Pandemic | Silver Magazine

Mind

How to curb your anxiety

The feeling of excessive worry, negative thoughts, and fear are all common in people. But too much of these kinds of thoughts could be affecting your well-being. Give your mind a break with these stress-busting tips. Stress is a common, natural response to daily life circumstances. However, when symptoms start reoccurring and get difficult to control, anxiety might be creeping in. Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness, worry or fear about a situation and/or event that can cause many emotional and physical symptoms to occur. However, if it becomes debilitating and interfering with daily life, therein lies the problem. The feeling of panic, excessive worrying, negative thoughts, inability to concentrate, catastrophizing, accelerated heart rate, and lightheadedness are just some of the symptoms that could be hijacking your well-being. It’s an evolutionary response to fear, one that can consume your mind and tackle your body, bringing you on a downward spiral. According to the National

Daniela DeFeo December 14, 2020

Health

Patient backlogs; a national problem?

Provinces across Canada are facing major backlogs due to the first COVID-19 lockdown. Could it get worse? Medical associations across Canada are calling on provinces to make drastic changes to hospitals and medical clinics as a potential second lockdown looms, especially in Ontario and Quebec. Some organisations and the Fraser Institute are calling on government to enhance or add more private sector services. While many provinces, from Nova Scotia to Alberta have shown a reduction in patient backlogs for surgeries and minor procedures, rising cases of COVID-19 are seeing doctors and nurses increasingly concerned that a second lockdown, that may last longer along with what they see as a lack of preparedness by health authorities, make backlogs even worse as they compound on the existing wait lists. Nova Scotia reports that it is back to 97% of capacity from the first lockdown, but surgeons have expressed concern that many doctors

Alex Hurst September 24, 2020

Health

How to sleep well during times of crisis

“You don’t have to have a long-term sleep issue to be sleeping less soundly during this unprecedented time” explains Dr. Wayne Pernell, breakthrough coach, relationship expert, best selling author, and international speaker. “Sleep issues can happen to the best of us amid this much uncertainty. That’s why we need to practice excellent sleep hygiene.” The same way we need to shower and brush our teeth every day, we also need to attend to our sleep hygiene. Below are Dr. P’s tips for how to sleep well despite the uncertainty in the world: · Keep a notepad and pen by the bedside and do a brain-dump. Yes, go old-school. Do NOT pick up your phone. Use a notepad to park your thoughts. · If you wake up in the night, don’t just lie there. When you wake up, get up. Wait about 15-20 minutes. Sit out on the couch or at

Dr. Wayne Pernell June 9, 2020

Mind

So, Covid’s made you a Hot Mess. Now What?

If in addition to all things covid, you suddenly realize that everything in your life sucks, it may be time to make some changes. And if you’ve graduated from life sucks to official hot mess status, the sooner you fix it, the better. You may not even know where to start, so here’s a foolproof plan that you can work on while stuck at home to get back on track. Stop Blaming Everyone Else. This may actually be the hardest step. When things go wrong we tend to look at others and point the finger. But it simply can’t be everyone else. Taking ownership of mistakes and shortcomings is often painful, but it’s an essential step. Clean up Your Social Media - Nobody cares. Really. Read back through your posts and see how many times you complained, used foul language, or went on a full blown rant. It’s been said that psychiatrists can diagnose

Judy Gaman May 20, 2020

Health

Collaboration to assist the homeless in Toronto

he COVID-19 pandemic is bringing the operations of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to Canada for the first time. MSF provides emergency medical humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or who do not have access to medical care. A non-profit with medical program in 70 countries, MSF is collaborating with Inner City Health Associates (ICHA), Canada’s largest healthcare organization specializing in the care of people experiencing homelessness, at Toronto’s first COVID-19 recovery site for the homeless. MSF brings its medical, technical and logistical advice and extensive global experience leading responses to major infectious disease outbreaks, as well as a commitment to humanitarian principles. ICHA is the clinical services lead for caring for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 outbreak. The 400-bed COVID-19 Recovery Site, slated to open soon, is the product of collaboration across many agencies dedicated to caring for people experiencing homelessness who have contracted

Alex Hurst April 14, 2020