Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

mental health

“No” is a complete sentence.

Sometimes “no” is easy. Like when you say no to a telemarketer or to a child when they want something outrageously expensive. Other times saying no comes with anxiety, fear, tension, and guilt. Like when we say no, we are not going to volunteer to be PTA President (for the third year in a row), […]

WRITTEN BY: Roseanne Scammahorn, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension-Darke County, scammahorn.5@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Katie Schlagheck, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ottawa & Sandusky Counties

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Image by Ana Krach from Pixabay

SOURCES:

  • Formica, M. (2008). The Myth of Managing Emotions. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/enlightened-living/200805/the-myth-managing-emotions
  • Sills, J. (2016). The Power of No. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201311/the-power-no
  • University of Kentucky. (nd). How to Create Healthy Boundaries. https://www.uky.edu/hr/sites/www.uky.edu.hr/files/wellness/images/Conf14_Boundaries.pdf

Noises Off: The Benefit of Silence

Our lives today are full of noise and ever-present distractions and sounds. Noise is among the most pervasive pollutants today and has been identified as a public health threat by the World Health Organization (WHO). Noise can be annoying, distracting, painful, and harmful. Noise adversely affects millions of people and can contribute to elevated levels […]

WRITTEN BY: Laura Stanton, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Macro photo of tree by Pixabay
  • Trail photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. from Pexels

SOURCES:

  • Beaumont, A. (2017, April 21). 10 reasons why silence really is golden. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/handy-hints-humans/201704/10-reasons-why-silence-really-is-golden
  • Bernardi, L., Porta, C., and Sleight, P. (2006). Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory changes induced by different types of music in musicians and non-musicians: the importance of silence. Heart; 92(4):445-52.
  • Bronzaft, A.L. (1996). Top of the class. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  • Brox, J. (2019). Silence: a social history of one of the least understood elements of our lives. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • Kirste I., Nicola Z., Kronenberg G., Walker T. L., Liu R. C., and Kempermann G. (2015). Is silence golden? Effects of auditory stimuli and their absence on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Brain Structure and Function, 220 (2), 1221–1228.
  • Noise Pollution Clearinghouse. Retrieved from https://www.nonoise.org/aboutno.htm
  • World Health Organization. (2011). Burden of disease from environmental noise - Quantification of healthy life years lost in Europe. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/e94888.pdf?ua=1

Finding Help When Feeling Hopeless

Suicide is an uncomfortable subject and one we do not talk about frequently. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.  It is the second leading cause of death for individuals ages 10-34. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It is a time […]

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

REVIEWED BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/illustrations/depression-voices-self-criticism-1250870/

SOURCES:

  • “Risk of Suicide.” NAMI, Aug. 2019, www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/related-conditions/suicide.
  • “Suicide.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Apr. 2019, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml#part_154971.
  • “Suicide Statistics.” AFSP, 16 Apr. 2019, afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics.

Social Media Mania or Madness?

With summer here and most schools out of session, many youth are left to fend for themselves during the day while their parents or caregivers are at work. My husband calls it “the summer of sloth” at our house, because our kids sit around and play on their phones and computers or watch television for […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

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

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/photos/snapchat-social-media-smartphone-2480959/
  • https://pixabay.com/photos/texting-mobile-phones-hands-two-1490691/

SOURCES:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, (2018). Children and Media Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Found at: https://edubirdie.org/articles/children-and-media-tips/
  • Anderson, M. (2018). A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/
  • Digital Responsibility, (2019). Health and Technology. Found at: http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/health-and-technology
  • Hurley, K. (2019). Digital Self-Harm: Why Are Teens Cyber Bullying Themselves? Remedy Health Media, LLC. Found at: https://www.psycom.net/digital-self-harm
  • Jiang, J. (2018). How Teens and Parents Navigate Screen Time and Device Distractions. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/08/22/how-teens-and-parents-navigate-screen-time-and-device-distractions/
  • Lobb, J. (2016). Time for a Technology Break? Live Healthy Live Well Blog. Retrieved from: https://livehealthyosu.com/tag/digital-detoxing/
  • Mir, E. and Novas, C. (2019). Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental Health. National Center for Health Research. Found at: http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/
  • Shafer, L., (2017). Social Media and Teen Anxiety. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety
  • U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2018) Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle. MedlinePlus. Found at: https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html

Dealing With Holiday Stress – Episode Three of The Healthy Living Resources Telecast

Healthy Living Resources is a new telecast presented by the Family and Consumer Sciences program specialists that will focus on health, wellness, and the impact that stress has on our lives. Whether it be financial struggle, or chronic disease management, stress can creep up as a result of many of the day to day events […]

Finding Your “Flow”

Have you ever found yourself so absorbed in a task that you completely lost track of time? Maybe you were reading a good book, playing an instrument, working on a puzzle or craft, playing a board game, gardening, cooking, or tackling a home improvement project. If so, you may have found your “flow”. Psychologist Mihaly […]

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

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed, Healthy Finances Program Specialist, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • Buettner, D. (2011). Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way. National Geographic. https://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Finding-Happiness-Blue-Zones/dp/1426208189.
  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2016). Finding Flow. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199707/finding-flow.

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