Category Archives: Going Healthy

12 Tips for Staying Strong When Your Child Has a Health Problem

As a parent, one of the most difficult things to endure is watching your child struggle with a health issue. It can be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining to care for a sick child, especially when there are regular treatments and check-ups involved. However, it’s important to find ways to stay strong and positive for both yourself and your child. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

Take care of yourself. 

Self-care is crucial when caring for a sick child. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating well, and finding time to do things that bring you joy. This will help you stay strong and better equipped to care for your child.

Build a support system. 

Reach out to friends, family, and support groups for help and encouragement. It’s also a good idea to connect with other parents in similar situations, as they can offer valuable advice and a sense of community.

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Educate yourself. 

Learn as much as you can about your child’s condition, the treatments involved, and what to expect. This will help you feel more in control and confident when it comes to making decisions about your child’s care.

Stay organized. 

Keeping track of treatments, appointments, and medication schedules can be overwhelming. Use a planner, reminders, or a phone app to stay organized and ensure that your child’s needs are met.

Set boundaries.

It’s important to set boundaries and communicate them clearly to others. Let people know what you need and what you are comfortable with. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensure that you have the time and energy to care for your child.

Practice mindfulness. 

Mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can help reduce stress and anxiety, and improve overall well-being.

Remember the good moments. 

It’s easy to get bogged down by the challenges of caring for a sick child. However, it’s important to focus on the positive moments and celebrate your child’s progress. Keep a journal, take photos, and make memories that you can look back on and cherish.

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Prioritize self-compassion. 

Be kind to yourself and understand that you are doing the best you can. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes or setbacks, and remember that it’s okay to ask for help.

Get involved. 

Get involved in advocacy and support organizations, both online and in your local community. This can provide a sense of purpose and make a difference in the lives of other families facing similar challenges.

Take breaks. 

It’s important to take breaks and give yourself time to recharge. Whether it’s a few minutes of quiet time each day, a weekend getaway, or a longer vacation, make sure you are taking the time you need to recharge.

Focus on the present. 

Try to live in the moment and avoid worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.

Seek professional help if needed. 

Don’t be afraid to seek help from a therapist, counselor, or support group if you are feeling overwhelmed. They can offer guidance and support to help you manage your stress and emotions. Don’t forget if you feel a fault of care isn’t yours, medical malpractice lawyers from Pendleton Law Firm will talk you through proceedings.

Caring for a child with a health problem can be a challenging journey, but with the right support, education, and self-care, you can stay strong and help your child thrive.

Health Habits Parents Need To Start With Early

Every one of us has some bad habits that we would rather not. In fact, you may have experienced how difficult those habits can be to get away from and this can be the case because they have been ingrained in us since childhood. Rather than letting your kids pick up bad habits that they would rather get rid of, here are a few healthier habits that you can ingrain into them while they’re still young.

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Get up and get moving

Exercise is one of the most difficult habits for even adults to pick up, themselves when they’re not accustomed to it. Getting the motivation and getting used to being more active can be quite the hurdle. Your kids are likely to already be quite active, with playtime doing a lot to keep them moving for the first few years. However, as they get older, if they’re not getting into sports teams, then it’s a good idea to find ways to be active together. Whether it’s with bike rides, walks, or anything else, your kids are a lot more to keep up if you’re there taking part with them.

Taking care of their teeth

The impact that dental neglect can have on a child’s self-esteem and confidence in the future can be devastating. Your child isn’t to blame if this happens, it’s usually due to a poor enforcement of dental hygiene habits as a child. Make sure that you visit the dentist with them early and often, taking care of their teeth and getting all of the oral care advice that you need. If they get into the routine of brushing, and then later flossing and rinsing once they have their adult teeth, it’s not a habit that they’re likely to lose as they get older. If they don’t get that habit early, they might not get it at all.

Making good eating choices

A lot of parents feed their kids all manner of unhealthy snacks, like candy, soda, chips, and more, that are going to do very little to give their body the nutrients it needs. It’s easy to use snacks as a reward or a way to placate them. However, these can soon become everyday parts of their lifestyle. You should start making efforts to direct the family’s diet in a healthier direction. Employ some helpful tricks such as offering choices of healthy foods and finding vegetable alternatives to ensure they’re eating better.

Recognizing risks

Children do not have the same sense of risk or danger that adults have. In a lot of cases, they may not truly get the consequences of certain health risks until they experience them. However, while trying not to give them a fearful disposition, you should try to teach them to recognize and avoid potentially harmful things. There are plenty of good kids’ books about these.

If you can turn good health practices into learned behaviors for your kids, they’re a lot more likely to stick with them as they go through life. Keep that in mind with the tips above.

How Runners Can Better Care For Their Feet

If you want to keep healthy, then you will be fully aware that it’s important to exercise. Of course, it’s not always easy to get as much as you should, but there are nonetheless a number of ways you can do this more effectively. One of the simplest and easiest is to just go running on a regular basis. But if you are going to do that, you will need to take care of your body, and in particular your feet. There are a few things you should bear in mind on that front, which we are going to look into right now.

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Listen To Pain

Your running shouldn’t ever cause you actual pain, only discomfort. So if you notice that you are experiencing pain in your feet while running, you should really make sure to listen to that pain rather than ignore it. In other words, you should stop running as soon as possible and attend to the issue. It might be that you have something as simple as an ingrown toenail – and if so, the ingrown toenails treatment you need is simple enough – or you might have a sprained ankle or something. In any case, don’t ignore it.

Warm-Up & Cool Down

You need to make sure you are warming up and cooling down before and after every workout. That is a really vital thing to do, and it’s the kind of thing you notice the difference once you stop doing it. If you are keen to take good care of your feet, this is going to be absolutely essential. All you need to do is stretch and get the body to a good level of limber, and then you can run with ease and without fear of harming yourself, including your feet most importantly of all.

Use Proper Footwear

Another thing you can do which will make a huge difference is to make sure that you use the proper footwear that you need. This is going to save your feet more than you might think, so it’s one of those things that are really worth trying to remember. This means using trainers or runners, some kind of footwear that is going to protect your feet and ensure that you are less likely to damage them in any way. If you do that, you are going to be in a much better place with regard to your feet when you run.

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Allow Space
Speaking of shoes, you should generally follow the rule of thumb of always going half a size above what you think you need, because that is going to mean that you are much more likely to remain comfortable and less likely to damage your feet in any way. This is a really good rule that is worth remembering, and you’ll be amazed at what a difference it can truly make if you do this. So that is something that you might want to think about if you are keen to care for your feet more effectively while running.