You have run out of free articles. You can support our newsroom by joining at our lowest rate!

Please call 800-660-2472 to upgrade your subscription.

Register for more free articles

Stay logged in to skip the surveys

Back pain is a complicated topic with as many causes as there are care options. Many people experience low-grade back pain and stiffness, regardless of their size, condition or ambition. This type of low-grade back pain is often caused by the muscles in the back. These muscles are responsible for keeping you mobile, standing straight and effectively executing your lifes demands. They flex you, extend you, and laterally bend you to provide a multi-dimensional movement experience.

The common problem today is that we spent an inordinate time sitting. We now know couch potato inactivity raises the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and initiation of full respiratory decline. This may sound shocking and a bit exaggerated, but theres honesty in the message.

Here are four simple exercises you can do to counteract simple low-back pain.

1. Low-back extensions (LBE): Place your hands on your hips so the web of your hands rest on your hips just above legs and your thumbs wrap around your back. Begin by keeping your knees extended, not locked, and bend back, using your thumbs to add pressure and provide support. Extend back as far as you can comfortably, and then return to upright position. This is a movement exercise, not a stretch. Complete 10 to 25 repetitions at a time, three to five times per day.

2. LBE with added head extension: This is the exact same movement exercise as described above, but while youre in a back extension, extend your head back for a count of two and return to the upright position.

See the article here:
START THE WEEK OFF RIGHT: Self-help strategy for lower back pain - Quad-Cities Online

Since novel coronavirus became a thing, I wake up every morning with my remix of Sinead OConnors song Nothing Compares to You. This morning, it went a little something like this:

Its been who knows how many hours and how many days since you took our lives away.

I. Am. Tired. Of. Rona.

I took an informal poll on Facebook, and Im not the only one tired of hearing the daily updates on new cases, deaths and whatever other story can be crafted to tell us were in a state of emergency. I appreciate the dedicated journalists who are working to keep us updated heck, Im a journalist and public relations person by training, so I get it. However, the constant barrage of new stories and new angles can be depressing and information overload.

Here are nine ways we can ignore Rona and put some happiness back into our lives.

Journaling is a powerful healing practice that helps improve mental clarity, focus and understanding. Keeping a consistent routine allows you to explore your emotions, connect with hidden feelings and commit to goals on paper. Theres no one way to journal; it can take many forms, including writing morning pages and using guided prompts.

Many people believe that meditation requires you to sit still and completely free your mind of all thoughts. Thats false. Meditation simply means being in the present moment by focusing your mind and awareness on whats happening now not what happened yesterday or what will happen in 20 minutes. Forms of meditation come in different varieties, but the simplest way is through breathwork.

Charlottean Tesia Love is a clinical Ayurveda specialist Ayurveda is an ancient Indian practice that takes a holistic approach to physical and mental health. On April 8, Love will lead a breathwork session during Kombucha, Wine and Chill, a virtual game night. The online event starts at 7 p.m. at Bea Healthy CLT on Instagram.

Build or grow your business, heal yourself or learn a new skill through online classes. Now is the time to get the additional training you need to take you to the next level.

Some classes to check out:

With gyms closed, fitness trainers are offering free virtual workouts. Theres no reason you cant get fit and fully snatched while at home.

Looking for a free virtual workout? Check out 10-minute morning routines with @getfitwithchrys each weekday at 6:30 a.m. Cant make it that early? No worries. Catch the replays on her IGTV channel.

Want to try yoga? Charlottes Peace Filled Mama Kelly Palmer leads a virtual pay-what-you-can yoga session on Mondays at noon and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Yoga instructor Davena Mgbeokwere also shared 13 Charlotte-based options for online yoga classes.

Charlotte native Sahnia Oates loves to crochet. She started after getting laid off from her job a few years ago to help manage her stress. The lesson? Find what you love and do that thing.

You may not be able to do the normal happy hours at your favorite bar or restaurant, hit the club with your friends or have Sunday dinner at Big Mommas house, but you can still connect and have fun doing it.

For those who are quarantined with others in their home, consider cooking dinner together or simply watch some good television. Keep the fun going by creating an activity jar. Take a cup or old spaghetti jar and drop in activity ideas. Choose one each day and do it.

If youre thinking about joining one of the many online challenges flooding your timelines, consider the #GirlWhatchuDoing challenge started by Jenn Elaine, Ohavia Phillips and Natoya Williams. Theyre three local ladies who also give us the weekly Pardon My Chic podcast.

It can get a bit lonely if youre quarantining solo. Dont let it get you down. Connect virtually with friends by grabbing a class of your favorite beverage and snacks, then enjoy all the shenanigans that transpire. Alone time can also allow you to explore new podcasts or catch up on some of your favorites.

Expand your circle of fraaans and entertainment options by attending virtual events. Before Rona, people were planning all kinds of in-person events. Many of those events have gone virtual and include everything from free DJ sets to self-help workshops.

Heres a handful of upcoming virtual events to add to your calendar:

While many have the good fortune of still working during this time, there are thousands who are laid off or furloughed. For Black-owned small businesses, the economic slowdown could be the thing determining their existence. This can be a tough time for them and their families.

If you can support them, do it. Continue to patronize these businesses and consider making donations to those who cant work during this time. Theres the opportunity to support local creatives through the Creatives Are Essential website.

Show appreciation to the frontline workers making sure were healthy and safe. Post messages of appreciation and motivation using #Grateful2020.

Its an extremely stressful time, and its OK to just do nothing.

Brandi Bea Williams is a life and health coach, trainer and cultural curator who uses her more than 20 years experience in public relations to educate, inspire and empower people of color in the areas of public relations and holistic health.

View original post here:
Journaling, meditation and other self-care things to do at home - Qcity metro

To the wellness industry, the coronavirus represents not just a loss but an opportunity for self-actualization. Miranda Kerr and Tom Brady are among the celebrities on the bandwagon.

We all have our coping mechanisms, some more productive than others. Lately Ive found a perverse form of escapism by scrolling through the Instagram feeds of wellness influencers intuitive nutritionists, adaptogenic alchemists, plant-based-lifestyle evangelists to see how well theyre doing now.

In a word, they are glowing. Miranda Kerr, the model turned organic beauty entrepreneur, is posing with a bitten apple in a leafy yard and optimizing her quarantine by spending extra time on my skin care routine and doing a daily mask. Jordan Younger, who blogs as the Balanced Blonde, is reporting from the midst of a 14-day water fast, advising her followers to go inward as this time on earth is happening FOR us and not TO us. And Amanda Chantal Bacon, a lifestyle guru who sells earthy supplements through her company Moon Juice, is ensconced in a white bathrobe, cradling a mug in one hand and an infant in the other, her beatific gaze framed by a luxe tumble of hair.

The caption is riveting. Bacon has assembled a menagerie of emoji toadstool, ringed planet, garlic bulb, DNA double-helix, lathered bar of soap, the yin and yang symbol suggesting a sordid congress between the scientific and the mystical. She proffers her wisdom as an immunomodulation enthusiast, counseling against sugar, fighting, alcohol, fear, processed foods, isolation and stagnation and instead pushing liposomal vitamin C, acupuncture, broth, one-minute cold showers and the consumption of various adaptogens a category of herbal supplements that claim to protect the body against stressors, which Moon Juice grinds into dusts and sells for $38 per 1.5 ounce jar.

Theres nothing like a pandemic to clarify the distinction between wellness and actual health. Our collective health is, most would agree, not so good. But through the logic of wellness branding, this situation can represent not just a lossof lives and livelihoods,but an opportunity. With the right motivational texts and quasi-medicinal products, well-positioned individuals are empowered to recast their quarantine as a self-actualization incubator, a chance not just to fend off the virus itself but to achieve their peak physical, mental and spiritual forms.

There is something ghastly about these efforts. Even when a pandemic is not raging, the very idea of a person advertising a 14-day fast makes me want to call the police. Yet the wellness evangelists have intuited a real paradox in this moment: As our health care system buckles under the strain of the virus, and citizens are isolated at home, self-care has never felt more urgent.

The virus has the power to kill the people it has infected, and to instill stress, grief, loneliness and despair in the people it has not. The anxiety is what is most oppressive here, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a recent briefing. Lifestyle brands invite us to regain a sense of control, if only over our nutritional intake, hygienic practices and apartment interiors.

In the past few weeks, it seems as if the entire internet has pivoted to wellness. Actors have transformed into home-cooking instructors; pop stars are leading meditations; fashion bloggers are hawking sponsored loungewear. The showbiz couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon have rolled out a podcast, Staying In with Emily and Kumail, about adapting to indoor life with the help of a Nintendo Switch. The public is seeking self-care tips from Cuomos PowerPoint presentations and from a loner who has lived in an abandoned mining town for 50 years. I am doing yoga for the first time ever, ending every day by bowing my head and whispering namaste to my virtual instructor.

These coronavirus self-help guides offer tips on how to maintain mental health and relationships under quarantine. But some wellness practitioners are reaching further.

Everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Tom Brady is pushing an immune support supplement, which sure seems to imply immunity from the virus. Kerr was recently publicly shamed for sharing a virus protection guide from a medical medium who credits himself as the leader of the global celery movement. And Bacon was dinged for posting an immunity guide that intermingled hand-washing tips with Moon Juice products like Power Dust and Spirit Dust.

With just a feeble tweak of messaging, however, these same influencers have solicited praise for their epidemic response. Moon Juice is running a coronavirus giveaway on its Instagram, shipping off immuno packs to people who deliver groceries or work in nursing homes; Kerr recently donated a bunch of her brands vitamin C face serums to health care workers at the Ronald Reagan U.C.L.A. Medical Center, then shared grateful posts from nurses on her feed.

With a firm command of the woo-woo lexicon, a brand is capable of capitalizing on the crisis without saying anything at all. The pice de rsistance of coronavirus branding is perhaps this Moon Juice post from March 24, which offers a cosmic perspective on the situation: This New Moon offers us a date with destiny. We are being called to birth new versions of ourselves, as the world morphs around us. Let us burn off resistance and dance with the unknown. It concluded: We are learning just how resilient we are.

The text was followed by a recipe for a blend of hot milk and coffee with a dusting of Cordyceps, a bioactive supershroom, which Moon Juice claims is said to increase drive, stamina, and reduce fatigue.

The modern wellness movement in America arose in the 1960s as counterprogramming to the predominant idea of health. If health was framed as the prevention of disease, and managed through the medical system, wellness was pitched as an active, positive pursuit organized around the self. The idea was fused with productivity: Halbert Dunn, chief of the National Office of Vital Statistics, promoted the idea of high-level wellness, an integrated method of functioning, which is oriented toward maximizing the potential of which the individual is capable. And it could be spun into a whole lifestyle, complete with its own consumer accessories, from jogging gear to Jane Fonda videos, Lululemon pants to GOOP goops.

Its easy to see how this idea migrated from its nominally countercultural beginnings into a luxury feature. When Audre Lorde wrote about self-care as an act of political warfare in the 1980s, she was talking about managing her cancer in the face of a system that was hostile toward her as a black lesbian. Health care remains a pricey commodity in America, but now wealthy people have co-opted self-care as a status symbol. They have the ability to appear not just healthy but radiantly well. Now, as the health care system flails in its coronavirus response with basic needs like tests, masks and ventilators terrifyingly scarce the promises of strange elixirs and fine powders feel more deranged and seductive than ever.

Wellness content used to merely gesture at some kind of spiritual necessity, but it has now proved itself truly crucial. Moon Juice likes to say that it offers self care for communal care, and while it is ludicrous to imagine that spooning ground mushroom into ones coffee benefits ones community in any way, in this case it borders on being technically correct. Public health legitimately relies on the efforts of each individual to cope in isolation, and if it helps to lace a beverage with mushroom powder, then great. The optimism of this content borders on the delusional, but we have been told to keep our spirits up. Wellness may be fundamentally self-absorptive, but we can be forgiven for gazing at our own navels when theres not much else for us to look at.

Still, there is something disquieting about the slick translation of the crisis into the logic of branding. When a fleet of lifestyle bloggers turned a public health warning into a synergistic exercise they each held up a sign in flowery influencer script, collectively informing their audiences to Stay home for the people you love. Be kind! Wash your hands. Lets flatten the curve! they probably thought they were using their platforms for good. But they were also helping to reaffirm the reorganization of community under their various cults of personality.

We are living in an upside-down time where the president of the United States is promoting unproven virus cures on television, but Paltrow appeared in a protective mask on Instagram more than a month before the C.D.C. recommended that everyone put them on. Health may be scarce, but wellness is still in stock.

See the article here:
Our Health Is in Danger. Wellness Wants to Fill the Void. - The New York Times

CNBC Make Itis posting a new financial task to tackle each day for a month. These are all meant to be simple, time-sensitive activities to take your mind off of the news for a moment and, hopefully, put you on sturdier financial footing. This is day two of 30.

Financial experts often advise tracking your spending and saving so that you know exactly where your money is going. That's partly because the stress of the current moment paired with the ease of buying things online can mean spending money you don't intend to spend.

Today, take 15 to 20 minutes to set up a system to catalog where your money goes each day and week.If you haven't completed yesterday's task, start there: Review how your spending has changed over the past few weeks and if it's still in line with your goals.

Then, commit to a method to track your spending going forward.There are a number of ways to do this, but you should pick the one that's easiest for you. Here are a few examples:

"Setting up a system to track your spending and savings is a powerful act of self-care during the current crisis,"Andrea Ferrero, co-founder of Pockets Change, a personal finance website, tells CNBC Make It. "I've been a financial educator for over a decade and one of the best pieces of advice I've heard came from a high schooler who said, 'If we don't create a plan for our money, someone else will.'"

Once you start tracking, you'll get a sense of how you are acclimating to new life, and financial, circumstances, Lindsay Sacknoff, head of consumer deposits, products and payments at TD Bank, tellsCNBC Make It.

"Keeping tabs on cash flow during this time is key to understanding your new financial norm," says Sacknoff. "More time at home requires budgeting adjustments to asses where money needs to go and where it can be cut out."

Once you've decided on the system you'll use to track your spending, stick to it. Whenever you purchase something, write down how much you spent and what you spent it on. You can also set up alerts each time your credit or debit card is charged, which can help you catch recurring expenses and subscriptions you may have forgotten about (not to mention fraud). You can do this via your card issuer's app or website, under account alerts.

At the end of each week or month, tally your spending to see where your money is going and if any of your purchases surprise you. Be sure to include subscriptions, memberships, bills and other monthly expenses. As you review your purchases, ask yourself the following questions:

Then, keep it up."Tracking is a lifelong habit like brushing your teeth," says Ferrero. "You have to keep doing it."

Don't miss:

Check out: The best credit cards of 2020 could earn you over $1,000 in 5 years

Read more:
It's easy to mindlessly spend right nowhere's the first step to take to avoid it - CNBC

Many of us have had to make significant changes to our everyday lives in the face of uncertainty and adversity. As life continues to change, its important that we show ourselves compassion through this process. Here are some things you can do to protect your mental health during this time.

Whether youre reading the news or scrolling through social, it can be hard to get away from negative news and information. Thats why its important to set healthy boundaries for ourselves. Boundaries serve an important role in our lives, especially when we are feeling anxious or experiencing a crisis. Here are some ways you can set boundaries around how you interact with COVID-19 information:

Knowing what we need and communicating our needs clearly can help to protect our own mental health and energy. Here are some examples of things you can say to set boundaries with those around you:

When we are experiencing a crisis or being bombarded with information, it can be difficult to process our feelings and emotions in a healthy way. Increased stress and anxiety levels may cause us to snap at those we love or leave us feeling physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

One way to process emotions in a healthy way is to practice journaling. Journaling allows us an opportunity to explore our feelings, process them and move forward. If youre new to journaling, try setting a timer for 2-5 minutes to write. If you dont fill the whole time thats okay.

If youre unsure what to write about, try one of these prompts to get you started:

As we navigate changes and work to adjust to a new normal, it can be good to reflect on our thoughts and behaviors to find bright spots and avoid landmines:

Bright spots

Bright spots are things that have a positive impact on our mood, energy or day that we want to keep doing or create habits from. To find brightspots, consider the following questions:

Landmines

Landmines, on the other hand, are things that negatively impact us. They may leave us feeling drained, ruin our mood or leave us feeling lousy at the end of the day. To uncover landmines, consider the following questions:

Once youve discovered your bright spots and landmines, write them out into two lists. Set reminders for yourself to do the things on your bright spots list and create systems to help you avoid the things on your landmines list. For instance, you can set a reminder to go for a walk every day at noon if that is one of your bright spot activities. If spending too much time on social is on your landmines list, try to set boundaries around your use. You may set a 10-minute timer or use an app that blocks certain accounts once youve hit your daily limit.

Self-care is any activity that we intentionally do to take care of our own mental, emotional and physical health. Sometimes, self-care is short term, like eating a sweet treat. Other times, self-care is more long term, like learning how to budget or getting enough sleep each night. The important thing to remember is that self-care looks different for everyone. If someone elsesversion of self-care doesnt match your own, thats okay. Do what you need to do to feel better.

Here are some ideas of what self-care might look like for you right now:

Its important to create a self-care plan that works for you. Set aside time each day or week to enjoy those activities.

If youre feeling overwhelmed, talk to someone. Reach out to a trusted friend or family member and let them know what youre going through. While we all might be experiencing the same thing, it may impact us differently. Take the time to talk to someone about your emotions and where you might be struggling.

You can also schedule a free virtual appointment with Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) by calling 303-492-2277. Services are confidential, and counselors can help provide insight, solutions and information about additional resources. Students commonly work with CAPS to address concerns about stress, sadness, worry, relationships, academic performance, family problems and financial struggles.

SilverCloud Online Mental Health is a confidential program that offers access to online programs for stress, anxiety and depression. Each module offers information, tips and activities to help better understand your emotional wellbeing. This program is available for free to all CU Boulder students, grad students, staff and faculty.

Health & Wellness Virtual Programs are available to support students and graduate students through this transitional time. Students can find resources for counseling, medical care, coaching, online fitness classes, confidential support, live events, stress-relief activities and more.

More Health & Wellness Articles

More here:
6 ways to protect your mental health during a crisis - CU Boulder Today

Believing in ones own abilities makes parenting during a crisis easier, which bolsters a sense of self-worth and strengthsuddenly, your other problems feel lighter. If youve been a parent for any length of time, no doubt youve proved yourself able to change in ways you never thought possible before you had kids. Youve lived with less sleep than ever before. You swore youd never let your kid wear a princess dress or Spider-Man mask out of the house, and we all know how that ended. Youve already sharpened this skill, and it is a crucial tool for this new season.

Before Jake died, if you had asked me whether I was capable of labor without my partner, or bringing home a newborn without him there, I might have told you no, not possible. But crises can teach you a lot about your capabilities.

Practice makes slightly better over time. Its no practice makes perfect, but perfect is not what youre after. Youre not instantly going to be an expert homeschooling mom who also works a full-time job, nor should you try. Once youve decided what kind of mom or dad you are, do something small every day to put that identity into practice. Clear puts it this way: Prove it to yourself with small wins.

Read: Kids don't need to stay 'on track' to succeed

For me, in 2015, that meant getting out of bed (grief is physically exhausting, but grief plus third trimester is a doozy), keeping a job, taking my kids outside, and wrestling my toddler into a Mogwai costume for Halloween, by God. Every day, I got a little better at doing the things that make a home happy. Many days, my small win was a hot breakfast, and that was all I had in me. Some days, I had a hangover and it was Cheerios in my bed for the toddler until I could Skype with my therapist. On those days, I was the kind of parent I wanted to be only for a couple of hoursand that was fine too.

In the midst of a crisis, youre just getting through an hour at a time. Later, you advance to a day at a time. The idea of forever is crushing. So give yourself a shorter timeline. Get through this morning, get through Monday, get through this week, and watch Tiger King with a glass of wine when you're done.

In her best-selling book on resilience, Option B, Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg recounts how she trained herself to see the possibility of light in the darkness after her husbands death: I tried a cognitive behavioral therapy technique where you write down a belief that's causing you anguish and then disprove it. I wrote, I will never feel okay again. Seeing those words forced me to realize that just that morning, someone had told a joke and I had laughed.

Youll have to make the same progression with your family now. Write your story, start small, get a tiny bit better every day, and give yourself a break.

Finally, remember how cool your kids are. My daughters got me through my crisis. Parenting is not easy, even in ideal conditions. But my responsibility to my children saved me from a worse fate. Standing in my kitchen in sweatpants, in a life that no longer felt familiar, I listened to the sound of sizzling bacon and my girls laughter, and knew that I was getting up every day to give them what they needed.

Originally posted here:
Its Okay to Be a Different Kind of Parent During the Pandemic - The Atlantic

Weve all heard the phrase, Its not personal; its business. However, Id argue my place of business is personal. Where I choose to invest my time, energy and ideas is a direct reflection of me.

The COVID-19 pandemic is throwing most business plans off course. Organizations are figuring out how to operate, day by day, as breaking news unfolds about social distancing and government policies. While people fear the economic impact the pandemic will have on businesses and employee livelihood, a time of crisis is also an opportunity to bring to life a companys mission and values in unique ways by making it personal.

The three key tenets to the make it personal model include: using talents for good, adopting a people-first mentality and building meaningful connectivity.

Using Talents For Good

In a crisis, seize the opportunity to rise to the occasion and determine how your product or service can alleviate some of the stress in these uncertain times.

Disney is a great example. While its theme parks are closed due to COVID-19, the company is embracing its mission to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe by releasing Frozen 2 and The Rise of Skywalker early. Knowing people are suffering from cabin fever as they hunker down in their homes, Disneys small gesture of leaning in and adjusting plans is just the ticket to give people some relief.

Chipotle is committed to cultivating a better world through its food products and culture. As such, the chain is creating virtual lunchtime hangouts with celebrities through Zoom, and up to 3,000 people can join. Fueling togetherness is critical right now, given so many people feel isolated. The chain is also offering free delivery on orders of $10 or more since people cant eat inside the restaurants.

Additionally, French luxury conglomerate LVMH is using its perfume and cosmetics factories to manufacture free hand sanitizer for France to help with the shortage. This is a perfect example of a company creatively problem-solving and leveraging its tools resources, and talents for good that goes way beyond meeting the bottom line.

Putting People First And Leaning In

In a lot of industries, people are what differentiate a product. Its imperative for companies to prioritize staff needs in times like this. Lean into them, and theyll lean right back. Recognize the unpredictable conditions crisis creates, and encourage flexibility.

Many working parents could be at home trying to facilitate in-home learning while schools are closed. Show them you have their backs. This is team building at its finest. Band together. Because when you take care of your people, they take care of your business.

Building Meaningful Connectivity In A Work-From-Home World

As I explained in one of our companys blog posts, A companys talent pool is their greatest PR asset. No one is closer to your company values or brand promise than those on the inside. Loyal employees will sing their organizations praises in times of glory and come to its defense in times of crisis ... Yet, internal communication is often overlooked or not given the level of creative treatment that external communication receives.

This is especially apparent in moments of urgency and crisis. While technology enables us to be connected 24/7, it takes a little more TLC from leadership to build meaningful connectivity. Here are some quick tips:

1. Establish A Communication Task Force

Centralize where news, intel and policies take place to ensure clear, consistent messaging all throughout the organization. This team should be lean so it can act fast given the fluidity of crisis situations. Delegate key spokespeople to rally the troops and own the functionality of the business. Communicate updates early and often.

2. Empower Employees To Give Back

Figuring out how to manage the day-to-day business is challenging enough. For some, this is their only key performance indicator (KPI). However, for others, it means some projects are put on the back burner until further notice. Keep these employees engaged by encouraging them to problem-solve issues happening in the community or industry you work in. Some will eagerly raise their hands, while others will need to feel they have the license to jump in and get their hands dirty.

Help guide this team of change agents to respond to a crisis with solutions that reflect the companys mission and values. This will help build your brand and advocacy in meaningful, timely ways. Imagine if every company acted this way and the greater impact it could have on the world.

3. Encourage Self-Care

Lead by example. If employees see members of leadership engaging in virtual lunches, happy hours and daily walks, then theyll feel more secure that they can take care of themselves in the same way. Its mission-critical to nurture and advocate for positive mental health during a crisis. Humanize communication beyond email by leveraging video software, the company intranet and social media, and embrace playful memes or GIFs to connect.

Making it personal in times of crisis enables creative problem-solving, reaching a higher company purpose and employee retention. Ultimately, getting personal can lead to better business results.

Here is the original post:
Let's Get Personal: How Businesses Can Stand Out In Times Of Crisis - Forbes

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) news, regulations and infection rate all grow day by day, keeping on top of the financial assistance available to independent contractors and small-business people can be challenging.

So too can keeping up on reliable sources of information about personal safety, self-care and the pandemic itself.

MASSAGE Magazines editors curated these one-click-away resources to help you connect to the most current information about financial assistance and loans; state regulations; news about the virus; and keeping yourself healthy and safe.

1. Small and midsize employers can begin taking advantage of two new refundable payroll tax credits, designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing coronavirus-related leave to their employees, as announced by the U.S. Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor.

Refundable Payroll Tax Credits

2. The CARES Act promises unemployment benefits for independent contractors and loans for small-business people, among other things.

U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business Entrepreneurship Guide to the CARES Act

3. The CARES Act might not offer enough financial relief to Americans, according to finance experts. Conversations about an new act to help the Act are underway.

Forbes Report

4. The Small Business Administration is funding up to $2 million to small businesses and nonprofits experiencing disruption from coronavirus.

SBA Disaster Relief Funding

5. Some state boards of massage are allowing massage therapists to complete all required CE online; some are waiving fees; others are waiving CE. For the most accurate information, contact your state board directly.

Contact information for State Boards

6. Sometimes like this time, right now we have to do whatever we can to stay afloat. Get some nitty-gritty advice on saving, recycling and working (not as a massage therapist) in 21 Tips to Save Money, Cut Spending, and Keep Your Practice Poised to Re-Open With the Coronavirus Pandemic is Over.

21 Tips

7. You might reach, or have reached, a point where you need help feeding your family. Theres no shame in that. The United Ways COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund will support communities throughout the U.S. with food, household supplies and more. MASSAGE Magazines advertisers are contributing to our Massage Relief Effort, which goes directly to the United Way. The link below takes you to a page where you can search state-by-state and county-by-county for assistance where you live.

United Way COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund Local Responses

8. The Small Business Majority, a national small-business advocacy organization, maintains a COVID-19 resource page featuring articles and podcasts pertaining to both state and national topics.

SBM COVID-19 Page

9. NPRs map of the U.S. is updated daily and shows how many cases and deaths related to coronavirus have been reported in each state.

Map: Tracking the Spread of the Coronavirus in the U.S.

10. The New York Times, which normally keeps its content behind a paywall, has made all coronavirus-related coverage free of charge.

NYT Coronavirus Breaking News

11. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Preventions Coronavirus Disease 2019 page covers topics including health policy, its response to the pandemic, and helpful tips like how to wear cloth face masks and reduce stress.

CDC.gov

12. Coronavirus Daily is a daily news podcast all about the pandemic. Brought to you by NPR, it includes stories from NPRs science, international and business reporting teams, to name a few.

NPRs Coronavirus Daily Podcast

13. Grief. Stress. Anxiety. Fear. Most of us are feeling all of these emotions, one by one or sometimes all at once. The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley offers articles, podcasts and videos on Self-Care, including Three Tips from a Therapist for Calming Your Coronavirus Anxiety.

Greater Good Science Center

14. Writing can help release emotions and provide a respite from stress. The article, Write to Heal from Trauma, Loss & Illness: 7 Prompts to Explore Now is designed to help.

Write for Self-Care

15. Yoga in your living room? Of course. You probably have some CDs ready to pop into the DVR player now. Did you know you can take free classes in yoga (and tai chi and hip hop dance and pretty much anything else that can be videotaped?) Welcome to YouTube.

Yoga for Vulnerability

16. A healthy immune system is always important; it builds physical resilience but do not believe anyone who says you can stave off the coronavirus with a strong immune system, as that is not proven.

Self-Care Habits to Benefit Your Immune System

17. Cooking every meal in ones home is a privilege and can get a bit stale. Plus, snacking. Still, the only podcast list we felt we should include here is the Top 10 from Taste of Home.

Taste of Home Top 10 Food Podcasts

Do you know of a source you think we should include in our next update? Email it to edit@massagemag.com. And stay healthy.

Karen Menehan is MASSAGE Magazines editor in chief. Her coronavirus coverage includes Massage Therapists Who are Independent Contractors or Business Owners will Benefit from CARES Act Approved by Congress; Help During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Massage Relief Effort FAQ and Coronavirus and Its Impact on the Massage Industry.

comments

Read the rest here:
Do You Need Help? Here are 17 Resources on Finances, Business & Self-Care for Massage Therapists Coping with the COVID-19 Shut-Down - Massage...

It may seem like the world is constantly in flux, particularly right now, as we find ourselves in such unforeseen circumstances. But even during a pandemic, there are some nuggets of wisdom that will always ring true.

As people across the world stay at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and find themselves with more time on their hands, there's no better time pick up one of these classic self-help books and learn a thing or two about living life for when it all starts back up again.

These seven picks might be more than 20 years old, but the advice they contain is timeless.

Dale Carnegie

This is the oldest one on the list dating back more than 80 years and yet its probably the most famous, as it was named one of Time magazines 100 most influential books of all time. It promises to get you out of a mental rut, help you make friends easily and quickly, teach you how to increase your popularity, and how to become more persuasive and win new clients or customers, as well as boost your earning power among other things. Dale Carnegie, a public speaker and writer, may have been born in 1888, but he would still be one popular man today.

Tony Robbins

Love him or hate him, American life coach, public speaker and writer Tony Robbins has a knack for turning peoples lives around. Awaken the Giant Within wasnt his first book, but it is arguably his most influential. First published in 1992, it provides readers with tips on how to clarify their personal values, resolve any internal conflicts, master their emotions and overcome bad habits that have been holding them back. Its packed with research to back up his assertions, as well as practical guidelines to follow. Not many of us can say we dont need that kind of advice.

Norman Vincent Peale

Case studies and practical instructions are what fill the pages of this 1950s book by Norman Vincent Peale, an American minister and author best known for popularising the idea of positive thinking. His book helps boost self-confidence, build power and determination to reach your goals, break the cycle of worrying too much, improve personal relationships, assume control over your life and, ultimately, be kinder to yourself. The international bestseller was written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying and worthwhile life. Who doesnt want that?

Eckhart Toll

German-born spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle is highly praised within the world of mindfulness and meditation. Hes written a number of books, but this one is perhaps his most beloved and has been translated into more than 50 languages. In it, were introduced to the idea of enlightenment, and how the mind is its natural enemy. Tolle teaches people about their role in the creation of their own pain, and how to live fully in the present, as opposed to constantly lamenting or yearning for the past and worrying about the future. Once youve finished with that, you can move on to his other bestselling work, A New Earth: Create A Better Life, a personal favourite of Oprah Winfreys.

Stephen R Covey

Theres a reason why companies still send employees on this course: it just never gets old. The business and self-help book by American educator, author and businessman Stephen Covey presents a principle-centric approach to problem-solving both in our personal and professional lives. He uses insights and anecdotes to lay out a step-by-step method for living with fairness and integrity, allowing us to embrace the wisdom and power to adapt to change. He does all this while explaining seven habits that are grouped into three categories: independence, interdependence and continual improvement. The book has sold more than 25 million copies around the world since it was first published, and became the first non-fiction audiobook in the US to sell more than one million.

Pema Chodron

Pema Chodron, the only female author on this list, is an American Tibetan Buddhist nun and, for many people, her bestselling book When Things Fall Apart has been life-changing. Its a classic from 1996, but she tackles topics that are particularly poignant for today. She addresses how we can continue to live life when everything seems to be falling apart, when we are constantly overcome by fear, anxiety and pain. The solution, she says, is to move towards painful situations, rather than backing away. She draws from Buddhist wisdom and offers tools for transforming suffering and negativity into endless joy.

By Robert Greene

American author Robert Greene is best known for his books on the mastery of strategy, power and seduction. He has written six international bestsellers, but this one, his first, is his most enduring. Its a practical guide for people who want to gain, observe or protect themselves against ultimate control. He distils 3,000 years of history into these 48 truths, drawing inspiration from the lives of influential historical figures, from Niccolo Machiavelli to Queen Elizabeth I and Henry Kissinger. Laws include never outshine the master, enter action with boldness and crush your enemy totally. It has sold millions of copies and is particularly popular with the rich and famous, including Kanye West, Jay-Z and Will Smith.

Updated: April 3, 2020 04:32 PM

Excerpt from:
Timeless tips: 7 classic self-help books to read while youre staying at home - The National

Global mental health platform InnerHour will offer its online programmes and self-help tools pro bono to help mental health professionals, employees working from home and college students to better cope with stress, anxiety, depression because of the changes brought about by COVID-19 in peoples lives.

Also read: Work from Home in the time of COVID-19

InnerHour's self-help app has benefited nearly 6 lakh people globally, its founders Dr. Amit Malik and Neha Kirpal claimed in a press statement.

The organisation will offer a range of clinical tools and self-help psychological activities, topical content, webinars, bot-based check-ins and voice or video therapy sessions available in seven languages.

The mobile application has been live for 18 months and provides for self-awareness through free assessments, a range of cognitive behavioural therapy based self-help tools delivered, support communities and a step-care approach. It uses algorithms and data/intelligence with the guidance of trained therapists to identify unique user needs and create a highly personalised programme suitable for each user. Users can also avail live sessions with therapists via text,voice, video through InnerHour's network of 120 therapists across 60 cities in India.

Also read: COVID-19: Work from home, a difficult strategy for non-IT companies to adopt

The covid pandemic has brought great socio-economic uncertainties, giving rise to increased anxiety, depression, addiction and suicide the world over. Together, we can resolve to find the optimism, resilience, and emotional balance to tide over these challenging times, and help provide access to treatment and care, for those who need it. Our mental health problems and solutions are much the same across boundaries, race and colour. Lets join hands and share a pledge, the statement said.

#MyMindMatters #MentalHealthForAll.

The app has 5 lakh downloads globally, of which 40% are from India with a similar number from the U.S., followed by other countries across the globe.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Register to The Hindu for free and get unlimited access for 30 days.

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

Not convinced? Know why you should pay for news.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Visit link:
Mental health tool available free - The Hindu