Team Franciscan Center: Wellness Center Update

Dr. Jack Harless

Happy September to everyone! The summer is blazing by, literally & figuratively, & we’re quickly approaching fall.


By now most of you know that the underwater tread-mill is up & running. This has been a wonderful addition to TFC & we have heard nothing but good things from our members on this state of the art device.

For those of you who are unsure if the underwater treadmill is for you, let me just add a few lines about it’s effectiveness in the fitness arena.

Anyone who has a nagging joint or muscle ache or pain can use the treadmill with surprising ease and comfort.

Arthritis sufferers find the underwater treadmill to be a welcome relief as the warm water reduces inflammation and allows for ease of movement and full joint range of motion, which is vital for every human, but especially so for those with arthritic conditions.

Anyone who hasn’t been able to run for whatever reason, will find that the underwater treadmill al-lows them to rediscover that long lost activity. As approximately 60-75% of your body weight is removed by the water, most people find that running is a viable option for increased cardio and strengthening. Try it & see just how fun it is to run again!

We are offering complimentary consultations on proper use of the treadmill. It’s surprisingly easy to operate. Just call the TFC front desk at 436-2203 to set up your consultation.

Until then happy running!

Team Advisory Board: Fighting Negative Beliefs that Create Low Self-Esteem



Dr. Dennis O'Grady

 Low self-esteem (LSE) is a powerful state of mind. It can negatively influence your mood and decrease your willingness to take risks. Low self-esteem is corrected by challenging the negative beliefs that create victim thinking. When you remove the self-criticisms that keep pounding down your self-esteem, your self-esteem will be permitted to grow proportionately.

Here are ways to know when you are in an easy-to-manipulate, low self-esteem state. Take time to drop these attitudes and try out some new ideas to raise your self-confidence.


1. You treat successes and achievements like future failures.

LSE Beliefs: Success doesn’t last, so why try

Result in Self-Criticism: "I’m going to be expected to perform at my best every single time now." Or, "I bet the other shoe is going to drop soon."

New Idea: Set down in writing your own expectations for success. Even though you can’t predict the future, you can still become a consistent winner. Learn something new, no matter how well or poorly you have done in the past.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, "I can make my successes last."


2. You keep your strengths, special abilities, and accomplishments hidden from social view.

LSE Beliefs: Internal strengths aren’t legitimate or important.

Result in Self-Criticism: "It’s best to keep my accomplishments to myself. My ego doesn’t require a booster shot."

New Idea: You must own up to your own special abilities or risk being controlled by them. Pride in your accomplishments must be balanced with humility.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, "I can learn to use my strengths."

3. Your self-criticisms dominate your mind and crowd out success permissions

LSE Beliefs: Self-criticism is motivating.

Result in Self-Criticism: "I can’t change because I keep doing the same stupid things. When I do succeed, it’s only a matter of time until I blow it."

New Idea: Self-criticisms are repetitious lies constructed by you to explain why you feel bad. Speak self-steadying permissions that contradict the criticisms. Use positive strokes to balance negatives.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, "I can become a better self-encourager."


4. You judge your new achievements by standards that are too severe.

LSE Beliefs: Positive strokes should be given only for perfection.

Result in Self-Criticism: I could have done better. My nervousness and inadequacy showed.”

New Idea: Give yourself time to practice and perfect a skill by shooting to be in the upper ten percent. Seek feedback from a trusted evaluator who will judge you fairly. Allow positive feedback to replace old stale messages.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, “My mistakes don’t make or break me.”


5. You erroneously assume life shouldn’t be difficult.

LSE Beliefs: Pain should be avoided at all costs.

Result in Self-Criticism: "I can’t always expect to get what I want." Or, "You can bet your bottom dollar that in time, bad things follow good things."

New Idea: Set up assertive fences to protect your self-esteem and solve problems in your life. Don’t expect life to be pain-free, but don’t be continually upset either. To make life easier, manage the anxiety that comes on the heels of happiness and success.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: "Crisis is another opportunity to change."


6.You fear conflict and avoid it.

LSE Beliefs: Conflict is destructive.

Result in Self-Criticism: "I don’t want to hurt my partner." Or, "Every time I try to talk with my co-worker, the conversation goes nowhere."

New Idea: Force yourself to begin valuing constructive conflict. Speak up assertively to avoid collecting resentments. Become more comfortable with conflict by using fair fighting techniques.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: "I can use my anger in caring ways."


7. Your positive strokes are limited in scope.

LSE Beliefs: Approval is required for survival.

Result in Self-Criticism: "If people really knew me, they wouldn’t like me." Or, "Since I can’t take being rejected, I rarely disagree."

New Idea: Allow yourself the luxury of having goals related to the inner self – a chosen calling, a life partner, children, sexuality, money, time, God or your higher spiritual being, and life. Bundling all your goals into one is bound to stifle your self-esteem.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, "It’s OK to feel worthwhile."


8. Your security takes priority over all other needs.

LSE Beliefs: Happiness is an illusion.

Result in Self-Criticism: "I really hate my job, but good jobs are hard to come by these days." Or, "I can’t leave my mate because I wouldn’t know how to survive financially."

New Idea: Debunk the myth that the predictable pain of the status quo is preferable to the unexpected pain which might await you in the unknown. Don’t delude yourself by thinking that the status quo can keep you safe from failure.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, "I take risks even when I’m afraid."


9. You don’t listen to self-wisdom carefully enough.

LSE Beliefs: My own advice is unimportant.

Result in Self-Criticism: "I should know what to do, but I don’t. What do you think I should do?"

New Idea: Treat yourself as the leading expert on you. Take your own advice to heart. Trust your inner wisdom more to resolve problems.

Be Successful by Being Your Best: Believe, "I take my own good advice."

Team Harless: Dragon's Game!

Team Harless having fun at the Dragon's game!

Team Spiritual Care: O Little Town of Capernaum

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

You’ve probably heard the saying, “All politics is local,” suggesting that people are mostly concerned about the quality of life in their neighborhood or town. The same might be said of religion. Though Christianity now counts well over 2 billion believers worldwide, it all began in Capernaum, a small fishing village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Reportedly the home of the apostles Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the tax collector Matthew, Jesus selected this hamlet as the center of his public ministry after he left the mountainous town of Nazareth. Think of Capernaum as the mustard seed from which a great world religion sprung forth. And never underestimate the power of your own “small” life to bear great fruit as well.

TODAY’S READINGS: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37 (432)

“Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Caroline Hopkinson, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, and Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

September Blessing from Denise!

Vital Life: A Friar's Experience

Fellow Residents and Staff,

As many of you know, this September I begin a new life in Detroit, Michigan.  Forty-five years ago I committed myself to the brotherhood of the Friars Minor and vowed to live the Rule of that brotherhood all the days of my life.  The brotherhood gives meaning and structure to my life.  In the brotherhood I grow into the person that God is calling me to be.

When I moved to Saint Leonard three years ago, another brother, Curt Lanzrath, OFM, was living here in retirement.  I fondly remember our evening meals together in the assisted living dining room.  Two years later Joe Rigali, OFM, another brother, retired here.  Curt’s health deteriorated, and he moved to Cincinnati, while Joe and I got together weekly for prayer, fellowship, and dinner.  This summer Joe moved to a nursing home as resident chaplain; and I was left alone at Saint Leonard, a brother without nearby brothers. 

As Joe’s move was being finalized, the brothers asked me to consider moving to Saint Aloysius Friary in downtown Detroit.  I checked it out, considered the pros and cons, prayed over it, and said, “Yes, I want that.”  The friary is an apartment on the eighth floor of the archdiocesan chancery building.  I will be living with my brother Tod Laverty, OFM.  In two different parishes we will be ministering to senior citizens in HUD housing, homeless people on the streets, business people in office buildings, and a host of volunteers who are helping the friars carry out God’s work.  It will be an exciting and new venture for me.

Life is about growth, and growth reaches its climax in autumn.  Autumn is the season of abundance.  The riches of the preceding seasons are harvested and enjoyed.  In the autumn of my life, I look forward to an abundant harvest in downtown Detroit.  No one is ever too old for the harvest.

Residents and staff of Saint Leonard, you have welcomed me into your lives, and I treasure our time together.  To each of you, in the words of Saint Francis,

Peace and every Blessing!

  

 Loren Connell, OFM,

 sacramental minister

September 2012 Employee Wellness Moments!

Physical	Environmental
What is your preventative health plan?	Organize your day for easy entry and exit of work tasks.
What are your healthy mind-body approaches to improve your well-being?	Analyze workstation stress and manage one stress element or decide to eliminate the problem.
Do art, science, and morals impact your integrative health care decisions?	Build in time for assessment of daily interruptions.
Explore how sports massage enhances athletic performance and increases the rate of recovery.	Evaluate technology spaces and social connections for hording and clutter. Delete unnecessary or obsolete information.
Explore movement therapies such as Tai Chi and dance.	Re-evaluate your learning needs and skill development and create learning stations.
Social	Spiritual
Socialization includes mutual obligations ...follow up on a promise to spend time with someone else.	Your spiritual wellness enhances your other wellness initiatives.
Satisfying relationships may buffer the impact of stress.	Some spiritual pursuits can reduce pain and some disease processes.
Empathy is an important component of caring and it is a teachable skill.	Meditation promotes relaxation.
Socialization improves self-worth, which increases life expectancy by 1.5 years.	Spirituality can promote a sense of well-being even in the presence of disease.
Friendships tend to boost self-efficacy.	Spirituality is a key components of integrative medicine.
Nutritional	Occupational
Monitor you dietary fat intake for one week, and discuss your findings with a nutritional professional.	List your department's skills and competencies to capture recent learning events.
Talk to a dietitian about your food sensitivities.	Schedule holiday events for your staff early so that they can arrange their seasonal activities.
When adjusting your diet, consult with your health care professional.	Evaluate those job functions that create boredom and talk to your manager.
Your diet can change your health status and ability to integrate other therapies.	Take time away from sedentary job functions for get up and go exercises.
The right diet can enhance treatment and pain management.	Add into your fitness schedule your work-related activity and miles walked while on the job.
Intellectual	Emotional
Meditative breathing can enhance brain function.	Identify those somatic markers that create uncomfortable emotional responses.
Emotional events have a privileged status in memory, remembering the emotion is a quicker way to recall hidden facts.	Developing and /or improving self-regulation skills can help to regulate chronic and stress related illnesses.
Quick naps have recuperative powers concerning brain function.	Troubling emotional memories can trigger phobias and hoarding behaviors.
Addiction involves several areas of the brain and may require a combination of therapies in order to resolve the issue.	Mind-body therapies help to reduce the strain of long-term stress.
Stress is a learned response and cognitive behavioral therapy is a possible approach to unlearn this process.	Workplace stress and conflict can be reduced by discussing the situation with your manager or EAP representative.