With the ongoing pandemic, some people find themselves pouring a glass of wine or opening a beer more often than usual. On top of that, holiday meals and gatherings — even small, COVID-safe celebrations with your immediate family — often include alcoholic drinks. Whether you’re thinking about a special meal or your regular routine, you may be wondering if your drinking patterns are impacting your overall well-being.
Read More
The continued presence of COVID-19 combined with the onset of shorter days and cold weather means many of us are spending more time indoors. For anyone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), less sunlight, a decrease in outdoor time, and ongoing pandemic stress can make depression worse.
Read MoreIf you’re the parent of a teen, you know that change is constant: their favorite fashion, social app, or show might last six weeks, six months, or maybe just six days. These ever-changing likes and dislikes can also include food and eating habits. One day your teen announces they are going vegetarian and the next month they’ve moved on to the paleo diet. This week they’re skipping breakfast and snacking at midnight, but the next they’re craving a big bagel in the morning and a salad at dinner.
Read MoreThe surge in coronavirus combined with the onset of shorter days and cold weather means many of us are spending more time indoors. For anyone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), less sunlight, a decrease in outdoor time, and ongoing pandemic stress can make depression worse.
Read MoreNine months into the pandemic, some people find themselves pouring a glass of wine or opening a beer more often than usual. On top of that, holiday meals and gatherings — even small, COVID-safe celebrations with your immediate family — often include alcoholic drinks. Whether you’re thinking about a special meal or your regular routine, you may be wondering if your drinking patterns are impacting your overall well-being.
Read MoreAre you or someone you know in an emergency? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255) or 911 right now.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and the counseling and mental health experts at LeBauer HealthCare want everyone in our area to understand the suicide warning signs and ways to help someone who is at risk. Especially this year, in the midst of so much upheaval, uncertainty, and causes for stress, anxiety, and depression, we need to be ready as a community to recognize and respond to the warning signs. If you or someone you love is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts — you’re not alone, and there is help waiting for you, right now.
When it comes to COVID-19, we know that the elderly are most vulnerable. However, there’s another group that is facing a different type of risk during this pandemic. Parents are coping with more stress than ever. Broken routines, job changes, school closures, and hypervigilance have taken their toll, and it’s time to start talking about this secondary epidemic. Stress affects much more than one’s mood — it wrecks the immune system, causes digestive issues, disrupts sleep, and may produce many other symptoms throughout the body. Experts have even linked chronic stress to cancer.
Read More
Parents in North Carolina are just starting to find out what plans will be for their school district this year and are wondering how they can prepare for it. Whether your school will be implementing virtual learning, in-person learning, or a blend of the two, the health experts at LeBauer HealthCare and Cone Health have some practical guidance for parents as they navigate this new territory.
If disrupted sleep, erratic eating patterns, and ongoing stress have become your “new normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic, you are not alone. The good news is there are steps you can take to alleviate stress and anxiety. Dr. David Gutterman, Clinical Director of LeBauer Behavioral Medicine, recently shared tips for coping with COVID-19 stress during three different interviews with Cone Health and WFMY News.
Read More
Everyone is feeling a certain amount of stress about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, and that’s perfectly normal. However, for many people, that stress may turn into anxiety, particularly if they have a loved one who is sick or working on the front lines. This can also be a trying time for the nearly 40 million Americans who already suffer from an anxiety disorder.
The good news is that there are many tested techniques for coping with anxiety. A number of research studies point to exercise as one method for effectively reducing stress and anxiety. Keep reading to learn how exercise can help and for ways to exercise during COVID-19 social distancing and gym closures.
Read More
