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As fall gets into full swing and school begins again, we gear up for leaving summer behind and getting into the pace of the academic year. Summer clothes are put away, fall weather is prepared for and kids either grumble or celebrate the beginning of a new year at school (depending on how they feel about school!) Grownups and kids alike can feel the quickened pace as the last days of summer fade, and we launch into fall. At the same time, fall, and the prospect of the winter that will follow, can bring its own set of stressors. Parents and kids alike often take on more stress, as they try to manage tighter schedules, and more demands on their time. Those who love the fall colors and the cooler weather rejoice, while those who are not fans of the cold weather bid a mournful goodbye to the warmth of the summer sun. As fall schedules get into full swing and winter waits close behind, it is a good time to talk a bit about mental health. Just as our physical health can sometimes fluctuate with the seasons (more colds or flu as the weather gets colder, sunburns when the summer sun is high) so can our feelings fluctuate with the seasons. Here are just a few mental health issues to be aware of, as fall rolls around: […]

Summertime. Say the word out loud a couple of times. Feel your blood pressure drop and the muscles at the back of your neck relax. Summer is a time for slowing down, dropping the pace. School is out, vacation rolls around, church schedules ease, and fireflies put on their evening show while we enjoy a bowl of ice cream. Summer is a time for catching up on all those things we’ve been intending to get to, like cleaning out closets or organizing the photos on our computer or watching DVDs of the movies we missed when they were in the theaters. Summer should also be a time for catching up on sleep. The gentler rhythms of summer ought to provide us a chance to snooze away our accumulated sleep debt. But here Nature makes it difficult for us. Summer features the longest periods of daylight and the hottest temperatures of the year. Neither bright light nor hot, humid air are conducive to sleep. For solid, restful sleep in the dog days of summer, follow these tips. Find your ideal sleep temperature and make your bedroom match it. Since most bedrooms run too hot in summer, install a ceiling fan or a window air conditioner. Put a fan in the window to pull hot air out of upstairs bedrooms. Draw the blinds during the day to keep the bedroom dark and cool. Try sleeping in the basement where it’s cooler. Unless you truly enjoy watching the sun rise, keep your bedroom dark. While you’re keeping the morning sun out, block the intrusion of noise as well. Between neighbors partying on their patio until the wee hours and birds in the oak tree announcing the first light in the sky, the period of quiet can get short some nights. If you can’t keep light and sound out of your bedroom, consider an eye mask and ear plugs. You’ll look like the Lone Ranger, but you’ll sleep like Rip VanWinkle. […]