Time to check in on those New Year’s resolutions
January first came along, and you were packed full of motivation to make changes for the New Year. No matter how much momentum you had that first week, we all know that winter can be a hard time; sickness is traveling around, workloads are high after the holiday lull, chilly weather makes it hard to stay active, and before we know it — we are already two months into the year. Whether you are on the road to success, or have taken an unexpected detour from your goals, let’s take some time to do a check-in on ways you can take care of your mind, body, home and heart in 2017: Take care of your
MIND. Each day, we work to check things off of our ‘to-do’ lists but some days we just can’t seem to catch up. Although taking a break may seem selfish, or even counterproductive, taking a 10 minute break is proven to leave you more energized, focused and even more productive. Purposely take 10 minutes to go on a walk, unplug, doodle, lay down or day dream. Your mind will thank you for it later!
Take care of your
BODY. Taking care of your body means eating a healthy diet, staying active and drinking plenty of water. However, another huge part of taking care of your body during the winter months is taking the proper measures to protect yourself from colds, flu and sickness. There are steps you can take every day to stop the spread of germs, these include washing your hands, cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, staying home when you are sick and avoiding close contact with those you know are sick.
Take care of your
HOME. The first day of spring is less than a month away. It is time to start thinking about starting spring cleaning and part of that routine should be cleaning out your medicine cabinets.
You can take any old, unused or expired medication to any of the five police departments in Sheboygan County during business hours. We ask that liquids be placed into a sealed plastic bag to keep them from spilling. If you would like to dispose of EpiPens, please dispose of them at the Sheboygan Police Department.
The drop boxes do not accept sharps (needles or syringes). You can dispose of any sharps at the St. Nicholas Hospital Emergency Department.
Contaminated sharps must be placed in an approved red, plastic, puncture-proof container or a used plastic laundry detergent bottle labeled “sharps” — no larger than 11 x 7.5 inches.
Take care of your
HEART. Be kind to yourself. It is important to take time to things that make you happy, and make your heart full.
Wake up every day and show gratitude for the good things you have, do things that you are good at and do them often, spend as much time as you can with the people you love and take the time to be present in each moment. Lots of little good things pave the path to happiness.
The big things are just bonuses along the way.
Libby Holte, CHES, is a public health educator for the Sheboygan County Division of Public Health and is also the co-chair for the Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 Leadership Council. For more information, visit www.healthysheboygancounty .org.