Hancock Health Boomerang Issue 19 August 2022

B oomer an G

DON'T FEAR! BACK TO SCHOOL IS HERE.

B oomer an G

YOUR PLACE FOR FUN, GAMES & MORE. ISSUE #19 • August 2022

BACK TO SCHOOL FIVE WAYS TO FIGHT THE FEAR

Five Ways to Fight the Fear

The start of a new school year is filled with excitement for many kids just like you. But sometimes going back to school causes fear – sometimes called “anxiety.” This is completely normal! There are new people, different things, and routines, and sometimes you don’t really know what to expect. To help you feel more comfortable, our friends at the Healthy365 Connection Center share the following five tips for combating back to school anxiety.

It’s a Fresh Start!

One way to overcome backto-school anxiety is to think about it differently. If you are feeling nervous, remind yourself: whether you’re starting at a new school or entering the next grade, each school year is a fresh start. Now is the time to come out of your shell. Find your person if you don’t already have one and think of this new school year as a chance to be who you want to be, and not who others think you are. Keep your head up, walk tall and smile. You’ve got this!

INVITE A FRIEND

Nothing calms the nerves like seeing a familiar face. Before school starts, ask someone from your class over to play. This can help you get to know your classmates better, while serving as a reminder that you’ll be among friends on your first day of school. Here’s a fun fact — Having a friend during the first few weeks of school can improve your grades and how you feel!

It’s Self Care!

Keep a Routine

Try to keep a bedtime routine, even when you’re not in school. If that’s impossible, go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up earlier each day. This will help to ease the discomfort of moving from a summer schedule (staying up late and sleeping in) to a school schedule (going to bed early and waking up early). Want to be even more prepared? Get in the habit of setting out your clothes for the next day, too. Not only will this save time and frustration in the morning, but you may get to sleep in a few extra minutes. Who wouldn’t want that?

The Healthy365 Connection Center is a free, confidential, and centralized connection for health resources. Its team of support navigators helps residents find solutions to our community’s most pressing health issues.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HEALTHY365, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT BEHEALTHY365.ORG.

In the weeks leading up to school, take the time to prioritize self-care whenever you start to feel stressed out. Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be happy and healthy. Do whatever fun and relaxing activities you enjoy. Playing outdoors, reading a good book, or doing something creative like writing, painting, or dancing are all good activities for self-care. These self-care activities can help to calm your nerves and recharge your batteries to reduce stress and improve your overall mood.

Ready for Bed

Some school nights, you may feel overwhelmed, excited, or nervous, making it hard to go to sleep. However, if you prepare in advance and make sure you have a relaxing evening, you’ll be able to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Do everything you can the night before: lay out your clothes, pack your lunch, and have your bookbag ready to go. With these things taken care of, you can enjoy your night and go to sleep knowing that you are prepared for the day ahead.

Understanding Your Emotions from the Inside Out

Disney’s film Inside Out (2015) takes place in the head of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, with five personified emotions– Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. These emotions guide Riley through life as she and her parents adjust to their new surroundings after moving from Minnesota to San Francisco. Inside Out has inspired viewers young and old to look inside their own minds, teaching us all about the power of emotion. Here are five lessons about identifying your emotions and how to cope with them.

You have the power to influence your emotions.

Although emotions may influence how we feel, they don’t always have to have the final say. Your emotions do not have control over you unless you let them. If you choose to start the day of with a positive attitude by saying, “Today will be a good day,” then it will. It’s all about your outlook on life. As Joy, one of the emotions in Inside Out says, “All right everyone, fresh start! We’re gonna have a good day, which will turn into a good week, which will turn into a good year, which will turn into a life!”

You can be reactive to other people’s emotions.

Have you ever been around someone who was angry or frustrated and then started to feel the same way yourself? This is because emotions can be contagious. Just as our own emotions can control us (if we let them), so can other people’s emotions. Try to surround yourself with uplifting people as often as you can. It’s likely that their positive attitudes will rub off on you and vice versa.

All your emotions are useful.

Tough emotions like sadness, fear and anger can be uncomfortable for people to experience– which is why many of us go to great lengths to avoid them. However, our emotions serve an important purpose. They provide valuable insight into how we are feeling. For instance, if you keep feeling the same emotion, whether it be frustration, anger or hurt, it may be an indication that something is wrong. Listen to your emotions and respond accordingly.

Emotions make us who we are. Without them, life would not be as colorful or complete. This is why you should embrace your emotions, rather than bottle them up. In a pivotal moment of Inside Out, the main character Riley chooses to embrace her emotions, rather than run from them. She allows herself to feel sadness, fear, and anger about her idea of running away from home. As a result, Riley decides not to go through with her plan. This choice reunites Riley with her family, giving her a deeper sense of happiness in the comfort she seeks from her parents, even though it’s mixed with sadness and fear.

When you start to feel caught up in your emotions, take the time to mindfully observe them. Check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Why do you feel this way? Create the space for yourself to choose a healthy response. Talk to someone about how you are feeling and seek help when you need it.

Do you need help navigating your emotions and deciding how to best respond?

TRY THIS MENTAL HEALTH CHECKLIST:

• How am I feeling (physically and mentally)?

• Have I been thinking kind thoughts to myself?

• When did I last talk to someone about my feelings?

• When did I last eat a whole meal?

• When did I last drink water?

• When did I last breathe deeply?

• Have I spent time outside in fresh air?

• When did I last take a shower (or bath)?

• How long have I spent on my phone or computer today?

• Am I getting enough sleep?

• When did I last do a kind thing for someone else?

• What can I do that will bring me joy?

Don’t bottle up your emotions, embrace them.

DO YOU KNOW THESE ARTISTS?

Hancock County young artists show their talent through art contest.

This past spring, Hancock County hosted a Kids’ Art Competition in partnership with Greenfield Community, Hancock Health and Healthy365 Connection Center. The themes for the art contest were community, kindness and unity. Artists in grades kindergarten through 12 were encouraged to explore their thoughts, emotions and ideas about Hancock County and how we incorporate kindness into our community.

“We were excited to be a part of this fantastic competition and are honored to display the artwork of our youngest community residents,” says Hancock Health CEO Steve Long. “It is a cheerful symbol of hope that both our staff and patients could use at this time.”

More than 140 art entries were submitted, with winning students representing every school district throughout Hancock County. There was an overall winning entry, along with second- and third-place winners for each of the six age groups (kindergarten-second grade, third-fourth grade,

fifth-sixth grade, seventheighth grade, freshmansophomore, and junior-senior). The entries were judged by a distinguished panel from the Leadership Hancock County program based on three criteria: execution, uniqueness, and artistry of concept. In addition, a People’s Choice award signified the “best of the best” – artwork was posted on the Greenfield Community Facebook page for community voting.

KIDS' ART COMPETITION

Art Contest Winners

Age group winners were invited to an art show and awards ceremony on May 18, 2022, where they received Boomerang “cinch sacks” filled with art supplies along with a cash prize. The winning submissions are now on longterm display at Hancock Regional Hospital and at the Healthy365 Connection Center. We are excited to highlight our Kids’ Art Contest winners in this month’s Boomerang issue.

And the Winners Are.

1ST PLACE WINNERS

Marmina Rafael (Gr K-2)*

Abigail Wasson (Gr 3-4)

Camilla Aldridge (Gr 5-6)

Fallyn White (Gr 7-8)*

Penelope Dearth (Gr 9-10)*

Brianna McConnell (Gr 11-12).

2ND PLACE WINNERS

Johnny Mackey (Gr K-2)

Avery Breberich (Gr 3-4)

Dellen Douglass (Gr 5-6)

Kennedy Tooke (Gr 7-8)

Grace Combs (Gr 9-10)

3RD PLACE WINNERS

Paisley Fields (Gr K-2)

Kaylee Ford (Gr 3-4)

*The top 15 artist entries were also posted on the Greenfield-Community Facebook page for a People’s Choice award. Page followers selected Marmina Rafael’s contest submission for first place, Fallyn White for second and Penelope Dearth for third.

Classroom Grants for Art Contest Winners

Winning entries that were submitted through a local classroom also earned a special $500 supply grant for their teachers. Educators who received grants were:

Jessica Buell (Gr K-2 at Mount Vernon)

Laura Salee (Gr K-4 art

Dawn Lowe (Gr 3-4 art at New Palestine)

Donna Knecht-Strong (Gr 5-6 at Greenfield-Central)

Jordan Sell (Gr 5-6 at Mount Vernon)

Monica Holden (Gr 7-8 art at Greenfield-Central)

Jeff Crague (Gr 7-8 at Mount Vernon)

Steven Wheeler (Gr 9-10 art at Mount Vernon)

Lisa Sears (Gr 11-12 at Greenfield-Central)

The art installation is now open to the public at Hancock Regional Hospital, located at 801 N State Street in Greenfield, IN. A special thank you to Greenfield Community, Hancock Regional Hospital, Healthy365 Connection Center and all of the Hancock County schools and foundations for making this Kids’ Art Contest possible!

Marmina Rafael took first place honors in her grade category (K-2) as well as winning the "People's Choice" award through voting on Facebook.

Y P R P G V O P W H V I I Z A

H B G Y D Q J L K E O A P W Q

A W J E F D F E S G L F T L J

P E U M R C K J W Y L Y B U V

P S X A E K H V R V E A R T P

Y R T C L C C C T A O X D O S

N W A R I G V F E E L I N G S

W S O Q E T B D G X B V Q K N

B U U R F S E M G L I E O D Q

O R F O R U S M S T I H I R D

J P J A U I D E E A C O O U W

M R R P N U E F D N D N M P K

U I L G N G T D P D T P C H E

K S C P N Y E Z J Y S F K D A

P E Q J O Y V R N Z Y N B O K

Become the healthiest generation ever!

When you know more about your health and how to take care of it, you can be more, do more and have more fun — starting now!