General

Halfway through the semester!

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Congrats. You are halfway there!

You’ve navigated all the exams, papers, and other obstacles in your way to arrive at the mid-point of the semester. Take a moment. Reflect on where you are. Give yourself a pat on the back. Now is the time to start thinking about your game plan to finish the semester strong. 

Make a schedule or routine.  

The last couple of months in the semester can seem like a lot with assignments, projects, and extracurricular activities. Take a minute to consider your priorities, and schedule time for the things that matter the most. 

Don’t skip classes.

It can be tempting to skip a class to catch up on something else, or to multitask during virtual classes. Try not to fall into this trap. You will eventually fall behind. Instead take a breath. Examine your schedule. Remember that you are paying for your classes! You can’t “make up” a class. Find time elsewhere if at all possible. 

Give yourself a comfortable work space.

You’ve most likely found what works for you in terms of study spaces. If you haven’t or you want to switch up, consider creating a comfortable space that puts you in a good mood. Good Mood = Productivity 

Prioritize time and energy.  

You are in the phase of the semester where everything demands your attention. You may have competing assignments – like a homework assignment due tomorrow and a paper due the day after that. Although the homework assignment is due first, it may beneficial to spend more time on the paper which is a greater percentage of your grade. Prioritize! 

Enjoy the Break 

Find ways to inspire joy and rejuvenation during your time off of classes later this week. Taking some time for you will help set yourself up for success the rest of the semester.

How to Build Healthy Habits

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The Science of Healthy Habits

Humans are creatures of habit, following similar rhythms each day. But changing our rhythms towards health can be difficult! Here are strategies, backed by research, for forming new healthy habits: 

Stack Your Habits

Look for patterns in your day and connect new habits with existing ones. For example, while you brush your teeth, you might stand on one foot to practice your balance. Or every day when you get back to your residence after class, start with a healthy snack and mindful moment before you succumb to your work or couch. 

Start Small 

Big behavior changes require high motivation that is difficult to sustain. Instead, consider tiny changes to make the new habit as easy as possible. 

Do it Every Day

Habits take a long time to create but they form faster when we do them more often. You’re more likely to stick with a habit if you do a small version of it every day rather than big, deep versions of it a few times a week.

Make it Easy

Set yourself up for success by removing friction to your success, or adding friction to the habits you want to avoid. Sleep in your workout clothes to make it easier to wake up and move. Choose a mini-habit that requires minimal equipment. Make the healthy choice the easy choice! 

Make it Fun

Try adding habits with fun built in – listen to a good audiobook or podcast while doing your new habit. Do your new activity with someone you adore. Create reward systems that will motivate you. 

For more habit-changing advice, check out the Learning Center’s website.

Social Distancing FAQs for College Students

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Social distancing is the idea of actively avoiding crowds to slow the spread of illness. Specifically, the CDC asks us to cancel any activity of more than 50 people and only hold a gathering of smaller size if you can ensure hand hygiene practices and that people keep at least 6 feet away from others. They want us to do this for at least the next 8 weeks.

The CDC is asking you – yup, you (and me too!) – to stay away from folks. We realize that is easier said than done, and still likely leaves some questions.

Please don’t. If you ignore the guidance on social distancing, you will essentially put yourself and everyone else at much higher risk.

You still have a risk from Coronavirus, even as a young person.

Plus the community needs your help in slowing the virus. People who show only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all can pass the virus to many, many others before they even realize they are sick. So you could infect your older or high-risk loved ones or community members with chronic illness, as well as contribute to the number of overall people infected, causing the pandemic to grow rapidly and overwhelm the healthcare system.

We know social distancing is tough, especially for college students who are used to gathering in groups. But even cutting down the number of gatherings, and the number of people in any group, will help.

Yes.

It’s O.K. to go outdoors for fresh air and exercise — to walk your dog, go for a hike or ride your bicycle, for example. The goal is not to remain indoors, but to avoid being close to people.

You may need to leave the house – for medicines or other essential resources.

There are things you can do to keep yourself and others safe during and after these excursions.

When you do leave home:

  • Wipe down any surfaces you come into contact with
  • Disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer and avoid touching your face.
  • Frequently wash your hands — especially whenever you come in from outside, before you eat or before you’re in contact with the very old or very young.

Yes. Stock up to minimize the number of trips, and pick a time when the store is least likely to be crowded.

When you do go, remember that any surface inside the store may be contaminated. Use a disinfecting wipe to clean the handle of the grocery cart, for example.

Wearing gloves is not as effective as washing your hands.

Put your phone somewhere in accessible so that you don’t absent-mindedly reach for it while shopping to avoid getting more germs on your phone.

Put hand sanitizer in your vehicle and sanitize when you leave the store.

When you get home, wash your hands right away. Re-wash after putting away your items.

Those at high risk may want to avoid the store if they can help it, especially if they live in densely populated areas. Ask for someone at lower risk to help you by picking up groceries when they go to the store.

Some places have closed down restaurants and bars for the next few weeks, but if you’re not in one of those places, there are not rules about this yet.

In general, avoid going out to restaurants.

If you’re going to go – choose somewhere that has a lot of space and staff you trust who likely practice good hygiene.

Better yet, opt for takeout.

If you’re concerned for the restaurant’s financial future, purchase a gift certificate that you can redeem later.

That depends on how healthy they are.

People who are sick or returning from recent travel should not visit. If you have vulnerable people in your home, limit visitors.

But if everyone in your home is young and healthy, then some careful interaction in small groups is probably OK. The smaller the gathering of healthy people, the lower the risk will be.

Keep checking in with loved ones by phone or plan activities to do with them on video.

We do encourage you to keep active during this time. Bike rides, hikes, walks, outdoor workouts on your own or with only the people who live in the same home as you are all encouraged.

Playing sports or yard games adds risk. You can minimize that risk by:

  • Ensuring that everyone who plans to play is young and healthy
  • There will be less than 10 people
  • Avoid high fives and huddles
  • Wipe down any shared objects (balls, discs, bats) during breaks
  • Have hand sanitizer nearby for everyone’s use
  • Wash your hands immediately afterwards

I’m worried about isolation. What can I do to make this easier?

Staying in touch with family and friends is more important than ever – just use technology instead of face-to-face interactions. Even imagining a warm embrace from a loved one can calm the body’s fight-or-flight response.

For more tips, see Managing Mental Health During Coronavirus. You can also call CAPS 24/7 at 919-966-3658 for mental health support.

We don’t know and it depends on how well we collectively succeed at social distancing now. Again, current CDC guidelines ask us to do this for 8 weeks.

Social distancing will help “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 outbreak, thus keeping the number of cases at a level that health care providers can manage and ensuring better care for any infected people. By complying with social distancing guidelines, college students — as well as the rest of the population — can do their part in slowing the spread of the pandemic.

For more details:

UNC’s guidelines to COVID-19 

CDC guidance 

It’s That Time of the Year Again…Allergy Season!

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Allergy season is quickly approaching which means we, along with our cars, will be covered in all that yucky pollen. OH! We can’t forget about all of the sneezing, red and itchy eyes, and sinus drainage that can happen either!

Instead of letting allergies take over your life, follow the tips listed below to help control or prevent allergy symptoms in the first place!

ALLERGY PREVENTION TIPS

  1. Neti Pot or Nasal Wash – Rinse your nose and sinuses of pollen daily with a Neti Pot or nasal wash spray to decrease allergen exposure.
  2. Vitamin C – Vitamin C is a naturally occurring water-soluble vitamin that boosts the immune system, and at higher doses it may act as a natural antihistamine. As vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, it may act as an alternative treatment for allergies. Vitamin C is also found in many foods such as strawberries, kiwi, mango, citrus fruits (oranges and grapefruit), bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower.
  3. Dust Mite Covers – Dust mites are insects that live in our bedding, crawl on our skin and eat our dead skin cells. The average bed as 1,000,000 dust mites. Use dust mite covers on your pillows, mattress and box spring to decrease contact with dust mites and keep them from aggravating allergies at night. This material is so tightly bound that dust mites cannot get through.
  4. Reduce Exposure to Allergens – Try to stay indoors as much as possible, wear sunglasses outside to protect your eyes, keep pets out of bedrooms, wash your hands after petting animals, and close windows and doors in your home.
  5. Cleanse Yourself of Pollen – If you have been outside, change your clothes and take off your shoes when you walk through the door so you don’t bring allergens into your home. Also take showers at night and wash your hair to help remove excess pollen.

OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) REMEDIES

When purchasing OTC medications, be sure to talk with your pharmacist to help you decide which product(s) would work best for your symptoms. They can also provide you with proper education and administration instructions.

  1. Nasal Corticosteroid Sprays such as Fluticasone (Flonase), Budesonide (Rhinocort), and Triamcinolone (Nasacort) – Help to reduce swelling and congestion in nose and sinuses.
  • They work best when you use them everyday
  • It may take 2 or more weeks of steady use for symptoms to improve
  • Side effects: dryness, burning, stinging, and nose bleeds
  1. Oral Antihistamines such as Fexofenadine (Allegra), Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), Loratadine (Claritin), Cetirizine (Zyrtec) – Help to relieve sneezing, itching, runny nose, and watery eyes.
  • Can be bought as a pill, capsule, or liquid
  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) causes the most drowsiness
  • Side effects: dry mouth, constipation, and drowsiness
  1. Decongestants such as Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), Oxymetazoline (Afrin Nasal Spray) – Help to relieve stuffiness and pressure caused by swollen nasal tissue.
  • Use over a short period, no longer than 3 days
  • Sudafed products are found behind-the-counter at pharmacies and you must be 18 years or older to purchase with a valid ID (driver’s license or passport)
  • Phenylephrine (Sudafed PE) is another OTC decongestant product, BUT it is no more effective than placebo for nasal congestion, so it is not recommended
  • Side effects: insomnia, increased heart rate or blood pressure, nervousness
  1. Eye Drops such as Artificial Tears, Ketotifen Fumarate (Zaditor, Alaway) – Help to relieve itchiness, redness, burning, and swelling associated with eye allergies.
  • There are many types of OTC eye drops including artificial tears, decongestants, antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, and anti-inflammatory drops
  • Artificial tears are lubricants that help wash allergens out of the eyes.
  • Only antihistamine eye drops are available at The Healthy Heels Shoppe and Student Stores Pharmacy that mainly work to relieve itchy eyes.

It is important to talk to your doctor before starting a new medication. Make sure that a new allergy medication won’t interfere with other medications or medical conditions. Additionally, if avoiding allergens and taking OTC medications is not enough to ease symptoms, make sure to contact your doctor to receive further medical care.

 

References:

 

 

 

Revolutionize Your New Year’s Resolution: Tips for Weight Loss, Exercise, and Healthier Eating

Sara StahlmanLeave a comment

Are you considering a New Year’s resolution of weight loss? Or eating healthier? Or changing your exercise routine? Revolutionize your body – and your resolution – using the tips below.

Start with the right perspective

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Image “Hold the Sun” by Alexander Redmon at FreeImages.com

  • Think of your body as an instrument instead of as an ornament. Be thankful every day for all of the wonderful things you can do such as dance, play, run, enjoy good food, and give hugs. Your body will continue helping you be healthy even if you don’t change a thing in 2018.
  • Love yourself. You and your body work hard, every day, to move through life. Acknowledge and be grateful for all of that goodness. Studies show that people who hold their bodies in high regard are much more likely to take good care of their bodies.
  • Change the messages you say to yourself. Identify the negative ways that you speak to yourself and make a decision to replace that self-talk with more realistic, loving, and positive statements. Tell yourself you are handsome, beautiful or strong, and mean it!

Fuel yourself, mindfully

  • When you eat, be mindful. Focus on your food. Pick one place to sit down and eat (ideally, at home). Eating while doing other things like watching TV or reading can lead us to miss our body cues such as being satisfied or feeling actual hunger (rather than a craving). Use the principles of intuitive eating to help with this – many are included in this article.
  • Listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired. It takes some time to re-learn the ability to hear your body cues. You can pause in the middle of eating to ask yourself how the food tastes and how full you are feeling. Same goes with a workout or an end-of-the-day activity – give yourself permission to stop when you need a rest.
  • Choose foods that honor your health and taste buds while making you feel well. Incorporate nutrient-dense foods, foods that satisfy your hunger and foods that bring you pleasure. There is no forbidden food!
  • Balance your plate with the right proportions of food. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends the following:
    • Half of your plate should be filled with low-starch vegetables (like broccoli, asparagus or Brussels sprouts)
    • One fourth of your plate should have a high-protein food (like lean meat, poultry, fish, peanut butter, eggs or tofu)
    • One fourth of your plate should have grains (like rice or bread) or starchy veggies (like potatoes or plantains).
    • To round out your meal, add a glass of water or milk and a serving of fruit for dessert.
  • Consider using smaller portions. Keeping tabs on your portion sizes helps you eat a diverse array of foods because you won’t fill up on a plate-sized anything. Try using your hands! Like a handful of potato chips or blueberries or a fist-sized portion of pasta or mashed potatoes.

Move your body more!

  • Exercise to feel good and be healthy, not to lose weight or “make up for something you ate earlier.” Find fun ways to add more physical activity in your life, such as going for a walk with a friend or playing basketball with your roommate. Moving your body should be something you look forward to doing.
  • Move with your head held high. If you act like someone with positive body image and high self-confidence, the act will eventually become reality.
  • Rest. Sleep helps our body in a myriad of ways, like balancing your mood, appetite and energy levels (to name a few). If you struggle to sleep, check out some tips and info to help you sleep better.

Feel good.

  • 487712653_3d4a3d4953_m

    Image “Self-Hug” by Evan Long, Flickr Creative Commons

    Focus on how you feel instead of how much you weigh. How much a person weighs depends on all kinds of factors, many of which are outside our locus of control such as genetics and the environment around us. Instead of focusing on whatever that scale says, focus on how amazing it makes your body feel when you eat nourishing food and move your body.

  • Surround yourself with people who are supportive of you and your body. These folks love you no matter what you look like or how much you weigh.

Doing the above in 2018 just might make you feel better about yourself and feel better overall.

Revolutionize your resolution! LOVE YOURSELF.

Creating a Sleep Sanctuary

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“Sleeping” by Shannon Kokoska. Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.

Sleep. Wonderful, elusive sleep. When you sleep well, you mind is rested and your body is restored after the wear and tear of everyday life. People who get 8-10 hours of sleep a night have been found to run faster, have lower stress levels, avoid accidents, and live an overall happier life. But what happens when our commitments interfere with our sleep schedule?

Being in college can–unfortunately for many–mean sacrificing getting a proper night’s sleep in order to balance academics, extracurriculars, and a fulfilling social life. The negative effects of sleep deprivation are well documented, and can range from impaired memory and critical thinking skills, weight gain, and even severe health problems like heart disease over time. You can implement proven techniques that support normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness.

How can I make my own “sleep sanctuary”?

  • Light: One simple step to start with is to be conscious of the light in your bedroom. Blue light from phones, computers, TVs, and even LED lights can disrupt the body’s sleep cycle and interrupt the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your sleep patterns. Sometimes, though, late night homework and phone usage happens. Apps like f.lux can help minimize the amount of blue light coming from your screen, so late night study sessions (or Netflix) won’t impact your sleep quite as much.
  • Stress Management: Managing your anxiety and stress, particularly before sleep, helps you get a good night’s sleep. Although exercise during the day can help reduce anxiety and stress, intense exercise soon before bedtime can actually provide a boost of energy that will keep you up longer. In the evening, focus on yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises to bring down your stress and anxiety in a sleep friendly way.
  • Move your Clock: Alarm clocks can also be a serious detriment to sleep. Looking at the clock while trying to fall asleep can increase anxiety, making it harder for people to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. Researchers suggest you turn your clock away from you or keep it far enough away so you can’t see the time when you wake up in the middle of the night.
  • Use your Bed for Sleep: Make your bed a sacred space. TV, laptops, and video games in bed might feel comfy and convenient, but it also puts a good night’s sleep at risk. Use your bed only for sleep and self-care, like stretching and reading.

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“Empty Bed” by Lillie Kate. Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

What are some things you’d want in your sleep sanctuary? Let us know in the comments!

This blog was originally posted in September 2016 by Kristan Rosenthal. It has been edited for clarity. 

We’re hiring!

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searsteambuildingDo you have what it takes to be a paid Healthy Heel? We are seeking 2 undergraduate student employees with creative experience for 10 hours per week of paid work from May 2017 – May 2018 or August 2017 – May 2018. If you are fun, engaged, collaborative and ready to gain experience spreading health on campus, click below to learn more.

Videography / Photography Intern

Graphic Design Intern

 

How You Can Have a Healthier Relationship…with Food!

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A healthy relationship… with food?

You’ve probably heard of a “healthy relationship” with family, with friends, or with a partner, but we talk less often about our relationships with food in terms of their health — beyond simply what we consume and when. A relationship with food is psychological, financial, social, and cultural as well as physical. Like any other healthy relationship, a healthy relationship with food is free of fear or the feeling of being controlled or out of control.

What impacts our relationship with food?

Our relationships with food are impacted by our life experiences and the systems around us. For example, the fad diet industry often uses body-shaming tactics and capitalizes on our desire to be “good” or “healthy” people in its mission to sell more products. These techniques often also promote the idea that some foods are inherently “good” and others are inherently “bad.” You’ve probably heard a friend say, “I’ve been so bad today — I ate (fill in the blank).”

However, there are no “good” or “bad” foods — and furthermore, what we consume can’t make us “good” or “bad” people! Just like eating kale all the time doesn’t make you somehow better or more moral, a bag of chips doesn’t suddenly make you a “bad” or “unhealthy” person. A healthy relationship with food involves knowing that your morality or value as a person is not determined by what you consume.

Our relationships with food can also be shaped by a desire to attain an (often unrealistic) “ideal” as portrayed on TV, in movies, or through other media. This ideal of “health” or “fitness” often depends on visible body shape/size, and provides a very narrow window of “healthy” shapes/sizes. However, research tells us that we cannot tell how healthy a person is — or how healthy his/her/their relationship with food is — by the size or shape of her/his/their body.

Overall, our bodies need different things at different times. Only you can determine what’s best for you based on your body, access to resources, and belief systems. One rule or set of guidelines does not apply to everyone in regards to diet, and people have many different ways of getting the nutrients we need.

Image from Pinterest

What can I do to have a healthier relationship with food?

  • Remind yourself that your value does not depend on what you eat, and that there are many more ways to be healthy than are shown in the media.
  • Listen to your body. To the extent that you are able, try to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. Don’t wait for your hunger or your fullness to “yell” at you – keep in touch with what your body needs to the best of your abilities based on your access to resources. This can take practice!
  • Don’t be so hard on yourself! Being rigid and restrictive about what foods you “allow” yourself to eat can be harmful to your body and your mind. Focusing excessively on what foods you have eaten, or counting calories obsessively, are often a sign of an unhealthy relationship with food.
  • Pick the foods that give you the energy to do what you do during the day. After all, that’s what calories are — energy! The more nutrients that come along with that energy, the better.

Find more information:

Balanced eating as a vegan or vegetarian

Finding balanced and nutritious foods on a budget

Eating intuitively

Nutrition resources at UNC

If you feel concerned for yourself or a friend, or want to talk more about your relationship with food, you can find more information and contact options here.

This article was originally published September 4, 2014, by Mary Koenig, a program assistant for Student Wellness. She was in the school of Social Work and Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill.

Sorting Hat Quiz: Is your Relationship Healthy?

Kristan R.1 Comment

Unfortunately, determining if your relationship is healthy isn’t as easy as finding out if you’re a Gryffindor. If only!  After all, relationships, whether romantic or any other kind of sexual connection, are complex interplays between people, and it can be hard to gain clarity on people and situations closest to us. This is why it’s important to regularly reflect on how your relationship is going and check in with yourself and your partner. Nonetheless, Loveisrespect.org has some great resources including quizzes on whether your relationship is healthy, unhealthy, or abusive that can help you identify  your own behaviors as well as those of your partner(s).

After you check out the quizzes, consider:

  • People in all relationships (healthy, unhealthy, or abusive) can feel love, care, and affection for each other, and enjoy each other’s company.
  • But people in abusive relationships, or what UNC refers to as interpersonal violence, also use a wide range of abusive behaviors against their partner, including physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that cause the partner to feel intimidated, frightened, terrorized or threatened.
  • This abuse may happen during the relationship or after the relationship is over.  
  • These abusive behaviors are rooted in a need to maintain power and control.
  • Often, one partner has and seeks to maintain power and control.  It may also be possible that all partners may be engaged in a power struggle, with the person who has the power changing over time.  Researchers are still arguing about this.

Questions
Photo “Devious Question” by Zita, Flickr Creative Commons

What we do know is that, since abusive behaviors are about exerting power and control, they can be practiced both by those who are granted privilege in society and by those who have been made to feel out-of-control in their lives for some other reason—such as past trauma or oppression—and are seeking to regain a sense of power. Nothing—including past trauma—justifies abusive behavior.  But knowing more about who practices abuse can prompt us to be vigilant about our own behavior in relationships and ensure they’re healthy.
To learn more about how to develop healthy relationships, please see the LGBTQ Healthy Relationship curriculum, regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity.  If you think you are in an abusive relationship, or are wondering if you are, please see the resources at safe.unc.edu.

Anole Halper is a graduate intern with Student Wellness. They are getting a dual Masters in social work and public health. Their research interests include sexual violence prevention and LGBTQ health equity issues.

Supporting Friends Who Experience Interpersonal Violence

Kristan R.Leave a comment

Most of us know someone who has experienced interpersonal violence (sexual assault, abusive relationships, stalking, or harassment), and supporting that person can be difficult work.  Watching people who we love and care about suffer is never easy, and we often want to do anything that we can to help them feel better.  This is a wonderful impulse!  It can give us energy to provide lasting and meaningful support to others.  However, it can also encourage us to set up unhealthy boundaries as friends and allies.

The most powerful and generous gestures we can make to individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence are to

1) Listen to the experiences and emotions that they are sharing

2) Validate and Believe what they share and

3) Connect them to reporting and support resources that they feel comfortable seeking

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“Talk” by Matus Laslofi, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Folks often underestimate how meaningful these seemingly simple actions can be.  They worry that being “just a friend” or “just an ally” isn’t enough and sometimes take it upon themselves to “save” their friend and “fix” their problems for them.

When we feel this impulse to fix or solve, it can be helpful to think about how we are reacting to what is being shared with us.  It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, sad, anxious, afraid, angry or disheartened when our friends talk with us about their experiences with interpersonal violence.  We want to be cautious that we are not taking control of someone else’s experience because we feel out of control in the face of it.

When we take charge of other people’s experiences of interpersonal violence we:

1) Remove their power and control

2) Compromise their healing process

3) Make the situation about us and not about them

4) Force them to rely on us for support we cannot give

Listening, believing, and, sometimes, saying “I may not be the best person to help you with this, but I know someone else who can,” are often the most effective ways to empower our friends as they heal.

Being a helpful friend and ally means setting boundaries with our friends even when they ask us to support them in ways that make us feel uncomfortable or that seem unhealthy.  We cannot support others if we feel exhausted, anxious, angry or resentful.  We simply burn out.  When we are aware of our emotions, acknowledge our limitations, seek support for ourselves, and set boundaries, we ensure that the care that we offer to others is more meaningful and sustainable.  Being an ally doesn’t mean stopping our lives to “save” someone. It means guiding and supporting a friend to the resources they want in order to heal.

For more information about how to respond to and support folks who have experienced interpersonal violence sign up for a HAVEN training or visit the safe.unc.edu website.

This post was originally published October 2013. It has been edited for clarity.