Category Archives: Emotional Health

Giving Is Good for Your Health

The holiday season is full of opportunities to spread joy and do good in the world. Did you know that giving—whether helping someone, volunteering, making a charitable contribution, or giving a gift—is good for your mental and physical well-being? Let’s look at the science behind generosity and why giving is good for your health.

Many Reasons to Give Generously

From the times you’ve helped a friend or neighbor, you likely know that giving feels good. Interestingly, research suggests that giving results in more than just a good feeling. It positively impacts our health. In fact, caring for others helps your health so much it made our list of the five lifestyle choices you can make to prevent diseases and be well.

When you do kind things for others, your brain secretes “feel-good” neurotransmitters, including serotonin (which helps with your mood), dopamine (which we experience as pleasure), and oxytocin (which promotes inner peace). We then experience numerous mental and physical benefits as a result. 

How Is Giving Good for My Health?

Helping someone else also helps you! Being generous has been found to: 

  • Lower your blood pressure—to a similar extent as eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise!
  • Live longer. People who volunteer are more likely to live long and happy lives. 
  • Reduce stress. In addition to increasing levels of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, giving gifts or helping others can reduce your cortisol level, making you feel more calm and less stressed. 
  • Cause a “helper’s high,” as a result of the endorphins being released. This improves your self-esteem, increases happiness, and decreases depressed feelings. 
  • Promote social connection and community. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science demonstrated that when we give to others, they are more likely to give to someone else in return. This contagious spirit helps create communities who care for each other, which is central to good mental and physical health. 

How to Give Back When You’re on a Budget

Serving others does not have to cost much—or any—money. You still receive the same health benefits from acts of care when you don’t spend any money. Consider engaging in acts of kindness, such as walking a neighbor’s dog, doing someone’s chores, or smiling at everyone on the street. 

Create a Giving Tradition

A study in 2018 by Fidelity Charitable found that children who are raised in families with strong giving traditions and who are communicative about the value of giving back are more likely to give charitably as adults, be happy, and have closer relationships with their immediate and extended families. 

If you don’t have a giving tradition in your family yet, this might be the year to start! Involve everyone by volunteering as a family on a service project or for a particular shared interest, such as walking dogs at your local animal shelter or making a care package for community members who have less than they need. Also be sure to talk about the importance of generosity, empathy, and respect for others with your children. This legacy of giving you’re creating will benefit your own family and your whole community for years to come.

Emotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health

How to Be Well

While it’s common to think of just your body when you think of health, there are other vital parts to consider: how you think, feel, and act, and the social support system you have in place—in other words, your behavioral/mental health and social well-being. These components (physical, mental, and social) combine to make up your whole health picture.

What’s the Difference between Health and Wellness?

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being,” while wellness is “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups,” which is expressed as “a positive approach to living.” Another way of putting it is that health is the goal while wellness is an active way to achieve that goal.

You cannot choose the state of your health, but you can choose wellness and exercise some control over your health. These choices are often referred to as “lifestyle” choices.

How to Prevent Diseases and Be Well

Wellness depends on healthy habits for your mind and body. These habits, which can prevent a whole host of illnesses, are lifestyle choices that you have considerable control over: nutrition, exercise, relaxation, sleep, and support.
Nutrition: Eat a balanced diet and stay hydrated. To help stay on track with healthy eating, download the MyPlate app for free.

Exercise: Be active! Adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise and two days of muscle strengthening activity each week. This helps your body and your mind.

Relaxation: Disconnect from devices and live in the moment. Mindfulness practices, yoga, deep breathing, and other stress-reduction strategies can help you relax and build up your ability to deal with stressful situations in the future.

Sleep: Get a good night’s sleep. Adults typically need at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

Support: Strive to make and keep friends, learn new things and discover new hobbies, be part of an active group, and care for others and yourself.

In addition to making healthy lifestyle choices, you want to reduce risk factors as much as possible. This includes practicing safe, consensual sex; reducing or eliminating alcohol use; leaving abusive situations; and stopping smoking and other substance use.

How to Improve Mental Wellness

All healthy lifestyle choices contribute to mental health and wellness. When you eat a healthy diet, for example, it affects your mood and can even reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Exercise reduces depression and anxiety as well, and it improves self-esteem and cognitive function. Relaxation calms us and clears our minds, aiding in positive thinking, concentration, memory, and decision making. Sleep helps maintain cognitive skills and too little of it increases stress, anger, and worsens mental health conditions. Social support fosters self-esteem, combats loneliness, and reduces distress when you’re faced with stressful events.

Being well is an active process. You have to keep making choices and sometimes changes to reach your best well-being, and sometimes you’ll need help along the way. As a patient-centered medical home, we recognize your whole health and treat all of it in one place. One way we may be able to help is through our integrated behavioral health care.

What’s the Difference between Mental Health and Behavioral Health?

As we see with wellness and health, sometimes terms are used interchangeably. So, what exactly is mental health, behavioral health, and integrated behavioral health?

Mental health is about thoughts and feelings. It includes biological and social factors that influence our mental state. A healthy mental state enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.
Behavioral health has to do with the specific actions people take. It’s about how you respond in different scenarios, and includes mental health as well as substance use, life stressors, stress-related physical symptoms, and lifestyle choices.

Integrated behavioral health care connects medical and behavioral health providers together, to collaborate with each other and their patients. It is a way of recognizing our whole selves.

At DFD Russell Medical Center, we practice integrated behavioral health. This blends care for medical conditions and related behavioral health factors that affect well-being. Because your physical, mental, and social health interact and affect each other, integrated care is the gold standard. Our team works together to keep you healthy.

Emotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health

A New Year: New Ways to Achieve the Life You Want

Every year when the countdown to the new year begins, people around the world start the time-honored tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Gym memberships rises, new hobbies abound, habits are upended. While we, of course, support making healthy goals a reality, a personal resolution might not be the best method to actually achieve a goal.

Less than 10% of people stick to their New Year’s resolutions. We strive to be healthier, better versions of ourselves—an admirable aim—but with that track record, we might be better off looking at options beyond resolutions, which can lead to longer-term success, increased happiness, and improved mental wellness. Better results … better lives.

What Works Better than a New Year’s Resolution?

Rather than plunk all your hopes into a New Year’s resolution, consider crafting a New Year’s goal instead. Resolutions are the big ideas—lose weight, get healthy, learn a new skill. Goals, on the other hand, are how you get to the improvement: the steps you take on your journey to a better life.

How Do I Stick with my Goal?

To increase the likelihood your New Year’s resolution will last past the first month of the year, make your resolution a goal, and make that goal SMART. SMART goals are:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Using these criteria to guide your goal-setting helps make your goal clear and reachable. For more on how to create a health goal, look here.

New Ways to Celebrate the New Year

If you’re searching for how to honor the new year with a new tradition and you’re not interested in a new goal, consider writing a Look-Forward List, developing a self-reflection practice, or composing a letter to yourself. These three rituals can help you on your path to a better life and they don’t come with the pressure and failure rate that New Year’s resolutions have.

Look-Forward List

To increase your happiness, spend time savoring the anticipation of an experience. You might very well find that you enjoy life more by looking forward to life! Positive psychology research reveals it’s healthy to contemplate good times ahead, and it actually makes living in the present considerably easier. (Likewise, those who suffer from depression often experience a loss of positive anticipation.)

To fully embrace anticipation, take time as the New Year’s ball drops to write a list of what you’re looking forward to in the new year. What’s happening in the coming twelve months that you’re excited about? Big or small, include it all.

Reflect Back on the Year

January 1st is symbolically a new start. For many people, the big, bold resolutions they set cause undue anxiety. Instead, why not slow life down a notch? Rather than look ahead, look back. Consider what the past year has meant to you, pick up a pen, and reflect on questions such as:

  • How do I feel about the past year?
  • What matters most to me?
  • How do I want to be remembered?
  • What habits do I have and what habits do I want?
  • What are my strengths?

A review of the previous year helps to develop meaning and purpose in our lives. Meaning, or serving something larger than yourself, is a strong motivating factor. Connect with your core values, and let your goals naturally flow from your larger purpose. This gives you lasting motivation to power through the struggles you may experience as you work toward your goal.

Write Yourself a Letter

To combine self-reflection and anticipating experiences, consider a new New Year’s tradition: write yourself a letter on December 31. Go over how the year has been and what you wish for the coming year. Then, next year on January 1, open the letter you wrote yourself a year ago. This ritual gives you a chance to look back and reflect on how your life is going so far. By putting what we want into words and seeing it in concrete form, addressed to ourselves, we connect with our larger purpose and develop meaning in our lives—major sources of happiness, mental well-being, and ultimately a successful life.

AwarenessEmotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health

How to Garden for Your Health

Gardening is good for you. So good in fact, it:

  • Exercises your mind and body. Planning, preparing, planting, and tending to a garden gets you thinking and moving.
  • Builds self-esteem. When you learn to grow plants, you learn an important life skill and accomplish something new, lighting up the reward activity center in your brain.
  • Decreases your risk of dementia. Gardening may cut your chances of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 50 percent, studies show.
  • Lowers your blood pressure. Nature really is restorative!
  • Reduces tension and stress. Being outside and gardening lowers your cortisol levels and can help to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, giving you a chance to focus on something and put your mind to a task with an end goal.
  • Boosts your mood. Seeing plant life thrive and knowing you played a role in that growth is a smiling-inducing feat! Plus, gardening boosts your endorphin levels, and the daily dose of vitamin D does its job, too, in turn benefiting your bones and immune system.
  • Saves you money. According to the National Gardening Association, for every $1 you put into your garden, you get $8 back.
  • Gives you healthy produce. Fresh, local vegetables are loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, all of which has been shown to prevent cancer and promote health and wellbeing.
  • Improves your quality of life. How could it not, with this long list of benefits?

No wonder gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in America.

What is Container Gardening

If you’re short on space or new to gardening, consider getting started with a container garden. Container gardening is when plants are grown in containers rather than in the ground.

You’ll be surprised by how many vegetables can be grown in a small area, and you’ll have the added advantage of being able to move your containers around, controlling the amount of sunlight and warmth each plant receives to maximize its growth and food production. Plus, very limited weeding!

How to Start Container Gardening

First, choose what you want to grow. Easy plants to grow include herbs such as parsley, chives, basil, mint, and thyme. Additionally, lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, aloe vera, and zucchini are also fairly easy to grow and are known to thrive with container gardening.

Next, select the containers you’ll use. Old wheelbarrows, recycled food containers such as yogurt cups, terracotta pots, empty milk jugs, window boxes, and buckets all make suitable pots for plants. Choose a larger size than you think you’ll need to allow enough room for roots to grow. Make sure each container is clean and has at least one drainage hole (about ½ inch in diameter), which you can drill in if your container doesn’t already have one.

Then, use a potting mix or make your own with garden soil, compost, peat, and vermiculite to put into the container and put in your seeds or seedlings. If using seeds, each seed packet will tell you what conditions the plants need in terms of sun, space, and warmth, as well as how far down to put the seed in the soil. If you want an even easier option, start with seedlings instead.

Next, pick a spot. Most plants need at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Some gardeners keep container plants outdoors in the warmer weather, while others keep theirs indoors year-round.

Water, water, water. Plants in containers dry out more quickly than plants in the ground. Count on watering your plants every day, beginning on Day One.

Keep an eye on your plant as it grows. If it looks tall and spindly or there are bites taken out of it by pests, look up University of Maine Cooperative Extension or MOFGA gardening tips online to troubleshoot any problems that may arise.

Now that you’ve got your containers planted, it’s time to sit back and watch your garden flourish and—the best part—pick your vegetables when ripe and enjoy!

Emotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health

Sleep Hygiene for Better Health

We spend approximately one-third of our lives sleeping, but are we sleeping well? Sleep hygiene refers to the quality of sleep as well as lifestyle habits, sleeping routine and environment. When we focus on achieving more quality sleep, we start to see our physical, mental and emotional health benefit.

How much should I sleep each night?

Recommended sleep amounts vary for different stages of life. Newborns and babies should sleep for 14-17 hours, toddlers should average 12-14 hours, pre-teens should get 12 hours, and adults over the age of 18 should aim for 7-9 hours every night.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, it could show up as these symptoms:

  • Sleepy during the day
  • Being moody or irritable
  • Unable to focus or concentrate
  • Increased appetite
  • Skin becomes dull; dark circles form under eyes

The average person sleeps less than 7 hours per night.

Why is sleep so important?

Getting enough quality sleep affects your health in many ways. While we’re asleep, our bodies rest and repair themselves from soothing sore muscles, processing data in our brain and building up our immune system. Good sleep also:

  • Regulates hormones
  • Improves cognitive function
  • Aids in weight management
  • Reduces risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke


Getting quality sleep each night also benefits your emotional and mental health. In fact, consistent, quality sleep has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression.

What can I do to get more sleep?

When we think of getting quality sleep, we usually think of the actions we do right before bed. However, all the actions and decisions we make during the day affect our sleep. To help make sleep hygiene a priority to your health, consider the following lifestyle choices.

During the day

  • Wake up at the same time every morning
  • Exercise regularly; move your body every day
  • Drink plenty of water; eat nutritious foods

During the afternoon

  • Avoid taking naps
  • Limit caffeine and sugar intake
  • Get exposure to natural light (it helps regulate your circadian rhythm)

During the evening

  • Turn off electronics 1 hour before bed
  • Avoid nicotine, alcohol and other substances
  • Create a ritual that promotes relaxation

Your relaxation ritual can include anything that makes you feel less stressed and ready to fall asleep. This could be reading a book, a warm shower, yoga or stretching, journaling, or listening to soft music.



Takeaway: Your actions and behaviors during the day affect your sleep at night, which in turn affects your overall wellbeing and quality of life. Creating a lifestyle that supports healthy sleep hygiene is important to your short and long-term physical and mental health.

If you have issues with the amount or quality of your sleep, contact your healthcare provider. They can help to determine any potential sleep disorders or other lifestyle changes that will aid in your health.

Emotional HealthGeneral NewsMental HealthPhysical Health

Fresh Air for Your Health

The average American spends 90% of their time indoors. When we spend too much time inside, we tend to become more sedentary which puts us at risk for serious health concerns. Scientific studies have shown that regular time spent outdoors is beneficial to all aspects of our health. To keep your health top of mind and help prevent any potential health concerns, make it part of your daily routine to get outside.

Physical Health Benefits:

  • Reduces stress by lowering cortisol
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Increases energy with increased endorphins
  • Boosts immune system
  • Improves sleep by balancing our natural circadian rhythms
  • Absorb Vitamin D for protecting bones, joints, and reducing inflammation

We get 90% of our Vitamin D levels from exposure to natural sunlight.

Mental Health Benefits:

  • Restores focus
  • Improves mood with increased dopamine
  • Lessens anxiety and depression
  • Enchances creativity
  • Relieves Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms

Surrounding yourself in “green spaces” will help to calm your mind.

Emotional Health Benefits:

  • Increases self-esteem
  • Improves social connections
  • Changes our perspective

What can I do to get outside more?

There are many things you can do to increase your time outdoors. These will depend on your location, the weather, and of course, your personal preferences. We’ve created a short list to get the ideas flowing:

  • Go for a walk around your neighborhood, the park, or a forest trail nearby
  • Take your workout outside
  • Have a work meeting outside
  • Enjoy your morning coffee or tea while sitting outside
  • Have a picnic in the park
  • Check out a farmer’s market
  • Listen to the birds, smell the ocean air, watch the wildlife

For time spent in direct sunlight start with 10-15 minutes a few times a week.


Be sure to wear sunscreen, sunglasses and appropriate shoes when implementing more outdoor time into your routine. It’s also important to note what type of environment you’ll be in (ex. the beach or the mountains), the forecasted weather, and what type of clothing will be appropriate for the activities you’ll be doing.

Emotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health

How Do I Create a Health Goal?

We all have our own reasons for creating health goals. Perhaps you’ve hit a plateau in your exercise routine or weight management plan. Maybe you’ve been wanting to improve your mental and emotional health. But what do you do if you haven’t created a health goal before? We’re glad you asked! We’ve put together a checklist of simple steps for you to take in order to get started.

 

  1. Visit your doctor. This is to discuss the current state of your health. They may be able to help you prioritize health goals, such as smoking cessation.

  2. Brainstorm options. While any one health goal can have a domino effect on your overall wellbeing (quitting smoking improves lung health but may also improve sleep quality, for example), it may be best to start with one goal instead of overwhelming yourself with lots of options all at once.

  3. Define your “why.” Once you’ve decided on your goal, become crystal clear and specific as to why it matters to you. If it doesn’t matter that much to you, you won’t be nearly as invested, and you won’t stick with it.

  4. Make it reasonable. If your goal is unattainable, you may give up altogether or look to unhealthy tactics in order to achieve it. Make sure it’s realistic and follows the steps stated above.

  5. Be specific. Instead of saying, “This year I want to lose 40 pounds” break it down into specific and actionable steps. Try, “This week I’m going to drink more water and prepare more fruits and vegetables into my meals” or “I’m going to lose one pound this week.” When it seems achievable, you’ll be more empowered.

  6. Set a deadline. You’ll want your deadline to be like your goal—specific, reasonable and attainable. You want to be challenged to reach it, but you also want to set yourself up for success too.

  7. Ask for support. It’s okay to ask for help! Whether you’re looking for an accountability buddy or need medical guidance, asking for help takes courage and strength and shows how important your goal means to you.

  8. Be persistent. Even on the days when you don’t think you can do it, show up for yourself. You’ve created small, actionable steps and every day that you act on them, is a day you move closer to achieving your goal.

  9. Keep track. Whether you create a journal, a diary, a notepad or writing entries on your calendar, keep track of the actions you’re taking towards this goal.

  10. Reward success. Each time you reach a new portion of your goal—celebrate yourself! This reminds you of your “why” and will help keep you motivated.

 

If you’re having trouble defining a goal or the actions needed to attain it, reach out to your primary care provider. At DFD, your health is our number one goal.

Emotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health

Is Stress Harming Your Health?

Not only is stress a nuisance, it’s harmful to your health. Let’s talk about some common causes and treatments so you can be more present for the important things in your life.

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural response made by our central nervous system. Our brain tells our adrenal glands to supply our body with cortisol and sends us into “fight or flight” mode. This response once helped humans evolve and escape danger, but these days it’s causing an epidemic of chronic stress.

 

Did you know? A reported 77% of people experience stress symptoms every day.

 

Is Stress That Bad?

Short answer: yes. Some stress is good say, when you’re taking an exam or public speaking. But chronic stress, stress that is persistent, can exacerbate any present health conditions and potentially cause new ones such as:

  • Breathing conditions like asthma
  • Increase risk of developing type 2 diabetes
  • Upset the digestive system
  • Tighten muscles, particularly shoulders and back causing pain

 

If you don’t treat your stress symptoms, it will begin to harm your health. Constant stress can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental or emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression.

 

What causes stress?

There are different causes to stress: routine stress (work, family, relationships, money) sudden changes (loss of job, having to move, divorce, illness) and traumatic events (natural disasters, war/PTSD, serious accidents).

Everyone’s relationship to stress is different. What is stressful for you may not be to someone else. Trust your feelings and if you’re feeling stressed, seek help.

 

How can I treat stress?

As there are many causes to stress and potential outcomes if untreated, there are many ways it can be treated:

  • Recognize your triggers
  • Take time to truly relax
  • Get active and stay active
  • Eat a nutritious diet consistently
  • Talk with friends or professionals
  • Yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques will lower your heart rate

 

Stress is different for everyone and everyone manages differently. If you need help navigating your life through stress, reach out to your DFD primary care provider to discuss a treatment plan.

Emotional HealthMental Health

5 Tips for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season

It’s officially the holiday season, meant for celebration, unity, and joy. And yet, it can also bring stress and exhaustion, compromising your physical and mental health. Here are five tips for staying healthy and happy during the holidays.

Keep Moving
You may be too tired from all the shopping or traveling, but it’s important to keep active! Science proves that exercising actually gives us energy by increasing blood flow, improving metabolism and releasing endorphins. If you’re feeling run down, take a walk to see the Christmas lights in your neighborhood, have a dance party while cooking, build a snowman—anything to keep moving. You’ll not only feel better, but you’ll also stay on track to meet your fitness goals.

Prevent Illness
This time of year, we come into contact with lots of people—and lots of germs. In order to stay free from the flu and other illnesses, wash your hands, get a flu vaccine, and stay home if you’re feeling unwell. If anyone you’re visiting is sick, stay away! You don’t want to ruin your holiday celebrations by getting sick.

Eat Well
With all the sweet treats around it’s hard not to indulge. But here’s the thing—it’s okay as long as you don’t overdo it. If you go into the season forbidding yourself to eat anything decadent, you’re bound to give in and over-indulge. Stay hydrated, eat balanced meals (vegetables, fruit, clean proteins and grains), and give yourself permission to enjoy your favorite indulges in moderation.

Pro Tip: Don’t show up to a party hungry! You’ll end up eating more and probably not the healthy stuff.

Lower Stress
By visiting all your loved ones, attending celebrations, and meeting everyone else’s needs, taking care of yourself falls to the wayside. Our mental health is incredibly important and determines how we relate to others, make healthy choices, and handle our emotions. Meditation and breathing exercises are great for immediately reducing the feelings of stress, but any way that you choose to practice self-care will help keep your stress low.

Sleep More
You may be staying up late decorating or wrapping presents but don’t sacrifice a decent night’s sleep just to get things done. A lack of sleep can interfere with blood sugar levels and make you crave high-carb, high-sugar food choices that will derail your healthy eating and exercise routine. Sleep helps your body’s immune system to function properly, fending off germs and illnesses and keeps you well rested to better deal with the tasks ahead.

 

By keeping your health top of mind during this busy time of year, you can truly be present and enjoy spending time with your loved ones. Try to incorporate some—or all—of these lifestyle tips into your routine to stay happy and healthy during the holidays.

 

Emotional HealthMental HealthPhysical Health