In the Loop January 2022

In the Loop

Student Support
Services Newsletter


January
2022

Upcoming Mental Health Trainings

Crucial Conversa ons

Equality & Inclusion

In This Issue Feb 21, 2022

10:00 am -12:00 pm

The Mental Health Support Team has created a virtual op on for a training, please see below:

School News. Pg 2,6 Training Name:

Spotlight on HCS Pg 3,8 Crucial Conversa ons: Suicidality & Self-Harm Self-Paced

Holiday Meals Pg 4 Training Informa on:

This training goes into depth on self-harm and suicidality including warning signs, strategies to

Student Becomes the Master Pg 7 implement with students, ways to support students, language related to self-harm and

Blood Donor Month Pg 9 suicidality, etc.

Presenta on Video:

Community News. Pg 10 drive.google.com/ le/d/1AJUNgRsq7UjJhQwaMHwnhcGWZ_1nRhKO/view

Quiz/A endance Form:

h ps://forms.gle/JPww8uqmKmeSL6Y26

If you choose to complete this method of training the quiz/a endance form is due by Jan 24,

2022 at 8:00 am. CC- Self-Harm and Suicidality.mp4

Teacher Teacher New Years
Workday Workday Day!

Teacher
Workday

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Mental Health Spotlight In the Loop

From Holiday Blues to S.A.D Student Support

Services Newsletter


January

2022

Submi ed by: Jenae’ Cox, Mental Health Specialist

If you had the privilege of reading last month's MHST submission tled “The Holiday Blues, and How to Beat Them”, you know that the
holiday blues can be a me of “extra stress, more nancial obliga ons, ampli ed loneliness, and unrealis c expecta ons”.1 This is what
we know to be true in some cases, right? The stress of the holiday season can cause depression, and in some cases, severe depression.

Something that we fail to talk about o en is how these “blues'' are extended beyond the holiday season and well into the winter months.
This is called Seasonal A ec ve Disorder or SAD. SAD is a type of depression that generally begins around Fall and con nues through the
Winter months and can be called “Winter Depression”. Less commonly, Individuals experience SAD in the Spring and Summer months
and is commonly called “Summer Depression”.

Common SAD symptoms include:
• ● Feeling listless, sad, or down most of the day, nearly every day
• ● Losing interest in ac vi es you once enjoyed
• ● Having low energy and feeling sluggish
• ● Having problems with sleeping too much
• ● Experiencing carbohydrate cravings, overea ng, and weight gain
• ● Having di culty concentra ng
• ● Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
• ● Having thoughts of not wan ng to live
If le untreated, SAD can lead to:
• ● Social withdrawal
• ● School or work problems
• ● Substance abuse
• ● Other mental health disorders such as anxiety or ea ng disorders
● Suicidal thoughts or behavior2

This problem can a ect many people, especially the essen al sta of Harne County Schools, which is everyone. So, what can we do?
There are a few op ons to consider. The rst and most important is seeking a Health Care and Mental Health Care provider for an o cial
diagnosis.Second, u lize your local resources such as DayMark Recovery services, which has walk-in services. The Employee Assistance
Program o ers three free sessions for Harne County Schools employees and helps with crea ng a plan for managing the symptoms of
SAD. Lastly, the Mayo Clinic provided a list of lifestyle changes to add to the treatment plan created by you and your provider, that can be
bene cial for coping during a SAD cycle. These include:

● Make your environment sunnier and brighter. Open blinds, trim tree branches that block sunlight or add skylights to your home. Sit
closer to bright windows while at home or in the o ce.

● Get outside. Take a long walk, eat lunch at a nearby park, or simply sit on a bench and soak up the sun. Even on cold or cloudy days,
outdoor light can help — especially if you spend some me outside within two hours of ge ng up in the morning.

● Exercise regularly. Exercise and other types of physical ac vity help relieve stress and anxiety, both of which can increase SAD
symptoms. Being more t can make you feel be er about yourself, too, which can li your mood.

● Normalize sleep pa erns. Schedule reliable mes to wake up and go to bed each day. Especially for fall-winter-onset SAD, reduce or
eliminate napping and oversleeping.

Remember, support is essen al and Harne County Schools is invested in suppor ng the Mental Health of their indispensable sta . All
that is needed on your part is to take the rst step and reach out for help.

Important Contacts:

DayMark Recovery Services: 24-Hour Crisis Hotline: 866.275.9552

HCS EAP: Call: 855.387.9727 TDD: 800.697.0353

Go online: guidanceresources.com Your company Web ID: ONEAMERICA3

Mobile Crisis: 1-877-626-1772

References

1. Lowe, C. (2021, December 10). In the Loop Student Support Newsle er.

2. Mayo Clinic Sta . (2021, December 14). Seasonal a ec ve disorder (SAD). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from Mayo Clinic

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Health Services Spotlight In the Loop

National Blood Donor Month: Student Support
Turn your day around by giving blood this January
Services Newsletter

Jeanette Brown writes for America's Blood Centers and is married to a
retired Navy Chief January

2022

With the start of a new year, you, your friends, and family can make a big di erence by pledging to give blood twice in 2022 to
help save lives and in the process — you can turn your day around through this simple, essen al, and lifesaving act.

Why Donate? The na on’s blood supply depends on altruism in the form of blood dona on from a diverse pool of donors. All
blood types are needed. It takes 24-48 hours to process, test and prepare a pint of blood for transfusion.

Someone requires blood every two seconds.

Doing so ensures the availability of the na on’s blood supply for Veterans and pa ents in need. America’s Blood Centers – and
its community blood centers around the country – depend on a diverse pool of donors of all ethnici es to maintain the
na on’s blood supply to meet the needs of the one in seven pa ents entering a hospital that requires a blood transfusion.

While Veterans and ac ve duty military members know the importance of blood dona on, we ask that you help spread
awareness of the need for blood donors among those who may not realize their own ability to impact pa ents throughout the
U.S. Beginning this January with the arrival of Na onal Blood Donor Month, the na onal community is encouraging all eligible

individuals to commit to dona ng blood at least twice throughout 2022. Give Blood Locator

Blood shortages have become a na onal epidemic with communi es throughout the U.S. experiencing these shortages more
frequently and for prolonged periods of me na onwide due to disrup on caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the

me for you to make a di erence.

If every eligible individual pledges and also follows through on dona ng blood at least one more me than they did in 2021,
blood shortages would be eliminated. It is safe and easy to donate blood. All eligible individuals are encouraged to schedule
an appointment to help maintain the na on’s blood supply for its availability whenever and wherever it is needed.

This Na onal Blood Donor Month, we thank you, all current and future blood donors, for your resiliency, reliability and
commitment to turn your day around by making an appointment to donate blood, assis ng blood centers in performing their
essen al, lifesaving missions.

During emergencies, it is the blood on the shelf that has been donated, collected, tested and processed that saves lives. Do
your part and help to stabilize your local community’s blood supply to prevent hospitals from poten ally being forced to alter
treatment for some pa ents or cancel pa ent surgeries.

More than 33,000 daily dona ons are required throughout the U.S. to meet pa ent needs. Be the di erence in poten ally
saving a life by making blood dona on a habit this January for you, your friends and family, and commi ng to dona ng blood
at least twice this year.

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