Nurses Newsletter
Marcia Shefchik*Sarah Kadow*Jenny HInz*Jennifer Monte-Last
Hello!
Welcome to the Nurses Newsletter! We are so excited to come to you weekly and share information. It is a privilege to serve you as nurses and we hope that this newsletter finds you well. We are going to discuss screen time and offer some information about self care. Wishing you health and happiness this week.
Screen Time
The amount of time children spend with screens was a lot before COVID-19. Phones, tablets, computers, video screens, and the list goes on. With online school, this increases even more the amount of time that is spent in front of the screen. What does this mean? According to Mayo Clinic and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry the following can be issues that occur with too much screen time:
- Sleep issues
- Lower grades in school
- Reading fewer books
- Less time with family and friends
- Lack of physical activity and time outdoors
- Issues with weight
- Unable to regulate mood
- Poor self image
- Lack of ability to relax
What can I do?
Science Health News has some great and simple ideas that we can all do to make sure we are taking care of ourselves. One good thing is screen time when a person is learning and interacting, like with a class or discussion is '"good" screen time. Even with this good screen time, children need to keep moving. Spending time outside for a break, is great! A rainy day, no problem, get up for a drink of water, go talk to your pet, take a lap around your living room, all these things count as movement.
Looking at things close up, can be difficult for your eyes. Look up and away from you screen to give your eyes a break too.
Remembering to take small breaks and move is an easy way to limit the amount of time in front of the screen.
What to do?
1. Take a walk
2. Play a board game
3. Walk the dog
4. Play tag
6. Walk around your house one time
7. Get up and get a drink of water
8. Stop looking at your screen, look out your window
9. Set a timer for one hour, when it goes off, take a break
10. Stand up, do ten jumping jacks
One thing we can control
In this uncertain time, something we can control is ourselves. The following video shares a way that we can do that.