Englewood Health and Office of Concern Feed Community during COVID-19

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

July 23, 2020 — This month Englewood Health partnered with the Office of Concern Food Pantry at Saint Cecilia in Englewood to address the challenges of food insecurity and the growing hunger epidemic amid the COVID-19 crisis. As a result of reduced income, unemployment, product shortage, and increasing cost, many vulnerable households in northern New Jersey have limited access to affordable, nutritious food.

To meet the needs of the local community, Englewood Health purchased 2,000 pounds of chicken breast from Tony’s Fish, its meat supplier of several decades, and delivered to the Office of Concern for distribution to families in need in northern New Jersey including low-income workers, retirees, and those struggling to feed babies and small children. Each family received a three-pound pack of chicken breast on the bone.

Second Opinion Podcast: Stress and Anxiety Management

Posted on by John Williams
Second Opinion Podcast

A discussion with Dr. Stephen Brunnquell and Danielle Lambert, Manager of Behavioral Health, Englewood Health.

In times of crisis, feeling anxious and stressed is normal. Englewood Health’s Dr. Steven Brunquell and Manager of Behavioral Health, Danielle Lambert, discuss signs of anxiety to look for — in yourself and your loved ones. And, in this edition of Second Opinion, they explore coping skills that can significantly reduce stress.

Listen Now

Published on July 20, 2020

Ways for Teens to Stay Emotionally Healthy This Summer

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

Let’s face it, much has changed in 2020. With so much uncertainty these days, you may be experiencing emotions you find hard to understand or don’t yet have the skills to manage. The cancellation of many of the usual summer activities, the absence of sports, and the inability to see friends in person, among other pressures, have caused many teens to experience feelings of loss, as well as anger, frustration, grieving, loneliness, and sadness. Yet there are effective ways to deal with these feelings. 

Darline Jerez, LCSW, an Englewood Health population health social worker who focuses on community health, offers these tips to our community’s teens for navigating the summer. 

1. Keep a routine. It is helpful for everyone—children and adolescents, as well as adults—to have a routine and to allocate time to a variety of activities. Create a plan that centers on being healthy and connected. A daily schedule doesn’t always have to look the same. Be flexible and give yourself something to look forward to each day: get outside, connect with family and friends, make time for yourself, make time for fun, and—especially—create moments of joy throughout the day. 

2. Practice healthy habits. Our habits influence our mood. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising foster wellness. Exercise can improve one’s mood and minimize feelings of depression.  

3. Maintain a healthy attitude. Stay positive. A positive mindset will allow you to see circumstances in a different way, to find the good in what is happening around you. Those should be your “go-to thoughts” when you feel overwhelmed with negative feelings. 

4. Welcome support. Some teens are experiencing a mental heaviness during these times, while others are moving forward more easily. Your parents and other adults can support your emotional development by checking in with you, validating your feelings, and being present.  

5. Accept your own pace. Wherever you are in the process—shock, anger, or adapting and growing—recognize that it is natural to feel such emotions. Everyone must go through their own healing process.  

6. Know when to seek professional help. Most important, if behavioral or emotional difficulties are interfering with your daily functioning, tell your parents you’d like to speak with your pediatrician (or other healthcare provider) or with a mental health professional.  

Posted July 20, 2020

Feeling Anxious? Focus on These Grounding Techniques

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

Feeling anxious? You are not alone. These days, many of us are experiencing some level of anxiety, the body’s natural physical response to stress or fear. Techniques that can help us manage anxiety can be especially beneficial. 

Grounding is a coping skill that helps to distract one’s attention away from negative or challenging emotions. It is particularly helpful for managing short-term anxiety. By focusing our attention on what we are doing instead of on our anxiety, grounding techniques help us to move more into the present. Here are some particularly good grounding techniques: 

Focus on Your Five Senses 

  • Sight: Conjure up an image in your head—a happy place, a visual that is comforting for you. Perhaps you see yourself relaxing by a pool or sitting on a beach. Visualization can be especially useful at night, when many of us struggle these days with falling asleep.
  • Hearing: Focus your mind on soothing sounds. Wear earphones and listen to a waterfall or your favorite music. Try using a white noise machine or turning on a fan. If there are birds outside, focus on their calls. 
  • Smell: Focus on a smell you like. Perhaps spray some perfume or light a scented candle (though not when trying to fall asleep).  
  • Taste: Practice mindful eating. Try something simple like a glass of juice. Notice how it feels in your mouth. Does it feel cool? Refreshing? Or perhaps savor a piece of chocolate. Focus on the taste, the texture, the sweetness. 
  • Touch:  Perhaps touch a pet. Notice how the fur feels. Is it warm from the sun? Is it soft or coarse? Focus on the feel of a fabric, perhaps a favorite sweatshirt or sweater.  

An effective variation on focusing on the senses is the  5-4-3-2-1 coping technique: Name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.  

Also helpful are deep breathing exercises, ideally done while seated or lying down. Breathing slowly, allow the belly to fully expand as you inhale and then deflate as you exhale. Or try box breathing: Inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, then repeat.  

“Practice these grounding techniques when you are not in distress,” says Judith Hart, LCSW, an Englewood Health social worker who focuses on population health and practices at Englewood Health Physician Network – Behavioral Health in Englewood. “If one technique doesn’t work for you, move on to something else. Try to recognize your anxiety early; don’t wait until you are in full-blown distress. Reducing anxiety when it’s at lower levels and more manageable can enable you to keep yourself healthier, both emotionally and physically.” 

She adds, “These are challenging times. Grounding techniques can be useful for coping with short-term anxiety. They take practice, and not every technique works for everyone—find the techniques that work best for you. Most important, if anxiety becomes chronic and interferes with your life such that you can’t work, think, or sleep, it is important that you seek professional help.”

Posted July 13, 2020

Second Opinion Podcast: Create a Routine

Posted on by John Williams
Second Opinion Podcast

A discussion with Dr. Stephen Brunnquell and Dr. Tracy Scheller.

Creating routines. When to eat. When to exercise. When to sleep. Why keeping our daily routines can be a real stress reducer. 

Englewood Health’s experts delve into the importance of creating daily routines and explain why routines can be the foundation for feeling better and reducing stress.

Listen Now

Published on June 15, 2020

Second Opinion Podcast: Managing Feelings

Posted on by John Williams
Second Opinion Podcast

A discussion with Dr. Stephen Brunnquell and Dr. Tracy Scheller.

Stress is one of life’s toughest challenges. Let’s face it. It’s downright unhealthy. But medical experts at Englewood Health offer some simple techniques that have been scientifically proven to reduce stress. And anyone can do them. You don’t have a download an app or take a course. 

Just listen to this podcast to learn simple techniques and breathing exercises that will make a huge difference.

Listen Now

Published on June 15, 2020

Second Opinion Podcast: Coping Strategies

Posted on by John Williams
Second Opinion Podcast

A discussion with Dr. Stephen Brunnquell and Dr. Tracy Scheller.

The stress brought on by COVID-19 can be overwhelming. But there are things we can do to better cope and help those we love. Englewood Health’s leading experts offer some simple strategies that can deliver powerful stress-relieving results.

Listen Now

Published on June 15, 2020

Mental Health Awareness: Older People

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

The past few months have been especially hard on older people. They are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, and at high risk for serious complications, and loneliness, anxiety, and depression (all concerns before the pandemic) can be exacerbated by constraints on their normal routine, such as sheltering in place and social distancing. “We must all find ways to do more to counterbalance the effects of this pandemic on the mental health of older people throughout our community,” says Toni Shy, LCSW, an Englewood Health social worker who practices at Englewood Health Physician Network—Cliffside Park and Harvey R. Gross, MD, PC. “As family members and friends, it is important that we advocate for our loved ones, whether they are in the hospital, home alone, living communally, or in an unsafe or otherwise challenging living situation. And the elderly must also advocate for themselves.”

She adds, “Especially now, as we move forward to the next phase, it is incumbent on each of us to be our brother’s and sister’s keeper. We can all contribute to safeguarding the welfare of those who cannot look after their own welfare.”

Practical Ways to Support the Mental Health of the Older Person:

  • Caretaker seniors: Check in and find out what’s happening with them. Many elderly adults are taking care of a spouse. Their whole life may be wrapped around that person, as well as their caretaking role. What happens if the spouse dies? Recognize how difficult that situation may be for them. The person may be masking their true feelings.
  • Retired people: Be supportive and understanding. Many older people who were still working suddenly find themselves retired. With such a major change in their life’s structure, be watchful. Ask: How are you spending your time? Are you sad? Do you miss work?
  • Grandparents: Be on the lookout for signs of depression. Grandparents may be living with their families and being together constantly can be stressful. If they are living apart, they may be unable to see their grandchildren. While phone calls and video chats are good, they’re not the same as being hugged, kissed, or smiled at in person. If a grandparent who was the daycare provider or go-to babysitter suddenly isn’t, their meaning in life may be reduced or changed.
  • Senior centers: Find ways to combat loneliness and lack of activity. Senior centers provide socialization, a hot meal, exercise programs, and recreation. For many, those seen daily at these centers are like family. With the centers closed, older people at home are missing many enjoyed activities, which are not replaced by watching TV.
  • Healthcare decisions: Take this opportunity to talk about healthcare choices.  Many of us hesitate to talk about things we are afraid will make another person uncomfortable (or make us uncomfortable). Yet often the other person is thinking about the same things. Talking about difficult issues and developing a plan can help to lower your anxiety around them. In most cases, it is better to have thought through major healthcare decisions in advance, to be prepared, and to have a plan. It’s important for both the older person and their adult children. 

Posted June 18, 2020

Mental Health Awareness: Coping with Loneliness

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

As human beings, we need social connection and a feeling of belonging. The absence of such connections can make us feel lonely, a normal response that can negatively impact our mental health. New realities and lifestyle changes can be challenging for all of us. When our connections with other people are on hold, it is important to find ways to overcome the loneliness.

Here are some suggestions:

  1. Set up a meeting time. Schedule a time every day to chat with friends and family. Check in with each other. Talk about your experiences and observations.
  2. Share activities. FaceTime or Zoom.Cook or bake with others. Exercise together. Participating in a group activity, even with just one other person, gives us a sense of community.
  3. Visit a new place online. Take a virtual tour of a national park, botanical garden, or World Heritage site. It can enhance hopefulness and connect you to something you would like to do.
  4. Write letters. Write to yourself or others. Writing down how we are feeling can help us to process our emotions. Let yourself go; you may even surprise yourself.
  5. Engage in an activity you enjoy. Listen to music. Try dancing to raise your mood. Connect in a new way to something that interests you; for example, you might research a favorite subject.
  6. Practice spirituality. Participate in religion or perhaps read a book with a spiritual theme.
  7. Help someone else. Call an elderly neighbor to say hello or to offer to buy groceries. Helping others can raise your spirits and make you feel less isolated.
  8. Connect with nature. Go for a walk and observe the life around you. Listen to the birds, watch the squirrels, smell the plants. Connecting with nature calms us and reminds us that we belong to a larger system and needn’t feel so alone in the world. It can help decrease any anxiety or depression you may be feeling.

“By focusing on the world around us, we become less centered on ourselves and more aware of others,” says Aulendrys Rodriguez, LCSW, an Englewood Health social worker who focuses on population health. “Right now, many people are going through the experience of social isolation at the same time. By using creative tactics to cope with loneliness, we can decrease our anger and frustration and find more empathy and peace.”

She adds, “During this period, as well as at other times in our lives, it is important to come out of ourselves and know we are not alone. We can discover the internal strength to overcome the loneliness.”

Posted June 17, 2020

Mental Health Awareness: Grief and Bereavement During the Pandemic 

Posted on by Lauren Weaver

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of a loved one can be particularly devastating. Traditions and rituals that ordinarily would comfort and heal are no longer available. We may not be able to be present at death, to say goodbye, or to hold a funeral and other family and community gatherings afterwards. These constraints can affect people’s ability both to request and to offer support after a loss.  

“The bereaved feel more alone without these important traditions and rituals, and they may be at greater risk of extended and complicated grief,” says Toby C. Tider, LCSW, an Englewood Health social worker who practices at The Park Medical Group. “As a result, it is essential that we build a community team response to help those who have lost someone to COVID-19, through a comprehensive approach to managing grief.” 

“Sometimes when we are emotionally shattered by a death, we have no idea how to get relief,” Tider adds, explaining that it is important to understand that asking for help can be an essential part of healing. 

Englewood Health offers access to mental health services for those trying to cope with bereavement after a COVID-19 loss. The Englewood Health Physician Network provides in-office and telehealth mental health counseling, and community-based and individual support systems are available. 

Assistance is available whether you are a widow, widower, adult child, grandchild, or friend struggling to cope with grief. Begin by speaking to your Englewood Health primary care doctor, who can identify a professional to help you connect with individual and group support resources, as well as spiritual and peer support within the community.  

Tider adds, “The support from community, friends, and family is an essential part of healing from the loss of someone you loved. It is not meant to be done alone, so please ask for help.”    

Tips for Supporting Those in Bereavement

  • Reach out to those who have had the loss, to offer kind words and a sympathetic ear.
  • Replace in-person visits with frequent phone calls or video chats.
  • Identify a key person to set up and manage the grief support system for the family.
  • Establish a community approach to support the bereaved: draw upon friends and community members to assist with practical needs such as cooking or delivering meals and picking up groceries, as well as to provide emotional support through daily check-in calls, cards, and offers to listen.
  • Offer to access and connect with professionals, including physicians, mental health professionals, grief specialists, and clergy, on behalf of the family.

Posted June 3, 2020