Friday, May 8, 2020
This month one of the things you can attend is The Resilience Summit, which is free and online for anyone who might like to hear from the experts. This summit's theme is "Mental Health + Yoga Skills to Thrive in Uncertainty" which definitely describes the times in which we're living presently.
This is not something to replace a hotline/helpline during an actual crisis, but you can learn some tips to deal with triggers, reduce anxiety, and overall increase the betterment your mental health.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and also the month that Arizonans are beginning to dip our toes into the new normal of everyday life as Stay-At-Home orders are lifted. Navigating the uncertainties of pandemic life is challenging even for those of us who have never been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Have you noticed yourself being more short-tempered? Feeling dread about the future? Having difficulties falling asleep or relaxing? Having trouble coping with the boredom and isolation of staying at home, or with the burnout of continuing to work or to school your children?
You are not alone. Across the country, calls to crisis lines are coming in faster than ever before. People are seeking help from therapists or treatment centers even as those providers are struggling to adapt by implementing telehealth and virtual treatment options. We who work in the behavioral health field are bracing ourselves for another type of wave rising in the wake of COVID-19: an unprecedented number of Americans seeking help for anxiety, for depression, for grief, for suicidal thoughts.
In the face of all of this, it is more important than ever to practice self-care to keep ourselves centered, hopeful, and healthy. Here are a few simple tools that anyone can use in their daily lives.
Tags: mental health , awareness , to do , help , suicide , hotline , treatment , Image
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, Saguaro National Park East and West have remained open (sans restrooms and parking lots) to allow locals a place to get some fresh air while Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order has been in place.
While park officials are still determining how to best reopen amenities, they are encouraging park users to prepare for soaring temperatures in the Sonoran Desert.
“It is hot and we recommend getting an early start and only hiking in the morning,” Saguaro National Parks spokesperson Andy Fisher said. “Once the temperature is over 95, we suggest being back to the trailhead before 10 a.m. Make sure you have a plan and have communicated that plan to someone who will know when to expect you back, and always, always, always take more water than you expect to need.”
Fisher said that there has been an uptick in park users needing rescue because the have run out of water. She urges: “When it's half down, turn around.”
“We can't stress how important it is to know your own limitations and not try to test them these days,” she says.
Saguaro Parks has yet to determine how its “phased reopening” will happen, but are working to determine how to safely open facilities.
“We know that it will be a phased reopening, so probably not what we would expect as a ‘normal’ operation this summer,” Fisher concludes. “Staff and visitor safety are paramount to the decisions we are making.”
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Gregg Murset of Scottsdale, a certified financial planner and father of six, also is chief executive and co-founder of BusyKid, a money-management app based on chores. The online tool, for children 5 to 15, is among several apps that teach children about finances, including Chore Check, Homey, Rooster Money and Greenlight.
Murset said BusyKid was launched in 2011 with input from psychologists, psychiatrists and data on parent’s interactions with their children and money. The app, he said, has 125,000 families signed up with a company goal by the third quarter of 2021 of having 1 million families.
Cronkite News recently spoke with Murset, Gilbert mom Milissa Chanice and her children Vincent, 10, and Vanessa, 7, who have used the BusyKid app for three years, to discuss how money management tools are valuable – especially for families with younger children who are sheltering at home.
Here are eight takeaways for parents and children. (Interviews were edited for clarity and length.)
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
As part of their online library during quarantine downtime, Arizona Theatre Company will be hosting the first in a series of weekly Facebook Live broadcasts at 4 p.m. Friday, April 24.
“We really wanted to start a weekly way to talk with our audience - to let them know how we’re doing, what we’re up to, to give them inside info on what’s in the works - and to hear from them,” Daniels said. “Running a theatre is really a two-way conversation, so we wanted to create more ways for them to talk to us."
ATC is also staying busy both by planning out a post-pandemic return and transitioning its programs online.
ATC is presenting digital classes, videos and podcasts. The company’s education program, ATCteen – for students 13 to 19 years old – is now online, featuring weekly classes on playwriting, acting, dancing and set design; a “Playreader’s Club” for students to read and discuss scripts; an improv troupe; private coaching classes in multiple disciplines; and radio drama projects.
ATC’s online content is divided into four rooms: The Blackbox Room for play readings and online workshops, The Green Room for conversations with national and local artists, The Rehearsal Hall for deeper conversations about plays and topics affecting the theatre community, and The Classroom for educational and creative content for all ages. Each “room” will be available on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and ATC’s own podcast and radio station.
Visit arizonatheatre.org for more information.
Monday, April 20, 2020
As part of International Dark Sky Week, the star party features live presentations and hosts from multiple time zones, all sharing information and their passion on astronomy.
The star party also features participants from the Prescott Astronomy Club; the Mark Slade Remote Observatory in Spotsylvania, Virginia; and the Feynman Observatory in Bloomington, Indiana; as well as astronomer Brian Cummins of Chantilly, Virginia; and, Michael Keefe, The AstroNerd, of Apex, North Carolina. Several participants are members of the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors volunteer corps.
The livestream begins at 8 p.m. for Arizona on Friday, April 24 at cfa.harvard.edu/flwo/youtube
Tags: astronomy , stars , livestream , observatory , Image
Friday, April 17, 2020
Virtually, there are a plethora of things to do. For school, they have Zoom, YouTube, Google Museums and more. For fun, they can make friends and short videos on TikTok, or even hang out at Walt Disney World.
And for Prom, they can hang out with John Krasinski.
Krasinski, who is well-known for his character Jim on The Office, has taken it upon himself to create a YouTube show called SomeGoodNews (SGN).
SGN brings good news to the world through a camera in Krasinski's living room, where he conducts interviews with interesting people and spreads good news to everyone watching. Through this venue, he will also be hosting a virtual prom.
This announcement from TikTok doesn't say much, but it does bring the hype.
There aren't many details known, except that it will start at this location on YouTube at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. MST) tonight, Friday, April 17th. (As of this writing, there are already over 1,500 people waiting for the broadcast.) It's also titled, "SGN Prom with John Krasinski and Friends", which might imply some appearances from other people that Krasinski may know, though that hasn't been confirmed.
So, if you are or you know a high schooler who isn't doing anything tonight, now there's something they can do. Hang out at a virtual prom with thousands of other people online with Jim from The Office. Not a bad Friday night.
Tags: class of 2020 , prom , john krasinski , the office , virtual , friday , night , to do , seniors , juniors , high school , Image
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Congress has approved billions of dollars of checks for Americans hard hit by the biggest round of layoffs in U.S. history. But millions of Americans will have to wait months for that money — and millions more may never get the money at all.
That’s because the rescue legislation left it to the IRS, an agency gutted by Congress, to organize the complex logistics of delivering the money to those entitled to it. As the IRS has struggled, for-profit tax preparation companies, notably Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, have stepped in with websites to help people get their checks.
But Intuit is not just acting as a conduit: It is also misleading unwary Americans by steering them to paid services that they could otherwise get for free.
The job Congress gave to the IRS in its $2 trillion CARES Act is seemingly straightforward: Identify the Americans who qualify and send them money. This turns out to be far more complicated than it sounds.
Tens of millions of Americans have not provided the IRS with their banking account information, if they have one. Some of these people have filed taxes, so they should eventually receive money but will have to wait weeks or even months for a check to come in the mail.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
As the COVID-19 outbreak rages in the United States, businesses and schools have closed and events have been canceled, leaving employees and business owners without work and at a loss for income. Even the U.S. Navy is struggling. No aspect of life seems to be untouched; filing and paying taxes is no exception.
When are taxes due?
2019 federal income tax returns are now due on July 15, 2020. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced in March that the IRS tax deadline would be pushed back from April 15, 2020. The IRS confirmed the new deadline the following day for 2019 tax returns and payments, with no fees or interest, but encouraged taxpayers to file earlier if possible.
Am I eligible for the new tax deadline?
The new deadline applies to all taxpayers, including individuals, freelancers and others who pay self-employment tax, as well as “trusts and estates, corporations and other non-corporate tax filers,” according to the IRS.
Tags: taxes , file , 2020 , extension , free , deadline , Image
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
That’s what Park Senior Villas at La Canada is asking of the Tucson community. The senior living community is looking for a bit of love for its residents during a time when visitations are canceled.
Send a card, drawing, notes or thoughtful message to any (or all) of the Park Senior Villas facilities:
6899 N. La Cañada Drive (Tucson, Arizona 85704)
844 N. Houghton Road (Tucson, Arizona 85748)
4950 S. Lindsay Road (Chandler, Arizona 85249)
4211 N. Pebble Creek Parkways (Goodyear, Arizona 85395
According to the company, mail will be stored for several days before distribution to residents. In an effort to keep the facilities safe, Park Senior Villas are adhering to all Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
In addition to a call for letters, the company is also interested in compiling care packages for caregivers. Donations can be dropped off at any location. Amazon, grocery delivery and mailed supplies are also accepted.
Needed items include paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, Clorox or a 99.9 percent surface cleaning product, water, diapers, baby diapers, and nonperishables. Facilities are also accepting donations of medical-grade cleaner, hand sanitizer, surgical and N95 masks, hospital gowns, face shields, and thermometers.
Tags: cards , love , gifts , donations , seniors , covid19 , Image
