The holiday season can be filled with fun traditions and time with family, but it also comes with its own set of challenges that can be hard on mental health. For many people, their mental health ends up declining during the holidays. In this blog, we have five of our best tips for maintaining your mental health during the holidays.
November is a time when mustaches take center stage, but it's not just about style – it's about striking up conversations and raising awareness for men's health. Movember, a global movement, is dedicated to bringing attention to pressing men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health challenges.
In the quest for healing from trauma, somatic therapy is a unique alternative that emphasizes the connection between mind and body. While this therapeutic approach may not be suitable for everyone, it offers benefits for individuals dealing with PTSD and other mental health conditions by focusing on physical sensations and body awareness.
October is Depression Awareness Month. In this blog, we speak with Cassandra Deford, director of clinical programs behavioral health, about depression and mental health conditions to learn more.
If you or someone you know is going through physical, recreational, occupational or speech therapy, you probably already know how challenging it can be. But did you know that joining a support group can make a world of difference?
In today's fast-paced world filled with constant stimuli, distractions and stressors, the practice of mindfulness meditation is a way to discover your true inner self. Mindfulness meditation offers a journey toward inner clarity and balance, one that embraces the power of the present moment and deepens self-awareness. We unravel the transformative effects of mindfulness meditation on enhancing emotional well-being and how to foster a deeper sense of presence in your day-to-day routine.
Building resilience and developing effective coping strategies are essential skills for navigating life's challenges with grace and strength. In this blog, we define what it actually means to be resilient, explore how building resilience can empower you to face adversity head-on and provide tips on how to put these skills into practice.
Sadness is a common but unpleasant emotion – it’s one of the six basic emotions alongside fear, happiness, anger, surprise and disgust. Sadness is also inherently viewed as negative, but as science has indicated, it’s not always a bad thing. Take music, for example – the brain is actually capable of receiving pleasure from sounds and lyrics that focus on sadness.
If you find that you struggle with controlling your emotions or can’t quite find the best coping strategy when you get overwhelmed, here are some tools to try out to help keep your head above water during those tough times.
Did you know that managing stress and anxiety is a big factor when it comes to keeping the body in good health? When we live stressful lives or are constantly feeling the effects of anxiety, we may start to neglect our health without realizing it. People with optimistic outlooks on life have been shown to have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, so tending to your mental health could be just as beneficial as watching your cholesterol levels!
Detoxification is the first step toward addiction recovery. In a clinical setting, the goal is to minimize the negative impact of withdrawal symptoms while making the experience as safe and comfortable as possible. While some people choose to detox on their own, the most effective form of detox is one that is medically assisted and supported by trained specialists. We spoke with Brian Couey, Psy.D, executive director at INTEGRIS Health Arcadia Trails Center for Addiction Recovery, to learn more about alcohol and drug detox.
In some cases, fatigue can be an indicator of an underlying medical problem, but most of the time, fatigue can be correlated with habits we either need to break or adopt. Too much exercise or physical exertion can lead to fatigue, as can boredom, poor sleep, emotional stress and poor eating habits. We share different foods to eat and avoid to help fight fatigue.
The same stress you deal with when completing daily tasks can also affect your body in ways you never realized. We’ll highlight some common areas that stress can directly or indirectly impact, as well as how stress can affect your immune system.
We all love our fur babies for their companionship and cuteness, but did you know that they may be beneficial for your health as well? Studies show that keeping a pet can work wonders on keeping your stress levels under control and can have a positive impact on your physical health as well.
Whether you view rest as a political movement, scarce commodity, or something you rarely think about, one thing is probably true: you could use a little more of it and more than one type of it. Rest and sleep are two entirely different things. Sleep is one form of rest (physical) but there are six more!
In the fast paced world we’re living in, it can be difficult to create a work-life balance in your life. We address our top 7 tips to improve your work-life balance and keep yourself from burning out.
Cherries contain melatonin, plus nice amounts of magnesium and vitamins A and C. Tart cherries also contain a little bit of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps in the production of serotonin and melatonin.
The infrastructure of the mental health system across our state makes it nearly impossible to find quick and reliable responses to these questions. Yet, these are just a few examples of questions that plague many of us and finding the answer to these questions can mean life or death for many.
Self-sabotage can manifest in various ways, such as procrastination, negative self-talk, self-destructive habits and avoiding responsibilities. It is a self-defeating cycle that can prevent individuals from reaching their full potential and achieving their goals. The cycle of self-sabotage can be mentally and physically exhausting, but there are ways to break yourself out of this cycle and live a healthy, fulfilled life.
Postpartum anxiety describes anxiety – intense, excessive and persistent worry – that mothers or new parents experience in the first 12 months after the birth of their child. Many parents worry about their newborn, whether it’s health or development.
Giving yourself grace means making the choice to interact with the world – and yourself – with goodwill and kindness. We share some practical, everyday ways to give yourself some grace.
If you’ve become a victim of toxic productivity, you probably know it by now. Letting it strengthen its hold and claim you as a casualty is not a forgone conclusion – you can learn to stop hustling and rest.
We are not suggesting that your thoughts need to be positive all the time, nor is that a healthy goal to set. This is about managing negative thoughts when they become disruptive, intrusive or otherwise get out of hand. We aren’t necessarily interested in flipping them from gloom and doom to sunshine and roses, but we are interested in aiming for a more neutral or realistic perspective.
Coping with change – even change you really want or know is a good thing – is hard. Change you don’t want – losing a job, going through a divorce or experiencing the effects of a serious illness, for example – can be even harder to deal with. The good news is that in either case, the mechanics of change (and our reactions to those mechanics) follow the same pattern, so we’ve put together handy dandy guide to understanding and weathering changes large and small.
You know the drill. There’s something on your mind and you can’t quite shake it. Maybe it’s the middle of the night and you’re thinking about your grocery list or mentally planning a work project. Maybe it feels like you’re watching a video clip on a loop that you can’t turn off, imagining something going horribly wrong. Are you worried? Anxious? Both? The difference between worry and anxiety can be challenging to parse, but once you can tell them apart, they’re easier to deal with.
The word depressant may be the last thing you’d think of when describing a glass of wine you’re having with dinner or a pint of beer you’re drinking with friends. That’s mainly because people associate alcohol with social settings and its ability to make you feel good. The truth is, alcohol is actually a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. We will explain why alcohol falls under this category and how it can impact your physical and mental health.
Major depressive disorder affects 17 percent of people in America. Because so many adults, children and pregnant women will experience depression during their lifetime, it’s important to have screenings available for earlier diagnosis. This blog will highlight some of the more common screenings that can help you stay on top of your mental health.
For many people, the alarm clock signals the start of a stressful morning – you’re tired, cranky and don’t want to get up. Instead of staying glued to your phone for 30 minutes scrolling through Facebook, here is a morning routine guide you can follow to boost your productivity and provide stress relief each day.
Technology has improved our lives in many ways. But like anything in life, too much can sometimes lead to harm. Have you ever thought about trying a digital detox to give your mind and body a rest? It can be just as beneficial as eating your daily vegetables.
While supplementing your sleep here and there with a small amount of melatonin is unlikely to result in any negative consequences, just how much is too much when it comes to heavier doses? This blog will explore melatonin’s safety and outline symptoms to be aware of.
The world is full of anxiety-producing situations and scenarios like paying monthly bills on time, meeting deadlines at work or experiencing a fulfilling social life. We share tips to help deal with anxiety in the moment. As a bonus, many of these techniques also can help improve overall mental health.
Happiness, like so many other things, must be cultivated and actively pursued. Here are eleven ways to up your happy factor. Try a couple and see how you feel.
There are lots of benefits to spending time outdoors. It’s great for your mood, boosts empathy, lowers stress, improves attention span and can reduce the risk for psychiatric disorders. But can it help you work through trauma?
Swimming is an amazing cardio workout, it’s known for its calming, meditative effects and it’s a remarkably efficient way to burn calories. Since water supports about 90 percent of your body weight when you’re swimming, it’s often possible to continue to exercise while recovering from an ankle sprain or other injury. Did you know, though, that there are lots of other ways to exercise in water?
While you may not think twice about walking and talking at the same time, the brain is hard at work calculating every move to help regulate thoughts, feelings and emotions. At the core of every emotion are brain chemicals that affect your happiness. We analyze these happy chemicals, provide you with tips on how to stimulate them and offer dietary suggestions to help maximize their production.
Play, a natural part of childhood, is just as important for adults as it is for kids. But you know as well as we do, in the hurly-burly swirl of everyday life it can be all too easy to become so focused on getting things done that we forget to lighten up, loosen up and play.
Physical activity, whether mellow or intense, is a proven mood booster. It can help us maintain a healthy weight, keep our blood pressure in check, reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, reduce stress and strengthen muscles and bones. Regular exercise is possibly quite a boost for cognitive function, now and in the future.
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties – the capacity to successfully adapt to a challenging life experience. The American Psychological Association suggests that resilient people use mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility to adjust to external and internal demands.
With more and more people suffering from mental illness, learning practices to take care of our mental health and wellness is more important than ever. We outline several practices that can help you develop a healthier mind.
When your mind gets absorbed in a good book, experts say it only takes six minutes for your body to begin to relax. In fact, when reading was tested against many traditional forms of relaxation, it reduced stress by 68 percent and was the highest ranked method among those tested.
Your self-talk is shaped by your beliefs, experiences and the situations of your daily life. It can be positive, neutral or negative. We share the different types of negative self-talk and tips to help turn it around.
If you’ve forgotten your phone four out of the last five days, are you just distracted by your big project or is this how dementia starts? What if you notice you aren’t learning new things as easily, or forgetting to pay the occasional bill? What then? The answer: it depends.
Self-image is what you think other people think of you, and also how you want other people to think of you. Self-esteem is what you think of you. How do the two work together? What should you do if they don’t align, or if they’re too low or too high?
A wellness trend based on this concept has sprung up in the past couple of years. It’s called facial yoga, a combination of massage therapy, acupressure, exercise and relaxation. This free, non-toxic, non-invasive technique stimulates muscles, tightens skin and eases tension.
Bedtime was normal, you fell asleep pretty quickly but now. Now you’re wide awake. Most of us do wake up several times a night, but we just roll over and go back to sleep, as a normal part of our sleep cycle. It’s only a problem if you cannot go back to sleep.
On a scale of one to ten, what would you give your happiness level today? Nobody feels like a ray of sunshine all day every day, nor is that a realistic goal, but it is quite possible to make your days a bit brighter. All it takes is the right tips and tricks, and a commitment to use them!
People who enjoy regular exercise feel better, sleep better, tend to eat better, have decreased incidence of diseases like type 2 diabetes and some cancers and they maintain better mobility as they age. And it doesn’t take as much as you may think.
Decision fatigue or cognitive overload can add up over time. It might look or feel like tiredness, irritability, a feeling of being overwhelmed, poor concentration or fatigue. We explain what you need to know about decision fatigue and share tips to help manage it.
Online medicine has become a prominent fixture in the mental health community. If you’ve never heard of or experienced online mental health counseling, we’re here to explain what it is, what the benefits are and what to consider if you’re searching for mental health providers.
Between the stress of COVID-19 and disruptions in people’s social life, many are wondering why they feel constantly tired, have zero energy and are always fatigued. The answer to these problems isn’t always as simple as you had hoped for, although patients always want concrete answers. To suffice these answers, there is a theory these symptoms of lethargy may be tied to something called adrenal fatigue.
Burnout plays out in stages as demands and work stressors pile on. Knowing about each stage can help you recognize signs of burnout before it becomes problematic. We’ll help you identify these symptoms and provide tips for how to recover and learn to love your job again.
Poor sleep, or not enough sleep, affects a slew of our bodies’ key systems, health and functions, from cognitive abilities to coronary heart disease, diabetes and even a shorter life expectancy. Poor sleep is associated with a generally poorer quality of life.
The state of our mental health affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. Good mental health is not the same as no acute mental illness, just like good physical health is not the same as no illness or injury at this moment. Maintaining your mental health, like maintaining your physical health, requires a consistent routine and good health-hygiene habits.
Most of us know someone with substance use disorder. Many of us even know someone who has lost a friend or family member to it. It’s a disease that affects people from all walks of life and of all ages.
Grief is something most of us will experience during our lifetimes, whether grieving the loss of someone we love, or the loss of a job, or even losses of familiar routines due to the pandemic. Grief is an umbrella term for the sum all the feelings you have when someone or something important to you is no longer a part of your life. There is only one cure for grief, which is to grieve.
The death of someone you love is incredibly painful, and healing can take years. Grieving is a process that may never really end, though its pain will almost certainly soften over time. Sadness, disbelief, anger, shock, denial, pain, bargaining and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up the process through which we learn to live with the loss of someone we love.
Have you always viewed exercise as a means to lose weight or get in shape? Many people work out for just the physical benefits. However, people often find themselves losing the motivation to exercise when their mental health is suffering. If you’ve ever skipped a workout when you’re feeling sad or anxious, you could actually be missing an opportunity to turn your mood around.
What’s the worst that could happen if you avoid the doctor’s office? Better yet, why do you even need a doctor if you’re not sick? The answer: many benign health problems can easily become an issue without proper oversight. We’re here to explore exactly what happens when you neglect your health and why you should prioritize regular checkups.
Being injured, and working through the recovery process, can be exhausting, frightening and frustrating. It can also trigger feelings of isolation, depression, anger, fear, sadness and shame. Feeling out of control or numb are also possible. Recovering mentally can be equally, or more, difficult than recovering physically but the two go hand in hand.
One in five Americans is affected by mental illness. While common, it can sometimes be difficult to spot in loved ones. To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, we highlight the signs and symptoms of depression, what to look for in your loved ones and the steps you can take to help if a loved one is depressed.
There are a few parts of your routine that should remain consistent during most situations. Let’s think of them as a framework onto which we can add other things. A good routine is one you can stick with. The more diligent you are about your routine, the more power it will have to calm and center you. We explain the benefits of having a routine and how to get into a new routine post-COVID.
Nurses are the backbone of health care and often serve as the first line of defense to help diagnose and manage patient care. To mark national Nurses Week, we spoke with three INTEGRIS Health nurses. They shared their stories of what it’s like working as a nurse, how COVID-19 impacted the nursing profession and the lessons they’ve learned in the past year.
With the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic weighing on people over the last year, it’s more important than ever to advocate for mental health resources and daily routines that promote physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Peer pressure doesn’t go away. What does go away are many of the excuses you could make as a teen or young adult. As an actual adult, there are fewer excuses, so what do you do? We share tips on dealing with adult peer pressure.
With more screens in more places, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to manage screen time for kids. How much is too much? What if it’s educational? How does screen time management change as kids get older? We address your biggest screen time concerns for kids of all ages.
Mindful eating is the idea that is that a slower, more thoughtful way of eating may help us to enjoy our food more, choose more healthful foods and make us less likely to overeat. We explain the differences between mindful eating and dieting.
February is National Senior Independence Month, which focuses on giving senior citizens confidence and independence through household safety, use of technology and more. Forgetfulness is a normal part of aging. You may notice that you or your loved one forgets their keys or has trouble recalling names and dates. These types of things are a natural part of getting older, but not all memory loss is the same.
Some people are early risers by nature. Your natural predisposition, whether toward sleeping in and staying up late, or rising and going to bed early, is called your chronotype. We explain four ways to help you become more of a morning person.
While there are benefits of medical marijuana, it’s important to understand the long-term effects of chronic marijuana use. Jedidiah Perdue, M.D., medical director at Arcadia Trails INTEGRIS Center for Addiction Recovery, offers his expertise and shares what you should know about how marijuana impacts the body and mind over time.
A certain amount of hair loss is normal. Most of us lose 50 to 100 hairs each day, with new hairs taking their place quickly enough that we overlook the ones we've shed. The problems start when new hair doesn't replace the hair that has fallen out. We explain potential causes and provide tips to help combat hair loss.
Weighted blankets have become popular in the mainstream in the last few years and are just what they sound like: heavy blankets, generally 15 pounds or more. The weight comes from pellets, chains, or balls that are either woven into the blanket's fabric or inserted in little pockets throughout. Advertising claims all sorts of benefits: better sleep, less anxiety, sweatless nights, excellent naps.
Today, many toys are digital and can talk, interact, sing and dance along with your child. But, heavy use of electronic media may be too much for your little toddler's developing brain. We explain the purpose of toys and how to introduce ones that encourage children to use their imagination.
Your view of epilepsy may consist of seeing a loved one suffer from spasms or losing control of muscle functions. But, in some cases, repeated epileptic seizures can be fatal. We’re breaking down what you need to know about epilepsy, how it can become fatal, the types of seizures to be aware of and how you can treat it.
When the relaxation response is triggered, people notice short-term benefits, including improved circulation, less anxiety and stress, lower blood pressure and blood cortisol levels, increased feelings of well-being and we might even perspire less. In this article we share the benefits of meditation and how to get started.
For lots of us, pandemic life has some crystal-clear parts and also some blurry spots. Time may feel fluid. Celebrations, which help us mark the passing of time are inconsistent. We share ways to help make the most of important moments amidst a pandemic.
October is National Children’s Health Month, which brings awareness to protecting and developing children’s health with holistic lifestyle choices and pediatric medical care. When we think of children’s health, many think of vaccinations, dental hygiene and healthy nutrition. While those things are essential, we often overlook a key aspect of every child’s wellbeing: playing outside.
OCD Awareness Week is October 11-17. Most people experience obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors during their lives, but for a person suffering from OCD, those behaviors and the cycle of obsession and compulsions becomes so extreme that it disrupts normal life. Luckily, treatments are found to be helpful in treating this disorder.
Art therapy is one of the many tools Arcadia Trails uses to address addiction and recovery at its 40-bed in-patient treatment facility. Unlike many other substance abuse centers, Arcadia Trails uses practices ranging from art therapy and mindfulness practices to traditional therapy and group support. Incorporating expressive arts isn’t just a creative process for the patients — it’s vital to their recovery.
When you're struggling with your mental health, finding the treatment and practitioner right for you can be daunting, which is why we’ve broken down the different mental health professionals by their treatment processes and licensures.
While INTEGRIS caregivers are bravely serving on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, INTEGRIS Pastoral Care provides spiritual support for patients, their families and hospital staff. During this difficult time, Chaplain Warfield and his team have been dedicated to providing spiritual guidance to the community.
The coronavirus pandemic has created tough situations worldwide, but for many people, the health emergency has created additional sources of trauma. That trauma could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but could also lead to more severe symptoms for those who already suffer from PTSD.
Social distancing can have an especially negative impact on one of society’s most at-risk groups: the elderly. You may want to help but might feel awkward just assuming an elderly neighbor needs help. Here are some tips on how to approach the conversation.
Establishing a consistent exercise routine while you stay home can add structure to your day, keep your body strong, and help alleviate stress. Here are a few ways you can stay active while staying safe.
With kids stuck at home, many Oklahoma parents are wondering what their kids are going to do all day. If you’re running low on ideas to keep the kids busy, here are some ideas we’ve put together for activities that can help kids stay engaged.
Being stuck at home in quarantine can be rough, but there are simple things you can do to manage your anxiety. We'll explain how you can incorporate positive affirmations or meditation into your day to help reset your outlook.
While social isolation is necessary, it’s likely you miss your friends and family and it probably feels like your daily life has been uprooted in disturbing ways. Now that you’ve been stuck indoors for several days, perhaps boredom and restlessness have set in and loneliness and anxiety have started creeping into your thoughts. Now more than ever, it’s important to stay positive. Luckily, there are many ways you can stay engaged and combat boredom – and you don’t always need technology to do it!
As an adult, one of the most important things we can do is to help the young people in our lives cope with COVID-19. We are sharing some helpful tips, guidelines and resources. Remember – you don’t have to be perfect, just try your best.
If you’re planning a spring and summer vacation or traveling for business, getting quality sleep away from home is important. To get your best sleep while on vacation, review these tips for traveling with a CPAP.
As the saying goes, “Aging isn’t for wimps.” The changes people experience as they grow older can be traumatic for some. However, a growing amount of research shows that feeling useful makes the transition to the golden years much easier for many people. As we celebrate National Senior Independence Month, there's scientific proof that volunteering keeps your brain and body strong.
Binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Mental Health. To mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, here are common symptoms and signs.
