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Taking care of yourself during this time

3/26/2020

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Our world is changing and we are just getting started in our time of working at home. I know that many people are much more productive when working at home and some struggle to stay productive, depending on what you are doing.  We are all trying to do our best in our situations.

Here at MFCC we are getting things up and running to help people feel comfortable with virtual and telephonic sessions and helping them deal with life's challenges.
We are so grateful we have the option of working from home to help meet our client's needs! Although we have provided telehealth for a long time, this change came so fast and mandated we had full capacity to provide this type of service. We had to be responsive to this need very quickly. Our team excelled with that!

We may be working from home for a while and self care is very important!
Taking care of yourself for work looks a bit different for everyone, but here are some ideas that may help.

1) Make sure you stick to a routine
Get up at same time, shower, eat at the same time and spend some 'happy' time in the morning before you start your day. 

2) Fit unstructured time into your routine - Plan some time where you don't have to do anything unless you want to! 

3) Hydrate hourly - tea, airborne, water, kombucha and other good for you liquids

4) Move your body hourly - it gets so easy to sit in one spot when we are in our 'flow', but it can also be a detriment to your work if you get too stiff or have headaches from too much screen time.

5) Exercise 2 - 3 times during your work day, 10-15 minutes each is enough
Dance, bike around the block, Yoga in the yard or your living room, walk or jog around the block, play with your pet, do some cartwheels in the yard, jump rope, do your favorite childhood exercise.

6) Laugh! Find something to laugh about. Watch a funny video, call someone who makes you laugh or read something funny. You can "fake it" - your brain doesn't care if it starts out fake because it moves to real after a min, you still get good endorphins from laughing!

7) Listen to music - low and soothing or upbeat and energizing depending on what you need at that time. 

8) Pay attention to your connections - people who are important to you, make a call to check on someone who is fragile.

9) Boredom: do a project, clean your closet, donate things that don't bring you joy,  soak your feet, read a book, do your own nails, color in a coloring book, take a bath, give yourself a facial, go for a run, clean up the yard, begin planting your seeds in the house, trim a tree, clean out the basement, dust of the exercise equipment and use it. ... what else can you think of doing that we never remember when we are bored. 

10) Power naps are good! 10 - 15 min, set your alarm and concentrate on your breathing for deep relaxation! or use a meditation app - Calm or Head Space. 

I sincerely hope you are staying safe and well in these uncertain times. We are here if you need us!
  

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Managing Fear in the Days of COVID-19: How To Keep Anxiety At Its Best

3/18/2020

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Contributed by Erin Carter, LMHC

​How’s everybody feeling?

Things are a little scary out there right now. The World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, a pandemic. The news is filled with stories about cancelled events, closed schools, stores sold out of toilet paper, and possible damaging effects to our economy. And the cause of all this disruption is sneaky, invisible, and could be anywhere.
 
For those already struggling with the symptoms of clinical anxiety, the news of COVID-19 can be overwhelming. Even those who don’t normally find themselves anxious might be noticing some anxiety symptoms in this environment. So what can we do to try to prevent or manage these symptoms so we can feel better and be more effective in our lives?
 
Anxiety at its Best
 
Let’s start by thinking about the function of anxiety: anxiety at its best. John Bowlby, a psychologist and psychiatrist whose theory on attachment between infants and parents has changed the way we see the development of many mental disorders, once wrote that, “clinical conditions can be best understood as a disordered version of a healthy response.” In other words, symptoms involved in anxiety, depression, and other problems that affect our mood and thinking can be normal, healthy, and helpful under the right circumstances. At its best, anxiety functions to warn us of danger and spur us to take actions that keep us safe.
 
Anxiety, really another word for ongoing fear, occurs when a small region of the brain called the hypothalamus detects a threat. The hypothalamus communicates with other parts of the brain and the endocrine system to release a cascade of physiological and cognitive responses, all geared toward helping us survive the threat. If we round a corner and find ourselves facing a lion, we might need to run away or fight it off. Toward that end, when our brain detects a threat, it releases chemicals that get our muscles ready for action, speeds up our heart rate and breathing, and sends our body’s resources away from our digestive system. So, we might experience a jittery feeling, racing heart, a feeling like we need to get more air, and upset stomach.
 
When our brain detects a threat, it wants us to focus intensely on surviving, and to take it seriously. So we might experience racing thoughts, find it difficult to control our worry, and have trouble thinking things through. When this goes on for a while, we may have trouble relaxing enough to get to sleep, or find that our bodies are waking us up in the night. Eventually, we might find ourselves avoiding places or activities that we really can’t afford to avoid, because our brain tells us that they’re dangerous.
 
We can see how all of this is very helpful if we’re facing down a lion. But when the threat is everyday life--financial concerns, family stress, or world events that are out of our control--these responses aren’t so helpful and can become problems in and of themselves. We can help ourselves by remembering what anxiety is at its best: a warning, and a spur to helpful action.
 
Taking Purposeful Action
 
For those of us noticing that we’re getting a warning about COVID-19 from our bodies and brains, let’s take a minute and be glad that we have a working alarm system. Good. We’re functioning the way we’re supposed to, more or less. Now let’s think about how to turn that warning into purposeful and useful actions that reduce our risk.
 
Experts such as the Center for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html) are recommending actions that, for the most part, are easy for us all to take:
 
  • Wash hands frequently and avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose
  • Cough or sneeze into your elbow or tissue to avoid spreading germs to others
  • Avoid crowds when possible
  • Try not to go out if you have symptoms, and encourage family and friends to do the same
  • Try to have a couple of weeks worth of necessities at home--think especially of non-perishable food and daily medications, and the kinds of things you’d want if you have a fever and cough. Do you need all of Costco’s toilet paper? Probably not. But you might want an extra bottle of Ibuprofen.
 
Additionally, experts are indicating that those most at risk of serious symptoms of novel coronavirus are those that are medically fragile, and have health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. So one helpful action that our anxiety can spur us toward is to improve our health as much as possible right now:
 
  • If you have high blood pressure or unmanaged diabetes, take whatever steps you need to, such as taking your medication or managing your blood sugar.
  • Get the flu vaccine, if you haven’t. It is not effective against COVID-19, but it is effective against the flu. It is possible--and not desirable--to be infected by coronavirus and influenza at the same time.
  • Improve your sleep, nutrition, and get some exercise. In addition to helping yourself resist contracting COVID-19, sleep, nutrition, and exercise are all shown by research to have an important role in managing anxiety.
 
Put COVID-19 on Mute
 
We can do these things to make use of the function of our anxiety, but we can also take some steps to try to keep it from misbehaving. Anxiety has a tendency to keep us thinking about whatever we’re scared of, going over and over it in our mind, letting our fears about what could happen grow and grow. Let’s stop that. Television and social media are offering nonstop coronavirus information right now, and while some of it is from good, reliable, measured sources, some of it is misleading, sensationalistic, and seems designed to exploit our fears for clicks or airtime. Let’s be discerning, get the information we need from sources we know are reliable, and then let’s take a news break. If social media is constantly putting articles in front of you that keep your anxiety high, step away from social media.
 
Next, take some time to figure out exactly what you’re feeling; give your emotions a name. Are you feeling nervous, frustrated, scared, angry, or confused? More than one thing at a time? Where do you notice those things in your body? Upset stomach, headache, tension in your back? Then think about what might be the meaning of these emotions? Are you feeling unsettled because you’re out of your routine? Are you frustrated because the kids have questions you don’t have the answers to? Identifying these emotions, how you’re feeling them physically, and what they signify can make them easier to tolerate.
 
In addition, find ways to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness refers to being present in the moment, in the here and now, noticing what you notice, and it is a research-backed practice that can be effective in managing anxiety. When you’re feeling panicked, take a minute to get quiet and notice what you hear, what you see, what you feel on your skin, how the sun or wind feels, how the breath feels going in and out of your body, and how the ground feels beneath your feet. Mindfulness exercises are as simple as this, and you can easily find others online.
 
Improve your social support. While we should be avoiding the physical presence of others who are sick or who we could make sick, isolating ourselves with our worries won’t do us any good. Reach out to trusted others who are a source of support. Additionally, this is a good time to think of others around us who might be vulnerable to the loss of certain institutions that are closing their doors temporarily, such as kids who count on school lunches or home-bound folks whose Meals-On-Wheels are no longer coming. Let’s take the precautions that are advised by the experts, but let’s also take care of one another.
 
Finally, if you’ve taken steps such as these and found that those persistent worries remain and are making it difficult to function, remember that there is professional help. Clinical anxiety can be successfully treated with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Licensed psychotherapists, clinical social workers, and psychologists specialize in therapy to help bring anxiety symptoms under control. Psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and psychiatric nurse practitioners can provide effective medication management.
 
Let’s take care of ourselves and stay healthy out there!
 
 
Manejando el miedo en los días de COVID-19: Cómo mantener la ansiedad en su mejor momento
 
 
¿Cómo se sienten todos?
 
Las cosas dan un poco de miedo en este momento. La Organización Mundial de la Salud ha declarado que el nuevo coronavirus, también conocido como COVID-19, es una pandemia. La noticia está llena de historias sobre eventos cancelados, escuelas cerradas, tiendas agotadas de papel higiénico y posibles efectos perjudiciales para nuestra economía. Y la causa de toda esta interrupción es astuta, invisible y podría estar en cualquier parte.
 
Para aquellos que ya luchan con los síntomas de ansiedad clínica, la noticia de COVID-19 puede ser abrumadora. Incluso aquellos que normalmente no se sienten ansiosos pueden notar algunos síntomas de ansiedad en este entorno. Entonces, ¿qué podemos hacer para tratar de prevenir o controlar estos síntomas para que podamos sentirnos mejor y ser más efectivos en nuestras vidas?
 
La Ansiedad en su Mejor Momento
 
 
Comencemos por pensar en la función de la ansiedad: ansiedad en su mejor momento. John Bowlby, un psicólogo y psiquiatra cuya teoría sobre el apego entre los bebés y los padres ha cambiado la forma en que vemos el desarrollo de muchos trastornos mentales, una vez escribió que "las condiciones clínicas pueden entenderse mejor como una versión desordenada de una respuesta saludable". En otras palabras, los síntomas relacionados con la ansiedad, la depresión y otros problemas que afectan nuestro estado de ánimo y nuestro pensamiento pueden ser normales, saludables y útiles en las circunstancias adecuadas. En el mejor de los casos, la ansiedad funciona para advertirnos del peligro y estimularnos a tomar medidas que nos mantengan a salvo.
 
La ansiedad, realmente otra palabra para el miedo continuo, ocurre cuando una pequeña región del cerebro llamada hipotálamo detecta una amenaza. El hipotálamo se comunica con otras partes del cerebro y el sistema endocrino para liberar una cascada de respuestas fisiológicas y cognitivas, todas orientadas a ayudarnos a sobrevivir a la amenaza. Si doblamos una esquina y nos encontramos frente a un león, es posible que tengamos que huir o luchar contra él. Con ese fin, cuando nuestro cerebro detecta una amenaza, libera sustancias químicas que preparan nuestros músculos para la acción, aceleran nuestro ritmo cardíaco y la respiración, y alejan los recursos de nuestro cuerpo de nuestro sistema digestivo. Por lo tanto, podríamos experimentar una sensación de nerviosismo, un corazón acelerado, una sensación de que necesitamos tomar más aire y malestar estomacal.
 
Cuando nuestro cerebro detecta una amenaza, quiere que nos enfoquemos intensamente en sobrevivir y que nos la tomemos en serio. Por lo tanto, podríamos experimentar pensamientos acelerados, tener dificultades para controlar nuestra preocupación y tener problemas para pensar detenidamente. Cuando esto continúa por un tiempo, es posible que tengamos problemas para relajarnos lo suficiente como para dormir, o descubramos que nuestros cuerpos nos están despertando en la noche. Eventualmente, podríamos encontrarnos evitando lugares o actividades que realmente no podemos permitirnos evitar, porque nuestro cerebro nos dice que son peligrosos.
 
Podemos ver cómo todo esto es muy útil si estamos frente a un león. Pero cuando la amenaza es la vida cotidiana (preocupaciones financieras, estrés familiar o eventos mundiales que están fuera de nuestro control), estas respuestas no son tan útiles y pueden convertirse en problemas en sí mismas. Podemos ayudarnos recordando qué ansiedad es mejor: una advertencia y un estímulo para la acción útil.
 
 
Tomando Acción Decidida
 
Para aquellos de nosotros que nos damos cuenta de que recibimos una advertencia sobre COVID-19 de nuestros cuerpos y cerebros, tomemos un minuto y nos alegra que tengamos un sistema de alarma en funcionamiento. Bueno. Estamos funcionando como se supone que debemos hacerlo, más o menos. Ahora pensemos cómo convertir esa advertencia en acciones útiles y útiles que reduzcan nuestro riesgo.
 
Expertos como el Centro para el Control de Enfermedades (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html) recomiendan acciones que, en su mayor parte, son fáciles de tomar para todos:
 
  • Lávese las manos con frecuencia y evite tocarse los ojos, la boca y la nariz.
  • Tosa o estornude en su codo o tejido para evitar propagar gérmenes a otras personas.
  • Evite las multitudes cuando sea posible.
  • Trate de no salir si tiene síntomas y anime a sus familiares y amigos a hacer lo mismo.
  • Trate de tener un par de semanas de artículos de primera necesidad en casa: piense especialmente en los alimentos no perecederos y los medicamentos diarios, y el tipo de cosas que desearía si tiene fiebre y tos. ¿Necesita todo el papel higiénico de Costco? Probablemente no. Pero es posible que desee una botella extra de ibuprofeno.
 
Además, los expertos indican que las personas con mayor riesgo de sufrir síntomas graves de nuevos coronavirus son las que son médicamente frágiles y tienen afecciones de salud como enfermedades cardíacas, presión arterial alta o diabetes. Entonces, una acción útil que nuestra ansiedad puede impulsarnos es mejorar nuestra salud tanto como sea posible en este momento:
 
  • Si tiene presión arterial alta o diabetes no controlada, tome las medidas que necesite, como tomar su medicamento o controlar su nivel de azúcar en la sangre.
  • Vacúnese contra la gripe, si no lo ha hecho. No es efectivo contra COVID-19, pero es efectivo contra la gripe. Es posible, y no deseable, ser infectado por coronavirus e influenza al mismo tiempo.
  • Mejore su sueño, nutrición y haga algo de ejercicio. Además de ayudarte a resistirte a contraer COVID-19, la investigación demuestra que el sueño, la nutrición y el ejercicio tienen un papel importante en el manejo de la ansiedad.
 
Ponga COVID-19 en Silencio
 
Podemos hacer estas cosas para aprovechar la función de nuestra ansiedad, pero también podemos tomar algunas medidas para evitar que se comporte mal. La ansiedad tiende a mantenernos pensando en lo que sea que tengamos miedo, repitiéndolo una y otra vez en nuestra mente, dejando que nuestros temores sobre lo que podría suceder crezcan y crezcan. Detengamos eso. La televisión y las redes sociales están ofreciendo información ininterrumpida sobre el coronavirus en este momento, y aunque parte de ella proviene de fuentes buenas, confiables y medidas, otra parte es engañosa, sensacionalista y parece diseñada para explotar nuestros temores por clics o tiempo aire. Seamos exigentes, obtengamos la información que necesitamos de fuentes que sabemos que son confiables, y luego tomemos un descanso. Si las redes sociales constantemente ponen artículos frente a ti que mantienen tu ansiedad alta, aléjate de las redes sociales.
 
Luego, tómate un tiempo para descubrir exactamente lo que sientes; Dale un nombre a tus emociones. ¿Te sientes nervioso, frustrado, asustado, enojado o confundido? ¿Más de una cosa a la vez? ¿Dónde notas esas cosas en tu cuerpo? ¿Malestar estomacal, dolor de cabeza, tensión en la espalda? Entonces, ¿cuál podría ser el significado de estas emociones? ¿Te sientes inquieto porque estás fuera de tu rutina? ¿Estás frustrado porque los niños tienen preguntas para las que no tienes las respuestas? Identificar estas emociones, cómo las siente físicamente y lo que significan puede hacer que sean más fáciles de tolerar.
 
Además, encuentre formas de practicar la atención plena. La atención plena se refiere a estar presente en el momento, en el aquí y ahora, notando lo que notas, y es una práctica respaldada por investigaciones que puede ser efectiva para controlar la ansiedad. Cuando sienta pánico, tómese un minuto para callarse y observe lo que escucha, lo que ve, lo que siente en su piel, cómo se siente el sol o el viento, cómo se siente la respiración entrando y saliendo de su cuerpo, y cómo se siente el suelo debajo de tus pies. Los ejercicios de atención plena son tan simples como esto, y puede encontrar fácilmente otros en línea.
 
Mejora tu apoyo social. Si bien deberíamos evitar la presencia física de otros que están enfermos o a quienes podríamos enfermar, aislarnos de nuestras preocupaciones no nos hará ningún bien. Póngase en contacto con otras personas de confianza que son una fuente de apoyo. Además, este es un buen momento para pensar en otras personas que nos rodean que podrían ser vulnerables a la pérdida de ciertas instituciones que están cerrando sus puertas temporalmente, como los niños que cuentan con almuerzos escolares o personas encerradas en el hogar cuyas comidas son Ya no viene. Tomemos las precauciones recomendadas por los expertos, pero también cuidemos los unos de los otros.
 
Finalmente, si has tomado medidas como estas y descubriste que esas preocupaciones persistentes persisten y dificultan su funcionamiento, recuerde que hay ayuda profesional. La ansiedad clínica se puede tratar con éxito con psicoterapia, medicamentos o una combinación de ambos. Psicoterapeutas con licencia, trabajadores sociales clínicos y psicólogos se especializan en terapia para ayudar a controlar los síntomas de ansiedad. Los psiquiatras, los médicos de atención primaria y las enfermeras practicantes psiquiátricas pueden proporcionar un manejo efectivo de los medicamentos.
 
¡Cuidemos nosotros mismos y mantengámonos saludables!


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Spring your relationships forward!

3/2/2020

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Contributed by Marriage and Family Therapy Intern, Angela Fisher

​​The weather is finally warming.  We get to think about all the things we want to do: spring cleaning, preparing for a garden, and enjoying the outdoors.  We start to create this to do list that might grow legs of its own!  I wonder how many of us are intentional about nurturing the supportive relationships in our lives?
 
How do you nurture those relationships?  Great question!
 
1. Be present.  With technology so convenient and frequently at our fingertips, distractions have become a norm.  Try setting aside a period of time every day that is free from technology or cell phone free.  Eat dinner with others, play a game, or cook something else together and enjoy the conversation.
 
2. Listen to listen, rather than listening to respond.  Many times, when we listen, the things going through our head are the things we want to say in regards to the information we are receiving.  Try listening, and instead of responding, paraphrase back to them what you heard them say.  This builds connections, lets people know you are really listening to them, and verifies that you accurately heard what they were saying.
 
3.  Pay attention to the emotions behind the words.  Think about what the other person is feeling when they are saying something.  Rather than focus on the content of what they are saying, sometimes focusing on what they are feeling is more important in the moment.  This helps to create an environment of being attune to others.
 
4. Turn off the fixer. There is a part of many people that wants to fix a problem someone has just told us about.  Instead of thinking of solutions to their problems, empathize by responding with something like, “Wow, that must be really tough”.  Phrases like this let the other person know that we are really listening to what they are going through.  Sometimes people just need to vent.  If you have an idea for them, it really helps to ask the other person if they are open to some ideas or if they just needed to vent. 
 
5. Lastly turn off storyteller mode.  We all have a story.  There is space for everyone’s story, it’s just probably not at the same time.  When someone shares a story, there can sometimes be a moment where some would say they have a better story, or try to one up each other.  Part of life is sharing experiences not being in competition with each other’s experiences.  Enjoy their story with them.  They are inviting you into their life, accept the invitation.

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Our Mission: MOSAIC FAMILY Counseling Center Inc. is the center of excellence in supporting the healing of life's challenges. Our Vision: We strive to provide holistic, nurturing and consistent therapeutic services to make meaningful connections. We support growth and change while being culturally responsive in a safe and comfortable environment that encourages others to become autonomous and successful.
MOSAIC FAMILY Counseling Center Inc.  • 6200 Aurora Ave, Suite 305E  • Urbandale, IA 50322
515.724.8920 P  •  888.771.3225 F  •  info@mosaicfamilyinc.com
  • About
  • COVID-19
  • Our Family
  • Services
    • Psychotherapy Options
    • Telehealth
    • Telehealth en español
    • Groups
    • School Based Mental Health
    • Student Assistance Program
    • Assessments
    • Yoga
    • Services for Professionals
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  • Interact with us
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