, then they are not noticed. Nonsynonymous Mutations Nonsynonymous mutations have a much greater effect on an individual than a synonymous mutation. In a nonsynonymous mutation, there is usually an insertion or deletion of a single nucleotide in the sequence during transcription when the messenger RNA is copying the DNA. This single missing or added nucleotide causes a frameshift mutation which throws off the entire reading frame of the amino acid sequence and mixes up the codons. This usually does affect the amino acids that are coded for and change the resulting protein that is expressed. The severity of this kind of mutation depends on how early in the amino acid sequence it happens. If it happens near the beginning and the entire protein is changed, this could become a lethal mutation. Another way a nonsynonymous mutation can occur is if the point mutation changes the single nucleotide into a codon that does not translate into the same amino acid. A lot of times, the single amino acid change does not affect the protein very much and is still viable. If it happens early in the sequence and the codon is changed to translate into a stop signal, then the protein will not be made and it could cause serious consequences. Sometimes nonsynonymous mutations are actually positive changes. Natural selection may favor this new expression of the gene and the individual may have developed a favorable adaptation from the mutation. If that mutation occurs in the gametes, this adaptation will be passed down to the next generation of offspring. Nonsynonymous mutations increase the diversity in the gene pool for natural selection to work on and drive evolution on a microevolutionary level.