Spring Cleaning for Your Health - Part 3

Ann Marie Licari, APRN
Family Nurse Practitioner
Emergency Department
North Country Hospital

Hello Again. Last week we continued Spring cleaning our lifestyles for better health. Though we can be sure Spring is here there is a little more cleaning to do. We began with ideas to clean up some of our health patterns two weeks ago. Remember, these are your lifestyle habits, events occurring in your life and the way you handle them that can have an impact on your health. We covered health perception and management; nutritional status, activity-exercise and sleep/rest the first week. Last week we discussed sexuality, relationships and the roles we play within them and cognitive perceptual patterns. We will finish Spring Cleaning our health patterns by talking about coping and stress tolerance, self esteem and personal values and beliefs today. I will offer more suggestions on how Spring cleaning in these additional areas of your life can have a positive impact. Simply by being aware of your choices and patterns can start you on a path of change, so JUMP IN!!

Coping And Stress Tolerance
This pattern explores the ways in which you cope with stress, and if the methods you choose are actually effective. If yelling at the traffic in front of you is your way of dealing with running late to work… it may not be the most productive way to deal with that stress, and healthier ways are available to you, though they will need to be learned. How do you perceive your ability to control the situations that challenge you? How well do you believe you can manage stressful situations? Stress is the culprit to many physical ailments, and any search on the world wide web (www) will produce many web pages that suggest this. The American Psychological Association’s (APA) website has press releases that discuss the link between stress and negative effects on heart health, cholesterol levels and our minds possibly leading to depression and anxiety. When we are “stressed out”, we tend to deal with it in unhealthy ways like comfort eating, poor diet choices, smoking and inactivity. Many times I hear from patients, “I have quit smoking in the past but then ______ happened (insert your own personal stressful situation) and I started again.” Using food (chocolate, take out, etc.) to make ourselves feel better is another poor choice for handling stress. Unhealthy ways of dealing with stress lead to poor health.
Do an inventory of your day…when do feel most stressed? What do you do during those stressful times? Is that solution a healthy choice? I often recommend to patients who want to quit smoking, for example, that they may try a class on stress reduction, while they are trying to quit, to increase their chances of long term success. Clean out your unhealthy responses to stress and improve your health. Much easier said than done, so talk to your primary care provider about what resources are available to help you. If you do not see a provider regularly, keep your eye out for Wellness classes in your area, sometimes they are free!!

Self Perception (Self Esteem)
What do you think are your strengths, your weaknesses? Do you have opinions about your physical appearance, how bright you are, or what you contribute to your family or society? As a Nurse Practitioner, when I am talking to a patient about issues concerning self esteem I observe how they carry themselves, whether they make eye contact, and how able they are to voice their concerns to me.
Self esteem is a difficult thing to address as a provider and for a patient to recognize as a problem. A study discussed on the APA website states that feeling optimistic and wanting to be around other people, being in a good mood and feeling satisfied with life were the leading predictors for experiencing the most happiness in the population studied. Feeling optimistic and not hopeless, being satisfied with one’s friends and not suffering from pain were also strong predictors of high self-esteem among this population.
How does this pertain to your health? How we value ourselves has a great impact on the choices we make regarding our health. “Am I worth it?” is a question we need to ask ourselves when we are asked about behaviors that do not contribute to good health. If the answer is not a resounding “YES!”, then clear away obstacles that keep you from finding yourself with a healthy self image, and find assistance form your provider, your friends or wellness groups that can help you get on your way to healthier outlook on yourself.

Values and Beliefs
What do you believe is really important in life? What makes life really good? Are their beliefs you have that might interfere with going to a health care provider to assist you in managing your health? Do you believe there are other alternatives to medicine that you would prefer to use but don’t want to discuss with your provider because you think they will not support you? Do you have religious or cultural beliefs that lead to make choices other than what your provider has suggested? It is ‘ok’ to be honest about these beliefs, and especially important to bring them up with your provider so that your health care visit is not a waste of your time, and your provider is able to make sure you are getting assistance that you feel is useful. Do a personal inventory of beliefs or values you hold dear that may require some discussion with your provider. Your healthcare relationship, and your health will be better for it!

As I said last week, and will likely say again, “Better health requires effort, as does everything!” Changing behaviors requires time, commitment from you and a healthy relationship with your provider. I hope these ideas start you on the path of thinking about your health and making efforts to improve it. I hope you have enjoyed this version of Spring cleaning this year. Next week we find ourselves in May already, Mental Health Awareness month. Please enjoy the season and until next week, listen to the birds singing, I have seen the geese return!

“HEALTHY YOU” is a weekly column prepared by Ann Marie Licari, APRN, North Country Hospital Emergency Department. Please call Nancy Goss, NCH Community Relations, 334-3225, for questions, information or to suggest a topic for this column.