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10 ideas de cuidado personal para calmar los sentidos

Por Sharp Health News, una publicación de Sharp HealthCare

El verano ya está aquí, haciendo que muchos de nosotros nos sintamos fuera de sincronización con nuestras rutinas diarias. Esto puede provocar estrés tanto en la mente como en el cuerpo.

Para ayudar a calmar el sistema nervioso y liberar la energía acumulada, pruebe estas estrategias de afrontamiento y rutinas de cuidado personal que incluyen los seis sentidos.

  • Camine 15 minutos, tres veces al día. Mientras camina, escuche la naturaleza: el canto de los pájaros, las olas rompiendo y el viento entre los árboles.
  • Haga ejercicio hasta que empiece a sudar: ayuda a desintoxicar el cuerpo ya desarrollar fuerza.
  • Beba de seis a ocho vasos de agua al día para mantener sus órganos sanos.
  • Elija alimentos saludables con muchas verduras, nueces crudas, frutas y proteínas.
  • Respire: la respiración profunda lleva oxígeno al cerebro y al cuerpo.
  • Pruebe el yoga o una práctica de meditación: conecta a tierra y energiza el cuerpo.
  • Escuche música y cante en voz alta.
  • Baile con el sol, la luna y las estrellas. Exprese sus sentimientos a través del movimiento.
  • Plante nuevas semillas de esperanza: también pueden alimentar a su familia.
  • Comience un nuevo pasatiempo, como hornear, tejer u observar aves.

Las pequeñas acciones que practicamos a diario para celebrar nuestra mente, cuerpo y alma pueden tener un impacto positivo duradero durante las próximas semanas y años.

VEBA Resource Center ofrece clases de terapia de sanación con sonido. Será guiado a través de ejercicios relajantes de respiración, tarareo, tapping y limpieza de energía, seguidos de una meditación de relajación profunda y un baño de sonido, dejándole sintiéndose más renovado y lleno de energía. Consulte nuestro calendario para inscribirse en la próxima clase.

6 Formas de Dormir Mejor Durante la Pandemia

Por parte de Sharp Health News, una publicación de Sharp HealthCare

Si el COVID-19 lo mantiene despierto por la noche, no está solo. Para muchos, la noticia de la pandemia global está causando mucho estrés mental, mientras que los cambios en los horarios están interrumpiendo nuestros ritmos naturales de sueño.

Para ayudarlo a dormir mejor durante este momento problemático, pruebe los siguientes seis consejos:

  1. Mantenga un horario. Establezca una hora para levantarse y acostarse y apéguese a ellos. Para ayudarlo a mantenerse constante, establezca otros momentos a lo largo del día, como la hora de comer y la de bañarse.
  2. Evite hacer cosas estresantes cerca de la hora de acostarse. Si las noticias le causan estrés, apague la televisión antes de acostarse. Haga las cosas difíciles temprano en el día, como planificar la compra de comestibles o enseñarle geometría a su hijo.
  3. Participe en actividades relajantes cerca de la hora de acostarse. Apague sus preocupaciones antes de acostarse prepare su mente para una buena noche de sueño. Lea un libro, escriba una carta, haga yoga o encuentre otras formas de relajarse.
  4. Designe un tiempo para preocuparse. Elija un momento cada día (no cerca de la hora de acostarse) para hacer una lista de tareas pendientes y escriba sus preocupaciones actuales junto con el próximo paso o solución para cada una. Permítase preocuparse temporalmente y luego guarde su lista.
  5. Ejercicio. El ejercicio puede reducir el estrés y la ansiedad, mejorando tanto la calidad como la cantidad de sueño. Incluso si la pandemia le impide ir al gimnasio, hay muchas maneras de mantenerte físicamente activo en casa.
  6. Evite la cafeína y el alcohol cerca de la hora de acostarse. Su café de la mañana puede ayudar como un estimulante, pero la cafeína en la noche puede mantenerlo despierto. Y aunque el alcohol puede causarle sueño inicialmente, puede reducir drásticamente la calidad de su sueño.

VEBA Resource Center ofrece Clases de Yoga Nidra. Disfrute de una sesión de meditación guiada y terapia mente-cuerpo realizada en una posición cómoda acostada para reducir sistemáticamente el estrés, aumentar la circulación y promover mejor el sueño. Consulte nuestro calendario para inscribirse a una clase.

6 Ways to Sleep Better Through a Pandemic

From Sharp Health News, a publication of Sharp HealthCare

If COVID-19 is keeping you up at night, you’re not alone. For many, news of the global pandemic is causing a great deal of mental stress, while changes in schedules are disrupting our natural sleep rhythms.

To help you sleep better during this troubling time, try the following six tips:

  1. Keep a schedule. Set a time to wake up and go to bed and stick with them. To help you stay consistent, set other times throughout the day, such as mealtimes and shower times.
  2. Avoid doing stressful things close to bedtime. If the news causes you stress, switch off the TV before bedtime. Do the tough things early in the day, such as planning your grocery buying or teaching your child geometry.
  3. Engage in relaxing activities close to bedtime. Turning your worries “off” before bed prepares your mind for a good night’s sleep. Read a book, write a letter, do yoga or find other ways to wind down.
  4. Designate a time for worry. Pick a time each day (not near bedtime) to make a to-do list and write down your current worries along with a next step or solution for each. Let yourself worry temporarily, and then put your list away.
  5. Exercise. Exercise can reduce stress and anxiety, improving both quality and quantity of sleep. Even if the pandemic keeps you from your gym, there are many ways to stay physically active while at home.
  6. Avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime. Your morning coffee can help as a pick-me-up, but caffeine at night can keep you up. And while alcohol may make you sleepy initially, it can dramatically reduce the quality of your sleep.

The VEBA Resource Center offers Yoga Nidra (Yoga for Sleep) Classes. Enjoy a session of guided meditation and mind-body therapy done in a comfortable lying down position to systemically reduce stress, increase circulation and promote better sleep. Check out our calendar to sign up for an upcoming class.

4 Simple Ways to Care for Yourself

From Sharp Health News, a publication of Sharp HealthCare

We all do our best to take care of ourselves while also taking care of our kids, our aging parents, work, home and other responsibilities. Setting time aside for self-care can be challenging but does wonders to improve our mental and physical health.

So where can you start? Try these four tips to help you get started.

  1. Practice yoga or meditation. Yoga is a great way to improve flexibility and tone muscles while leaving you feeling refreshed and renewed. Meditation can be done practically anywhere and is a quick way to mentally unplug.
  2. Make time for exercise or a brisk walk. Get outside and go for a walk. Enlist a friend to join you, too — having a workout buddy provides health benefits for your heart and soul, plus it’s more fun for everyone involved.
  3. Sample essential oils. Powerful plant extracts such as lavender and eucalyptus can help ease tension and promote calmness in your day. Add some drops to a warm bath at the end of the day or put a few drops into a diffuser at night to help you sleep.
  4. Eat a healthful diet. Choosing healthy options and meals filled with vegetables, fruit, heart-healthy grains and lean protein can help keep your energy level optimized and your health in tip-top shape.

The VEBA Resource Center offers Sound Healing Therapy Classes. You’ll be guided through soothing exercises of breathing, humming, tapping and energy clearing, followed by a deep relaxation meditation and sound bath, leaving you feeling more refreshed and energized. Check out our calendar to sign up for an upcoming class.

4 Formas Sencillas de Cuidarse

Por parte de Sharp Health News, una publicación de Sharp HealthCare

Todos hacemos todo lo posible para cuidarnos a nosotros mismos y al mismo tiempo cuidar de nuestros hijos, nuestros padres, el trabajo, el hogar y otras responsabilidades. Reservar tiempo para el cuidado personal puede ser un desafío, pero hace maravillas para mejorar nuestra salud mental y física.

Entonces, ¿por dónde puede empezar? Pruebe estos cuatro consejos para ayudarlo a comenzar.

  1. Practica yoga o meditación. El yoga es una gran manera de mejorar la flexibilidad y tonificar los músculos mientras te hace sentir revitalizado y renovado. La meditación se puede hacer prácticamente en cualquier lugar y es una forma rápida de desconectarse mentalmente.
  2. Tómese tiempo para hacer ejercicio o caminar a paso ligero y salga a caminar. Incluya a un amigo para que también lo acompañe: tener un compañero de entrenamiento brinda beneficios para la salud de su corazón y alma, además de que es más divertido para todos los involucrados.
  3. Muestra de aceites esenciales. Los poderosos extractos de plantas como la lavanda y el eucalipto pueden ayudar aliviar la tensión y promover la calma en su día. Agregue algunas gotas a un baño tibio al final del día o ponga unas gotas en un difusor por la noche para ayudarlo a dormir.
  4. Lleve una dieta saludable. Elegir opciones saludables y comidas llenas en vegetales, frutas, granos saludables para el corazón y proteínas magras puede ayudarlo a mantener su nivel de energía optimizado y su salud en plena forma.

VEBA Resource Center ofrece clases Terapia de Sanación con Sonido. Será guiado a través de ejercicios relajantes de respiración, tarareo y limpieza de energía, seguidos de una meditación de relajación profunda y un baño de sonido, dejándol y sintiéndose más renovado y lleno de energía. Consulte nuestro calendario para inscribirse en una clase.

You Deserve a Break: Summer Self-Care Tips for Educators

For more than a year, educators have dedicated themselves to making sure their students are successful, at home and in school. Now, with summer here and our educators finally getting a break to relax and emerge from some COVID restrictions, the VEBA Resource Center has put together tips for good self-care — for your body, mind, and spirit — prior to the re-start of school.

What is Self Care: First, let’s talk about the buzz phrase “self-care.” What does it really mean? Sure, it can mean getting a massage or buying something you want, but “self-care” runs deeper than that. It’s is a mindset, an approach to living that puts your well-being first. For some — especially those who are caring for others — that may seem selfish. It’s not. Many experts agree, you can’t give what you haven’t got. Your cup needs to be full before you can share yourself with others. So, “self-care” means finding ways to sustain your own mental, physical, and spiritual health. Experts with Psychology Today say to start with the basics: get quality sleep (at least 7 to 8 hours per night), eat healthy foods, and exercise regularly.

Find a physical outlet: Running, swimming, yoga…whatever activity suits you can help keep you balanced. Early morning exercise can help ground you and set your elevated mood for the day through the release of endorphins. At the end of the day, those same endorphins can help clear your head and release frustrations that may build up during the day. Check out the VRC class calendar for movement, stretching and fitness classes you can join for FREE!

Choose your commitments: Educators are givers. You give to your students, school, and co-educators as well as your family and community groups. That’s commendable! It can also leave little time for you to refill your cup. So, when asked if you can give your time to something or someone, pause and think about what your schedule says and how you truly feel. Are you drained and depleted? Or energized and passionate about the project/person? In short, don’t spread yourself too thin by saying, “yes” when you want to say, “no.”

Do what makes you happy: Do you love to read or work on your car? Is there a club you want to join? All of these things aim to connect you with what fills you up. So, make it a priority to do something just for you, not because a friend asked or a family member suggested it. What do you want to do? And it doesn’t have to be expensive. There are classes and MeetUp groups that don’t charge anything! The San Diego Tourism Authority has dozens of suggestions for no- or low-cost things to do around the county.

Find some quiet time: Try unplugging completely, even briefly. Put away your phone. Hide the computer. Go somewhere quiet. Head for the ocean, the mountains, or a hiking trail. Connecting with nature is a proven way to reduce stress levels. Our nearly constant connection to each other, the Internet, and electronics can be insidious. We don’t even realize how draining these attention grabbers can be. And — just like powering down a computer can help it reconfigure — disconnecting can help you reboot, too!

Prep and prepare for back to school: ResilientEducator.com recommends that educators spend some time reflecting and prepping for the fall quarter before leaving the classroom for the summer, in order to be better prepared. What worked? What didn’t? “Many of these critiques or changes are fresh in your mind in April or May — when you have a little energy or time to modify them — but fade into the background by August.” Along the same lines, ResilientEducator says professional development courses taken during the summer weeks can help boost confidence and better prepare you for future opportunities.

Your VEBA Resource Center also provides a wide range of individual and group classes – cooking, yoga, and meditation – to boost your self-care efforts. Take a look and let us know how we can support your journey toward better health! And thank you for all that you do!

Give Yourself a Little Love: Tips for Stressed Parents

Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Superman, Captain Marvel. What do they all share? Super powers! Super powers that give them insane amounts of energy, stamina and strength. But what about us regular human beings who don’t have super powers to help get us through life’s daily stressors? Especially parents. Fortunately, the VEBA Resource Center (VRC) is devoted to helping VEBA Members cope with stress and prioritize their mental well-being.

Most parents probably expect some regular stresses in life — such as juggling work, school, activities, chores, errands, and family time — but it can be overwhelming, in some cases, debilitating. When adults are overworked, their own health needs may be easy to set aside. Parents must be mindful of their own health, especially during this unusual time. Below are some tips for how parents can support themselves during times of stress.

  1. Focus on What’s Essential: Set boundaries between work time, family time, and time for yourself.
  2. Plan Out Your Week: Create a weekly routine to establish some predictability.
  3. Be Aware of Your Capacity: Don’t be afraid to say “no” when you have a full plate. Over-committing to additional demands will only increase your stress.
  4. Shut It Off: While it’s good to be informed, take breaks from the news and social media periodically throughout the day. Don’t allow your devices to dominate your day.
  5. Exercise Outside: Make time in your day for exercise. Movement and sunlight provide the necessary neurochemicals we need to enhance our mood, energy and sense of well-being. Read our blog post for ways to sneak exercise into your day.
  6. Get a Good Night’s Sleep: The average adult needs at least eight hours of sleep for restoration. Read our blog post for tips to improve your quality and quantity of sleep.
  7. Eat Healthy: Limit processed foods, simple carbohydrates, alcohol and caffeine. Instead, choose whole food, plant-forward options with whole grains. For healthy recipe inspiration, visit our recipe page.
  8. Take Care of Your Mental Well-Being: Make time for the hobbies and activities which bring you joy, even if only for 10 minutes. Staying socially connected — whether in person, by phone or virtually — will also help improve your mental well-being.

We hope these tips help sustain parents throughout this anxious time in life and parenthood. You are super heroes to us! Please visit the VEBA Resource Center to find free classes and visit our YouTube Channel for on-demand videos to help with stress relief.

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4 Tips for Improving the Quality and Quantity of Sleep

Sleep is an important part of your overall physical and mental health. Depending on how well you sleep can determine how you feel during the day. It helps your body to recover after a workout, sickness or surgery. It helps your brain reset and create new pathways which helps you learn, make decisions easier and retain information better. Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, has been linked to obesity, heart and kidney disease, diabetes and even stroke. 

In order to get a good night’s sleep every night, consider these four tips from VEBA Resource Center’s Director of Coaching, Robert Cappuccio, to improve the quality and quantity of your nightly ZZZ’s. 

Tip #1: Stage Your Sleep Environment

Where you sleep can make a huge difference in how you sleep. About an hour before you are ready for bed, shut off the TV and electronic devices — including your phone! Then, when you are ready to hit the sack, make sure you make your room as dark as possible. Pull the shades, close the blinds and maybe get a sleep mask. 

Another tip to make your sleep sound is to keep your room cool. According to Chris Winter, MD, president of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine in Virginia, your room temperature should be set between 60 – 67 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ideal for improving sleep quality being 65 degrees. Helping your core temperature drop, which naturally happens during sleep, can help you fall asleep faster.

Tip #2: Stay Active

It may seem a little counter-intuitive — get active to sleep better. Daily movement, not too close to bedtime, helps promote better sleep. Just 30 minutes per day of moderate aerobic exercise can positively impact sleep quality, according to Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital. Pick an exercise you like and try to do it every day for better sleep.

Tip #3: Get Outside

It’s also important to soak up the sun! A Finnish study published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology found that when two groups of rats were exposed to the same amount of light, one group fluorescent, the other natural sunlight, after one week the group that was exposed to natural sunlight produced significantly more melatonin than the group exposed to artificial light. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the Pineal gland that among other things, helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles in the body. Try and get outside everyday to help your sleep journey.

Tip #4: Keep a Worry Journal

Do your worries or what you need to do the next day keep you awake at night? Before bedtime write down the most pressing worries of the day. Also, make a to-do list for the next day and prioritize the top 2-3 items. This way you can file your worries and priorities away for the next day, so they don’t take up any mental bandwidth in your mind at night.

As you embark on your health journey, be sure to include sleep as part of the equation. For more tips on a good night’s sleep, read How to Get Good, Quality Sleep or watch “How to Get Quality Sleep” to reinforce the importance of journaling before bed.

Detox Your Mind

Toxins are not only in the air we breathe and the food we eat but also in our mental environment. Mental and emotional toxicity is harder to identify but certainly exists, especially now that technology plays such a role in so many people’s lives. Fall is the perfect time to cleanse not only your body but also your mind. 

VEBA Resource Center’s Holistic Practitioner, Dr. V, offers three tips on detoxing the mind to get rid of bad thoughts and replace them with positive energy, leading to mental rejuvenation.

Start integrating these three tips into your life to help detox your mental state and purify your mind. 

Organize Your Life: Fall is the transition into the winter season — hibernation season. Try to close out your unfinished projects before the end of the year and winter sets in. Take a look at the upcoming months and create a schedule that will help you and your family stay on track the rest of the year. Knowing where to focus your energy will help you keep a clear mind.

Practice Letting Go: First write down a list of things to let go of such as pain, self-sabotaging thoughts, unhealthy eating or poor lifestyle behaviors. These topics don’t support a healthy, thriving lifestyle and will hold you back — preventing the new, healthier version of you from sprouting.  

After you have written the list of what you need to eliminate, create a new list with all that you want to bring into your life. These can be things like thoughts, actions, new behaviors, morning routines, exercise actions, fresh food choices, etc. By writing down what you want in your life, you have taken the first step to replacing the negative with positive.

Create Time for Self Care: Sometimes life seems crazy. Fall is the time to slow down and integrate self-care routine to nourish longevity and health. Make yourself a priority. Schedule one- or two-minute morning meditations, relaxations or stretches. Start the day in peace with relaxing music. Schedule 30-minutes of “me time” and try to do something just for you. 

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5 Ayurvedic Tips for Fall

Have you ever noticed that in the fall your routine naturally changes, you crave certain foods (hello pumpkin spice EVERYTHING) and your overall mood changes? You are not imagining this — fall is a natural time of transition. The season brings with it a drier, windier and cooler environment which makes it a good time to practice Ayurveda, an ancient system of wellness that dates back 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda focuses on whole, mind body wellness not just your physical body but your mental, spiritual, emotional and vibrational health. The VRC offers five Ayurvedic wellness tips for a balanced and healthy fall season.

  1. Enjoy Nature. As the sun sets earlier, it’s important to get out in nature as much as possible. Try and make time to get into nature every day. Keep it simple. Take a drive and find a place where the leaves change colors so you can witness fall in action. Pick apples or head to a pumpkin patch. Go for a long walk with your dog or children on trails or on the beach.
  2. Surround Yourself in the Colors of Fall. Colors like red, orange, yellow and even white help to pacify some of the emotional effects from fall such as unsettledness, nervousness and anxiousness. These colors help settle anxiety and balance our emotional qualities to help us get through the fall. So, whether it’s the clothes that you wear or the decor in your classroom or home, be sure to incorporate the colors of fall to help your emotional well-being.
  3. Eat Earlier and Sleep Sooner. Follow the rhythms of natures. As the sun sets earlier, so do our internal organs. When the sun goes down, our bodies follow the circadian rhythm. Eating before the sun goes down and getting to bed earlier than you would in the summer, allows the internal body to be in rhythm with nature.
  4. Create a Morning Wellness Routine. As the seasons transition to fall and winter, create a new morning routine to help boost your overall health and well-being. Get up a little bit earlier to ground yourself with breathing exercises or a self-oil face massage. Take the dog or your kids for a walk before sitting down for breakfast to get your blood flowing.
  5.  Minimize Dry Foods. Try to minimize dry foods like popcorn, nuts, dried meat and dried fruits. Minimize salads and instead invite warmth and spice into your diet. Minimize caffeine and other stimulants to keep you grounded and whole during the fall months.

Watch these tips in our video here, and for more videos on staying healthy this fall, check out our Fall Wellness Series playlist.