Take a Break: Celebrate National Handwriting Day

National Handwriting Day takes place on January 23, the birthday of John Hancock, the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence. It was founded by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) in order to recognize the reward of composing a handwritten note using a high quality writing instrument.

Celebrate by trying some of the following:

• Hand write a note and send it to someone

• Learn about the history of handwriting

• Try Calligraphy. There are lots of videos and links on line. This is just one to get you started.

• Learn about John Hancock and his famous signature

• Stop by a stationary store (Staples will do if need be) and try writing with different pens.

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.

Life with chronic conditions: Impact of Government Shut Down

Congress failed to pass a stopgap measure so the federal government is now in partial shutdown as of midnight.

What this impacts

 Social Security, SSI, Unemployment insurance, TANF, Food Stamps: Benefits will continue, but applying and appealing may be stopped.

Medicare and Medicaid: Payment may be delayed for providers but the programs will continue to operate

Not Affected

• Veteran’s Hospitals

• Federal prisons

• Local Governments, schools, libraries etc.

• U.S. Postal Service (note that new rates go into effect on Sunday. A stamp will now cost. 50¢)

• Airports-Air traffic controllers, TSA officers and customs agents will continue to work at airports

• USDA Inspection of meat, poultry and eggs

• Federal Financial Aid-Note that 90% of the Education Department staff will be sent home

• Congress

• Supreme Court

• Special counsel’s Russia investigation

What is closed

• Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo

• National Zoo Panda Cam

• Federal office Buildings: Most departments and agencies will be shut down

• IRS Customer Service-Automated processes will continue but anything that involves people will be closed

• Disaster recovery efforts

• Many government research operations

• National parks though limited access will be available wherever possible.

 Possible Impact

• Federal courts: Will have three more weeks of funding

• Passport offices will likely remain open but not those in federal buildings

• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is funded through March.

• Military is currently paid through Feb. 1. After that they will not be paid until after the shutdown

• Department of Health and Human Services: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have a hard time with their annual flu programs. Reduced staffing is expected

Other Ways it can Impact

• Home buyers could face delays in closing. The Federal Housing Administration would halt new mortgage approvals. Since lenders often ask IRS to verify a potential buyer’s tax information, delays should be expected

Take a Break: Celebrate National Popcorn Day

January 19, Friday, is National Pop Corn Day. Celebrate by:

Learning the History of Popcorn

Try some Popcorn activities (other than eating)

Try some Popcorn recipes

Check out Best in the bag: America’s Test Kitchen Reviews Bagged Popcorns. The winner may surprise you.

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.

Life with Chronic Conditions: When They Can’t Figure Out What’s Wrong

Several people I know have a multitude of symptoms but no diagnosis. While this may seem frightening and unusual to them, many people have symptoms that they’ve been tested for in numerous ways yielding no definitive answer. Yes it would be nice sometimes if life could be like the TV doctor who figures out the mysterious illness and finds an effective cure all in less than 60 minutes. But that’s not reality and the elusive search for a diagnosis and ultimate cure can be a problem in and of itself.

As one doctor wrote, while there are many ways you can feel miserable, there are a finite number of ways the heart stops working causing death. Mystery Diseases (Diagnosing the Undiagnosable) The plus side of an extensive work up that yields no diagnosis, it also rules out the ways you could be at risk for premature death. Symptoms can get worse, persist or even get better, but in the interim, you aren’t going to die from them. Watchful waiting can sometimes yield the best results.

Please note that this pertains to adults and not children who have been experiencing symptoms from birth.

While you are “watchful waiting” consider the following.

You don’t need a diagnosis to feel better. Keep in mind that just because they can’t name your disease, it doesn’t mean you can’t get help controlling symptoms.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Study after study continues to show that MBSR helps those with chronic conditions as well as anxiety, pain etc. I had an opportunity to hear the founder of MBSR, Jon Kabat-Zinn speak several years ago at an academic hospital. He stated emphatically that docs should send patients that they didn’t know what to do with to an MBSR program since they were getting good results. While you can do MBSR on-line for free, it’s best to do it as part of a group.

See another doctor: Describe the symptoms and let the provider draw their own conclusion. Giving them another doctor’s diagnosis right off the bat can skew their thinking. Consider doctors of different specialties as well as those who are part of academic medical centers

Keep a personal health notebook/diary: Log symptoms and triggers as well as tests done, results, medications you’ve taken etc. Some on-line tools to help you get started.

Check your Meds: Whether it’s an over the counter medication, vitamin, supplement or a prescribed medication, side effects and interactions are very possible as well as having one of them mask symptoms that can help your doctor make a diagnosis. Be sure to let your provider know everything you’re taking, dosage and when you take them. 

Could it be Environmental? Talk to people in your neighborhood to see if they are having similar symptoms. If you travel and find that your symptoms disappear, this could an indication of an environmental issue as well as a reaction to a stressful home environment.

Resources

Patient Advocate Foundation

Syndromes Without a Name (SWAN)

Tips for the Undiagnosed from the NIH

Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) is a research study funded by the National Institutes of Health Common Fund. The UDN is made up of clinical and research centers across the United States working to improve diagnosis and care of patients with undiagnosed diseases. Physicians and patients with additional questions may call 1-844-746-4836 (1-844-Ring-UDN).

Take a Break: Check out Ursula Le Guin’s Blog

As I write this I’m battling something nasty my eldest son brought home for Christmas. The presents were wonderful, as was seeing him. The cough, fever and yucks I can do without. However, I’m fortunate that my brother-in-law sent me Ursula Le Guin’s newest book, which is of her blog posts. Really interesting reading. You can follow her blog, which is indexed (she’s been writing it since 2010) at her website.

 Don’t know Le Guin’s work? She is viewed as America’s “greatest living science fiction writer,” thought it’s not a title she’s comfortable with. She is the author of the Earthsea Trilogy. 

Not interested in today’s activity, go to the Take a Break Pinterest and pick out something else.

Life With Chronic Conditions: Embracing Change

I’m watching people in my community becoming unglued by upcoming changes due to school redistricting and the retirement of several principals. I came across a quote that I thought was not only appropriate for this situation, but also for anyone affected by chronic health issues- The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.

People are trying so hard to keep things as they know them, they’re not only missing opportunities but they’re making themselves and everyone around them miserable.

Whether it’s a change in health status, loss of a job, best friend moves away or something else, the unfamiliar can be an opportunity to steer yourself in a new more positive direction. However our natural inclination is to react with fear and concern. Part of it is our wiring-we fear the unknown. However, there are ways to handle change that make it less stressful.

Change is the one constant in life and by learning to accept and embrace it, we open ourselves to many new and wonderful opportunities.

Consider the following:

• Give yourself some breathing room: Take your time to understand what’s happened and don’t get caught up in a whirlwind of activity.

• Take care of yourself: It’s easy to let yourself eat bad food, skip exercise or even skip meds when you are distracted. While absorbing the changes, take care of yourself by eating healthy foods, socializing, getting enough sleep etc. Pamper yourself with healthy options.

• Accept that you don’t know it all: To learn something new you often have to change your mind. Not something we like to do but if we aren’t willing to change our ideas, we’re not going to grow and change will be more difficult.

• Silence your “reptile brain.” We’re programmed for survival and so we often function like there is a tiger that’s going to pounce on us at any minute. We imagine the worse possible things, which rarely if ever come true and if they do, they aren’t half as bad as we imagine.

• Grow flexibility: Try something new. Get in the habit of trying new things-maybe even once a day. Seek out new perspectives. Really listen to other ideas. Try to argue both sides of a debate. The more flexibility you develop the easier change becomes and the more you can live comfortably with a certain level of uncertainty.

• Review past changes in your life: Sometimes by examining other times in your life when major changes have occurred you’ll find that not only did you weather them just fine, but they often produced some very positive results.

Take a Break: Repurpose Holiday Decorations for Year Round Use

 As the holiday decorations come down, and your wondering how you could have amassed so much stuff, a lot of which you no longer use, consider ways that various items can be re purposed.

Balls & Ribbon: If you have the space and containers, store by color so they can be taken out and used year round.

Red, white and blue-patriotic holidays

Red, White-Valentine’s Day

Red, Gold: Chinese New Year

Green, Gold and Purple-Mardi Gras

Green, white-St. Patrick’s Day

Pastels-Easter

Black, yellow, orange, purple: Halloween

Orange, yellow, brown: Thanksgiving

Metallic, silver ornaments can be used year round particularly when mixed with natural materials such as sea grass, twine or wood. Place in a bowl or glass vase.

Balls can be hung with ribbon, piled high in a bowl or other glass container, or attached to a wreath frame. If you have the time and talent, decorate some as gifts. Lots of wonderful ideas

Take Things Apart: I found a bunch of glass candle holders my kids made, which we no longer use. Since they have various items attached with craft glue, I dunked them in hot water and let them sit for a while and now have a nice collection of votives that can be used any time of the year.

Take wreaths apart as the frames can be used through out the year for various projects

Artificial Trees (particularly small ones) can be decorated seasonally throughout the year.

Window candles: In VT, where the temps have hardly climbed into the single digits, no one bothers to remove the outside decorations until Easter, so candles in the window are up year round. It is a welcoming touch that is appreciated in all seasons.

Lights: These can be used year round to create a festive touch to just about any occasion. Wrap them carefully and sort by colors for ease of use.

 Not interested in today’s activity, go to the Take a Break Pinterest and pick out something else.