Better Mental Health: Princeton Counseling Service

Professional, caring counselors for the challenging times in your life.

Tips for Staying Healthy While Working from Home

by

For some people, working from home is a normal routine. This is, after all, the gig economy, and many people have been freelancing, making a living from their home office for many years now. But for others, working from home is a completely new phenomenon brought about by the global pandemic.

For this second group of people, working from home has completely changed their day-to-day lives, and many have found their overall health has taken a toll. With lockdowns and social distancing still mandated in many areas of the country, it’s a good idea to discuss some things you can do to stay healthy while you continue to work from home:

Keep Your Routine

We’ve all heard the stories of people admitting they aren’t showering as often and are staying in their PJs all day. While this was fun and novel at the beginning of the pandemic, allowing this to continue can negatively impact your mental and physical health.

It’s important to keep a daily routine. This means setting an alarm, showering, dressing, etc.

Get Exercise

You may not even realize how much more you used to move around at your office or place of work. The office kitchen and bathroom were probably farther away, and you took breaks just to chat with coworkers. It’s important that you get up from time to time and move around at home as well.

Stock Up on Healthy Food

It will be FAR TOO EASY to put on weight when working from home unless you make sure to get rid of most junk food and instead, stock up on healthy food and snacks.

Stay Connected

Not everyone is cut out for working from home as it can be isolating. If you’re used to being around a lot of people and are feeling lonely, be sure to check in with friends and coworkers throughout the day.

None of us really know when life will return to normal. If you are forced to work from home at this time, be sure to follow these tips so you can stay healthy!

 

SOURCES:

Filed Under: Nutrition, Sports / Exercise, Telehealth

Yes, Virginia, You Can Learn to Love… Okay Like, Exercise

by

Hate exercising? You’re definitely not alone. At any time during the year, thousands of people across the country commit to working out, only to fall off the wagon weeks later.

So what gives? Why does exercising feel so hard and is there any possible way to like it more?

Exercise feels like a chore because there are so many misconceptions (AKA myths) out there surrounding it. The best way to like exercise is to put some of these myths to bed.

Let’s DO THIS…

Myth #1: You Need to Exercise X Minutes a Day for X Days a Week

Most people think there is a certain magical number of days and minutes of exercise, and if we hit it, we have exercised “enough.” But what happens is, people who are not in the best shape hit the gym hard for 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. And this is simply too much for them all at once and they eventually quit.

There IS NO magic number. The real magic begins by simply moving your body more. So don’t focus on a number, focus on creating a better habit in yourself and moving your body more each day.

Myth #2: Exercise is Boring

Then you aren’t doing the right exercise for YOU. No one says you MUST take a spinning class or a yoga class. No one says you MUST run 5 miles a day or do 100 squats a day.

What do you enjoy? If you like dancing, take dance classes every week. Do you like to swim? Maybe you used to play tennis and it would be fun to get back into it.

There are almost endless activities and ways to move your body, so pick something that isn’t boring to you and do that.

Myth #3: No Pain, No Gain

Wrong.

Now I guess we should start by discussing what “pain” actually means. If you haven’t moved your body very much except to walk from the sofa to the kitchen to retrieve another beer, then yes, you can expect that your muscles might get a little sore. But sore and pain are NOT the same thing.

If, while you are working out, you feel any kind of real pain, STOP immediately. This is particularly true if you are over the age of 50 and very out of shape. Nothing should hurt on your body. This is a sign that you are pushing yourself too hard. When you workout so hard that you can barely move the next day… well, you are hardly going to want to do it all over again.

Go slow, pace yourself, don’t try and be a hero.

If you kick these 3 myths to the curb, choose an exercise you enjoy and just try and move your body a little bit each day, you may find that after a while you… (GASP!)… enjoy exercise!

 

SOURCES:

Filed Under: Sports / Exercise

How to Help Your Child Balance School and Extracurricular Activities

by

There was a time when young kids went to school, came home and did a little homework, then went outside to play with their friends. Their schedules were open and easy for them to handle.

Nowadays, more and more young kids are involved in so many activities they don’t seem to have time to play in the backyard. On top of school, many kids are involved in two or three team sports, music lessons, and church activities. These kids often struggle to keep up with their school & extracurricular activity load and find themselves anxious and having trouble sleeping.

Alvin Rosenfeld, M.D., a child psychiatrist and author of The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap, believes that enrolling children in too many activities is a nationwide problem. “Overscheduling our children is not only a widespread phenomenon, it’s how we parent today,” he says.

“Parents feel remiss that they’re not being good parents if their kids aren’t in all kinds of activities. Children are under pressure to achieve, to be competitive.”

Kids Want to Please Their Parents

While we may think we are doing our kids a service by signing them up for activities we think they’ll enjoy and will build character and confidence, we must understand that they may not want or be able to handle so much.

Some of us may look back on our own childhoods with regret and dismay and vow that our kids will have more. These good intentions often turn into childhood nightmares for our kids. We mean well, but it’s just too much for them to handle.

Here are some things parents can do to help their children balance their schoolwork and extracurricular activities:

Lighten Up

Parents need to lighten up and remember that childhood is supposed to be fun! There will be plenty of time to be serious when they are adults. Try to put less pressure on your child to achieve something grand, and spend more time making happy memories together.

Understand the Benefits of Self-Direction

Independent work and play times are highly beneficial to the developing mind and ego. Alone time also helps children process their experiences and de-stress.

Talk to Your Child

You won’t know if your child is struggling to keep up with his or her activities unless you talk openly with them about it. If some activities need to be removed from the schedule, work with your child to figure out which one(s) to keep and which to let go.

 

Extracurricular activities like music, arts, and sports can definitely play an important role in your child’s development. Just make sure your child does not become overwhelmed by too many activities.

If you’re looking for an expert to help your child manage their stress and avoid becoming overwhelmed, please reach out to me today.

 

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200301/the-overbooked-child

https://www.everydayhealth.com/kids-health/balancing-school-with-extracurricular-activities.aspx

https://childmind.org/article/finding-the-balance-with-after-school-activities/

Filed Under: School & Academics, Sports / Exercise, Teens/Children