Vivo awarded NIH grant to study impact on diabetes 
During Vivo’s Mental Health Month we have highlighted some of the primary ways to support your overall mental health.
These include:
- Talking honestly with your doctor if you experience more than 15 days a month of negative feelings
- Track your sleep to ensure both quality and quantity of sleep
- Increase or maintain your exercise regime to a minimum of 3 days a week
- Consume a diet that nourishes your body as well as your mind (see the Nutrition Center below for more on this)
- Note increased use of alcohol or other controlled substance
- Purposeful engagement of scheduled activities or work
- Practice Mindfulness to know your body and mental state
-Do You Know the term Mindfulness? Mindfulness is a practice used by both trained professionals and lay people to help bring awareness to the present without judgement and understand your own patterns of thought.
-Many mental health professionals encourage the practice of mindfulness because of its reported benefits for managing stress, depression, addiction, and anxiety. It also may be a helpful treatment for health conditions like hypertension, chronic pain, and heart failure as well as improving sleep habits.
–Mindfulness techniques can be done on your own using a concentration meditation, tai chi, or yoga. The Harvard help guide states that the goal of all mindfulness techniques is to engage a state of alertness where you pay close attention to sensations and thoughts without judgement. Even trying out a mindfulness minute each day can be a great way to start. There is no minimum time requirement.
Vivo will offer a FREE Mindfulness Specialty Class every 2nd Thursday at 3pm with Vivo Trainer, Kelly Spitzer, beginning in September. Registration will be posted in next week’s newsletter.
-Written by Kristin Dean, Vivo Care Team
