The New Year doesn’t have to be a brand new you. You can create healthy resolutions by following these steps:
- Be reasonable. Expect yourself to fail at times, and know that results might be slow-moving. Understand that life happens and things can get in the way of your goals, so try to ensure your goals are healthy and can be achieved without harming your physical or mental health.
- Create a timeline. Try to avoid being rigid in your timeline, and understand that your timeline should not be compared to anyone else’s. It will be more proactive and productive to make small, incremental goals instead of extreme expectations.
- Monitor progress. Understand that nothing changes overnight, so it might be helpful to find an accountability partner to help you monitor progress. Keep a journal to acknowledge your feelings regarding your progress, and document your feelings about your goals and what obstacles you face.
- Allow flexibility. Offer yourself flexibility and give yourself grace. If you don’t do well this month, try again next month! Instead of trying to set goals that might not benefit your mental health, find activities that make you happy instead.
Take the time to do something fun and adventurous, and prioritize your health over punishing yourself. If you find yourself struggling in giving yourself grace and putting pressure on yourself, it may be time to reach out to a mental health professional. They can provide more tools on ways to set goals and how to create healthy boundaries with yourself. Read more.
ASK is proud to curate the virtual Save A Life Wellness Fair which will connect you to resources that support Substance Misuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery; Mental Health and Opportunities for Thoughtful Service.
Click here to view the virtual Save A Life Wellness Fair and download the application on your phone. You never know when you, a friend, neighbor or loved one may need this vital information and by having it readily available it truly may be the most important gift you have ever given yourself or shared.
Life is hard, let’s be prepared to take good care of ourselves and one another.
Facts About Fentanyl
Illicit fentanyl is easy and inexpensive to produce. Disguising fentanyl as common prescription medications like Percocet, Xanax, or Oxycontin provides a simple way for drug traffickers to increase their profits.
These pressed pills are stamped and colored to look exactly like brand-name prescription medications, and they frequently make it into the hands of young people, who don’t realize the pills they are taking are counterfeit.
In addition, fentanyl has been found in many illicit stimulant drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly).
Volunteer Opportunities
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at awesome nonprofits throughout Westchester and Putnam Counties. To view these opportunities, please check out Volunteer New York!
The John C. Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak can always use some volunteers! To find out about their Teen Volunteer Program, click here.
Yorktown Leos Club
Leadership, Experience, Opportunity! The Yorktown Leos are a community service club for people ages 12-25 willing to help others in the community. They host and participate in a variety of fun and collaborative events. The Yorktown Leos Club has been helping the Yorktown community for over 25 years and to learn how to get involved, click here.
Weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups
From our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, weekly Spotlight Family Support Groups, held virtually every Tuesday and Wednesday via Zoom. Spotlight on Recovery is a Family Educational and Support Group for families struggling with a loved one misusing substances. For more information, click here.
Virtual Naloxone Training
Naloxone is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking heroin or other opioids in the nervous system for 30-90 minutes. Naloxone is administered by injection or intranasal. Following training, participants receive a kit by mail. Presented by our partners at Drug Crisis in Our Backyard. Please inquire about setting up a virtual training by contacting Susan Salomone at: ssal@drugcrisisinourbackyard.com.
Grief Support Group
A new group is starting that will deal with the strong feelings and emotions that parents have when they lose their child to a drug overdose. The group will be facilitated by Phyllis Eliott, LCSW who has experienced this loss herself. The meeting will take place in her office in Peekskill, date and time to be determined by those who sign up for the group. There will be no fee for this group. This will be a safe space where we can support each other as we deal with our grief. Please contact Phyllis at 845-234-3928.
Student Assistance Services Corner
“Helping Students Enhance Their Well Being by Making Healthy Decisions and Remaining Substance Free”
A partnership between a parent/guardian and Student Assistance Counselor best supports the nurturing of the social and emotional wellbeing of students. We encourage you to contact the SAC at your child’s school for a confidential consultation. Click here to learn more.
| Lakeland High School Sasha Meyer Porco, LMSW, CASAC smeyerporco@lakelandschools.org | Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School Ms. Finan, MS lfinan@lakelandschools.org | Yorktown High School Kiara Loughran, MS sacounselor@yorktown.org |
Upcoming Events
January 7 – Resolutions & Goal Setting
According to statistics, only 9% of people actually accomplish their New Year’s resolutions. Explore the psychology behind why resolutions fail and how to set goals that you can and will achieve with a licensed therapist. Register here.
January 13 – Growing Minds and Modern Highs: THC, Hemp & Kratom
Operation Parent presents an exploration of the latest youth substances, including high-potency THC, hemp products, kratom, and psilocybin, and their effects on developing brains and mental health. Register here.
January 14 – Responding in a Mental Health Emergency
We know what to do when someone breaks their arm: brace it and go to the hospital. But what should you do when someone is experiencing a mental health emergency? Learn what causes crisis situations and the warning signs, how to respond, and what to do once the crisis has ended. Register here.
January 14 – Substance Use and Mental Health: The Impact of Stress, Trauma, and Life Circumstances
Learn why mental health and substance use challenges often occur together and how trauma, chronic stress, work environments, family habits, and life circumstances affect a person’s risk and recovery. This course emphasizes the underlying causes behind these issues and explains how relationships, the body, and daily environments all play a role. Part 1 in a 3-part series. Register here.
January 29 – Understanding Video Game Addiction: Dopamine, Motivation, and Supporting Kids at Home
This session will break down why video games can become so absorbing for young people and how a hobby can quietly shift into something that affects school, sleep, mood, and family dynamics. Thank you to our partners at K.N.O.W. 2 Prevent for this important presentation! Register here.
NAMI Westchester
The families and members of NAMI Westchester are here to help! They offer understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses and the treatment of mental illness. To view their calendar, click here.
Westchester Breathes is an ongoing program offered by the Westchester Library System offering an experience of gentle movement, breathing and relaxation exercises that reduce stress and anxiety and increase a sense of calm and well-being. These exercises are simple and evidence-based – which is to say…they work! They are free and on Zoom. Register here.