Getting Our Life Priorities in Order

By Terry Orr

(Source: Posting on Linkedin)

Sure is a lot of truth in these words. 

Each of us ought to take a few minutes and examine our own priorities in life and ask that hard question – do we have ‘our life priorities in order’?

National Back-to-School Month

By Terry Orr

While driving to Silver Diner for breakfast this morning - our local all news radio station mentioned that one local school district starts their new school year today – while two other major areas would begin the last week of August and the remaining school districts after Labor Day.

So many things to consider and to get accomplished in a short time – clothes, supplies, health (eyes, shots, physicals, hearing, and more), new routines (study, sleep, early wake ups, packing backpacks, et al) and getting into the right, positive attitude – to name a few.

There is significant amount of help online – local, state, federal, organizations, blogs and websites to satisfy almost everyone.  Some of those are provided below under Resources, References, Links and Tips section below.

Many folks will be able to tailor a couple of the checklist to meet most of their individual needs.  We highly recommend checking with each school your children will be attending for any specific requirements – such as what foods can be brought; clothing restrictions; medical and medicines requirements; schedules and points of contacts.

Safety is once again an important topic to review with the whole family to cover any new material and refresh everyone the importance of Think Safety First.  Safety Checklist from the National Safety Council has an excellent list and here are some highlights:

[http://www.nsc.org/safety_home/SafetyObservances/Documents/Back%20to%20School/Back%20to%20School%20Safety%20Checklist.pdf ].

Transportation Safety

Walking to School

Riding a bicycle to School

Riding the bus to School

School Safety

Preventing backpack-related injuries

Preventing playground-related injuries

There are other important manners to consider as well:

Check-ups and Immunizations

Take your child in for a physical and eye exam before school starts

Make sure your child’s immunization shots are up-to-date

Keep your child’s health documentation handy

Plan Healthy Breakfasts and Lunches

Huge challenge these days with all the do’s and don’ts regarding what a child is allowed to bring their lunch – due to allergies and other health related issues.  Breakfast is such an important meal – and having a hot one has so many benefits.  Many kids are out of the house by 7 AM – so when do they find time for that all-important meal of the day?

So Mom and Dad, how do you resolve this dilemma?

Have you already got your planning activities undercontrol?

Resources, References and Links:

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Back-to-School.shtml

http://kids.usa.gov/grown-ups/for-parents/get-involved/index.shtml

http://www.momagenda.com/printable/back-to-school.pdf

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/family-health-12/back-to-school-prep

http://singleparents.about.com/od/yourchildseducation/tp/btschecklist.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/back-school-complete-checklist-parents/story?id=11407354

http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/762-back-to-school-checklist

http://www.parentfurther.com/blog/back-to-school-checklist-for-parents

http://www.parents.com/app/checklist/?checklistId=3002e

http://people.richland.edu/jodell/notes.html

http://www.arc.sbc.edu/notes.html

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/academic1/taking-notes-5-college-success-tips/

COPING WITH THE HEAT!

By Terry Orr

The Dog Days of Summer are in full swing – new record highs have already been recently established – 124 out west – Hot, Hazy and Humid here in Washington, DC. It is time once again – to refresh our minds on the does and don’ts in dealing with the heat. Lets start by following OSHA’s link to read this informative and helpful fact sheet – recommend that you print it and put with your other health and preparedness material.

A Heat Safety Fact Sheet https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/3422_factsheet_en.pdf

Heat kills by pushing the human body beyond its limits. In extreme heat and high humidity, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature.

Most heat disorders occur because the victim has been overexposed to heat or has over-exercised for his or her age and physical condition. Older adults, young children and those who are sick or overweight are more likely to succumb to extreme heat.

Heat Related Conditions

Heat Disorder	Symptoms	First Aid
Sunburn	Skin redness and pain, possible swelling, blisters, fever, headaches.	Take a shower, using soap, to remove cells that may block pores preventing the body from cooling naturally.  If blisters occur, apply dry, sterile dressings and get medical attention.
Heat Syncope (Fainting)	Light-headedness, dizziness and or fainting.	Sit or lie down in cool place when they begin to feel symptoms. Slowly drink water, clear juice, or a sports beverage.
Heat Cramps	Painful spasms usually in legs and abdominal muscles.  Heavy sweating.	Firm pressure on cramping muscles or gentle massage to relieve spasm.  Give sips of water.  If nausea occurs, discontinue.
Heat Exhaustion	Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Week pulse. Normal temperature possible. Fainting, vomiting.	Get victim to lie down in a cool place.  Loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air-conditioned place. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
Heat Stroke (Sun Stroke)	High body temperature (106+). Hot, dry skin. Rapid, strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Victim will likely not sweat.	Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 9-1-1 or emergency medical service or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal. Move victim to cooler environment. Try a cool bath or sponging to reduce body temperature.  Use extreme caution. Remove clothing. Use fans and/or air conditioners. DO NOT GIVE FLUIDS.

Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. During conditions of extreme heat, spend time in locations with air-conditioning such as shopping malls, public libraries, or public health sponsored heat-relief shelters in your area.

Get informed. Listen to local news and weather channels or contact your local public health department during extreme heat conditions for health and safety updates

Drink cool, nonalcoholic beverages and increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.asp

Workers at risk of heat stress include outdoor workers and workers in hot environments such as firefighters, bakery workers, farmers, construction workers, miners, boiler room workers, factory workers, and others. Workers at greater risk of heat stress include those who are 65 years of age or older, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/

Here are the links to our previous two articles on Heat – Beating the Heat: Preventing Heat Exhaustion and Stroke and Heat Stroke – plus a link to CDC’s information on Heat Stress.

Beating the Heat: Preventing Heat Exhaustion & Stroke http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2011/07/beating-heat-preventing-heat-exhaustion.html

Heat Stroke http://kisbyto.blogspot.com/2012/07/heat-stroke.html

Heat Stress http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/

(Photos from Google) 

SOCIAL WELLNESS

By Terry Orr

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” ~World Health Organization, 1948

“Wellness is the conscious and deliberate process by which people are actively involved in enhancing their well-being: intellectual, physical, social, emotional, occupational and spiritual” ~ Hatfield

Social Wellness (family, community and environment) – focuses on how you choose to define and connect with your community and the people around you. 

Physical –your body's health, which involves nutrition, exercise, promoting over-all safety and wellness, and preventing physical illness.

Spiritual (values and ethics) – to understanding your place and purpose, how you make meaning of what happens to you, and what your mind goes to for comfort and relief.

Intellectual – means feeling stimulated and engaged with learning and staying open to new ideas and perspectives.

Emotional – involves being aware of and managing your feelings, being at peace with who you are, and having the tools you need to weather life’s ups and downs.

Occupational – is the work you choose to do and how you feel it contributes to your community and fulfills you.

According to Work Smart. Life Smart –

July is Social Wellness Month and it reminds us that we need to reach out to others and build stronger social ties with family and friends. Social Wellness encourages us to develop better communications with those around us including the ability to share our feelings and needs. It involves respecting yourself and others and developing a solid social support system.

Social Wellness takes planning and effort to carve out time for those activities, as they may not happen naturally in today’s hectic world. We know from our research that socially isolated people are more susceptible to illness and have a death rate two to three times higher than those who are not socially isolated.  However people who maintain their social network and support systems do better under stress and are physically and mentally healthier.  They even achieve higher grade point averages.

So how important in Social Wellness in our daily life – one indication is the explosion of social media over the past decade.  According to eBizMBA the three top Social Media Sites (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) average about 1.1 Billion visits each month – that is nearly one in seven people globally.  Folks reaching out to others – finding common ground – communicating – sharing – building relationships – a virtual family/home.

What we are all looking for – is balance in our lives – while sounding fairly straight forward – with our daily lives, most folks deal with the ever increasing demands on their time – and finding true balance is all to often is simply not possible.  The challenge is to prioritizes things best we can – and review what really and truly are the important things in our lives.

References and Links:

http://worksmartlivesmart.com/social-wellness-month-july/

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites 

(Photos from Google)