This RESOURCES section has many hotline numbers also listed in the emergency section and parent specific resources in the parent section.
BUT as always any true emergency call 911.
~ MRT supports behavioral health equity for all individuals ~
GENERAL RESOURCES
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs emotional support, help is available 24/7:
Call Your Local Mental Health Crisis Line.
Text VT to 7411741 to talk with someone at the Crisis Text Line.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
For more info, visit healthvermont.gov/suicide.
Connect to Alcohol and Drug Support Services at VT Helplink.
Get self-help tips and connect to mental health services at COVID Support VT.
Read more on coping with stress: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/protect-yourself-others/coping-stress
Teen Dating Violence can be Physical Violence, Sexual Violence, Physical Agression, and Stalking. For helpful information go here.
RACIAL EQUALITY RESOURCES
Our internal critic and self judgement prevents us from showing up as our true selves.
Systemic oppression and structural injustice do the same thing to black American citizens. MRT is committed to continuing and increasing attention to structural injustices and hope you will partner with us in this vital and important work.
We know there are ways for each of us to support one another in order to create a safe and just environment for all people to show up as their best self but it takes work and commitment.
PLACES TO START
Ben and Jerry’s: 12 Ways You Can Help Eradicate White Supremacy
Charis Books and More: Understanding and Dismantling Racism: A Booklet for White Readers
National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED): nned.net
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services: Three African American Leaders Making an Impact on Mental Health in the Community
NORTHEAST ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING FARMERS OF COLOR
Soul Fire Farm: soulfirefarm.org
Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust: nefoclandtrust.org
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Prime Time Sisters Circle: gastonandporter.org/ptsc
The PTSC is designed to be a culture, gender and age specific, curriculum-based, 12 week, facilitated, interactive support group intervention for African American women between 40-75 years of age.
SLEEP RESOURCES
FROM OUR CLINICIANS
Sleep is such an important facet of our well-being. Without proper sleep our bodies are working harder than ever to keep us healthy. A recent article in the Huffington Post provided great quick and easy tips for a better night sleep. Happy sleeping!
TIPS ON SLEEPING BETTER DURING COVID-19
- Enjoy natural light during the day.
- Take a hot shower or bath prior to bed.
- Connect with others.
- Move your body at least once per day.
- Stick to a sleep schedule.
- Start a “worry” book.
- Limit screen time prior to bed and while in bed.
- Curb alcohol intake.
For additional information on each tip, please see below.
Americans are known to not get enough sleep in the best of times. As COVID-19 continues to affect our lives and impact our overall well-being, it is more important than ever to maintain good sleeping habits, which help the body fight off viruses and stay healthy.
“You need your respiratory system working optimally. You need your immune system working optimally, and the only way that is going to happen is if your brain is going through healthy stages of sleep without interruption.” – Lauri Leadley, sleep coach and founder of Valley Sleep Center.
1. Enjoy Natural Light During the Day
Studies suggest that exposure to natural light helps our bodies stick to a consistent sleep schedule. While it may be harder to physically get outside in the current climate, there are ways to embrace the sunlight from the comfort of your own home, too.
“Try to get as much natural light exposure as you can during the day. If working from home, position yourself near a window, and if possible, get outside for a midday socially distanced walk,” said Sabra M. Abbott, an assistant professor of neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
2. Take a Hot Shower or Bath Before Bed
This relaxing act primes your brain for sleep by naturally triggering the release of melatonin.
“In order to initiate sleep and maintain sleep, our bodies need a rise in melatonin. The best way to achieve a rise in melatonin is a decrease in body temperature,” Leadley said. “One of the ways we can help make our melatonin levels rise is by taking a hot shower or a hot bath before bed. When you get out of the shower or out of the bath, your body temperature will drop and therefore melatonin will rise.”
3. Connect with Others
Even though we’re practicing social distancing, don’t actually stop being social.
“Find a way to stay connected despite physical distancing,” said Indira Gurubhagavatula, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the division of sleep medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia. “We are meant to be social. Connection and communication are important ways of defusing stress so that we don’t take these worries and concerns to bed with us.”
4. Move Your Body at Least Once a Day
“Getting exercise daily is a really good idea. Just because we are stuck in the house doesn’t mean we can’t move around,” said Ilene Rosen, an assistant dean for graduate medical education at the University of Pennsylvania and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
You don’t have to sweat buckets to reap the benefits, either. Just moving your body slightly is enough to improve your sleep.
“In an ideal world, if you’re in a place where the weather is good, you would get in a brisk walk,” Rosen said. “For someone who is having trouble sleeping, a great way to remind your internal clock that it’s time to be awake is to take a brisk walk in the morning, before noon or 1 pm.”
5. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule
You may feel tempted to sleep in or stay up late right now, but don’t give in. Doctors recommend waking up with your normal work alarm and going to bed at your usual bedtime to help your body keep its sleep routine.
“Maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule,” Abbott said. “Even though regular daily activities may be disrupted, your body does best with a routine and will sleep better if you continue to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.”
6. Start a “Worry” Book
There are plenty of reasons you feel stressed right now. It’s natural for your brain to reflect on them as you crawl in bed, but try to override that habit by dumping those thoughts in a journal instead.
“It’s a good idea to write things down in a worry book. Get a little notebook and more than three hours before bed, try to plan out the list of things you want to get done the next day, Rosen said. “Also, if you have specific worries or concerns, this is a good place to do a little journaling about them.”
5. Limit Your Screen Time Before Bed and While in Bed
Screen time has substantially increased during COVID-19, thanks to remote work, virtual happy hours, digital news updates and endless social media scrolling required to pass the time. This is understandable, but try to exercise boundaries when you can for the sake of your sleep.
“Avoid electronics for at least one to two hours before bedtime,” Gurubhagavatula said, noting that the bright blue light of devices makes you more alert. “Dim light in the evenings helps the secretion of melatonin, which signals that sleep will follow. Melatonin levels rise during the night, so we stay asleep even as our sleep ‘hunger’ begins to wear off.”
And if your stress dreams jolt you awake during the night, try to resist reaching for your phone, Gurubhagavatula added. That will only make your sleep worse.
5. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule
As pandemic anxiety grows, Americans are drinking more and more; alcohol sales are up 55% compared to this time last year. That wine may feel like a vital part of your social distancing practice, but your sleep schedule will likely disagree.
“A lot of people are using alcohol to self-medicate their anxiety, particularly to help them fall asleep — and that is really bad,” Rosen said. “While it might work for falling asleep faster, it is also associated with increased wake after sleep onset. So, it could make you fall asleep faster but fragment your sleep.”