• The National Sleep Foundation 
• HMS – Division of Sleep Medicine – Sleep & Health Education Gateway
• Sleep Foundation – Myths and Facts About Sleep
• Health-Line – The Effects of Sleep Deprivation
• Sleep Disorders
• Sleep Diaries and Apps

MGB Sleep Clinics

• BWH & BWF
• MGH
• NWH
• Salem

Information on Healthy Eating & Drinking

• BWH Dept of Nutrition – Guidelines for Healthy Eating
• BWH Dept of Nutrition – Nutrition Basics
• HSPH – NutritionSource
• USDA – My Plate
• American Diabetes Association – Eating Well
• Harvard Health – The Sweet Dangers of Sugar
• Harvard Health – The Truth about Fats -The Good, the Bad and the In-between
• NAAA – Alcohol Calorie Calculator
• MGH – Choosing Healthy Snacks 
• HSPH – The Nutrition Source – How Chronic Stress Affects Eating Patterns
• Help Guide – Kids and Healthy Eating

Affordable Healthy Eating

• HSPH – The Nutrition Source – Strategies for Eating Well on a Budget
• Fresh Truck – Mobile Markets bringing Fresh Food to Neighborhoods across Boston

Programs & Apps for Weight Management  

• Brigham Health – Nutrition Tools
• My Fitness Pal (basic functions are free) 
• Noom (requires membership fee)
• Weight Watchers (requires membership fee)
• Ketogenic Diets
• Intermittent Fasting

• BWH Dept of Nutrition – Tips for Exercising
• Help Guide – How to Start Exercising and Stick to It
• Help Guide – The Best Exercises for Health and Weight Loss

• Smoking Cessation

• Very Well Mind – Alcohol and Depression

• Mindful.org
• Mindful.org – How to Manage Stress with Mindfulness and Meditation 
• Being Mindful in your Everyday Life

Meditation is the activity of quieting the mind. It may include sitting, lying, or walking and often uses a specific focus of attention. It can help promote a feeling of calmness and/or physical relaxation.

• Mindful.org – Understanding Meditation
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health – Benefits of Meditation
• EAP Meditation Webinars – Register for upcoming Webinars and view Recordings of Previous Sessions
• Benson-Henry Institute – Guided Relaxation Exercises

Mini-mindfulness  

• Take 5 Exercise
• 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

Free for Mass General Brigham Employees

• Koa Foundations
• Headspace (Link is not supported in Internet Explorer: suggested browsers include Chrome, Firefox and Safari)

Other Apps Available

• Calm
• Ten Percent Happier
• Grateful
• Insight Meditation Timer
• Meditation Studio
• One Mind Psyber Guide – Mental Health App Guide
• Simply Being

The three part breath technique is an exercise that utilizes your entire lung capacity creating a state of deep relaxation in your body. Take a deep inhale through your nose, notice how the stomach expands like a big balloon. On the exhale, expel all the air out from the belly through your nose. Draw the navel back towards your spine to make sure that the belly is empty of air. On the next inhale, fill the belly up with air as described above. Then when the belly is full, draw in a little more breath and let that air expand into the rib cage, causing the ribs to widen apart.

• On the exhale, let the air go: first from the rib cage, letting the ribs slide closer together; and then from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.
• On the next inhale, place your hands on your chest with the fingertips underneath the clavicles (collar bones) and fill the belly and rib cage up with air as described above. Then draw in just a little more air and let it fill the upper chest.
• On the exhale, let the breath go first from the upper chest, letting the ribs slide closer together. Finally, let the air go from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.
• Continue at your own pace, letting the three parts of the breath happen smoothly without pausing. Continue for about 10 breaths.
• On the exhale, allow your body to return to its natural breath cycle. Pause and notice the effects of this practice, any sensations that may arise in your body, any thoughts and any feelings. Practice daily.

Regular yoga practices can help you achieve the sense of wellness you are seeking. Breathing techniques, stretches, and meditation help you release tension, build proper body alignment, increase awareness, focus the mind, and nourish and restore your balance. Here is information on the health benefits of yoga:

• Healthline – Understanding Yoga
• Yoga Basics – Yoga for Beginners
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine –  Benefits of Yoga
• Video – EAP Webinar: 30 Minute Yoga at your Desk
• Tai Chi

• EAP – Building Your Coping Skills

You can develop a more positive outlook by taking steps every day to change how you think. This process may take time, especially with today’s challenges. You may see a difference right away just by trying a few things. Here are tips on building more optimism into your life:

• Be aware of your negative thoughts. Stop and listen to the messages you’re sending yourself. If you have negative thoughts about a situation you can’t change, try to replace them with positive ones. For example, you may say something like, “I can handle this,” when you are in a situation that you cannot change. What you can change is how you view the situation more optimistically.
• Engage in positive self-talk. Create alternate responses to the negative thoughts you would like to change and consider writing those responses down. For example, if you think, “I’ll never be able finish this project,” try, “I’ll break it down into small steps.” If you think, “I don’t know how to do that,” try, “I can learn something new.”
• Bring more humor into your life. Tap into the power of laughter. Rent funny movies, hang a cartoon up on your refrigerator, or enjoy humorous songs and stories with your friends.
• Spend time with optimistic people. Research has found that moods and ideas are contagious. Chronic complainers can bring you down even if you aren’t aware of it. Spend as much time as you can with optimistic people who can help lift your spirits.
• Practice gratitude. A pessimistic outlook may cause you to lose sight of the things you’re thankful for; practicing gratitude can restore the balance. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the good things in your life. Some experts suggest that you keep a “gratitude journal” and write down the things that make you feel grateful.
• Recognize what you can control. You may start to feel pessimistic if you dwell on things you can’t control. Focus on doing all you can to improve what you can control.
• Develop or keep up healthy routines. Optimism is easier to maintain when you feel good physically and mentally. Eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep and exercise.
• Get help if you have unwanted negative thoughts that won’t go away. Mass General Brigham Employee Assistance Program (EAP), can give you other ideas on what to do if you have persistent negative thoughts that are interfering with your work, relationships, or enjoyment of life.

• Limit use of devices before or after going to bed
  – Consider reading or a mindfulness activity instead
• Set a boundary with work technology
  – Turn off notifications and don’t check email too often after hours or while on vacation
• Consider doing some activities such as exercise (except to access music) without a device
• Limit phone use while eating or visiting with friends or family
• Limit multi-tasking on your electronic devices
• Don’t use devices while driving

Social Media Habits

• Schedule your time on social media rather than letting it control you
• Be thoughtful about why you’re logging on and stick to your plan
• Remember that someone else’s happy news does not minimize your own and is not necessarily a full representation of their life
• Be yourself
• Put your emotional wellbeing first – you can skip or hide negative or upsetting posts
• Sign off when the stress created by social media becomes overwhelming

• Resources for Internet Safety
  

• Understanding Technology Addiction

• Common Sense Media – What Parents Need to Know
• Google Interland -Helping Kids be “Internet Awesome”
• American Academy of Pediatrics – Kids & Tech – Tips for Parents in the Digital Age
• APA.org – What do we Really Know about Kids and Screens?
• Verywellmind.com – The Signs and Effects of Video Game Addiction
• Childmind.org – Managing Social Media Stress with Mindfulness
• The Boston Police Department – Parent Internet Safety and App Guidelines
• FBI – Safe Online Surfing for Children

Helping Kids Navigate Social Media

• Engage in regular conversations about social media, before and after kids start using it
• Discuss how to be smart and safe online 
• Teach kids how to evaluate information for validity and help them to grasp the concept that not everything is real
• Help kids understand that what you see is not necessarily what you get.
  – People may not admit that they are not always perfect or happy or that they don’t wake up looking they the way they do on social media
• Use social media together
  -Ask kids to share (if they are willing) what they are doing and seeing online
  -Ask them to help you understand social media, how to set up an account, etc.
• Model healthy social media habits with:
  -How often you log on
  -How you engage with and react to social media
  -What you focus on: outward appearance or internal traits