Tips for Maximizing Your Next Workout

It’s tempting to immediately hit the ground running – literally. While you may be tempted to start or end your workout without much thought, it’s important to take the time to properly warm up and cool down your body. Whether you’re exercising at home or practicing safe physical distancing while working out with a friend, taking a few extra minutes before and after your workout may help increase your stamina and prevent soreness and injuries. Warming up and cooling down is beneficial to any fitness routine even if you aren’t using equipment to exercise, but is especially important during aerobic exercise.

Check out these ideas on how to effectively make the most of your fitness routine:

• Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, U.S. Health and Human Services
• Dynamic Warm-up Exercises: Quick Reference Guide, Navy Physical Readiness
• Virtual Trainer, Navy Operational Fitness & Fueling System
• Active Living, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center
• Flexibility Exercises, National Institute on Aging

Getting ready to move doesn’t have to just include physical preparedness – you can also gear up your mind in tandem with your body. Starting off your fitness routine in a positive headspace may help those endorphins last the extra mile. While setting an intention or goal before exercising is commonly practiced in mindfulness-oriented exercises like yoga, it can be used in any fitness environment.

Review our other blogs on physical fitness:

• Exercising in Small or Confined Spaces
• Think You Need Equipment to Exercise? Think again!
• 5 Benefits of Working Out with a Buddy

 

 

SAIL Referrals Decreasing during COVID-19

Last month, there was a significant decrease in the SAIL referral rate. There is concern that commands are not submitting referrals due to the COVID-19 crisis. Now more than ever, the Navy Suicide Prevention Program is encouraging commands and Suicide Prevention Coordinators (SPCs) to continue submitting SAIL referrals following instances of suicide-related behaviors (SRBs). SAIL services are critical during this crisis and commands must continue to submit referrals. Due to COVID-19 operations, caring contacts have transitioned from in-person contacts to telephonic contacts, but SAIL Case Managers are still standing by to assist Sailors.

Sailors sometimes do not speak up about their feelings of hopelessness or emotional distress prior to an SRB because they fear judgement and other negative perceptions. The Navy created the SAIL Program to provide a support network that assists Sailors in navigating resources. Participation in SAIL initiates a series of caring contacts during the first 90 days after an SRB to ensure the Sailor has ongoing resources and support. SAIL is not therapy and does not replace therapy or the care the Sailor may receive from medical and chaplains. It is risk assessment, safety planning and a link to all the additional resources that Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) offers to support our Sailors.

The SAIL Program launches into action when a command notifies their SPC when an SRB occurs. The SPC then contacts the Navy Suicide Prevention Program, which forwards the Sailor’s information to Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC). CNIC contacts the appropriate FFSC Case Manager, who first reaches out to the command, and then reaches out to the Sailor to offer SAIL. SAIL case managers help Sailors understand, choose and engage with resources they need. Sailors are empowered to strengthen their coping skills throughout the process.

Although risk factors associated with SRBs do not cause or predict suicide, several relate to social connection:

• Lack of social support and sense of isolation
• Loss of relationship or significant personal loss
• Feeling like a burden to others, helplessness

If you hold a leadership position, be sure to actively listen to your Sailors with the intent to understand, not just respond. After someone experiences an SRB, one of the most important things they need is support. Support from leadership is critical at this time. Remaining transparent with others in discussing thoughts of suicide or other forms of self-harm openly promotes help-seeking behavior. Facilitating positive and ongoing dialogue around stress helps empower proactive self-care.

Psychological health is just as critical to readiness as physical health. Feeling connected to others can help reduce the isolation of suicidal thoughts, which often stem from a desire to stop intense pain rather than a desire to die. Leaders at all levels of the Navy contribute to their shipmates’ understanding of resources and command climate. Whether you’re a deckplate leader, front-line supervisor or commander, investing in relationships with your team through mentorship and other forms of social connection helps create an environment where all Sailors feel heard and valued. We all play a part in creating a supportive environment where those who need help have the courage to seek help and feel heard.

To learn more about the SAIL Program and access additional resources for leaders, visit this website.

If you or someone you know is in need of immediate assistance, the Military Crisis Line is available 24/7. Call 1-800-273-8255 (Option 1), text 838255 or visit http://www.militarycrisisline.net for free and confidential support.

Self-Care for Those Supporting Others

If you’ve ever provided support to a loved one when they are facing a crisis, challenge, traumatic or stressful event, you may know how difficult it can be to maintain your own emotional and mental health. While practicing self-care is important throughout life’s ups and downs, it is especially critical to remember when supporting others during trying times. Whether you’re helping a friend that has a mental health challenge or a family member dealing with substance misuse, maintaining your self-care plan is critical to ensuring your own well-being.

Although it may feel selfish or unwarranted to practice personal self-care when a loved one is facing challenges, continuing to make healthy choices will ultimately empower you to better take care of them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights how “taking care of your emotional health during an emergency will help you think clearly and react to the urgent needs to protect yourself and your family. Self-care during an emergency will help your long-term healing.”

Here are a few ways to take care of yourself when supporting a loved one:

Stay close to your routine. A huge part of self-care is upholding your established schedule. Eat healthy meals, get a full night of sleep and exercise when you can. Focus on work and family responsibilities one task at a time.

Talk to someone. Tap in to your own support network to bolster your relationship health when caring for others. The National Institutes of Health’s Social Wellness Toolkit offers several checklists for how to build healthy relationships during a variety of situations. Even though it may feel uncomfortable to ask for individual help while a loved one is suffering, connecting with others will help you stay sharp and motivated. Go to an event, plan a meal with family or video chat with a trusted friend.

Let go of negative feelings. If you have decision-making power over a loved one’s stressful or traumatic event, try to reframe your perspective in order to protect your own health. Caregiver.org recommends the following: “Change ‘guilt’ to ‘regret.’ Guilt is you did something wrong, regret is that you are in a difficult situation and sometimes you have to make difficult decisions, but they are not wrong.” Keep in mind that the situation your loved one is facing is likely temporary. Recognizing small positive moments on a daily basis is also a useful way to maintain a more resilient headspace.

Dedicate time for full-on relaxation. You may feel like you’re tied to your phone to receive the latest updates on a loved one’s challenges, and then even more pressure to relay updates to other friends and family. When your attention is concentrated on helping someone, allot specific times to put your digital devices away and redirect your focus to a relaxing activity. Consider journaling, reading a book, going for a walk or doing a deep breathing exercise to meditate. Try to take regular breaks, even if you can only step away for a few minutes throughout the day to unwind.

Remove the noise. Consider unsubscribing to social media and email push notifications on your phone to allow for more space to focus on what’s most important to you. Reducing the amount of unnecessary information coming your way may help you feel less overwhelmed when supporting a loved one. Pressing pause on your news consumption can also help you clear your mind. Minimize any pressure you may be putting on yourself to respond quickly to outside friends and family that may not know what you or your loved one is going through.

Understand your role and its limits. As much as you may think that caring for or supporting your loved one falls on your shoulders, you will likely not be able to solve all of their problems alone. Ask people in your support network for resources and nudge your loved one to consider meeting with a mental health specialist or other relevant medical provider if necessary. Setting boundaries and fostering a wider support network for your friend or family member will help you navigate your own stressors and create some potentially needed distance from the situation.

For a full list of mental health hotlines and other resources, review this article.

Tips for Staying Positive during Uncertain Times

Current conversations about COVID-19 are pervasive. Whether you’re talking to your fellow Sailors in-person about the latest updates or connecting with friends and family digitally, concern about the impact of COVID-19 remains widespread across the globe. Uncertainty and ambiguous situations can often produce negative emotions, but there are many healthy ways to cope.

If you are finding yourself with limited mobility or feeling a heightened sense of stress, you are not alone. Consider these activities and related NavyNavStress blog posts for improving your health and well-being:

Reach out to your support network. Since social distancing continues to be recommended by federal public health professionals, it is important to determine new and creative ways to connect with your loved ones. Consider setting up regular times to video chat with your friends, plan virtual dinner dates with your long-distance partner or organize a digital happy hour with your friends or colleagues. You can also do a workout routine with a shipmate over a video chat and send funny photos or memes to your friends to let them know you care. For more:

• Connectedness: Relationships Strengthen Resilience
• 15 Simple Ways to Show Someone You Care
• Relationship Goals: Using the Principles of Resilience to Jumpstart Connections with Others

Maintain your healthy habits. If your typical work and family routine feels disrupted, remain flexible in upholding your established activities. Go on walks for fresh air and cook meals with your family. Reframe this uncertain time as an opportunity to even develop new practices to improve your well-being. Be kind to yourself and others when adjusting to new schedules. For more:

• Think You Need Equipment to Exercise? Think again!
• Fueling Your Body and Mind with Food
• Three Easy Tips for Improving Your Heart Health

Practice mindfulness. With the news changing every day, it may feel like you’ve lost a sense of control over your psychological and emotional wellness. Take time to push pause and cultivate gratitude for the little joys in life. Relish in small, positive tasks like reading a book or writing a letter to a loved one. You may have more time to dedicate to activities that fall by the wayside during your normal daily responsibilities. For more:

• How to Get Started Journaling
• How (and Why) to Develop a Self-Care Plan
• Relax and Recharge for a Good Night of Sleep

To learn more about mental health in the time of COVID-19, check out the following posts:

• Coronavirus and Your Mental Health, The Blurt Foundation
• Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• 10 Mental Health Tips for Coronavirus Social Distancing, Partners In Health
• Five Ways to View Coverage of the Coronavirus, American Psychological Association
• Feeling Anxious about COVID-19?, Yale Medicine

For the latest military-centric updates on COVID-19, visit the following resource hubs:

• S. Navy COVID-19 Updates, Navy Live
• Coronavirus Disease 2019, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center
• Coronavirus: DoD Response, Defense.gov
• Coronavirus Information for our Military Community, Military OneSource
• COVID-19, Tricare

For additional holistic health and wellness tips, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

A Different Kind of Grief: How to Help Survivors of Suicide Loss

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is November 17. When someone loses a colleague or loved one to suicide, grief can be compounded by feelings of guilt, confusion and even anger and embarrassment. How can you help?

What You Can Do

CAPT Tara Smith, Ph.D., clinical psychologist for Navy Suicide Prevention Branch, OPNAV N171, offers these tips to help someone who is dealing with the loss of a loved one by suicide:

1. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge the death. Extend your condolences, express your feelings of sorrow. Talking about the loss lets the person know you’re a safe and understanding per-son in whom they can confide.

2. Ask the survivor if and how you can help. Though they may not be ready to accept help, asking signifies that you are there—not avoiding or distancing during this tragic event. Be prepared to offer specific support, such as providing meals, offering childcare or a coffee break.

3. Encourage openness. Do your best to be non-judgmental and be prepared for a wide variety of emotional responses. There is no one way to grieve. Be accepting of however survivors need to express their feelings. It may be with silence, with sadness or even anger.

4. Be patient. Don’t set a time limit for a survivor’s grief. Complicated grief can take years to process. Moreover, don’t limit a survivor’s need to share and repeat stories, conversations or wishes. Repetition is a key factor in grief recovery.

5. Be a compassionate listener. This means resisting the urge to try to “fix” things. The greatest gift you can give someone you care about who has survived a suicide loss is your time, reassurance and love. It’s perfectly okay to not know what to say or do. Simply being present is often the best support.

Every Sailor, Every Day

Losing someone to suicide can feel very isolating, not just for the immediate family, but for members of the entire community. Be physically and emotionally present for the grieving person. Strong relationships built on trust are key principles of resilience that can promote recovery after experiencing loss.
Every member of the Navy community is responsible for contributing to a culture that supports psychological and physical health, encourages seeking help for challenges and promotes a constructive dialogue about stress and suicide.

Finding Support

There are many resources available on Navy Suicide Prevention’s website at www.suicide.navy.mil to help you communicate safely about psychological health and suicide, find support and more. Confidential help is available through the Military Crisis Line (call 800-273-TALK and Press 1 or text 838255) and your command chaplain. Additional resources for survivors of suicide loss are also available at:

• National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention U.S. National Guidelines for Responding to Grief, Trauma and Distress After a Suicide
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Resources for Loss Survivors