Monday, March 18, 2024
Mental Health Awareness: Dangers of Self-Diagnosis
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Wishing You Luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day!
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day and that's today - Sunday, March 17!
Friday, March 15, 2024
Polk Students Can Shop for Free Prom Attire – Saturday, March 16
Project Prom’s next Student Shopping Day will take place tomorrow, Saturday,
March 16, from 11am to 4pm, at the Project Prom Store at Lakeland Square Mall
(use entrance to the right of Dillards). Two more shopping days will follow on March
30 and April 6.
Congrats to over 60 Polk County students who pledged to stay drug and alcohol free on the night of prom and took home their special dresses and suits on the first shopping day on March 2!
Students with a Polk ID may sign a pledge to celebrate alcohol and substance-free and receive their prom formal wear at no cost – see you tomorrow!
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Prevention Works and YOU Play an Important Role!
Addiction and substance abuse are widespread issues in our society. They affect our families and communities. They impact our lives often in dramatic ways. Good News is that addiction and substance abuse are both preventable and treatable!
InnerAct Alliance believes in celebrating the positives – sometimes we forget there are many encouraging positives to celebrate what we call the “upside”. Data collected annually in the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) reports that most kids don’t engage in risky behaviors.
Thursday Thoughts: What Exactly Is Pi Day?
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
The More You Know: Stress Overload at Root of Teen Substance Misuse
As parents and caregivers, we can play a positive role in helping teens
learn to manage stress in healthier ways:
*Monitor how stress
may affect your child’s health, behavior, thoughts, or feelings
*Listen carefully to them and watch for signs of overload
*Learn and model positive stress management skills
*Support involvement in sports and other pro-social activities
*Encourage healthy eating habits, regular exercise, and good sleep routines
*Teach relaxation techniques like deep breathing and muscle relaxing activities
*Break large tasks down into smaller, attainable goals
*Show how to challenge negative thoughts with neutral or positive thoughts
*Take frequent breaks to listen to relaxing music, draw, read, or journal
Teens can practice “relaxation responses” like deep breathing and meditation to lower heart rate and/or confide in a trusted adult or friend to talk about their feelings – these are 2 healthy ways to deal with stress triggers.
Read more:
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/the-link-between-teen-anxiety-and-substance-abuse
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
How's The Time Change Treating You So Far?
*fewer crimes - more light, easier to be seen and identified
*increased health issues & sleepiness - disruption in the body's circadian rhythms