Election stress is one thing but election stress on top of, COVID-19 stress and seasonal stress is another layer of emotion. Here are 5 tips to cope with post-election stress.

1. Reconnect with Family and Friends – Take a break from social media and connect with friends, family and community members virtually or in a safe way. If you have concerns over the election, express those with people you feel safe with to get those concerns off your chest.
2. Channel Your Stress into Something Productive – You have the power to impact your community more than you think! It feels good to know you are making a difference. Create a plan to donate, volunteer or share the message of an organization you support. If you have strong feelings towards the political system, see what actions can be taken at the local level.
3. Limit Media Consumption – Reduce the amount of media you are consuming in a day. Take note of the way the news makes you feel and adjust accordingly. A large amount of exposure to political upheaval can exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety. Limit TV time and phone screen time. Set parameters on your TV or turn off notifications on your phone.
4. Set Boundaries – Conversations around the election can cause stress especially if there are disagreements on political views. Take a moment to understand a point of view rather than to persuade a point of view. Have a toolkit of phrases to pull from when you are ready to disconnect from a conversation. Phrases like, “Thank you for the conversation but I have to go now” or “I appreciate this conversation, but I must attend to my work now” are great to have handy.
5. Self-Care – Overall, take care of yourself by creating healthy habits to deal with stress. Eat healthy, exercise, work on a hobby, get enough sleep and avoid drugs and alcohol to cope.

Read the full article HERE

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s: Protecting Your Mental Health During the Holidays

Concerned about the impact of the holiday season on your mental health? You are not alone.

In a recent survey, nearly 88% of adults referred to the holiday season (or the period beginning in November and lasting until the New Year) as the most stressful time of the year. And while some stress is inevitable, too much stress, especially if we are already having mental health challenges, can challenge our ability to cope.

The good news? There are things you can do that can help during this stressful time.

Get outside during daylight hours.

Having fewer hours of daylight during the season can have a negative impact on your mood. Especially during the months of November and December, and especially if you struggle with depression, try to find 30 minutes to get outside during daytime hours. Walk somewhere instead of driving, invite a friend or neighbor to take a daily walk, sit outside every day, or watch a sunrise.

Take a risk and connect if you are feeling lonely.

Chances are pretty good that you are not the only one feeling lonely this season. Reach out to someone who may also be feeling that way. Sharing how you are feeling may empower them to do the same. Talk about ways you can stay connected and support each other this season. A regular call, text or note to check in with each other may help both of you.

Do at least one thing to improve your sleep this season.

Keeping consistent sleep hours (and getting enough sleep) can help you to better navigate the stressful months of the season. Pick one thing you will do to improve your sleep and do it as consistently as you can. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier, leave your phone in another room, make the room completely dark (or use an eye mask or dark curtains), or keep the thermostat lower, since we often sleep better in cooler temperatures.

More ideas HERE

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tuesday, November 15th– MINNESOTA CONFERENCE ON PROBLEM GAMBLING – 8am – 5pm – ONLINE OR AT THE HERITAGE CENTER OF BROOKLYN CENTER – 6155 EARLE BROWN DRIVE, BROOKLYN CENTER, MN 55430

Thursday, November 17th- “Involving parents and caregivers: A team-based approach” Led by Jerry Halverson, MD, FACPsych, DFAPA, and Joshua Nadeau, PhD, this webinar will explore the importance and benefits of family involvement for youths and adolescents during mental health treatment. REGISTER

Friday November 18th- No Wait, That’s Grief Virtual Symposium seeks to unite the stories of a variety of individuals from different backgrounds, life circumstances, and lived experiences with one common thread – grief. REGISTER

Friday, December 2nd- FREE HYBRID CEU “Affluence and Addiction” presented by Arden O’Connor. Statistics demonstrate that children raised in wealthy families and affluent communities are more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. REGISTER

If you have any news or announcements you would like added to the FastTrackerMN.org Newsletter, please Email us:

Samantha with Substance Use Programs – Samantha@FastTrackerMN.org and
Jessica with Mental Health – Jessica@FastTrackerMN.org

Forward this newsletter to a friend!

Dear Admin Community Partners,

First, thank you for joining with FastTrackerMN.org over the years on this effort to better connect the public and each other to simplify navigating Minnesota’s mental health and substance use disorder systems. We’ve made great progress together and we plan to build on that legacy even more for the future. To that goal, we’ve researched, taken information from focus groups, emails, and conversations with you, and invested in a new version of FastTrackerMN.org. Our goal was to update and streamline our interface with you, and ultimately collect data to better measure need and capacity, and inform future investments in Minnesota.

That brings us to the recent re-launch. We knew we would discover some glitches with the relaunch and fully expected to troubleshoot. Now we realize that, although the redesign aimed to be familiar and build on past strengths, the admin interface has not been as intuitive as anticipated, and we’ve identified glitches that have been challenging for everyone.

I want to apologize to you and ask you to bear with us as we address these issues. You have been very helpful and patient. We built this tool to help you do the important work you do serve Minnesotans, and we value your time.

GOOD NEWS:

• Thanks to your feedback about inaccurate search results, we discovered the source for some data update troubles and resulting erroneously small search results. We’re still partnering with over 1500 clinics and programs across Minnesota. We’re fixing that bug and invite you to test the search results again.

ACTION STEPS:

• Email us your comments, your feedback, and your screenshots. We want to hear about your search results successes and misses, your update victories, and challenges. Tell us what you think about the site’s navigation.

• We are working with our data and IT contractors to develop training modules and will be offering them in the coming weeks.

Stick with us through these bumpy days and help us build FastTrackerMN.org into exactly what you need. Together we can create connection and cohesion.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns. L.vukelich@comcast.net or 651-278-4241.

All Email reminders will be coming from MHAdmin@FastTrackerMN.org or SUDAdmin@FastTrackerMN.org going forward, please make sure you have both unblocked in order to continue to get important updates about your listings and avoid being deleted. Thank you!

Help us welcome BABY LUCY!

Help Us congratulate the Lillestol family on their newest addition!

Our MH lead here at FastTrackerMN.org, Jessica and her family welcomed their second child, baby Lucy on 9/23/2022! Mamma is doing great, and big brother Archie is so proud!

Jessica will be out until mid-November to bond with Lucy, so if you need any assistance with the website or your listings, please email Samantha at Samantha@FastTrackerMN.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Thursday September 29th – “INSTILLING HOPE: ADDRESSING SPIRITUAL CONFLICT, CONFUSION, AND PAIN IN ADDICTION TREATMENT” – 11am – 1pm CST – 2 free CEUs

Friday September 30th – Progress Valley’s 50th Anniversary Breakfast Celebration 8am – 9:30am – Hyland Hills Chalet – *FastTrackerMN.org will be here in person, come see us

Saturday October 1st – Should Out Loud 3rd suicide prevention & awareness Concert Benefit -St. Louis Park Rec Center R.O.C. – 3700 Monterey Drive, St. louis park, MN 55416 11am to 8pm CST *FastTrackerMN.org will be here in person, come see us at the face painting booth!

Friday October 7th – It Takes a Virtual Village “Ethics in the Virtual Space” – 10:30 a.m. CT – 1.5 CE Hours

Wednesday, Oct 12th – Listening sessions to help inform upcoming Minnesota SUD Summit – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM or 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM -Webex

Monday October 24 through the 26th – 2022 MARRCH Annual Conference & Expo – Saint Paul RiverCentre.

Welcome Fall!

If you have any news or announcements you would like added to the FastTrackerMN.org Newsletter, please Email us:

Samantha with Substance Use Programs – Samantha@FastTrackerMN.org and
Jessica with Mental Health – Jessica@FastTrackerMN.org

Forward this newsletter to a friend!