Buzz, Body, & Bites November 2024 Issue

Emotional Wellness

As we age, we encounter a variety of emotions, conditions, and decisions that require us to adapt and build resilience, which can be emotionally draining. Nevertheless, ensuring that your emotional well-being is thriving will help you bounce back when life gets tough. Emotional wellness is the ability to handle life’s stressors, adapt to change, and maintain a positive outlook.

Many factors contribute to emotional well-being, but it ultimately comes down to one’s ability to identify, express, and manage their full range of feelings on a day-to-day basis. One way you can hone in on your emotions is to journal how situations make you feel. Tracking your emotional reaction can help you pinpoint what might trigger certain reactions and how you can learn to handle them better.

It is also good practice to catch negative thoughts and emotions, flip the script, and focus on the positive. Try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Above all, give yourself grace and focus on positive self-talk. Having a better outlook and thinking positively will influence how you feel about yourself, which translates to how you treat others. Be sure to smile and laugh often! If depression, anxiety, or stress lasts more than two weeks, it’s important to seek help from a professional to ensure these conditions do not begin to affect your overall health any more than they already have.

A common thread through many of the 8 dimensions we have covered over the past few months is mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Taking time for yourself to quiet your mind is so very important. This can be as simple as listening to relaxing music, taking a walk, or focusing on your breathing.

Physical activity is also key to emotional well-being in that it helps relieve stress, improve sleep, boost mood, and much more. Be sure to incorporate aerobic activity and strength training into your week. We provide excellent exercise suggestions in every Buzz, Body, and Bites newsletter.

By April Payne, MS; Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent

Emotional Wellness Checklist

• Healthy sleep routine
• Give yourself grace
• Have an attitude of gratitude
• Learn to say no
• Practice mindfulness/ relaxation techniques
• Stay active
• Have a positive outlook
• Get outside
• Stay connected
• Start a new hobby
• Smile a lot and laugh often

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Follow these tips to safely cook a delicious and moist turkey that everyone will enjoy.

Cooking Tips:

• For birds that are not pre-seasoned, you can immerse in a brine solution for 8 or more hours in refrigeration. See Resources for recipes.
• Salt the bird inside and outside.
• Heat 1/2 onion, 1 apple, & 1 cinnamon stick in hot water for 5 minutes. Place in the cavity of the bird with 4rosemary stems and 6 sage leaves.
• Coat the breast with oil. Shape aluminum foil in a triangle to fit over the breast.
• Cook turkey at 500⁰F for the first 30 minutes. Then reduce to 350⁰F until done. Remove foil toward the end of cooking to brown the breast.

Safety Tips:

• Frozen turkeys should be thawed in the refrigerator. Place the turkey on the lower shelf in a container, allow 24 hours per each 5 pounds to thaw.
• To avoid cross-contamination, wash hands, cutting boards, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing turkey and before preparing the next item.
• Cook turkey to an internal temperature of 165⁰F, place thermometer in thickest part of the thigh and breast, being careful that the thermometer does not touch the bone.
• For safety, cook stuffing separately from the turkey in a container. If you stuff your bird, the stuffing should be cooked to 165⁰F.

Fall Prevention Exercise: Single Leg Lift

1. Position yourself behind a chair or next to something stable.
2. Hold on to the chair back with both hands.
3. Lift one leg off the ground slowly.
4. Maintain your balance while standing on one leg for 5 seconds.
5. Return to the starting position and repeat 5 times. Try to increase the time spent standing on one leg.
6. Perform with opposite leg.
7. Repeat 10 times.

Resources

Turkey Hotlines: USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline: 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or https://ask.usda.gov Butterball 1-800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372) or text 844-877-3456

Brining a Turkey: USDA: https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/16/brining-safely-will-bring-tender-flavorful-meat-thanksgiving-table

John Hopkins Medicine- Fall Prevention Exercise: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fall-prevention-exercises

Editors: April Payne, MS; Carlin Rafie, PhD, RD; Hannah Copp; Kristen Gibson, MBA

Peer reviewers: Susan Prillaman, MS; Jane Henderson, MSEd; Naida Young, MS

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