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www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com x July 5 — 18, 2018 x 11<br />
HEALTHY<br />
LIVING<br />
From losing weight to looking<br />
younger to feeling fit, there are<br />
many reasons people focus on<br />
their health. Choosing the right<br />
way to maintain a healthy lifestyle<br />
can be a daunting task;<br />
however, Southwest Orlando<br />
Bulletin’s Healthy Living provides<br />
advice from local experts to help<br />
readers achieve and maintain<br />
their varied health goals.<br />
Are You<br />
Too Attached<br />
to Your Cell Phone?<br />
by Diane Robinson, PhD,<br />
Neuropsychologist<br />
Orlando Health<br />
orlandohealthblog.com<br />
More than 75 percent of<br />
Americans own a smartphone, making<br />
these devices an integral part of<br />
our everyday lives. But for many of<br />
us, smartphones have moved from<br />
handy tools to all-consuming toys.<br />
Two questions can determine<br />
which camp you fall into:<br />
1. Do you check your phone every<br />
few minutes for the latest Facebook<br />
updates, tweets, news alerts or texts?<br />
2. Do you spend more time communicating<br />
with people on your<br />
phone than in person?<br />
If the answer is yes to either of<br />
these questions, you may be too attached<br />
to your phone. Relying too<br />
much on digital devices can interfere<br />
with normal one-on-one conversation<br />
and relationship-building.<br />
If your smartphone is taking up too<br />
much space — and time — in your<br />
life, here are some ways to rein<br />
it in.<br />
• Keep your phone out of reach.<br />
When you drive, store your phone in<br />
the glove compartment or put it in your<br />
purse. When you’re at a restaurant or<br />
other social outing, turn your phone off<br />
and put it away.<br />
• Have phone-free zones. Keep<br />
your phone out of the bathroom. In addition<br />
to being excessive, this behavior<br />
also may be unsanitary. Before you go<br />
to bed at night, turn your phone off<br />
and put it away.<br />
• Set designated digital-free times.<br />
Start a no-cell phone rule during certain<br />
times, such as family dinners or<br />
weekend social activities. Shut down<br />
your phone at a certain point each<br />
day during the workweek.<br />
• Enjoy real-world conversations.<br />
When you’re socializing with family or<br />
friends, turn off your phone or at least<br />
put it on vibrate. Don’t be that person<br />
who checks their phone while someone<br />
is trying to have a conversation with you.<br />
• Instead of passing away the time<br />
on your phone, try more enriching activities,<br />
such as exercising, seeing new<br />
sights around your town, getting out<br />
and meeting new people, or spending<br />
time with those you care about.<br />
These are all more worthwhile than<br />
being glued to your phone.<br />
Depression & Suicide<br />
by Syed O. Quadri, M.D., Psychiatrist<br />
Psych Pointe of Florida<br />
www.psychpointe.com<br />
407-270-7702<br />
After the recent suicides of Anthony<br />
Bourdain and Kate Spade, we need<br />
to educate and introspect ourselves<br />
to watch out for possible symptoms<br />
of mental illness:<br />
• Inability to sleep, restlessness,<br />
feelings of despair or crying<br />
excessively.<br />
• Feeling down, worthless, hopeless<br />
or helpless most of the time.<br />
• Concentration problems that impede<br />
basic thinking, ability to recall<br />
or interfere with relationships, work<br />
or home life.<br />
• Using food, drugs, gambling or<br />
alcohol to cope with difficult emotions<br />
and unhappiness.<br />
• Negative or self-destructive<br />
thoughts or fears out of your<br />
control.<br />
• Thoughts of self-harm, including<br />
suicide or death.<br />
• Constantly getting into arguments<br />
and fights with others.<br />
• Isolating oneself and missing social<br />
settings regularly.<br />
If you are in need of mental<br />
help, call 911, the National<br />
Suicide Prevention Lifeline at<br />
1-800-273-8255, or seek local<br />
counsel.<br />
Health Literacy<br />
by Viviana Valencia-Serrano<br />
Community Relations Assistant Manager<br />
Orange County Library System<br />
www.ocls.info<br />
407-835-7323<br />
Libraries and literacy go hand in<br />
hand, but did you know that libraries<br />
can also build your health literacy?<br />
While reading won’t tone your<br />
body, you can still find resources<br />
and programs that will help teach<br />
you how to obtain and understand<br />
basic health information needed to<br />
make good decisions. According<br />
to ScienceDaily, health literacy can<br />
help you make more informed decisions<br />
that affect your overall health,<br />
such as when making food choices<br />
or communicating with a health<br />
professional.<br />
Libraries work toward achieving<br />
all forms of literacy for adults and<br />
children, but this doesn’t limit you to<br />
just reading. Libraries give you the<br />
opportunity to reach your goals by<br />
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12<br />
2018
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