December 1, 2024 • 29 mins
There are many ways you can take part in the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees. A Powerfully Pink weekend is coming up from Pride NW. The Sunshine Division is preparing for a busy December. Tips from Kaiser Permanente Northwest on dealing with holiday stress.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. The Safeway Providence
Festival of Trees is coming up and we'll tell you
how to get involved. We'll get a preview of Pride
Northwest's powerfully Pink weekend. The Sunshine Division is preparing for
a busy December of food distribution and Kaiser Permanente Northwest
will have tips on how to deal with holiday stress.
(00:27):
An extraordinary and exquisite holiday tradition is coming up in Portland.
It's the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees. Joining us on
Local Voices are Katie Coolhoff and Patty Piper. Katie, what's
your role?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hi, Brad, thank you for having us.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I serve as executive director of Donor Engagement for Providence.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Tell us about the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
The festival is just an amazing holiday extravaganza that's been around.
This is our forty second year in our finale and
it features trees of all sizes. But I would say
the stars of the show are the actual festival trees.
We have eighteen large trees that our designers spend all
year shopping for and planning for. Some of my highlights
(01:08):
this year, I would say, and you have to come
see them all. There's a I'm dreaming of a pink Christmas,
so think palm springs, flamingos, mid century modern. We have
a Frosty Magic tree with a ten foot inflatable Frosty
the Snowman, and even another tree that is hot air
Balloom themed with a custom built puppet theater. And all
(01:31):
of our designers design these amazing trees.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
They go up for auction.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
We also have a silent auction in Raffles, and then
a public show where people can come and visit Teddy
Bear Hospital and all lots of activities for kids, but
also see all of.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
These amazing trees.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a really wonderful way to kick off the holiday season,
and it's a fundraiser for Providence at its core, so
it helps us raise money for really vital programs.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
To see people coming in and getting ideas for their
own trees.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I hope, so these trees are really extravag again, so
it's not my skill to translate some of that to
my tree at home, but I hope that some folks do.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
And I know that many people come.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Here after year and make this a real holiday tradition
for their families, so it's really quite special.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Nice. Well, it's a beneficiary of the Safeway Providence Festival
of Trees.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
It has changed many times over the years.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
It's supported cancer research, our heart program, our medication assistance program.
But this year it's supporting Providence Children's Health and some
specific programs there and you know kids in Christmas. It
just makes sense for us to help raise money for
those programs for things not covered by.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Insurance, things like Patty Piper, your manager of speech and
audiology and a pediatric audiologist. Tell us about your work
with kids.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well, thanks, Brad.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Yeah, I've been working at CDI for eighteen years and
I manage our speech and audiology team at the Children's
Development Institute and we have a multidisciplinary team, so it's
a big team of people who work to support children
with special health care needs.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Tell us about how the donations help what you do?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
You know, the donations are vital to the work that
we do and it goes directly to the families. I
hate to bring up insurance, but not everything is covered
by insurance and so the donations really help bridge that gap.
And so for our nick you it equipment for babies,
the smallest of the small It also goes to the
(03:20):
Safety Net for Families Fund, which helps low income families
with really just basic supplies for living with their infant
and their newborn. We also support Swindell's Resource Center, which
helps families navigate the healthcare system and community resources for
children who with special health care needs. And finally we're
(03:41):
going to benefit the Children's Development Institute this year as well.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Tell us more about that. What is the Children's Development Institute?
Speaker 4 (03:48):
Yeah, Well, CDI is a multidisciplinary clinic. We have three
main clinics, one at child Center on the East Side,
one at Saint Vincent, one in Newburgh in a very
small out in Oregon City. And again it has physicians, psychologists,
occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, dieticians, audiology and really
(04:10):
these families come to us when they may not know
what their child needs, and we help with diagnosis and
treatment and we walk that journey with the families as
we help them sort of navigate what may be going
on with.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Their little person.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
That's such a difficult thing to deal with because you
have a child that, especially if it's your first child,
you're going through this for the first time. But even
if it's a second or third child, you're dealing with
things that the child may not be able to talk
to you about.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Right absolutely, and we're really aware.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
You know.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
One of our mission statements is serving the poor and vulnerable,
and we believe that there's nothing more vulnerable than a
parent coming to you and trusting them with your child
to say I need help, and to be able to
have that sacred encounter with a family is why we
do the work that we do.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Donations help with that work.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Okay, what are the different ways that people can experience
the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
There are so many ways this year, Brad. First of all,
folks can come in person, so we have a public show.
It's Friday coming up this Friday from nine to one.
Come down, see the trees, all of that. But if
you can't make it down, or if you want to
just continue the festival fun, you can actually watch on
AM Northwest and on afternoon Live on K two Channel two.
(05:28):
AM Northwest is on at nine, Afternoon Live is on
at two on Thursday.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We'll be broadcasting live from the festival floor.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
We'll be showing all of the big trees and we'll
also give an inside look into our online auction and
the things up for Raffle because you can bid.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
You can bid right now.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
The online auction is open even if you're not attending
our fundraising gala, which is Friday night. You can bid
and take one of these special trees home, on one
of the mini trees or one of the wreaths. We
have our team, our Silent Auction team. They work year
round building these awesome holiday gifts and they're all different themes.
There are something for everyone there. And then we have
a tree, one of our large trees is up for Raffle.
(06:05):
Twenty five dollars a ticket and you could win your
own festival tree. And this one comes with an amazing
experience out at Mount Adams and it's delivered to your home.
So if you win the tree, it's delivered to you
and so you can buy a ticket for that right now,
and then of course you can visit. So all of
that is there's lots of different ways to get involved
and we really hope folks do that.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
He here there's a sensory friendly holiday experience. What is
that and what's it mean?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
You know, big public gatherings can be overwhelming, and we
really wanted to, especially in the spirit of the kids
that we serve at Providence, make sure that this was
truly an inclusive event and inclusive festival. So we made
some tweaks to make it really sensory friendly, and we
actually consulted with Patty, so she's the best person to
explain what that means, so I'll send it over to her.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
So neuroidiversity is one of our main points that we
want it to be inclusive and we want it to
be welcoming for everyone, and so this year we have
sensory packs, we have little fidget spinners, we have headphones
if it gets too noisy, and so we really think
about noise level and lighting and all the things that
make Christmas fun that can also make it a little overwhelming.
(07:10):
And so we want everybody to feel welcome and have
a great time.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
What a terrific opportunity really for all families, Katie, it
really sounds exciting. You mentioned that this year is the
finale year. Tell us more about that.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, that's certainly bittersweet for us. Forty years right, forty second,
this is the forty second year. I joke that the
festival's older than me, but that's true. But this is
my sixteenth festival, so it's really hits home for me
as well. It's been a tradition for me and for
my family and certainly for a lot of my colleagues
and many many families throughout Portland. But yes, it's the
finale year. It was a difficult decision as we.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Were looking at it.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
But as I know you can appreciate, and many of
our listeners can appreciate, costs have risen. Things are more expensive,
The cost of producing event like this has.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Gone up and the revenue hasn't.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
And at its heart, this festival is a fundraiser, so
we're working to raise money for those kids programs that
Patty talked about, and thankfully many of our donors and
sponsors have said, hey, you know, we still care about
these programs, so we're going to continue to support you,
even though this is this difficult decision you had to make.
So it's the right decision, but it certainly is a
little bit sad. We hope folks can come out and
help us celebrate and share their festival memories and all
(08:20):
of that with this big finale year.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Perfect Well, thank you both for being here. Katie, what
if folks need to do to take advantage of one
of those many ways to participate.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
All of the informations online Providence Foundations dot org slash Festival.
You can bid in the auction, you can buy a
raffle ticket. You can buy your tickets to come visit us.
You'll see the schedule for when we'll be on TV.
We'd love for folks to engage with us because it's
a really special finale year.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So Providence Foundations dot org slash Festival.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Now for people who want to come down and see them,
you said on Friday.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, Friday, nine to one.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Do they need to buy those tickets online and advance
or can they buy them at the door.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
That's the best thing to do because I do think
we will sell out this year, all right.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And where is it located.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
It's at the Organ Convention Center that.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Kay, I think we did just to make sure. That's terrific.
Thank you both very much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Thanks, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
That's Katie cole Hoff and Patty Piper telling us about
the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees. You can tour the
trees this Friday from nine to one. You can watch
on AM Northwest at nine am and afternoon live at
two pm on KATU channel to this Thursday. The online
auction and raffle is underway now on their website Providence
Foundations dot org. Forward Slash Festival Pride Northwest has a
(09:33):
special event in December called Powerfully Pink. Deborah port it
Pride Northwest. It's here to tell us about it, Deborah.
Powerfully Pink will be held December thirteenth through the fifteenth.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
One of the details the event, Powerfully Pink will be
held at Hotel Lucia, A great partner of ours will
be taking over the first floor decking the lobby out
in pink and balloons and just all kinds of holiday decorations,
all under the pink banner.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Or it's the thirteenth Friday Night. What happens on Friday night.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
So Friday evening is picture sort of afterwork cocktail hour. Sure,
it's a networking mingley kind of time. We'll have snacks
and folks just mingling, talking to each other, getting to
know each other. We're doing that in partnership with ORPIB,
which is our LGBTQI ATOS plus Chamber of Commerce in
Oregon and some of our other community partners will be
(10:27):
there as well to share information, get to know each other,
and just have that relaxing end of the week time.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
So you touched on this, but Saturday and Sunday are different.
What happens on those days, Well.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Saturday and Sunday are much more family friendly, interactive. We're
going to have an LGBTQ pop up makers Market inside
the hotel lobby. We'll have Nicky Brown Clowns going to
be joining us on Saturday afternoon for story hour and
for photo opportunities. We'll have other instagrammable and photo opportunity
(11:03):
moments across the weekend. We'll have a pop up beverage station, raffles, giveaways,
we'll have you know, music playing, and just that time
to come in and have that holiday time, do the
last minute shopping and UH and be in community.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And we'll do that both Saturday and Sunday.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Cool at Maker's Market sounds neat a lot of local vendors.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
Oh, absolutely, everyone is a local UH, small handmade individual,
small small entrepreneurs, really LGBTQ entrepreneurs. This is a really
important focus of ours as an organization to lift up
and bring opportunity for our community members. To to to
(11:47):
improve economically and to have access to UH markets really
audiences for for growing their their economic opportunities and their businesses.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And UH to.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Also connect community to those makers as well, because these
are folks who are are creating and entrepreneuring throughout the year.
As you made up a new word.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Yeah, well, okay, support they are they are entrepreneuring. Do
you have to buy tickets?
Speaker 5 (12:15):
No? No, the event, the event is free. We will
have opportunities for supporting Pride Northwest will have raffles. Folks
can purchase a beverage both alcoholic or now non acoholic,
whichever works, and those proceeds will also support Pride Northwest.
All of this supports Pride Northwest Community Resilience Program, which
(12:36):
is a broad program that we run through the year
that is really focused on everything from direct support for
housing and food and secure community members all the way
up to sponsoring and supporting LGBTQ grassroots organizations, events and
things throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Great where can people find out more the on.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
Our website Pride NW dot org can find out more
about pink about the details as well as Pride Northwest itself.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Deborah, thanks very much for joining us.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's Deborah Portland with Pride Northwest telling us about Powerfully
Pink December thirteenth or the fifteenth at Hotel Lucia. You
can find out more at pridew dot org. The Sunshine
Division has wrapped up its Thanksgiving food donations and now
they're moving right into the Christmas holiday season. Kyle Cambrook
(13:31):
joins us on Local Voices. Kyle tell us about the
Sunshine Division.
Speaker 6 (13:34):
Yeah, so, you know, now in December here we're coming
up on our one hundred and second anniversary. And what
started the Sunshine Division in nineteen twenty three was Portland Police,
Portland Police Reserves, the Mayor of Portland and the local
radio media as we're talking today, Really these police officers,
with the help and you know, with the blessing of
the mayor at the time, home delivered meals on Christmas
(13:57):
Eve in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Southward Portland. And
the local media caught wind of this and sort of
dubbed these police officers the Sunshine Boys, which turned into
the Sunshine Division. And so from the nineteen twenties, you know,
on through Great Depression, World War two, This became something
that the Portland Police Bureau in the City of Portland
(14:18):
endorsed and just did annually in addition to providing emergency
food relief through the police precincts and police officers. And
then in the nineteen sixties Sunshine Division formally became a
five oh one C three charity, which we are here
sixty years later. But that founding tradition of the Portland
Police and community members taking food out to people around
(14:40):
the Christmas holiday is something we're still doing today. And
so this upcoming Saturday is going to be the one
hundred and second annual holiday food distribution. Portland Police are
still helping us. We're going to have an army of
about five hundred volunteers and you know, in some cases
people who I've met who've done this for now three
generations or coming out. And we stage this all out
(15:02):
at Portland International Raceway, which is where we host our
Winter Wonderland Light Show, and so we've got this huge
parking lot. People are going to show up, massive, massive volunteers.
We're going to load them up with a food box
and a turkey kit and that morning they're going to
deliver to two thousand five hundred households around the metro area,
and so it's a massive undertaking, but it is an
(15:22):
amazing tradition that we are so proud to continue.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Do you need additional volunteers?
Speaker 6 (15:28):
We are always looking for volunteers for this. We get
about five hundred folks to sign up. If you go
to Sunshine Division dot org there's a tab that has
volunteers and also our holiday food box program. The sign
ups for families, of course has been filled for quite
some time, but we always need help that morning, especially
if the weather gets a little dicey, which you never
know it's going to be till that morning. But yes,
(15:50):
we need about five hundred folks. We do have a
great crew of volunteers that are going to load the vehicles.
So we are specifically looking for folks that will show
up at PR that morning between about nine and ten
thirty in the morning, and we'll load your car with
about five boxes and five reusable grocery bags that have
frozen turkey gits in them, and we'll give you five
addresses of local families who've signed up, and off you go.
(16:12):
And after we load those five hundred cars, we've got
twenty five hundred households. They're going to be very happy
by about lunchtime.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Absolutely, How does the Sunshine Division get its funding? And
do you need donations?
Speaker 6 (16:25):
You know, this is the time of year when donations
are so very critical because this is when people, a
lot of people are thinking about hunger and think about
giving at the year end and the holidays. And I'd
love to tell you that we weren't as busy as
we have in the past few years, but we've never
been busier. And so your donation that you make to
(16:45):
Sunshine Division or any food relief food relief organization is
so critical today because this is a national challenge that
we're all seeing our front doors, our home delivery, our
holiday programs. They have been busier than any thing I've
seen in my thirteen years with the organization, and the
local community support is what allows us to do this.
(17:06):
While we have this one hundred year partnership with the
city and the Portland Police Bureau, we are not funded
by the city, we don't receive federal funding, we don't
leave We're not a line item for the City of Portland,
and so we exist because local people like you and
I volunteer. Local people like you and I do food drives,
and people make those financial gifts and that's what allows
us to grow these programs and do more. You know,
(17:27):
as we discussed before, one thing we added this year
was a massive Thanksgiving delivery as well. We're trying to
do more, and really the limiting factor is how much
people can contribute to us. And that's both food and
or financial gifts. So if you give to Sunshine Division
or your local food pantry and whatever zip code you're in,
they need your help now more than ever. And we're
(17:48):
trying to help so many people. And you know, those dollars,
whether it's five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars, it adds
up and allows us to do more, and you know,
twenty twenty five right around the corner. We know our
front doors are going to remain busy due to all
the economic factors that we're so all well aware of,
whether it's inflation or all the challenges we faced as
(18:09):
a community these past four and a half here, So
we encourage people to give. We're a charity navigator forced
our charity for the past twelve years, which means we
are very efficient with those dollars. Don't take my word
for it, take Charity Navigator's word for it. I can
promise you those dollars are going right to feeding local families.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
So we think a sunshine division of course during the holidays,
but really there's a year round need for your services.
Speaker 6 (18:32):
Right absolutely. I've been known to say hunger isn't seasonal,
and what I mean by that is our food pantries
are open fifty two weeks a year. Our weekly home
delivery program is open fifty two weeks a year. Our
food boxes are in Portland Police precincts year round and
have been in Portland Police precincts for now over one
(18:54):
hundred years, so that at any hour of the day
someone could get help from a police officer. All of
those things are fifty two weeks a year, in addition
to what we do with the holidays, what we're very
well known for, because it's an amazing program We've got
going on here in about a week when we home
delivered to twenty five hundred homes, but that's just around Christmas,
(19:15):
but this continues year round. You know, kids when they
have school breaks experience food and security at higher rate.
Senior citizens whose prescription medications have gone up exponentially, are
experiencing food and security at higher rates, and we all
know about inflation. It's just been harder for every day Americans,
every day Oregonians these past few years than it's ever been.
(19:37):
We've seen that people are experiencing food insecurity lately at
rates not seen since the Great Depression, about equal to
what we saw in the Great Depression. And so Sunshine
Division and other food relief organizations are seeing a demand
that is very, very difficult for us to match or meet,
and really the community's support is the only way that
(19:59):
we're able to do that.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
If people want to learn more about the Sunshine Division,
make a donation, What's your website.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
Sunshine Division dot org. And I stress that if anyone
is looking for help, there is a button that says
get help. If you'd like to volunteer, there's of course
information on that, or hosting a food drive, and of
course we absolutely are asking the community if they can
make a holiday gift, no matter how small, it's going
to make a difference in our ability to respond and
help make sure that not only would bring in the
(20:28):
holidays to thousands of people this month, but also what
we're going to do in twenty twenty five, and beyond
this is we're about to hit one hundred and two
years of this response, and that only happens because the
community believes in US and supports and continues to financially
fund us. So I invite you to go to our
website to learn more about us, and if you believe
in what we do, we would greatly appreciate a gift
(20:50):
this holiday season.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Kyle, thanks for joining us. Thank you so much. That's
Kyle Camberg, executive director for the Sunshine Division. If you
need help with food this holiday season, if you'd like
to volunteer or make a donation, their website is Sunshine
Division dot org. The holidays can be a stressful time.
(21:13):
There's the rush to buy gifts, maybe planning a party
or a big family gathering. It's a lot of pressure.
Plus many people get stressed out by the news of
the day. Maggie Ranki is a licensed clinical social worker
with Kaiser Permanente Northwest. Maggie, what are some tips you
have to deal with the news of the day.
Speaker 7 (21:31):
We live in a twenty four to seven media cycle,
and with that I encourage being able to embrace and
set limits around how much news you are consuming. Perhaps
that looks like listening to your favorite radio station in
the morning and allowing that to be the time where
you stay updated, stay informed. Being able to limit around
(21:53):
how much you are consuming in the day is really
important to fostering and protecting our mental health.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Talking about politics can also lead to a lot of stress.
What should you do if that comes up during a
family gathering.
Speaker 7 (22:05):
I think that approaching the holiday season, this can be
an added stressor that so many of us are facing
the worry of entering a space where we may not
always see politically eye to eye with our loved ones.
Being able to approach the holiday season with a role
of thumb in place before any social gatherings. Maybe the
(22:26):
rule is just like the shoes are left at the door,
politics can be left at the door, being able to
come into a space where you're planning activities and things
that help to pivot the conversation around around the table
away from politics. I think if these subjects do come up,
(22:47):
which naturally they can, despite having the rule of thumb
in place, it's okay to acknowledge we can agree to disagree,
and it's okay to also limit that around how long
you choose to stay in that environment. Perhaps that means
that after the family function dinner is done, if you
feel like the conversation is heating up, maybe that's an
(23:09):
opportunity where you take Q and stay as a way
of protecting your mental health. Perhaps that's an opportunity for
you to pivot and go spend time with loved ones
that do see eye to eye for you.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Are there things that people can do who are stressed
out to reduce that stress?
Speaker 7 (23:30):
Most certainly, stress is something we are all able to
and most likely are experiencing. There are lots of great
techniques and actionable steps that we can help to thrive
during this holiday season. Some helpful tips that we can
take towards keeping our mental health and its peak shape.
(23:51):
Staying connected with our loved ones, reaching out, calling, texting,
spending meaningful quality time together is a way that is
proven to help reduce our stress levels. Physical activity exercise
is a proven strategy which helps alleviate stress and anxiety.
Get active movement is movement. Getting outside and getting fresh
(24:14):
air does good for our body and our mind. This
can also have a positive correlation on our sleep, which
is a necessary building block to our physical and mental health.
Daily practices of meditation and deep breathing techniques can help
center your thoughts and reduce anxiety. Kaiser Permanente offers its
(24:36):
members multitude of different apps that have mindfulness practices embedded
into them that make it readily accessible for mindful moments
throughout the day, readily available at your fingertips, being able
to practice, and embracing gratitude. Perhaps that looks like at
the end of the day, making a list of something
(24:59):
that went really well well for yourself, three positive things
in that day. Limit setting. As we discussed limiting around
the news consumption, that could also include limit setting around
social media platforms and also mind altering chemicals like alcohol.
(25:19):
And the last tip that I really encourage is for
individuals to focus on what we can control. There are
so many things that feel outside of our controller right now,
and embracing that shift can help tremendously. Perhaps that looks
like embracing activities that bring you joy and bring meaning
(25:41):
to this holiday season, like volunteering for a cause that's
something that you're passionate about, something that aligns with your
personal values.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Now you mentioned how it can help to talk with
people about stress, to talk that stress out for somebody
on the other side of that conversation, who has the
person come to them about stress? What advice can you
give them about dealing with a person who is stressed out?
Is it just a matter of listening.
Speaker 7 (26:10):
As a behavioral health consultant, we are here to help
support and developing actionable steps in encouraging the use of
setting goals around how you can practice these tips in
these strategies. Having a safe place to being able to
discuss how you're feeling is very helpful and important for
fostering the best mental health levels.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
You mentioned getting exercise. I've found that too exercise does
just lower your stress level. I'm sure there's some physiological
reason for it. But does it have to be a
strenuous workout or can it just be a walk?
Speaker 7 (26:46):
Movement is movement. I am key advocating for movement, and
that can be a walk to your post box and back.
Being able to spend intentional time with movement. That can
be five minutes a day, and that can be upwards
to an hour. I encourage any step is a step
in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
What are some negative health impacts from stress?
Speaker 7 (27:12):
Great question. Stress has a tremendous impact on our physical
health and our mental health. Chronic stress can lead to
physical health conditions like hypertension. It can lead to high
blood pressure, stomach problems, diarrhea, vomiting, mental health conditions such
(27:36):
as anxiety, depression, insomnia. Stress takes a hold and can
impact our physical health in many ways.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Now you mentioned the danger of alcohol and how it
can actually make stress worse. A lot of people will
turn to alcohol when they're stressed out, and so it's
explain why that is important to not use alcohol as
a way to relieve stress.
Speaker 7 (28:03):
Great question. In the moment, alcohol might feel like that
is the cure, when in actuality, we may do things
under the consumption of alcohol that does not necessarily align
with how we wish to show up for ourselves, and
we may make decisions that we wouldn't necessarily make any
sober state. Alcohol can impact our decision making and how
(28:27):
we choose to show up in that space, and being
able to refrain from mind altering chemicals allows us to
lead a life in line with our personal values.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
If stress becomes something that somebody can't deal with by themselves,
is it a good idea to get professional help?
Speaker 7 (28:46):
I encourage anyone who may be experiencing high levels of
stress and chronic stress. Embracing the opportunity of seeking professional support,
having a safe, sacred space, being able to discuss this
can be very key in your recovery and in your care.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Maggie, thanks very much for joining us.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
That's Maggie Orrankee, a licensed clinical social worker with Kaiser
Permanente Northwest and tips on how to deal with holiday stress.
Thanks for listening to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. You
can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio app under the
podcast tab. Local Voices is a public affairs presentation from
(29:31):
iHeartRadio
Welcome to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. The Safeway Providence
Festival of Trees is coming up and we'll tell you
how to get involved. We'll get a preview of Pride
Northwest's powerfully Pink weekend. The Sunshine Division is preparing for
a busy December of food distribution and Kaiser Permanente Northwest
will have tips on how to deal with holiday stress.
(00:27):
An extraordinary and exquisite holiday tradition is coming up in Portland.
It's the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees. Joining us on
Local Voices are Katie Coolhoff and Patty Piper. Katie, what's
your role?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hi, Brad, thank you for having us.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I serve as executive director of Donor Engagement for Providence.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Tell us about the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
The festival is just an amazing holiday extravaganza that's been around.
This is our forty second year in our finale and
it features trees of all sizes. But I would say
the stars of the show are the actual festival trees.
We have eighteen large trees that our designers spend all
year shopping for and planning for. Some of my highlights
(01:08):
this year, I would say, and you have to come
see them all. There's a I'm dreaming of a pink Christmas,
so think palm springs, flamingos, mid century modern. We have
a Frosty Magic tree with a ten foot inflatable Frosty
the Snowman, and even another tree that is hot air
Balloom themed with a custom built puppet theater. And all
(01:31):
of our designers design these amazing trees.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
They go up for auction.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
We also have a silent auction in Raffles, and then
a public show where people can come and visit Teddy
Bear Hospital and all lots of activities for kids, but
also see all of.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
These amazing trees.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a really wonderful way to kick off the holiday season,
and it's a fundraiser for Providence at its core, so
it helps us raise money for really vital programs.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
To see people coming in and getting ideas for their
own trees.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I hope, so these trees are really extravag again, so
it's not my skill to translate some of that to
my tree at home, but I hope that some folks do.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
And I know that many people come.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Here after year and make this a real holiday tradition
for their families, so it's really quite special.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Nice. Well, it's a beneficiary of the Safeway Providence Festival
of Trees.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
It has changed many times over the years.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
It's supported cancer research, our heart program, our medication assistance program.
But this year it's supporting Providence Children's Health and some
specific programs there and you know kids in Christmas. It
just makes sense for us to help raise money for
those programs for things not covered by.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Insurance, things like Patty Piper, your manager of speech and
audiology and a pediatric audiologist. Tell us about your work
with kids.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well, thanks, Brad.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Yeah, I've been working at CDI for eighteen years and
I manage our speech and audiology team at the Children's
Development Institute and we have a multidisciplinary team, so it's
a big team of people who work to support children
with special health care needs.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Tell us about how the donations help what you do?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
You know, the donations are vital to the work that
we do and it goes directly to the families. I
hate to bring up insurance, but not everything is covered
by insurance and so the donations really help bridge that gap.
And so for our nick you it equipment for babies,
the smallest of the small It also goes to the
(03:20):
Safety Net for Families Fund, which helps low income families
with really just basic supplies for living with their infant
and their newborn. We also support Swindell's Resource Center, which
helps families navigate the healthcare system and community resources for
children who with special health care needs. And finally we're
(03:41):
going to benefit the Children's Development Institute this year as well.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Tell us more about that. What is the Children's Development Institute?
Speaker 4 (03:48):
Yeah, Well, CDI is a multidisciplinary clinic. We have three
main clinics, one at child Center on the East Side,
one at Saint Vincent, one in Newburgh in a very
small out in Oregon City. And again it has physicians, psychologists,
occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, dieticians, audiology and really
(04:10):
these families come to us when they may not know
what their child needs, and we help with diagnosis and
treatment and we walk that journey with the families as
we help them sort of navigate what may be going
on with.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Their little person.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
That's such a difficult thing to deal with because you
have a child that, especially if it's your first child,
you're going through this for the first time. But even
if it's a second or third child, you're dealing with
things that the child may not be able to talk
to you about.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Right absolutely, and we're really aware.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
You know.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
One of our mission statements is serving the poor and vulnerable,
and we believe that there's nothing more vulnerable than a
parent coming to you and trusting them with your child
to say I need help, and to be able to
have that sacred encounter with a family is why we
do the work that we do.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Donations help with that work.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Okay, what are the different ways that people can experience
the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
There are so many ways this year, Brad. First of all,
folks can come in person, so we have a public show.
It's Friday coming up this Friday from nine to one.
Come down, see the trees, all of that. But if
you can't make it down, or if you want to
just continue the festival fun, you can actually watch on
AM Northwest and on afternoon Live on K two Channel two.
(05:28):
AM Northwest is on at nine, Afternoon Live is on
at two on Thursday.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We'll be broadcasting live from the festival floor.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
We'll be showing all of the big trees and we'll
also give an inside look into our online auction and
the things up for Raffle because you can bid.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
You can bid right now.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
The online auction is open even if you're not attending
our fundraising gala, which is Friday night. You can bid
and take one of these special trees home, on one
of the mini trees or one of the wreaths. We
have our team, our Silent Auction team. They work year
round building these awesome holiday gifts and they're all different themes.
There are something for everyone there. And then we have
a tree, one of our large trees is up for Raffle.
(06:05):
Twenty five dollars a ticket and you could win your
own festival tree. And this one comes with an amazing
experience out at Mount Adams and it's delivered to your home.
So if you win the tree, it's delivered to you
and so you can buy a ticket for that right now,
and then of course you can visit. So all of
that is there's lots of different ways to get involved
and we really hope folks do that.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
He here there's a sensory friendly holiday experience. What is
that and what's it mean?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
You know, big public gatherings can be overwhelming, and we
really wanted to, especially in the spirit of the kids
that we serve at Providence, make sure that this was
truly an inclusive event and inclusive festival. So we made
some tweaks to make it really sensory friendly, and we
actually consulted with Patty, so she's the best person to
explain what that means, so I'll send it over to her.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
So neuroidiversity is one of our main points that we
want it to be inclusive and we want it to
be welcoming for everyone, and so this year we have
sensory packs, we have little fidget spinners, we have headphones
if it gets too noisy, and so we really think
about noise level and lighting and all the things that
make Christmas fun that can also make it a little overwhelming.
(07:10):
And so we want everybody to feel welcome and have
a great time.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
What a terrific opportunity really for all families, Katie, it
really sounds exciting. You mentioned that this year is the
finale year. Tell us more about that.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, that's certainly bittersweet for us. Forty years right, forty second,
this is the forty second year. I joke that the
festival's older than me, but that's true. But this is
my sixteenth festival, so it's really hits home for me
as well. It's been a tradition for me and for
my family and certainly for a lot of my colleagues
and many many families throughout Portland. But yes, it's the
finale year. It was a difficult decision as we.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Were looking at it.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
But as I know you can appreciate, and many of
our listeners can appreciate, costs have risen. Things are more expensive,
The cost of producing event like this has.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Gone up and the revenue hasn't.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
And at its heart, this festival is a fundraiser, so
we're working to raise money for those kids programs that
Patty talked about, and thankfully many of our donors and
sponsors have said, hey, you know, we still care about
these programs, so we're going to continue to support you,
even though this is this difficult decision you had to make.
So it's the right decision, but it certainly is a
little bit sad. We hope folks can come out and
help us celebrate and share their festival memories and all
(08:20):
of that with this big finale year.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Perfect Well, thank you both for being here. Katie, what
if folks need to do to take advantage of one
of those many ways to participate.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
All of the informations online Providence Foundations dot org slash Festival.
You can bid in the auction, you can buy a
raffle ticket. You can buy your tickets to come visit us.
You'll see the schedule for when we'll be on TV.
We'd love for folks to engage with us because it's
a really special finale year.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
So Providence Foundations dot org slash Festival.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Now for people who want to come down and see them,
you said on Friday.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, Friday, nine to one.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Do they need to buy those tickets online and advance
or can they buy them at the door.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
That's the best thing to do because I do think
we will sell out this year, all right.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And where is it located.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
It's at the Organ Convention Center that.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Kay, I think we did just to make sure. That's terrific.
Thank you both very much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Thanks, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
That's Katie cole Hoff and Patty Piper telling us about
the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees. You can tour the
trees this Friday from nine to one. You can watch
on AM Northwest at nine am and afternoon live at
two pm on KATU channel to this Thursday. The online
auction and raffle is underway now on their website Providence
Foundations dot org. Forward Slash Festival Pride Northwest has a
(09:33):
special event in December called Powerfully Pink. Deborah port it
Pride Northwest. It's here to tell us about it, Deborah.
Powerfully Pink will be held December thirteenth through the fifteenth.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
One of the details the event, Powerfully Pink will be
held at Hotel Lucia, A great partner of ours will
be taking over the first floor decking the lobby out
in pink and balloons and just all kinds of holiday decorations,
all under the pink banner.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Or it's the thirteenth Friday Night. What happens on Friday night.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
So Friday evening is picture sort of afterwork cocktail hour. Sure,
it's a networking mingley kind of time. We'll have snacks
and folks just mingling, talking to each other, getting to
know each other. We're doing that in partnership with ORPIB,
which is our LGBTQI ATOS plus Chamber of Commerce in
Oregon and some of our other community partners will be
(10:27):
there as well to share information, get to know each other,
and just have that relaxing end of the week time.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
So you touched on this, but Saturday and Sunday are different.
What happens on those days, Well.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Saturday and Sunday are much more family friendly, interactive. We're
going to have an LGBTQ pop up makers Market inside
the hotel lobby. We'll have Nicky Brown Clowns going to
be joining us on Saturday afternoon for story hour and
for photo opportunities. We'll have other instagrammable and photo opportunity
(11:03):
moments across the weekend. We'll have a pop up beverage station, raffles, giveaways,
we'll have you know, music playing, and just that time
to come in and have that holiday time, do the
last minute shopping and UH and be in community.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And we'll do that both Saturday and Sunday.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Cool at Maker's Market sounds neat a lot of local vendors.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
Oh, absolutely, everyone is a local UH, small handmade individual,
small small entrepreneurs, really LGBTQ entrepreneurs. This is a really
important focus of ours as an organization to lift up
and bring opportunity for our community members. To to to
(11:47):
improve economically and to have access to UH markets really
audiences for for growing their their economic opportunities and their businesses.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And UH to.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Also connect community to those makers as well, because these
are folks who are are creating and entrepreneuring throughout the year.
As you made up a new word.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Yeah, well, okay, support they are they are entrepreneuring. Do
you have to buy tickets?
Speaker 5 (12:15):
No? No, the event, the event is free. We will
have opportunities for supporting Pride Northwest will have raffles. Folks
can purchase a beverage both alcoholic or now non acoholic,
whichever works, and those proceeds will also support Pride Northwest.
All of this supports Pride Northwest Community Resilience Program, which
(12:36):
is a broad program that we run through the year
that is really focused on everything from direct support for
housing and food and secure community members all the way
up to sponsoring and supporting LGBTQ grassroots organizations, events and
things throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Great where can people find out more the on.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
Our website Pride NW dot org can find out more
about pink about the details as well as Pride Northwest itself.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Deborah, thanks very much for joining us.
Speaker 5 (13:08):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's Deborah Portland with Pride Northwest telling us about Powerfully
Pink December thirteenth or the fifteenth at Hotel Lucia. You
can find out more at pridew dot org. The Sunshine
Division has wrapped up its Thanksgiving food donations and now
they're moving right into the Christmas holiday season. Kyle Cambrook
(13:31):
joins us on Local Voices. Kyle tell us about the
Sunshine Division.
Speaker 6 (13:34):
Yeah, so, you know, now in December here we're coming
up on our one hundred and second anniversary. And what
started the Sunshine Division in nineteen twenty three was Portland Police,
Portland Police Reserves, the Mayor of Portland and the local
radio media as we're talking today, Really these police officers,
with the help and you know, with the blessing of
the mayor at the time, home delivered meals on Christmas
(13:57):
Eve in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Southward Portland. And
the local media caught wind of this and sort of
dubbed these police officers the Sunshine Boys, which turned into
the Sunshine Division. And so from the nineteen twenties, you know,
on through Great Depression, World War two, This became something
that the Portland Police Bureau in the City of Portland
(14:18):
endorsed and just did annually in addition to providing emergency
food relief through the police precincts and police officers. And
then in the nineteen sixties Sunshine Division formally became a
five oh one C three charity, which we are here
sixty years later. But that founding tradition of the Portland
Police and community members taking food out to people around
(14:40):
the Christmas holiday is something we're still doing today. And
so this upcoming Saturday is going to be the one
hundred and second annual holiday food distribution. Portland Police are
still helping us. We're going to have an army of
about five hundred volunteers and you know, in some cases
people who I've met who've done this for now three
generations or coming out. And we stage this all out
(15:02):
at Portland International Raceway, which is where we host our
Winter Wonderland Light Show, and so we've got this huge
parking lot. People are going to show up, massive, massive volunteers.
We're going to load them up with a food box
and a turkey kit and that morning they're going to
deliver to two thousand five hundred households around the metro area,
and so it's a massive undertaking, but it is an
(15:22):
amazing tradition that we are so proud to continue.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Do you need additional volunteers?
Speaker 6 (15:28):
We are always looking for volunteers for this. We get
about five hundred folks to sign up. If you go
to Sunshine Division dot org there's a tab that has
volunteers and also our holiday food box program. The sign
ups for families, of course has been filled for quite
some time, but we always need help that morning, especially
if the weather gets a little dicey, which you never
know it's going to be till that morning. But yes,
(15:50):
we need about five hundred folks. We do have a
great crew of volunteers that are going to load the vehicles.
So we are specifically looking for folks that will show
up at PR that morning between about nine and ten
thirty in the morning, and we'll load your car with
about five boxes and five reusable grocery bags that have
frozen turkey gits in them, and we'll give you five
addresses of local families who've signed up, and off you go.
(16:12):
And after we load those five hundred cars, we've got
twenty five hundred households. They're going to be very happy
by about lunchtime.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Absolutely, How does the Sunshine Division get its funding? And
do you need donations?
Speaker 6 (16:25):
You know, this is the time of year when donations
are so very critical because this is when people, a
lot of people are thinking about hunger and think about
giving at the year end and the holidays. And I'd
love to tell you that we weren't as busy as
we have in the past few years, but we've never
been busier. And so your donation that you make to
(16:45):
Sunshine Division or any food relief food relief organization is
so critical today because this is a national challenge that
we're all seeing our front doors, our home delivery, our
holiday programs. They have been busier than any thing I've
seen in my thirteen years with the organization, and the
local community support is what allows us to do this.
(17:06):
While we have this one hundred year partnership with the
city and the Portland Police Bureau, we are not funded
by the city, we don't receive federal funding, we don't
leave We're not a line item for the City of Portland,
and so we exist because local people like you and
I volunteer. Local people like you and I do food drives,
and people make those financial gifts and that's what allows
us to grow these programs and do more. You know,
(17:27):
as we discussed before, one thing we added this year
was a massive Thanksgiving delivery as well. We're trying to
do more, and really the limiting factor is how much
people can contribute to us. And that's both food and
or financial gifts. So if you give to Sunshine Division
or your local food pantry and whatever zip code you're in,
they need your help now more than ever. And we're
(17:48):
trying to help so many people. And you know, those dollars,
whether it's five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars, it adds
up and allows us to do more, and you know,
twenty twenty five right around the corner. We know our
front doors are going to remain busy due to all
the economic factors that we're so all well aware of,
whether it's inflation or all the challenges we faced as
(18:09):
a community these past four and a half here, So
we encourage people to give. We're a charity navigator forced
our charity for the past twelve years, which means we
are very efficient with those dollars. Don't take my word
for it, take Charity Navigator's word for it. I can
promise you those dollars are going right to feeding local families.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
So we think a sunshine division of course during the holidays,
but really there's a year round need for your services.
Speaker 6 (18:32):
Right absolutely. I've been known to say hunger isn't seasonal,
and what I mean by that is our food pantries
are open fifty two weeks a year. Our weekly home
delivery program is open fifty two weeks a year. Our
food boxes are in Portland Police precincts year round and
have been in Portland Police precincts for now over one
(18:54):
hundred years, so that at any hour of the day
someone could get help from a police officer. All of
those things are fifty two weeks a year, in addition
to what we do with the holidays, what we're very
well known for, because it's an amazing program We've got
going on here in about a week when we home
delivered to twenty five hundred homes, but that's just around Christmas,
(19:15):
but this continues year round. You know, kids when they
have school breaks experience food and security at higher rate.
Senior citizens whose prescription medications have gone up exponentially, are
experiencing food and security at higher rates, and we all
know about inflation. It's just been harder for every day Americans,
every day Oregonians these past few years than it's ever been.
(19:37):
We've seen that people are experiencing food insecurity lately at
rates not seen since the Great Depression, about equal to
what we saw in the Great Depression. And so Sunshine
Division and other food relief organizations are seeing a demand
that is very, very difficult for us to match or meet,
and really the community's support is the only way that
(19:59):
we're able to do that.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
If people want to learn more about the Sunshine Division,
make a donation, What's your website.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
Sunshine Division dot org. And I stress that if anyone
is looking for help, there is a button that says
get help. If you'd like to volunteer, there's of course
information on that, or hosting a food drive, and of
course we absolutely are asking the community if they can
make a holiday gift, no matter how small, it's going
to make a difference in our ability to respond and
help make sure that not only would bring in the
(20:28):
holidays to thousands of people this month, but also what
we're going to do in twenty twenty five, and beyond
this is we're about to hit one hundred and two
years of this response, and that only happens because the
community believes in US and supports and continues to financially
fund us. So I invite you to go to our
website to learn more about us, and if you believe
in what we do, we would greatly appreciate a gift
(20:50):
this holiday season.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Kyle, thanks for joining us. Thank you so much. That's
Kyle Camberg, executive director for the Sunshine Division. If you
need help with food this holiday season, if you'd like
to volunteer or make a donation, their website is Sunshine
Division dot org. The holidays can be a stressful time.
(21:13):
There's the rush to buy gifts, maybe planning a party
or a big family gathering. It's a lot of pressure.
Plus many people get stressed out by the news of
the day. Maggie Ranki is a licensed clinical social worker
with Kaiser Permanente Northwest. Maggie, what are some tips you
have to deal with the news of the day.
Speaker 7 (21:31):
We live in a twenty four to seven media cycle,
and with that I encourage being able to embrace and
set limits around how much news you are consuming. Perhaps
that looks like listening to your favorite radio station in
the morning and allowing that to be the time where
you stay updated, stay informed. Being able to limit around
(21:53):
how much you are consuming in the day is really
important to fostering and protecting our mental health.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Talking about politics can also lead to a lot of stress.
What should you do if that comes up during a
family gathering.
Speaker 7 (22:05):
I think that approaching the holiday season, this can be
an added stressor that so many of us are facing
the worry of entering a space where we may not
always see politically eye to eye with our loved ones.
Being able to approach the holiday season with a role
of thumb in place before any social gatherings. Maybe the
(22:26):
rule is just like the shoes are left at the door,
politics can be left at the door, being able to
come into a space where you're planning activities and things
that help to pivot the conversation around around the table
away from politics. I think if these subjects do come up,
(22:47):
which naturally they can, despite having the rule of thumb
in place, it's okay to acknowledge we can agree to disagree,
and it's okay to also limit that around how long
you choose to stay in that environment. Perhaps that means
that after the family function dinner is done, if you
feel like the conversation is heating up, maybe that's an
(23:09):
opportunity where you take Q and stay as a way
of protecting your mental health. Perhaps that's an opportunity for
you to pivot and go spend time with loved ones
that do see eye to eye for you.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Are there things that people can do who are stressed
out to reduce that stress?
Speaker 7 (23:30):
Most certainly, stress is something we are all able to
and most likely are experiencing. There are lots of great
techniques and actionable steps that we can help to thrive
during this holiday season. Some helpful tips that we can
take towards keeping our mental health and its peak shape.
(23:51):
Staying connected with our loved ones, reaching out, calling, texting,
spending meaningful quality time together is a way that is
proven to help reduce our stress levels. Physical activity exercise
is a proven strategy which helps alleviate stress and anxiety.
Get active movement is movement. Getting outside and getting fresh
(24:14):
air does good for our body and our mind. This
can also have a positive correlation on our sleep, which
is a necessary building block to our physical and mental health.
Daily practices of meditation and deep breathing techniques can help
center your thoughts and reduce anxiety. Kaiser Permanente offers its
(24:36):
members multitude of different apps that have mindfulness practices embedded
into them that make it readily accessible for mindful moments
throughout the day, readily available at your fingertips, being able
to practice, and embracing gratitude. Perhaps that looks like at
the end of the day, making a list of something
(24:59):
that went really well well for yourself, three positive things
in that day. Limit setting. As we discussed limiting around
the news consumption, that could also include limit setting around
social media platforms and also mind altering chemicals like alcohol.
(25:19):
And the last tip that I really encourage is for
individuals to focus on what we can control. There are
so many things that feel outside of our controller right now,
and embracing that shift can help tremendously. Perhaps that looks
like embracing activities that bring you joy and bring meaning
(25:41):
to this holiday season, like volunteering for a cause that's
something that you're passionate about, something that aligns with your
personal values.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Now you mentioned how it can help to talk with
people about stress, to talk that stress out for somebody
on the other side of that conversation, who has the
person come to them about stress? What advice can you
give them about dealing with a person who is stressed out?
Is it just a matter of listening.
Speaker 7 (26:10):
As a behavioral health consultant, we are here to help
support and developing actionable steps in encouraging the use of
setting goals around how you can practice these tips in
these strategies. Having a safe place to being able to
discuss how you're feeling is very helpful and important for
fostering the best mental health levels.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
You mentioned getting exercise. I've found that too exercise does
just lower your stress level. I'm sure there's some physiological
reason for it. But does it have to be a
strenuous workout or can it just be a walk?
Speaker 7 (26:46):
Movement is movement. I am key advocating for movement, and
that can be a walk to your post box and back.
Being able to spend intentional time with movement. That can
be five minutes a day, and that can be upwards
to an hour. I encourage any step is a step
in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
What are some negative health impacts from stress?
Speaker 7 (27:12):
Great question. Stress has a tremendous impact on our physical
health and our mental health. Chronic stress can lead to
physical health conditions like hypertension. It can lead to high
blood pressure, stomach problems, diarrhea, vomiting, mental health conditions such
(27:36):
as anxiety, depression, insomnia. Stress takes a hold and can
impact our physical health in many ways.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Now you mentioned the danger of alcohol and how it
can actually make stress worse. A lot of people will
turn to alcohol when they're stressed out, and so it's
explain why that is important to not use alcohol as
a way to relieve stress.
Speaker 7 (28:03):
Great question. In the moment, alcohol might feel like that
is the cure, when in actuality, we may do things
under the consumption of alcohol that does not necessarily align
with how we wish to show up for ourselves, and
we may make decisions that we wouldn't necessarily make any
sober state. Alcohol can impact our decision making and how
(28:27):
we choose to show up in that space, and being
able to refrain from mind altering chemicals allows us to
lead a life in line with our personal values.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
If stress becomes something that somebody can't deal with by themselves,
is it a good idea to get professional help?
Speaker 7 (28:46):
I encourage anyone who may be experiencing high levels of
stress and chronic stress. Embracing the opportunity of seeking professional support,
having a safe, sacred space, being able to discuss this
can be very key in your recovery and in your care.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Maggie, thanks very much for joining us.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
That's Maggie Orrankee, a licensed clinical social worker with Kaiser
Permanente Northwest and tips on how to deal with holiday stress.
Thanks for listening to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. You
can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio app under the
podcast tab. Local Voices is a public affairs presentation from
(29:31):
iHeartRadio
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