Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Mind and Body

Gratitude? Can it affect overall health?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, gratitude is defined as “a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you”.  The holiday season lends itself to expressing gratitude, probably more so than any other time during the year. One regular practice my family engages in over Thanksgiving is going […]

WRITTEN BY: Lorrissa Dunfee, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Belmont County

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Washington County

SOURCES:

  • Definition of "gratitude" - English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gratitude#dataset-cacd
  • Ducharme, J. (2017, November 20). 7 Surprising Health Benefits of Gratitude. Retrieved from http://time.com/5026174/health-benefits-of-gratitude/
  • Gratitude Practice Explained. (2015, November 23). Retrieved from http://ei.yale.edu/what-is-gratitude/

Mind Your Meals this Holiday Season

With fall in full swing and Thanksgiving just a few days away, many of us are faced with lots of opportunities to eat. Though the many celebrations and festivities of the season can be a great time to catch up with family and friends, these might also tempt us to overindulge. The gatherings and special […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.417@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • American Heart Association, Mindful Eating Infographic. Retrieved from: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/mindful-eating-infographic

SOURCES:

  • Nelson, J. (2017). Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat, Diabetes Spectrum. American Diabetes Association, Retrieved from: http://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/3/171
  • Harvard Health Publishing (2016). 8 steps to mindful eating. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/8-steps-to-mindful-eating
  • Mindful Eating. Retrieved from: https://smokefree.gov/stay-smokefree-good/eat-healthy/mindful-eating
  • Dugas, Julia (2017). Mindful Eating Checklist: How To Master Mindful Eating, Food Insight. Retrieved from: https://www.foodinsight.org/mindful-eating-checklist-flavors-meditation

Scars of Beauty

The Japanese art of Kintsugi (“golden joinery”) treats the necessary repair of a broken piece of ceramic pottery as an opportunity to honor the history of the piece. Instead of trying to mask the repairs by creating nearly invisible cracks, the shards of a broken piece of pottery are reattached using a special lacquer mixed […]

WRITTEN BY: Kathy Michelich, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County

REVIEWED BY: Melanie Hart, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Greene County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://d1ielco78gv5pf.cloudfront.net/assets/clear-495a83e08fc8e5d7569efe6339a1228ee08292fa1f2bee8e0be6532990cb3852.gif

SOURCES:

  • Mayo Clinic (2018) Cancer survivors: Managing your emotions after cancer treatment - Get to know the emotions that are common for cancer survivors and how to manage your feelings. Find out what's normal and what indicates you should consider getting help at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-survivor/art-20047129
  • Doyle, J.S. Psychology Today (2015) Resilience, Growth & Kintsukuroi
  • You are better than you think you areat: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/luminous-things/201510/resilience-growth-kintsukuroi

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It’s Off to School They Go

It seems like just yesterday that I was sending my kids off to their first day of preschool. Fast forward to now, I have a college senior, a college freshman, and a high school freshman. Where did all those years go? How are my little kids young adults or teens now? How can I be […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.417@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Lorrissa Dunfee, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Belmont County, dunfee.54@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/en/classroom-school-education-learning-2093744/
  • https://pixabay.com/en/school-education-learning-converse-909381/

SOURCES:

  • National Center for Education Statistics (2018). Fast Facts: Back to School Statistics. Retrieved at: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372
  • Harmon, M. (2018). Mindful Parenting: Enjoy Every Moment. Live Smart Ohio. Available at http://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/harmon-416osu-edu/mindful-parenting-enjoy-every-moment/
  • Great Schools Staff (2018). 11 tips for adjusting to a new school. Retrieved at: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/adjusting-to-new-school/
  • Coburn, K. (2018). Letting go: tips for parents of new college students. Found at: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/letting-go-new-college-students/
  • Garey, J. (2018). Preparing for College Emotionally, Not Just Academically. Available at: https://childmind.org/article/preparing-for-college-emotionally-not-just-academically/

Use Your Senses

Have you ever been having a conversation with a friend or family member, yet unable to focus on what they were saying? Sometimes our minds work on overdrive, and it can be hard to silence thoughts about the past or worries about the future and simply focus on the present. In such instances, using a […]

WRITTEN BY: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County

REVIEWED BY: Shannon Carter, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County

SOURCES:

  • Bergstrom, C. (2017). Three Senses Mindfulness Activity for Kids, Teens and Grown-Ups. http://blissfulkids.com/three-senses-mindfulness-activity-kids-teens-grown-ups/
  • Powers-Barker, P. (2016). Introduction to Mindfulness. Ohioline. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5243-0

Why Laugh?

I recently got back from vacation and started to reflect on the wonderful opportunity to share time with family and friends. One thing that stood out for me was the amount of laughter experienced.  According to Merriam-Webster, laughter is a sound of laughing, a cause of merriment.  From the very beginning to the very end […]

WRITTEN BY: Lorrissa Dunfee, M.S., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Belmont County.

REVIEWED BY: Lisa Barlage, M.S., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.

SOURCES:

  • Recker, Nancy. Laughter Is Really Good Medicine. 2007, www.dartmouth.edu/~eap/library/Laughter_Good_Medicine.pdf.
  • “Stress Relief from Laughter? It's No Joke.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 21 Apr. 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456.
  • Marano, Hara Estroff. “Laughter: The Best Medicine.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, Apr. 2005, www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200504/laughter-the-best-medicine.
  • “Laughter.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, 2018, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laughter.

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