TIP - Are You Taking Your Medicines As Prescribed?

Did you know that half of all medications are not taken as the doctor prescribes them? That’s dangerous! The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 125 thousand people die because they are not taking their meds properly each year in the US.

Here are some quick tips to help you stay on track with your meds.

• Be sure you understand exactly how to take the medicine your doctor is prescribing. Ask questions before you leave the doctor’s office. Take notes if possible. You can also ask for a consultation with the pharmacist when you fill your prescription.
  
  
• Take your medicine at the same time every day. Make it a routine, and it will be harder to forget to take it.
  
  
• Write up or type and print off a schedule of when to take each medicine. Keep the list handy.
  
  
• Use a weekly pill box, or put timer caps on your pill bottles.

For additional ideas from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/why-you-need-take-your-medications-prescribed-or-instructed

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for September 2022

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits using the SLURLs in this blog entry. Click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images.

If you click each poster, you will get a message with additional information and live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

September is National Guide Dog Month
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

Constipation: Do’s and Don’ts
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24

Protesting? Do It Safely
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22

Chlorine    
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Better Driving with Chronic Pain
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

Resistant Hypertension
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

Oxalate and Kidney Stones
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30

Foods for Sleep
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32

 
Thanks to Mook and Anna for assistance with the posters this month.

What’s Your Purpose in Life?

Where do you want to go in life?

The purpose of your life is a focus or guidance for living. It is like the mission statement of a company. Everyone should have one.

If you don’t know what your purpose in life is, then your current purpose should be to define your purpose. And here are some steps to help you get started toward a more purposeful life.

1. Self-awareness is a prerequisite for a purposeful life. Make a list (in your journal or on your computer) of your answers to the following questions.
• What are your interests, the things that motivate you?
• What are your values that guide your decision-making and are the foundation of your resilience?
• What are your strengths, the core of your personality?
  
  
2. Consider the following list of personality traits. Make a promise to yourself to develop these purposeful personality characteristics.
• Forming friendships with people who have a sense of purpose
• Spending time with supportive friends and avoiding those who are toxic
• Ignoring what others think of you
• Being optimistic
• Having a good sense of humor
• Being persistent toward your goals
• Expressing gratitude daily
  
  
3. Write a positive personal description. List only positives, no negative or neutral points. Include information about:
• Whatever has been most important in your life (remember, positives only)
• Your most calm, peaceful experiences
• Your most exciting experiences
  
  
4. Write another list of the things in your life that are most enjoyable to you. Be sure to include the following topics:
• People and places
• Activities and experiences
• Thoughts and ideas
• Sensory experiences
  
  
5. Write one or more paragraphs to respond to the following questions:
• What is important to me?
• What do I want to accomplish in my life?
• What impact do I want to have on the people in my life?
• What will be my legacy when my life is over?
• Who would the best possible “you” be?
  
  
6. Review what you wrote for Steps 3, 4 and 5. Select five to ten words that are your best self-description. Use these words to write a positive sentence or two that is a narrowed down focus. That’s your purpose in life.
   
   
7. Just as a company shouldn’t stop with writing a mission statement, but also need to act to accomplish its mission, you must hold yourself accountable for working toward your life purpose. How are you going to get there? Set personal goals and milestones to measure your success toward those goals. Envision your progress toward accomplishing your life purpose. 

Here are some additional resources:

• https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_find_your_purpose_in_life
• https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/purpose_in_life
• https://www.trackinghappiness.com/purpose-in-life/
• https://www.betterup.com/blog/finding-purpose
• https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-for-finding-your-purpose-in-life-4164689

Resilience May Be More Important Than Happiness

Resilient person

Resilience is a personal ability to protect oneself from negative mental or emotional stressors with coping skills, in order to quickly return to normal. It is an important personal characteristic that allows an individual to be able to “move on” after a crisis event.

Resilience is not something anyone is born with. It is a set of learned skills, and anyone can improve their skillset. Using resilience skills becomes a habit that changes how you look at troubles and problems into seeing them as growth opportunities.

Resilience helps you become authentic, curious about the future and positively open and vulnerable to new experiences. You see the value of challenges and recognize the value of failures. Resilience also improves your overall mood by releasing serotonin.

Here are some skills you can practice to improve your resilience:

• Curb your social media habits
• Halt negative self-talk
• Stop multitasking
• Learn how to set boundaries and limits