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Hello, Alpine County Family! Let’s Connect! Phone (530)694-1816 June 12, 2020 Mental health matters every day, every month, all year. Thanks to all who participated in Mental Health Awareness activities throughout the month of May. Saturday June 13, 2020 is Family Health & Fitness Day which promotes the importance of parks and recreation in keeping communities healthy. Research studies confirm that parks, green space and time outdoors is critical for creating healthy, active and sustainable communities. Nearly three in five adults say that access to park and recreation amenities are very or extremely essential to their mental and physical health. Living close to parks and other recreation facilities is consistently related to higher physical activity levels for both adults and youth. Moreover, parks provide a connection to nature, which studies demonstrate relieves stress, tightens interpersonal relationships and improves mental health. Living in Alpine County, the opportunity to connect with nature is right outside our doors. Some creative ideas for you to celebrate this weekend include: Take a family bike ride/hike on trails that are open Get creative with sidewalk chalk, in front of your house Have “Bear hunts” – place a stuffed animal in a easily-visible window of your home so that neighbors can go for a walk and search for them. Watch a healthy cooking class Whatever you choose, be mindful of social distancing and guidance from our public health officer. http://alpinecountyca.gov/Index.aspx?NID=516 Behavioral Health continues to offer 3 Zoom yoga classes weekly thru the month of June Monday 4-5pm Tuesday & Thursday 5:30-7pm To receive the link to the classes, call our office at [PHONE REDACTED] and provide your email address. ---PAGE BREAK--- Majority of Alpine County staff began working from home as of June 1, 2020 and are scheduled to continue thru late July. Change is everywhere and all are doing their best to meet the needs of the Alpine County Community. We encourage all to stay connected with each other and our office. We are trying new things and learning from every experience. Zoom is a part of many peoples day; whether connecting with family and friends, conducting a work meeting, taking a yoga class or learning a new skill. Just yesterday 50+ Club members signed on to zoom at noon to play BINGO together; a good time was had by all, there was laughter, competition, jokes and even some fabulous prizes were won! Shout out thanks to Dawn Riddle and Kate Harvey for organizing. Mark your calendar for the next 50+ Zoom on Thursday July 9, 2020 at noon with Karen Dustman who will share "The History of Tenacity: How Our Ancestors Coped," She encourages people to write down their own family stories of tenacity and resilience. They're great stories, good lessons to hand down and all welcome to share on July 9. The link to log on to July’s 50+ Club gathering is or if you prefer to call in the number is 1 [PHONE REDACTED], Meeting ID: 978 8996 2502 This is a fun newsletter to reach out and help you keep your mind healthy and engaged. We will be emailing it out every other Friday in June (next issue June 26, 2020). No copies will be mailed while staff are working from home, feel free to forward on or print and share a copy. ---PAGE BREAK--- .Included in this issue are: 1. Links for meditation, relaxing music and an experiment in gratitude Gratitude Meditation 25/7 Relaxing Music for Quarantine, Meditation Music, Healing Music, Sleep, Yoga, Study Music The Science of Happiness 2. Alpine County Rocks Mental Health: Painted Rock Hide & Seek (on following pages) email pictures of rocks you created or found to [EMAIL REDACTED], which will be posted in the next issue. 3. 2 new coloring pages (on following pages) 4. Green Smoothie Recipe for you to try at home (on following pages) 5. Mysteries #1 and #2 (on following pages) We’d love to hear what YOU, our Alpine County community members, would like to see in this newsletter. We’d also like to showcase the talents we harbor here in our area. If you would be willing to share a “how to…” lesson, a poem or short story, artwork or something else, contact us! Call or text [PHONE REDACTED], call 694-1816,or email [EMAIL REDACTED]. . For assistance with your mental health contact Alpine County Behavioral Health Services Phone: (530)-694-1816 or 24/7 Crisis Line (800)-318-8212 Website: www.alpinecountyca.gov Other resources for mental health help: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for free 24/7 support Crisis Text Line: Text MHFA to 741741 for free 24/7 crisis counseling Lifeline Crisis Chat: Visit crisischat.org to talk online with crisis centers around the United States The Trevor Project: Call [PHONE REDACTED] or text “START” to 678678 for mental health support specialized for the community ---PAGE BREAK--- Here are directions how you can create Kindness Rocks with your family. You’ll need these supplies: Palm-sized, smooth rocks Acrylic paint and thin brushes Paint pens or permanent markers (optional) Clear outdoor sealant spray Gather your rocks. Look for ones with a smooth side that fit in the palm of your hand. About 3” is the best size. Paint the rocks whatever colors you’d like to provide a background for your artwork. Once dry, flip and paint the other side. Now is the fun part! You get to decorate your rocks. Older children can write their own messages with paint pens or permanent markers. Younger children can paint designs for you to write a positive message on top of. Once the paint is dry, spray the rocks with a clear outdoor sealant spray to protect them from the elements until they are found by others. Then go for a walk in a park, on trails, along the river, downtown near the library and nearby businesses, or anywhere else around your community that gets a large amount of foot traffic. Hide your Kindness Rocks where they can be easily found by passersby. ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Green Monster Smoothie Great snack that will keep you filled for hours! The taste of the banana and the peanut butter cover the taste of the spinach completely. I freeze my bananas and spinach then prepackage everything for the week! Substitutions include rice or nut milks or vanilla yogurt. 1 cup fat free milk 1/2cup fat free plain yogurt 1 frozen banana (chunked) 1 tablespoon peanut butter 2 cups spinach 1 cup of ice Step 1: Blend milk, yogurt, banana, peanut butter, spinach, and ice cubes until smooth. Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 381.7 calories; 23.6 g protein; 55.7 g carbohydrates; 7.4 mg cholesterol; 328 mg sodium. ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- #1 A man is on a game show. He is presented with two doors, one on the left, and one on the right. Behind one is 2 million dollars, and behind the other is a donkey. Choose the correct door to win the prize. There are also two men in front of the doors, and they know which door leads to the millions. One wears a black hat, and the other wears a white hat. The host explains that one of the men is a liar, and will always lie, and the other man will always tell the truth – but you do not know which is which. You can ask only one of the men only one question. What is the question, and which man do you ask to ensure you win the money? #2 Stolen ring Nicole went to the police to report that someone had stolen her vintage ring. When the police got to her house they notice that the window was broken, there was a total mess inside, and there were dirty footprints on the carpet. But, there were no other signs of a break-in. The next day, the police arrested Nicole for fraud. Why? ---PAGE BREAK---