Making Time for Pleasant Activities

When life gets stressful, we can feel quite overwhelmed by the difficult situations we face. Maybe you’re weighed down by work demands that require constant attention. Maybe you’ve got a lot on your plate and are trying to juggle the needs of others and yourself without completely burning out. Or possibly you’re dealing with interpersonal conflict that weighs heavy on your heart and mind--say a difference of opinion or an argument that’s unsettling. 

When things don’t go your way, or you’re feeling stressed out, how do you tend to respond? It’s quite typical to become anxious, worried, and overwhelmed. Sometimes we think we can just “work a little harder” to resolve the stressors. We might jump into problem solving mode and add more expectations to ourselves, thinking this will help. In other situations, we may have urges to throw up our hands and give up, since the problem seems too big. Giving up can then lead us to feel disappointed in ourselves and prompt further sadness. Another option, which you may already be practicing, is making time for pleasant activities. Often, one of the best things we can do when dealing with a stressor is to take some time and space away from the situation. By engaging in something pleasant, we create distance from the stressor, tend to our self-care and mental health, and can usually return to the issue with a new perspective. 

Instead of viewing pleasant activities and events as things we can enjoy after we’ve tackled our work or responsibilities, think of them as vital pieces of our lives that deserve to be prioritized. Consider scheduling fun activities throughout the week, carving out longer windows of time on the weekends or as possible. Making sure pleasant events are part of your weekly routine will help reduce stress, boost mood, and help you feel more balanced and present. 

Ideas of Pleasant Activities

• Go to the lake or a river

• Pick up a pencil and paper and draw

• Go for a bike ride

• Stroll around your neighborhood

• Try out a new recipe

• Give a gift card or handwritten note to a friend

• Do a puzzle

• Take a walk in a park or on a trail

• Spend time gardening or tending to an indoor plant

• Play board games

• Color a coloring page

• Exercise and move your body

• Find a new hobby

• Book an appointment for acupuncture, massage, or reiki

• Have a picnic

• Do a house project or rearrange furniture

• Reach out to an old friend

• Stargaze at night

References

“Pleasant Activities to Do.” Retrieved from https://livingwell.org.au/well-being/mental-health/pleasant-things-to-do/

Vitamin D

You may have heard that researchers are studying whether or not healthy levels of Vitamin D have any impact on the severity of COVID-19 cases. Small studies are being conducted across the globe, and while there aren’t official conclusions, there may be benefits to boosting Vitamin D levels in our blood. 

Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” because it gets produced in our skin in response to sunlight. Simply exposing our skin to the sun allows us to naturally make Vitamin D. For some of us, however, getting enough Vitamin D through the sun isn’t possible, and we may have a deficiency. A simple blood test can help you determine if you have a Vitamin D deficiency.  

What does Vitamin D do for our Body?

Vitamin D regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which both contribute to healthy bones and teeth. It also facilitates normal immune system functioning. Healthy amounts of Vitamin D can reduce your risk of multiple sclerosis, decrease your chance of having heart disease, can help prevent the flu, helps regulate your mood to ward off depression, and boosts weight loss.  

How to Get Enough Vitamin D

Foods like salmon, herring, sardines, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks, and mushrooms naturally contain high amounts of this vitamin. Supplements are another option for increasing levels of Vitamin D, so if you’re interested in going this route, talk with your doctor to ensure proper dosage. Some factors can make it difficult to get enough Vitamin D, like living in an area with high pollution, living in cities where buildings block sunlight, wearing sunscreen, and having darker skin. Standing outside in the sun for 10-30 minutes, several times a week, is generally considered a safe way to maintain healthy Vitamin D levels in your blood.   

Local Places to get Vitamin D Levels Tested

LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics are two labs that have locations throughout Milwaukee. We encourage you to speak with your doctor and other healthcare providers if you’re interested in exploring your Vitamin D levels.  

Resources

Doheny, K. (2020). More Vitamin D, Lower Risk of Severe Covid-19? Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200518/more-vitamin-d-lower-risk-of-severe-covid-19

Jones, T. (2019). 7 Healthy Foods That are High in Vitamin D. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-foods-high-in-vitamin-d#6

Wilson, D. (2020). 3 Surprising Benefits of Vitamin D. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d   

Stress and Digestion

How do you typically react to a stressful event? Think back to something recently that made you anxious, worried, overwhelmed, or stressed out. If you go back to this specific memory, did you notice your heart beating more quickly? Did you become hot, sweaty, or flushed? The situation was likely uncomfortable, so did you have urges to suppress or avoid your emotions? Even after the event, did you still have lingering stressful thoughts or reactions? 

Unless you’re an extremely zen, perfectly peaceful person who spends your days meditating, you’re likely under a high amount of stress right now. Even our zen, mindful people experience stress, especially with the constant uncertainty and confusion about the state of our world. Although stress is common and normal right now, we must take steps to respond to it, move through it, and heal ourselves. Unaddressed stress can wreak havoc on our bodies, especially our digestive system. 

When we experience a stressful situation, our adrenal glands release cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. Cortisol makes our blood vessels function irregularly, adrenaline speeds up our heart beat and blood pressure, and bursts of norepinephrine are linked to panic attacks, hyperactivity, and increases in blood pressure. Problematic amounts of these three hormones can increase our chances of heart attack or stroke, while also affecting our digestion. You’ve likely heard about the brain-gut connection, which essentially is our understanding of how our brain communicates with a system of nerves that exist in the lining of our gut (our Enteric Nervous System or “second brain”). When our brain releases stress hormones, our digestion becomes disturbed, and we experience higher sensitivity to acid. Stress can also potentially cause digestive issues by altering the bacteria in our gut. This explains why we are more likely to experience heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea during stressful times.   

The good news is that we can be proactive about responding to stress. We can first observe how we’re feeling, what our mind is doing, and start to slow down our reactions. Once we acknowledge we are experiencing stress, we can take deep breaths and find ways to move through it. When we notice ourselves feeling stuck in worries, we can shift our focus toward something that will help us feel more calm and in control. 

Ideas for Reducing Stress

-Reconnecting with the body. Reconnecting with the body is a great way to get grounded and check-in with ourselves. This can be done through a body scan, gentle yoga movements, breathing practices, dancing, exercise, and other activities that help you get in touch with your physical presence. By focusing on the body, this often helps shift our attention away from ruminative thoughts. 

-Processing our emotions. Processing our emotions can also be a great place to start tackling stress. Sometimes, we need to take a few minutes to figure out what we’re thinking and feeling. This can be done through journaling, meditating, talking with a close friend/loved one/therapist, or whatever practices help you listen to your mind and soul with curiosity. 

We are here for you! Please reach out to any of our healers for specific ideas on tackling your stress. 

References

How Stress Changes the Brain and Body. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.mindful.org/how-stress-changes-the-brain-and-body/