Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital delivered 10 Narcan kits to the Marysville PD earlier this March, giving them another valuable tool in their emergency response kits when helping local residents.
Read the full article:
Local hospital donates life-saving medication to first-responders
Read the full article about Virtual Care at Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital here.
March 2021 signifies the one-year anniversary of Covid-19 becoming a household name. When we reflect on anniversaries, we usually associate them with celebrations, but this specific anniversary brings forth feelings of loss, grief, sadness, and anxiety, affecting each one of us in different ways.
As our collective losses mount, we continue mourning as a community. The rollout of vaccines has provoked a sense of hope for the future and life beginning to return to normalcy, but until we’re able to fully conquer this virus, we continue to bear with the heartache the pandemic has caused in our daily lives.
Here are some reminders on how to promote and maintain positive mental health as we hit the one-year landmark of the pandemic:
Don’t Scrimp on Self-Care
Self-care is a term thrown around a lot, but experts say it’s often misunderstood. Self-care is important to maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself. It means doing things to take care of our minds, bodies, and souls by engaging in activities that promote well-being and reduce stress. Examples of self-care include meditating, creating art, going for a walk, or taking a luxurious bath. Practicing self-care can really help you feel rejuvenated even as we continue to navigate the disruptions to our daily lives caused by the pandemic.
Train your Brain to be Mindful
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. For example, next time you’re enjoying a meal, slow down, pay attention to and savor each bite rather than gulping it down. Meditating is a great example of being mindful and in the moment, paying attention to each breath can be soothing.
Cultivate Gratitude
It is all too easy to focus on the negatives this pandemic has created, but it is more important than ever we turn our minds to gratefulness. Studies show that people can deliberately cultivate gratitude — and there are important social and personal benefits to doing so. Being thankful and acknowledging the positive in your life is a wonderful way to a healthy, positive mindset. For example, when your mind turns toward negativity, be mindful of this act and name some things you are grateful for. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack.
Garner Resilience
Resilience is the ability to adapt to or recover readily from adversity and major life changes. When stress, misfortune or trauma strikes, you still experience anger, grief and pain, but you’re able to keep functioning — both physically and psychologically. However, resilience isn’t about putting up with something difficult, being stoic or figuring it out on your own. In fact, being able to reach out to others for support is a key part of being resilient.
You will find that practicing the skills of self-care, mindfulness, gratitude, and resilience will definitely help you build inner strength to overcome these very trying times.
If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is here to help and available 24/7. Find out more about our treatment options here. Call us today at 360-651-6400.
Although not new to Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital, our Leadership Spotlight focuses on the achievement of our very own attending psychiatrist to the position of Medical Director.
Dr. Ahmed completed his residency at Rutgers University—Newark, NJ, is board-certified with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc., and is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine – ASAM. He is fellowship trained in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) from Duke University Hospital and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) from UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.
In his spare time, Dr. Ahmed enjoys baseball, playing tennis, and spending time with his family.
Congratulations Dr. Ahmed!
Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital recognizes and honors the benefit of expressing oneself on mental health, it is an integral part of our treatment plan here. For more information on benefits of Art therapy for mental health, click on the link below.
2021 opened its door a little more slowly and with a little more caution than the new year in years past. A pandemic, civil unrest and financial worries for many due to job loss are just a few of the major concerns that marked the start of our new year. Lots of us didn’t even close out the old year with any real sense of normalcy or of things familiar. Holiday parties for more than just a few were cancelled. Some family gatherings were zoomed. Our homes became our restaurants and our dress up clothes made way for comfy sweats and big cozy slippers. This strange start to our new year may have caused a shift in how we view the “old” idea of a New Year’s Resolution.
There are some resolution standards out there like: save more money, lose weight, or improve relationships. Some work a little harder and really think through the resolution process. Others make no resolutions at all.
This year consider being more resolute: defined as being admirably purposeful, unwavering and determined. Any one of these elements of being resolute can mean that 2021 has real meaning for you; perhaps changing the course of your health (physical and mental), relationships and general outlook on your life. Here are some areas that you might consider focusing on; choose the things you are willing to be resolute about.
Look at your finances in a new way. Although you may need to crunch a little harder at the numbers this year, be resolute about putting aside some dollars, even a small amount that is designed to be for you to spend in a way that would bring joy to your life. A small getaway vacation in the future, a manicure, a massage, something new for you or someone you love is spirit-lifting.
Bring creativity into your life with a new recipe, a new hobby, a new exercise program or do something you always wanted to try! Learning and creativity spark excitement.
Read, write, and listen to stories that warm your heart.
Find a way to exercise. Ever hear of couch potato exercising? It can have a real impact! Be resolute about getting up during commercials and moving with purpose. Jog in place, do some sit-ups or lift some weights. In a one-hour television show, that can mean 20 minutes of exercise. A few shows and you really have some movement time in your schedule.
Reduce stress by volunteering. Helping others helps us.
Focus on you! Your physical and mental health are important. If things start to feel shaky, don’t wait to get the help you need.
At Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital we are resolute about helping you. Our team is available 24/7 and all you have to do is make one call to 360-651-6400 for a free, confidential mental health assessment.
Prior to the coronavirus vaccine being available to the general public, Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital will be providing COVID-19 Vaccination as soon as it is available to all front line caregivers and employees.
Once we are supplied with the vaccine we’ve developed an implementation process and are prioritizing distribution to front line teams and then vulnerable populations.
Until that time we are following State Department of Health Guidelines assuring all workers are wearing face coverings, good Hand Hygiene, and social distancing to limit exposure.
Safety is number one, we can get through this together.
For more information regarding Vaccine Distribution: Click Here.
“You can’t prompt suicide by talking about it or asking about it,” says Thea Gallagher, clinic director at the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: Losing a teenager to suicide, before you even know anything is wrong. Parents may feel wary about talking about mental health and suicide with their children, but experts say it’s important. The Today Show provided an excellent in-depth look about how to talk to children about suicide from several experts in the field, click the link below to educate yourself on how to address this very sensitive and very important topic.
If your child is struggling with thoughts of suicide, Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is available to take your call 24/7. Call now at 360-651-6400 to speak with a mental health professional. Click here to learn more about our adolescent program and services.
Source: today.com
Working within high stress environments is familiar for emergency room and intensive care staff. Frontline healthcare workers have been trained to maintain focus and perform complicated procedures while responding to gunshot wounds, heart attacks, and patients coding. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic introduces a new challenge, a chronic stress and pervasive uncertainty that threatens both the physical and mental health of frontline workers.
Now more than ever, it is important to make sure frontline workers address their fears and make sure to have strong coping strategies. Mental Health America (MHA), the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all has provided resources to help address the stress and anxiety that burdens frontline workers and to help prevent burnout.
If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis and need help, Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is open 24/7. Call us at 360-651-6400.
Source: mhanational.org
For some people, the winter months, which bring fewer daylight hours, can trigger a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Medical experts worry that the added stresses from COVID-19 might impact SAD symptoms. But, treatment is available, read on for further information and how to seek support.
If you are having trouble managing your mental health and need support, Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is here to help and available 24/7. Find out more about our treatment options here. Call us today at 360-651-6400.
Source: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-seasonal-affective-disorder-sad
3955 156th Street Northeast
Marysville, WA 98271
Call Us 24/7 at: (360) 651-6400
From I-5 , take exit 206 onto 172nd St NE.
Head east on 172nd St NE.
Turn right onto Smokey Point Blvd.
Head south on Smokey Point Blvd for 1 mile.
Turn left onto 156th St NE.
Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is on the left.
Please note that Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is located on the east side of I-5. Google Maps will take you to the west side of I-5.