STRENGTHEN SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
Social connections might help protect health and lengthen life. Scientists are finding that our links to others can have powerful effects on our health-both emotionally and physically. Whether with romantic partners, family, friends, neighbors, or others, social connections can influence our biology and well-being. To build healthy support systems, build strong relationships with your kids. Get active and share good habits with family and friends.
If you’re a family caregiver, ask for help from others. Join a group focused on a favorite hobby,
such as reading, hiking, or painting. Take a class to learn something new volunteer for things you care about in your community. Find programs at your local parks dept, and or a community garden, school, library, or place of worship. Travel to different places and meet new people.

REDUCE STRESS
Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Stress can give you a rush of energy when it’s needed most. But if stress lasts a long time-a condition known as chronic stress those “high alert” changes become harmful rather than helpful. Learning healthy ways to cope with
stress can also boost you up. Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Stress can give you a rush of energy when it’s needed most. But if stress lasts a long time a condition known as
chronic stress may happen.

COPE WITH LOSS:
When someone you love dies, your world changes. There is no right or wrong way to mourn. Although the death of a loved one can feel overwhelming, most people can make it through the grieving process with the support of family and friends. Learn healthy ways to help you through
difficult times. Take care of yourself, talk to a caring friend. Try not to make any major changes right away. Join a grief support group, consider professional support, talk to your doctor if you’re having trouble with everyday activities. Be patient, mourning takes time.

Health Benefits of Mindfulness

Studies suggest that focusing on the present can have a positive impact on health and well-being. Mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. There’s also evidence that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep. It may even help people cope with pain. “For many chronic illnesses, mindfulness meditation seems to improve quality of life and reduce mental health symptoms. One of the first mindfulness-based therapies was used for depression. Many studies have shown that it can be effective for some people. Mindfulness appears to help with depression in two ways. It helps you develop the ability to stay grounded in the present. With depression, “your attention can get hijacked into the past or future.” You spend time focusing on past negative experiences or worrying about things to come.

Second, mindfulness can help you “de-center” from such thoughts. “It’s like being able to sit on the riverbank and watch thoughts floating by like leaves on a stream.” Developing the skill of mindfulness can help stop you from being pulled into any one thought and carried down the stream. People often experience thoughts like, ‘nothing ever works out for me,’ or ‘it’s always going to be this way. Over time, and with practice, you can develop the ability to stand back from these painful thought patterns.” Researchers are now studying whether mindfulness training can help with a variety of other conditions, including PTSD, eating disorders, and addiction.

Developing Healthy Habits

Being mindful may also help you make healthier choices. You can bring mindfulness to your eating habits, too. Studies suggest that it can help reduce binge eating and emotional eating. Paying closer attention to your body can help you notice signals that you are full and help you better enjoy your food.

This body awareness seems to be one part of how mindfulness helps people adopt healthier habits. If you’ve just eaten a jelly donut, you may be more likely to notice an unpleasant sugar crash. Remembering this can help you to make better food choices in the future. This goes for positive feelings too. “With physical activity, just about everybody feels better afterwards. So, with mindfulness training we’re aware of it improving our mood, and then we can use that reward to actually train ourselves.”

Mindfulness may also help with setting a goal. “We can place our mind on being more active or eating more fruits and vegetables. And if we place our intention there, it may be more likely that we’re going to carry through and make it happen.”

Learning To Be Mindful

If you want to practice mindfulness, there are many online programs and apps. But they’re not all created equal. Experts suggest looking for resources from medical schools and universities. Just like any skill, mindfulness takes practice. “Just because something is simple, doesn’t mean that it’s easy.” Mental training can take time and dedication. Aim for a few minutes of mindfulness each day to start. A body scan meditation can be a good way to connect with your body. It helps make you aware of how your body feels as you mentally scan from head to toe.

Start in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Take several deep breaths. Then, notice your feet. How do they feel? Let your scan travel up your body-legs, stomach, arms, hands, neck, and finally, head. Notice any sensations or discomfort. Try not to change or judge these feelings-you’re simply checking in. Doing body scans on a regular basis can help increase mindfulness.

Good Sleep for Good Health

Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.

But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.

Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.

There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,” she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality-that you get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep schedule.” People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress-like the current pandemic-can disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to improve your sleep.

Sleep for Repair

Why do we need to sleep? People often think that sleep is just “down time,” when a tired brain gets to rest, says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the University of Rochester. “But that’s wrong,” she says. While you sleep, your brain is working. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create. Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep.

“When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.” Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep. Everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado. “There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”

Environmental Wellness Checklist

What surrounds you each day in your home, work, or neighborhood can affect your health. Here are some tips to make your environments safer.

Make Your Home Healthier
Take a look around your home. Do you know what is in your household goods and products? Some chemicals can harm your health if too much gets into your body. Becoming aware of
potentially harmful substances and clearing them out can help keep you and your family healthy.

To reduce toxic substances in your home clean with non-toxic products and dust using a damp rag. Use a wet mop to clean floors. Vacuum with a HEPA filter. Open a window or use a fan to improve air circulation when you are cleaning. Have a good ventilation system. Wash your & your children’s hands often.

Who Needs Supplements

Your body needs different amounts of certain nutrients at different times in your life. For example, the ability to absorb and process some nutrients decreases with age. So older adults may need more of certain vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, and calcium.

People who avoid certain foods may also need a nutrient boost. For example, vitamin B12 is found only in animal products. “So, if you follow a vegan diet, you may not get enough B12 from food”.

Women who are pregnant, or may become pregnant, need a certain amount of folic acid. This helps prevent a type of birth defect called neural tube defects. And infants may need more vitamin D than the amount found in breast milk.

People with chronic health conditions also may need more of some vitamins and minerals, says Dr. Patricia Haggerty, who studies nutrition and the immune system at NIH. These conditions include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and some autoimmune diseases.

But whether you need a supplement-and which one or ones-isn’t something to guess at, Haggerty says. “Which supplements, the dosage, and so on, are things you should work out with your healthcare provider and or primary doctor.” Blood tests often can help determine whether you have a nutrient deficiency.