Yoga is a practice that we all can do. It starts with the breath – an extended and deeper breath. With a simple focusing of our breath, we can start on a journey that improves our well being. This breathing process helps to take us away from the flight-or-fight mode in which many of us live everyday. Personally, I do not know anyone who currently is not feeling stressed, to some degree. Do you?

Interesting that with this virus (COVID-19), many more now understand what a global community means. We are all connected, and we are all in this together. People are in lockdown throughout the world and more alone than ever; but paradoxically we are all grieving, worrying or suffering in some manner – together.

It’s not that I am a worrywart or a pessimist; I just cannot help anticipating what might come next. That’s the way the minds of nurses and doctors work. Spending years in the health field, a good nurse and doctor will always be planning for the next step or considering the “just-in-case.” You have a care plan for your patients, and you make sure all the next measures are in place.

What is happening to our children’s health? We hear very little about the following three subjects:

1. Homelessness,
   
2. Healthcare sharing ministries, and
   
3. Resignation Syndrome.
   

In the age of social media, parents are sharing personal information about their children with the general public. Sharenting is “the phenomenon of sharing photographs, embarrassing stories and other personal information about one’s children online” (https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1796&context=facultypub). Parents might not realize the consequences of this disclosure. Let’s take a closer look at what happens when that disclosure is their children’s personal health information.

Getting together with friends is fun, but did you also know it has health benefits? The holidays are coming up and instead of getting consumed with the hustle-bustle, take time just to enjoy feasting and socializing with others. “Gathering is good for our body and our spirit” (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/smarter-living/holiday-meals-family-tips.html). Even though it may seem obvious, researchers have concluded that social connection is good for our health; so turn around your thought process this holiday season and instead of feeling like there are too many bad habits related to the holidays, eat, drink, and be merry!

When it comes to our own health, we cannot ignore the rest of the world. Hopefully, we care about humanity as a whole, but what happens outside our country impacts our national health as well. In addition to the obvious links with such diseases as Ebola, measles, and influenza pandemics, there are other global health threats such as air pollution, political conflicts and lack of access to healthcare (https://www.who.int/emergencies/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019).

Stress can make us sick. Stress is not just a feeling; it is actually a physiological response that is built into our bodies, which provides us with the tools to handle a threat (http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-0-230-30617-2_2). Many people experience perceived threats in their everyday lives, and the body responds in the same manner as with real threats.

Wake up America! The care needs for people with long-term health problems are drastically increasing (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK217736/). They can be medical (physical and mental) and/or social. More clients in need of long-term care are finding themselves alone, with no family or friends to help with caretaking. And even those with support systems in place realize that the complexity of caring for someone with chronic or permanent health conditions is overwhelming.