Healthy Lives - FMOLHS

Sometimes exhaustion isn't about being physically tired or in need of an emotional pick-me-up. You might experience times when you are just done for a minute. Coping with emotional exhaustion is a combination of recognizing it as natural and looking for specific ways to ease these feelings so you can eventually shift out of them. Increase your self-care. Has your self-care routine been off lately? Lean into it now and practice healthy discipline. Even if you don't think it will help, go through the motions—because it will help! Take your supplements, eat cleaner, do some light exercise. Connect with your body, that sacred container for your soul. Temporarily take some responsibilities off your plate. What would make you feel better right now, and is something simple and actionable? Can you take a mental health day from work and go sit in the park? Ask someone else to watch your toddler for the afternoon and write at your favorite bookstore cafe? Put off a household chor

Caregivers typically provide assistance to someone who has a chronic illness or disabling condition. Whether a family member with special needs is a child or an adult, combining personal, caregiving and everyday needs can be challenging. Use these tips to help you find a way to manage caregiving on a daily basis. Be informed.  Take time to learn about your family member’s condition and special needs requirements. Talk to health care providers and other professionals who work with families with special needs. Understand the needs of you and your family, and work together to make good choices about housing, schools, health services and more. Get support.  It’s important to remember that even when you feel isolated, you are not alone. Join a local or online support group. Search for local and national groups that provide services, recreation and information for families with special needs. Find out about local, state, federal or other programs that may be available. Be an advocate.

Eating dinner together as a family is not just about the food; it’s about the connection. Spending time together builds healthy families and healthy kids. Here are a few tips for making mealtime memorable! Keep a question jar.  Place a container on the dinner table with blank slips of paper, and whenever you think of a cool question, write it down and toss it in. “What’s something you can do better than your parents?” “If there were a holiday named after you, how would people celebrate it?” Once a week, use some of the questions in the basket to spark conversations at dinner. Shake it up.  Every so often, have a wacky family dinner night. Eat with the big serving utensils or use serving platters instead of plates! You could even serve dinner as a picnic, outside on a blanket or have an indoor picnic in the living room or playroom. Have a reading dinner.  Choose a book and read aloud while you eat. If your kids are old enough, they can take a turn. Enjoy special food outings.  H

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say that kids and pre-teens need a total of 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Raking in these 60 minutes everyday can be fun, too! Use this as a time to get the whole family up and moving. Here are a few quick ways to do just that. Walk the walk.  Instead of watching TV after dinner, take a walk with your family. It doesn’t have to be far or long, but make sure you get outside and let your meal digest while you stroll. If it makes life fun, bring bikes, scooters, roller skates and the dog, too -- anything that brings a smile to your party on the go. Strike a pose.  Try yoga to improve your family’s flexibility. There are family-friendly instruction cards with adorably illustrated yoga poses, illustrated books for kids and DVDs on yoga for families designed to guide your group through Tree Pose and Warrior Pose. Don't get hung up on whether the kids are doing the moves right, or even doing all of them at all. Let them imi