As we delve into the heart of fall, the community of Indian River County, Florida is embracing an innovative approach to mental health and well-being: the integration of art into public spaces. The "Art in the Park" initiative is an event and a movement, fostering community bonds and offering a therapeutic outlet for expression through the universal language of art.
The Main Library, Riverside Park and South Beach are beacons of culture and history in our county. These landmarks support our community's health initiatives, where insights gathered from local residents are transforming into actionable strategies. My goal is clear: to cultivate awareness and support for those grappling with PTSD, and to enhance the overall health of our community.
Public parks, the green breathing spaces of our urban environments, are important in this transformation. They offer a respite from the hustle and bustle, a place to breathe deeply, move freely, and forge a connection with nature and fellow community members. These spaces are communal living rooms, hosting life's myriad moments—from jubilant celebrations to quiet contemplation—all contributing to our collective journey towards improved mental health.
Kindness, a simple yet profound act, has the power to knit the fabric of a compassionate society, found in the small gestures—a listening ear, a helping hand—extended within the shared spaces of our parks. These acts are the embodiment of love and care, the subtle yet significant ways we support one another.
As we look to the future, let us continue to champion the role of public parks as vital components of our community's health infrastructure. Embracing micro-goals, practicing thankfulness, and promoting kindness are strategies to uplift the well-being of individuals and communities. Together, we may foster a culture where public health advocacy is integrated into the daily experiences of our park visitors, creating supportive environments of well-being.
Resources
Museum Studios - Vero Beach Museum of Art (vbmuseum.org)
The pursuit of optimal health is a multifaceted endeavor and encompasses physical well-being with emotional, mental, and social health. In today's digital era, technology plays an important role in this journey, offering tools and resources to enhance our ability to manage and improve our health.
How do you recommend to integrate smartphone technology with CDC validated checklists and rubrics with blog posts, Twitter / X and email with school nutrition programs involving USDA's Team Nutrition learning labs and Farm to Table support of local sustainable farming practices including school and home gardens with Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital where I live?
The Art of Body Scan Meditation: A Path to Enhanced Well-being
In the realm of mindfulness practices, Body Scan Meditation is a powerful technique to enhance one's well-being. This form of meditation is a relaxation exercise and a profound learning journey, inviting a deep connection with the physical self and an awareness of subtle sensations.
The practice involves a gradual progression of attention through different parts of the body, starting from the toes and moving upwards to the crown of the head. As one mentally scans, one may notice areas of tension, discomfort, or even neutrality. The key is to observe with acceptance, allowing each sensation to be a learning opportunity of discovery and understanding to help counteract the stress response and promote relaxation and may increase self-compassion with encouragement of a kind and curious evaluation towards one's own experiences, improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety, and even alleviate bodily pain. The practice offers a respite from the relentless pace of life, providing a space to breathe, relax, and release the accumulated stress of the day. Moreover, Body Scan Meditation may enhance breathing patterns. With bringing attention to the breath during the meditation, one may learn to breathe more deeply and efficiently to further support stress reduction and relaxation. The rhythmic nature of the breath serves as an anchor, keeping the mind focused and grounded in the present moment. I learn the relaxation achieved through Body Scan Meditation has the potential to improve overall mental health with better emotional regulation, increased self-awareness, and more ability to manage pain. These outcomes contribute to a more resilient and balanced state of mind, equipping individuals to navigate life's challenges with grace and composure.
To embark on the journey of Body Scan Meditation, this accessible tool may be practiced anywhere, at any time. Whether before sleep to encourage restfulness or during a break to recharge, this meditation serves as a versatile mindfulness practice in the pursuit of well-being for optimal health.
For those interested in exploring Body Scan Meditation, there are numerous resources available, including guided sessions on platforms with YouTube and meditation apps such as Headspace. These guides offer step-by-step instructions, making this mindfulness practice easy for beginners to start and for seasoned practitioners to deepen their experience. Body Scan Meditation is a technique and pathway to a more mindful, relaxed, and healthy life and empowers individuals to become attuned to their bodies, to recognize and respond to stress in constructive ways, and to cultivate a sense of peace to permeate all aspects of their being. As we continue to seek balance in our lives, Body Scan Meditation emerges as a valuable practice for anyone looking to enhance their well-being and embrace a life of mindfulness.
Exploring the Virtual Healthy School: A Model for Integrating Health and Education for Each of Us
In the digital age, the intersection of health and education has never been more pertinent. With the rise of virtual learning environments, the opportunity to integrate health-conscious strategies into the educational framework is an innovative approach to foster student development. The Virtual Healthy School (VHS), pioneered by Jefferson School under the leadership of Principal Paul, stands as a testament to this progressive educational model.
The VHS is a tool and a dynamic, interactive platform to bring the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to life. This model is an integrative approach and extends beyond the traditional focus on academic achievement to include the health and wellbeing of students. With navigating through the School Map, educators, parents, and students may witness how Jefferson School has transformed the virtual environment into learning opportunities for each of us to integrate protective factors into health and wellness with people with neurodevelopmental conditions encompassing a broad range of developmental risk factors because of how different protective factors work differently for each of us.
At the center of the map is the Health Center to help each of us navigate our journey from a central starting point of identifying health goals to evaluate how to balance protective factors from the range of neurodevelopmental risk factors for each of us. The Health Center features an Exam Table to evaluate specific protective and developmental risk factors, health videos offering healthy choices and another map of specific health services available with multiple organizations.
Map of Specific Health Services Available With Multiple Organizations to Develop Protective Factors to Reduce Risk Factors: A Community Effort
CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health on X: "Creating a safe and supportive school environment that fosters connectedness helps students. When youth feel connected to peers and adults in their school, they’re less likely to experience poor mental health. #BackToSchool https://t.co/2fL2e7pHHS https://t.co/QOPasV7xxL" / X. This post highlights the importance of the roles of people involved with health services, counseling, facilitating, referring, leading, nutrition, coaching of students' development of protective factors to reduce risk factors, fair and accessible to everyone, addressing the needs of students, adults, parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, and the whole community. Their efforts are organized with community organizations to offer talks and demonstrations, answer questions, and provide informational materials.
The integration of physical activity into school lesson plans is a strategic move towards enhancing the well-being of students. I support health promotion, disease prevention, and encourage lifelong healthy habits. As educators and administrators continue to explore and implement these strategies, the potential for positive change in our schools and communities is immense. Let us walk this path together, one step at a time, towards a healthier future for our youth with learning how to achieve mindfulness, well-being optimal health goals.
With health goals organized, the cafeteria may be an extension of the Gymnasium with opportunities to learn how to integrate physical activity into the practice of healthy eating through available foods and beverages with nutrition education integrated into student health goals with role-modeling healthy eating behaviors
Healthy eating goal choices:
1.Integrate healthy eating into health goals with physical activity with mindfulness, well-being, optimal health with protective factors of nutritional foods.
3. Hydration stations to encourage drinking water with ice and cups and reusable water bottles and computers to evaluate health goals involving hydration and hygiene.
4. Fresh fruit baskets Offering baskets of fresh fruit provides healthy snack options and also exposes students to a variety of natural flavors and textures.
5. With 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch, schools are encouraging students to eat mindfully, savoring their food, and listening to their hunger cues
6. Preparing for Hurricane Milton: A Comprehensive 3-Day Food Storage Checklist
As Hurricane Milton approaches and if you are on hurricane alert due to hurricane warning, I learn the importance to ensure you have a well-prepared food storage plan to sustain you and your family for at least three days. Here is a checklist to help you prepare:
1. **Water**: Store at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation for 3 days.
2. **Non-perishable Food Items**:
- Canned meats, fruits, and vegetables
- Protein or fruit bars
- Dry cereal or granola
- Peanut butter
- Dried fruit
- Nuts
- Crackers
- Canned juices
- Non-perishable pasteurized milk
- High-energy foods
- Food for infants
- Comfort/stress foods
3. **Cooking Supplies**:
- A manual can opener
- Cooking tools and fuel
- Disposable plates, cups, and utensils
- Paper towels
4. **Specialty Foods**: Consider any special dietary needs for family members with allergies or medical conditions.
5. **Pet Supplies**: Don't forget food and water for your pets.
6. **Storage**: Use airtight, waterproof containers to store food and keep it protected from pests and the elements.
7. **Regular Checks**: Regularly check your food supply for expiration dates and replace as needed.
8. **Medications and Baby Supplies**: If you have a baby or someone with special medication needs, ensure you have a sufficient supply.
9. **Sanitation and Hygiene Items**: Including soap, hand sanitizer, and wet wipes.
10. **First Aid Kit**: Keep a well-stocked first aid kit with any necessary medications and medical items.
I learn to be over-prepared than under-prepared. For more detailed information and additional items to evaluate, check out resources provided by local or state emergency management departments. Stay safe and make sure to follow evacuation orders if issued by local authorities. Preparedness is key to weathering Hurricane Milton safely.
The webinar Eating for Optimal Health helped me to focus on how to be successful with the challenge of eating well for optimal health. I learned ways food interacts and communicates with our solid body state with inflammatory or noninflammatory responses and may affect mental health and sleep.
1. Carbohydrates support energy. Optimal health may be encouraged with the noninflammatory energies of 2 fruits per day with small apple, pear, berries, cherries, kiwi, grapefruit, 1/2 cup to 1 cup. Whole grains provide starch with oatmeal, quinoa, whole wheat, brown rice. I learned how to read food labels and to look for the idea of "whole" at the beginning of the ingredients list on a food item at the grocery store.
2. For optimal health, the energy of carbohydrates may be balanced into a healthy plate with 3 c nonstarch vegetables/day with protein and healthy fats. Protein sources include beans, lentils, soy, tofu, calcium with milk, cheese, yogurt, e.g. Edamame frozen, protein shakes and soups. Healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, hummus, nuts/seeds and eggs. Ground seeds may be stored in the refrigerator. I learn to be mindful of the energy challenges of starch. A healthy plate may include beverages of water, fruit juice, unsweetened tea or coffee.
3. For optimal health, start to learn with small steps of one wellness goal at a time.
The pursuit of health is a multifaceted one, encompassing the physical, emotional and mental realms with finding balance, understanding the body's needs, and learning how to fulfill them with nourishment to fuel and heal. I learned how dietary choices may influence overall well-being, and how one may align eating habits with the body's intrinsic requirements for optimal functioning. I learn a personalized approach respects individual differences and preferences and creating a sustainable and enjoyable relationship with food to support health goals with taste or satisfaction with nutrient dense whole foods to navigate the modern food landscape with the myriad of choices and challenges, nurturing oneself with kindness and compassion with self-love and the desire to care for one's well-being, and an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and support in the quest for health and living a healthier, more vibrant life and to a healthier you with open minds and hearts ready to learn and grow.
**Mindset**: The field of nutrition is vast and evolving and may offer new information to challenge your current beliefs.
