As we being a new year, many of you have made resolutions to eat a

healthier diet, lose weight, or to exercise more, among other things but I would like to focus on some techniques and strategies that you can incorporate into your daily lives to reduce stress and to ensure good mental health for the coming year. Every day, as humans, we are all faced with certain stressors. This includes anything from traffic problems, negative interactions with others, to increased schedule demands. Some people handle stress better than others. Perhaps you have heard of Type A and Type B personalities. Click on the link to take a short test to find out your personality type: http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/TypeAB.html What does your personality type have to do with your mental health? A lot! For example, how do you respond when faced with stressors? Are you easy-going and refuse to allow those stressors to bother you, or do you become extremely anxious? Are you a procrastinator? Do you constantly worry about things or others? Each of these issues can have a profoundly negative impact on your overall mental health. If you are easy-going, laid back and do not worry at all, you may find yourself unable to meet certain deadlines, or to complete tasks as expected. Likewise, you may let others down who are depending on you to get things done and this can lead to interpersonal problems with others. On the other hand, if you are the opposite and you worry about

everything and everyone, and you can’t say “NO” when asked to take on a new project, especially when your schedule is already full, then you may become overly anxious as you try to complete too many tasks. Again, this can have a profound effect on your overall mental health. To decrease your anxiety and to pace yourself adequately, Kovacs (2013) has identified ten things that you can do to decrease your overall stress level.

Meditate, pray, swim, walk or do some other physical activity or even something non-physical such as knitting or crocheting.

Picture yourself relaxed. Take a quick “mental vacation,” where you picture yourself in your favorite vacation spot (i.e., beach, woods, on a boat, etc.). Try to “feel” the sun on your skin, the gentle breeze blowing, the smells that are around you, and relax.

Breathe deeply. Take a deep breath through your nose (make sure you are breathing from the stomach area and not just the chest). Hold for a count of 7-10 and then slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times until you are more relaxed.

Look around you. Be mindful of the things around you. If you are outside, listen for sounds of birds or other animals, or perhaps the wind rustling in the trees, or the color and shape of a flower or tree. Focus on the details of the object and let the stress go.

Drink hot tea. Kovacs

KIDS BE AWARE, INC. January 2013

Volume 2, Issue 1

Our Mission and Vision

To increase disease

awareness among children

and parents; To promote

healthy behaviors, reduce

the spread of infections,

and to reduce health-

related issues in our

nation’s children.

Table of Contents

CEO’s Corner ............... 2

Highlights ......................... 2

Featured Articles:

Healthy Recipes .............. 3

Body Wellness ................ 4

........................................... 5

Stress Management and Good Mental Health

CEO’s Corner...

simply by mailing in your checks. At Kids Be Aware, Inc. PO BOX 2173 Woburn, MA 01888 I thank you in advance for your support and hope that you find it in your heart to help us decrease health disparities among our children.

“Teach me about health so that I may teach others” Together we can!

Cheers and Peace to You!

Jeannette Bryant, CEO Kids Be Aware, Inc.

Howdy!

Great News! We are currently working with Cummings Proprieties to secure our Health and Wellness Center Location here in Woburn, MA.

We are looking at March as the month we will move into our brand new center.

I’m always delighted to bring more good news to you all each and every month and hope that you enjoy reading us as much as we enjoy writing these articles for you.

We have sent out grant application to a couple of foundations and hope to get a positive outcome from at least one of them.

We are eager to partner with organizations all around town whose mission and vision is in line with ours. While we are pleased in the many milestone of our organization, we are conducting our first Annual a dance for your health May 4th and hope that we will organize this event within our own center. Parents and Children are invited to sign up for our program

beginning February 20th.

The current need of this organization still remains the opening of a new children wellness facility among our Woburn residents. Together, we can raise disease awareness among children and parents.

We have been growing our face book community and invite you to have friends and families like our page. We are also selling T-Shirt Mugs and Notebook for fundraising need and hope that you will help us in our continue effort to sustain our organization’s mission.

On Behalf of KBA, we are asking for in-kind donations. All donations are tax deductible.

From our humble beginnings, and with only a little bit of help, we are growing and now we are in the position to make our dream a reality but to do this, we need your financial support that will enable us to expand our Kids Be Aware mission, and to uphold our vision for children everywhere.

You may donate by going at our website: http://www.kidsbeaware.org or

We are seeking NEW Enrollment!

We are seeking Volunteers for various roles.

Contact us and Volunteer!

“We strive to partner with

schools, churches, and

organizations to focus on the

health and well-being of our

children”

Page 2 KIDS BE AWARE, INC.

Healthy Treats for children

Cheese Kabobs The protein in this kid-friendly snack keeps energy levels high until dinnertime. We like to stick salt-free pretzel sticks into cubes of low-fat cheese to make

"satellite snacks," but you can also make cheese more interesting to kids by cutting it into fun shapes with a cookie cutter and making kabobs with your favorite fruit.

Peppermint Stick Hot Chocolate Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 194

Calories from fat: 18% Fat: 3.9g Saturated fat: 2.3g Monounsaturated fat: 0.0g

Polyunsaturated fat: 0.0g Protein: 7g Carbohydrate: 34g Fiber: 0.8g Cholesterol: 10mg Iron: 0.6mg Sodium: 96mg Calcium: 32mg

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/lunch-box-

recipes-kids-00412000072333/page5.html

The vegetable group is where you find many of na-ture’s healthiest foods. Vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, and miner-als and are low in calories, fat, so-dium, and choles-

terol. Vegetables are divided into five sub-groups based on nutrient content—dark-green vegetables, orange vegetables, beans and peas, starchy vegetables, and a group for all others. Serve your child a variety of vege-tables from all the subgroups each week. Nutrients: Fiber and abundant vitamins and minerals, which vary by vegetable Servings: Approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups for kids and 2 to 3 cups for adults http://www.cookinglight.com/food/lunch-

box-recipes-kids-00412000072333/

page5.html

Page 3 KIDS BE AWARE, INC.

Naturally sweet and juicy, fruits are also low in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol and are bursting with an array of vitamins and minerals. Fruit may already be a staple in your house, so if that’s the case, keep it up! Remember to intro-

duce kids to all types of fruit because each offers its own assortment of nutrients. And try to choose whole fruit or cut-up fruit over fruit juices to get more fiber and fewer calories per serving. Be sure to cut fruit into appropriately sized pieces for younger children. Nutrients: Carbohydrates, fiber, folate, vitamin C, potassium Servings: Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups for kids and 1 1/2 to 2 cups for adults

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/lunch-box-

recipes-kids-00412000072333/page5.html

2013- Resolve to make Positive Change! The year 2013 has arrived and we at Kids Be Aware are looking forward to it! As with every year, people often begin to think about making personal

changes, or resolutions, to improve some area in their life. Frequently, parents may feel that the old and new years’ become a blur after awhile;

children may be unaware that grownups even make these personal commitments to change. While much of the tenacity to follow through

with change rests solely on the shoulders of adults, children can be included in commitments towards making change.

The focus of Kids Be Aware has always been, and will continue to be, to provide insightful and relevant information that parents can use to improve their lives and the lives of their children. Regardless of whether your child is healthy or struggling with something, every child deserves a childhood where an adult has modeled positive behaviors for them to see and learn from. One excellent opportunity presents itself for parents when

they make resolutions to change! How many parents actually talk about making positive change with their children? Involving children in the discussion of change may surprise you! While we may not be thinking about the basic food groups or the number of hours of sleep we must get every day, as parents, we can address subjects such as these with our children and ask them for suggestions. By including our children’s suggestions into our ultimate parental decisions, children will be able to see how they have made positive changes too!

The 2012 holiday season brought many behaviors to the surface that we simply do not see all year long- goodwill to all, giving of ourselves to make someone else feel special, exhibiting kindness and generosity. These do not get packed away with our ribbons and trimmings when the holidays are over. Rather, as adults we should use these as springboards for positive change. Helping children find ways to be kind and to make others feel special also brings its own rewards. Having a focus on the positive can also improves our outlook especially when confronted with an illness or injury. In the unfortunate event that a parent or child must endure an illness or injury, focusing on proper rest, nutrition, and following doctor’s orders, presents teachable moments for the whole family.

Change does not come easy and often we rebel against change. We should consider how we vocalize our discontent in front of children. Children do pick up on what we as adults say, so let’s simply commit to finding the positive and committing to small changes to improve our lives and the lives of those we love.

By: Susan Ruiz, MS

Chair, Kids Be Aware, Inc.

Body Wellness

Page 4 KIDS BE AWARE, INC.

recommends Chamomile or black teas because of their soothing and relaxing properties.

Show some love. Hug a loved one; cuddle a pet; snuggle with your spouse or talk about the “good” times with a friend.

Try self-massage. Squeeze your shoulders tightly and raise them as high as you can toward your ears. Hold for 5-10 seconds and then, while still holding as high as you can get them, push them as far back as you can, still squeezing tightly. Slowly drop your shoulders and rotate your neck in a circular motion. You might choose to place your hands on your neck with your thumbs down toward your shoulders as you rotate. Repeat the process as often as needed.

Take a time-out. You know your body better than anyone else so when you begin to feel that you are going to be angry, take a quick, deep breath and hold for a few seconds. If needed, you might want to take a brief walk, breathing deeply a few times along the way, to calm yourself down. As you exhale, picture tension escaping through your breath and relax.

Take a musical detour. Play your favorite tune and, if you can, dance. If you are at work or in another structured setting, try playing instrumental or classical music that is uplifting and soothing. Researchers at The Cleveland Clinic (2012)

warn that stress is directly related to physical illness and certain diseases, like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, peptic ulcers and cardiac diseases, are often worsen with mental stress as it can lead to a rise in blood pressure, increased heart rate and digestive problems.

As you make those New Year’s resolutions for better physical health, don’t forget to include those that will also lead to good mental health!

Take an attitude break. Instead of focusing on a negative issue, focus on something positive. Perhaps a photo of a family member or friend or recall something that you recently did

that was a lot of fun and remember how you felt at the

time.

Smith and Segal (2012) recommend using a stress journal in which you write down what caused you the stress; how you felt about it, physically and emotionally; how you responded; and what you did to make yourself feel better. Other positive ways of coping with stress include: avoiding unnecessary stress (avoid people and things that stress you out; learn to say “no” and minimize your To-Do lists), altering the situation (use better time management skills, talk to some-one about things that are bothering you instead of keeping it bottled up inside, be more assertive in handling your daily problems), adapting to the stressor (reframe the problem, focus on the posi-tive, adjust your standards and look at the big picture), accepting what you can’t change (share your feelings, learn to forgive, and don’t try to control things that you can’t), make time for fun and relaxation (relax, connect with others, do something fun and keep your sense of humor), and adopting a healthy lifestyle (don’t drink, smoke or do drugs and get plenty of sleep and exercise, along with adopting a healthy diet).

Researchers at The Cleveland Clinic (2012) warn that stress is directly related to physical illness and certain diseases, like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, peptic ulcers and cardiac diseases, are often worsen with mental stress as it can lead to a rise in blood pressure, increased heart rate and digestive prob-lems. As you make those New Year’s resolutions for better physical health, don’t forget to include those that will also lead to good mental health!

Renee L. Sullivan, M.A., CCLC References

Cleveland Clinic. (2012). Diseases and Condi-tions: Stress and physical health. Retrieved on January 9, 2013 from http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/stress/hic_stress_and_physical_health.aspx.

Kovacs, J. S. (2013). Blissing Out: 10 Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot. If your hectic lifestyle has got you down, experts say re-laxation techniques can bring you back into balance -- some in five minutes or less. Retrieved on January 9, 2013 from: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/blissing-out-10-relaxation-techniques-reduce-stress-spot.

Smith, Melinda & Segel, Robert (2012). Stress Management: How to Reduce, prevent, and Cope with Stress. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved on January 9, 2013 from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm.

Stress Management and Good Mental Health(cont.)

Page 5 KIDS BE AWARE, INC.

We are on the Web!

Visit us at: www.kidsbeaware.org

Page 6 KIDS BE AWARE, INC.

KBA Board Members

Jeannette Bryant CEO kidsbeawarenow@gmail.com 781-354-2701

Tiffany Henderson Treasurer donald_and_tiffany@yahoo.com 678-431-6543

Susan Ruiz Chair susan.ruiz@waldenu.edu 301-302-4215

Teresa Godley-Chase Co-chair teressa.godley-chase@waldenu.edu 240-515-4222

Renee Sullivan Co-Chair renee.l.sullivan@gmail.com 478-718-1306

Regina Rainey Board Member reginarainey@ymail.com 864-303-2151

Kids Be Aware, Inc.

PO BOX 2173

Woburn, MA 01888

Monthly Highlights

“We strive to partner with schools, churches,

and organizations to focus on the health and

well-being of our children”

We are seeking NEW

Enrollment!

We are seeking Volunteers for

various roles.

Contact us and Volunteer!

Kids Be Aware, Inc

Wellness and Health

Center coming soon

in Woburn, MA

We welcome any donations to help us with the

expansion of our program

To donate to our organization please use this link:

http://www.kidsbeaware.org/donate

Listen to our Talk Show

on BBS Radio Station 2

Every two weeks

Beginning at 12:00PM