Newsletter by and for Mental Health Consumers

Nicollet County News & Views Support & Healing Person to Person

November 2018

Minnesota Zoo

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Crafts with Casey Fall

Leaves

Missy’s Message Board

Just a reminder that November 6th is the day to exercise your right to vote! Make sure your voice is heard! To see a

sample ballot, go to:

https://myballotmn.sos.state.mn.us/

PUC Closed the Following Dates in November:12th, 22nd, & 23rd.

Please join me in welcoming our new CSP staff –

Kelly Miller!!!! - Please come to the lunch on Thursday, November 8th at 11:30a at the clubhouse to meet Kelly! We are excited to have Kelly join the clubhouse full-time. Once Kelly is fully trained she will be working a few days a week and e/o weekend! Welcome, Kelly – we are excited to have you!!!

Crafts with Casey

Cards w/Forever Friends

Page 3 Nicollet County

Get to Know Me—November 2018 Consumer Highlight: Stefanie H 5 Things I love: My family (including extended)

Great food

Cooking

Knitting

Fall in Minnesota

3 Interesting Tidbits About Me:

I live without TV, and have since my marriage 32 years ago.

My first language was German and I

didn’t learn English until first grade.

I was tear gassed regularly on the bus

during the bussing riots in the1960’s

The Place I’d Love to Travel To: Germany (to visit relatives)

Loneliness

What can help you with loneliness in your life? Sometimes going to the Power Up Clubhouse can help, if you can go. Sometimes having a friend is the best remedy for loneliness. You might think no one cares – I think you’re probably wrong. I think oth-ers would love to be a friend to you. Remember this – you are a very special and worthwhile person. Don’t give up. I want you to be happy and overcome loneliness in your life. The best way to be a friend is to be a friend!

Carol Tordsen

Page 4

Newsletter by and for Mental Health Consumers

Family Support Group

Adult Bipolar Support Group

For individuals and families Managing Bipolar Disorder. At

the Mankato Clinic we understand that living with

bipolar disorder has its ups and downs. We’re here for you and

your family through those difficult times to ensure that

you live happier and more productive lives. Come share

your thoughts with our support group.

First and third Wednesday of

month 6:30 — 8:00 p.m.

Meeting Room B at Mankato Clinic @ Madison East Center

(www.dbsalliance.org or call the Mankato Clinic today at

507-625-1811

CONNECTIONS SUPPORT GROUP

Meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 6:30 - 8:00pm at Bethel Baptist Church . This

group is for family members of individuals who have a mental illness.

If you have questions contact:

NAMI Minnesota 651-645-2948

This group is for anyone who has

a mental illness.

The group meets at Bethel Baptist Church

(1250 Monks Ave, Mankato) 6:30-8:00 p.m.

2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month.

NAMI Minnesota phone: 651-645-2948

Nurses Group Monday, Nov 26

@ 10am at the

Power Up Clubhouse

Topic: Stress Management

Submitted by Meg

Homemade Ice Packs

1 part rubbing alcohol

3 parts water

It gets really cold, but never hardens so you can manipulate

it.

Every athlete (or mom) should have one!

When you buy a container of cake

frosting from the store, whip it with your

mixer for a few minutes. You can double

it in size & frost more cake/cupcakes

with the same amount.

There’s a song that’s been proven to reduce anxiety by 65%. It’s called

Weightless by Marconi Union. The song was

written and produced to actually slow down your heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and lower cortisol levels. It actually works so well it’s

recommended not to listen to it while driving.

Add 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of oil to turn any cake mix into cookie dough.

If you send Mickey and Minnie Mouse an invitation to your wedding, they’ll send you back an autographed photo and a “just married” button. Here is the address: The Walt Disney Company 500 South Buena Vista St Burbank, CA 91521

To get night vision, keep one eye closed in the well lit area and then open it in darkness; that eye will be able to see in the dark. This is why Pirates wore eye patches.

I need to care for myself first.

I have the capacity to learn and to grow.

I am responsible only for myself and for my own behavior.

I have choices about how to solve problems.

I cannot control anyone but myself.

I cannot change anyone but myself.

I have the potential to change.

I can control my thoughts, feelings, and actions.

I need to be aware of my strengths an dmy rights.

I do not deserve to be physically or mentally abused.

I need to be aware of the ”shoulds, “oughts” and “musts” of early childhood, and et go

of these rules.

I am a responsible citizen who respects and treats others with dignity.

I own no one.

I need to build support systems which will sustain me.

Change is Constant

Submitted by Bernice E.

Ball

Net

Field

Goalie

Pass

Kick

Goal

Soccer

Defender

Coach

Stadium

Team

Save

Power Up Clubhouse Meeting Thursday, October 4th, 2018

Attendance: Luz, Steve, Althea, Bernice, Linda, Selena, Missy, & Casey. Althea brought the meeting to order. Review of August Minutes were read, reviewed, and approved. Bernice made a motion and Steve se-conded to approve the minutes.

Budget Report and Review: Missy discussed the following in regards to the budget –Expenses: food sup-

plies for activities (Connections lunch, coffee group, lunches for Zoo & Arboretum activities, food for picnic, birth-day club cake, etc) PUC supplies, utilities, 2019 rent paid in full, and snack bar supplies. Current balance is: $4,844.02. Steve made a motion and Bernice seconded to approve the budget report.

Clubhouse Updates:

Spring Stakeholder’s Make-up Activity Update: The first option would be a day at the Science Museum of MN – including the Mind Matters: Mental Health Exhibit and going out for lunch that day. The second option would be “Budget-friendly Cooking w/Stefanie” which would take place at the clubhouse. Stefanie would teach participants how to cook some healthy, easy meals on a tight budget. The participants would then receive a gift card for their participation in order to allow them to purchase the grocery items for some of the recipes. The deadline to sign-up is Monday, October 8th. Water Supply at PUC: It was discussed at a previous meeting to look into alternative options for drinking water at the PUC. All agreed that the water out of the faucet does not taste good, but that we buy too many plastic bottles and would like to be more environmental-friendly. Missy looked into options and it looks as though the best option would be to go through Culligan water – using a Water Bottle Cooler. After discussion, it was decided it would be best to rent the water cooler at first to make sure it works well at PUC before spending the money to actually purchase the cooler. The members voted on the decision - Linda made a motion and Steve seconded – the rest of the members were also in favor. Missy will work on getting the cooler set up through Culligan. PUC Board of Directors vs. Member Meeting: Missy informed the group of the changes being made to the PUC Board Meeting. The meeting which is usually held monthly for all members will now be held quarterly and will be renamed as the PUC Member Meeting. Missy also explained that the PUC is not following the requirements of being a non-profit, which would include having a Board of Directors. In order to be in compliance, there will be a Board of Directors needing to be devel-oped with 5-10 members & 4 Board positions needing to be filled – hoping to start in November. There will be a flyer sent out to all members and if interested, please contact Missy for details. Bernice made a motion to ap-prove the changes discussed to member meeting and adding board of directors and Selena seconded. All but one of the members were in favor. There was then a quorum to discuss. CSP Update: Missy updated members that the CSP position has been narrowed down to two candidates and the second interviews are set up for Monday, October 8th.

Upcoming Events: Anxiety group, Fall Leaves Tour, County Connections Lunch, Employment Services Panel,

Odin Mill Craft Fair, Fall Craft w/Casey, Book Club, Crafts w/Forever Friends, Fun w/Food, Bingo & Birthday Club and 10 County Halloween Party. Just a reminder: Please use Activity Suggestion Box for activity ideas at PUC, your input is valuable.

Door Prize: Linda Adjournment: by Linda and seconded by Steve Submitted by: Missy

Newsletter by and for Mental Health Consumers Page 8

Holiday Stress and Depression

By Althea Leonard

Those suffering from any type of holiday depression or stress may benefit from increased social support during this time of year. Keep in touch with clubhouse or other support people you may have.

Don’t miss any support groups you may attend. Support groups are valuable in times that you are not in crisis – sharing your thoughts and experiences can help you manage your troubling feelings. On the other hand, should your group be cancelled during the holiday season – reach out to a member of that group or simply do something kind for yourself. A nice bath or guided meditation may help ease your stress.

Plan ahead! Give yourself permission to cut down on other activities that may make your calendar too full and stressful. An example of this would be skipping bridge club the day before Thanksgiving. Make sure to give a proper notice to your group that you will not be attending. This can help eliminate stress for both you and the group.

Another important step is to reduce symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Regular exposure to light that is bright, particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people with SAD. Phototherapy is commercially available in the form of light boxes. These can be found on Amazon for as little as $35.00. The light required must be of sufficient brightness, approximately 25 times as bright as a normal living room light (10,000lux is recommended). The light treatment is used daily 30 minutes in the morning and evening for best results.

Stay mindful! This is a difficult time in many individual ’s lives. I find that accepting that fact and keeping myself mindful helps center my emotions and being. Mindful Tips: Take deep breaths, Use your 5 senses (what do you smell, hear, see, touch?).

During high anxiety moments – Go to your Happy Place – Can you visualize some place or time that gives you peace and tranquility? As odd as it sounds, feel free to excuse yourself to the bathroom and spend a couple minutes at/in your “place”. It works!

Avoid conflict. Yes, I know – sounds easy right…(pfft). If you know there are going to be conflicts, prepare a neutral response, such as, “Let’s talk about that another time” or, “I can see how you would feel that way”. Please note that it is acceptable to escape to another room, offer to help in the kitchen, go hang out with the kids. Remember, this is your life! You do not have to subject yourself or accept negativity from another person or group.

It’s understandable that you want things to be nice and neat for company. Forget Perfection. Honestly – don’t over-tax yourself and stress over small things. Pillows didn’t get fluffed – it’s OK. (Breathe)

Nicollet County News & Views 123 So. Minnesota Ave. P.O. Box 185 St. Peter, MN 56082 Powerup.sccbi.info (507) 934-4444

Fun Facts

Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to watch television for 3 hours.

Approximately 10-20% of U.S. power outages are caused by squirrels.

Pirates wore earrings because they believed it improved their eyesight.

The Twitter bird actually has a name – Larry.

Squirrels forget where they hide about half their nuts.

A ten-gallon hat will only hold ¾ of a gallon.

A “jiffy” is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second.

The giraffe’s tongue is so long that they can lick the inside of their own ear.

Cows kill more people than sharks do.

If you sneeze while travelling at 60mph your eyes are closed for an average of 50’.

In Morse Code ” .--. ..- -.-. “ means PUC.