Dikshi Gupta

Hand Hygiene: Need Of The Hour

October 18, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Scrolling down, are you? Did you know? The screen you’re scrolling on has about 8000 germs per square inch. And this same screen is dirtier than your kitchen counter. I’m not trying to scare you, but everyday you’re exposed to about 60,000 bacteria. Some of these bacteria are infectious while others, not so. So how do you keep infections at bay, especially in this pandemic hit year? Hand Hygiene.

The contamination we are exposed to everyday, while commuting to work, or buying from the grocery store, or just surfing on the internet, is humungous. Especially among Americans, recent tests have shown that they touch the dirtiest surfaces- airport doors, public soap dispensers, airport bathrooms, etc. Following are a few germ hot-spots which have a high level of contamination, enough to spread infections and illness :

Gas pumps handle — 71%
Mailbox handles — 68%
Escalator rails — 43%
ATM buttons — 41%
Parking meters/kiosks — 40%
Vending machines — 38%

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread and little was known about the novel coronavirus, one of the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘s first recommendations was a simple, tried-and-true public health measure: Hand Hygiene. This advice persists even today as one of the most fundamental ways, alongside masks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Just thirty seconds of scrubbing with water and soap, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, can wash away the germs—in addition to other common infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and diarrheal pathogens.

Global Handwashing Day can be looked at as an opportunity to design effective and creative ways to encourage people to wash hands regularly. The theme for 2020 is ‘Hand Hygiene for all’. It reminds of the universal access and practice of handwashing with soap and water. Only 66 percent of Americans always wash up after using a public restroom when asked about their handwashing habits, even though 92 percent believe that washing their hands after a visit is essential. The figures are disturbing yet accurate.

But making hand hygiene available to everyone in the society requires a macro and multifarious approach. Especially in America, the access to sustainable hand hygiene services needs to be improved (regular water supply, handwashing facilities, steady water supply, soap or alcohol based handrub etc). Most importantly, our society needs a behaviour change. The drivers which support this change should be addressed and components such as policy reforms, coordination, financing, regulations need to be strengthened.

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This year’s Global Handwashing Day calls on countries to celebrate hand hygiene as a central part of their response to the pandemic and, at the same time start planning to create a safe and better future. Once the immediate crisis is over, strengthening the hygiene systems would be the backbone for building a better and safer future. This would help control the emerging and old diseases and infections like COVID-19, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, etc. It is crucial for the countries to develop roadmaps for hygiene. It would allow them to leverage the attention COVID-19 has got to implement a long-lasting public health programme.

To Summarise…

We need to change our habits to live a sustainable and infection free life. And these habits can be inculcated only if you’re aware of your patterns and your responses. You can live a mindful life by downloading JoyScore, which is an scientifically backed app which has different activities to lighten up your mood and also help instil new, life changing habits.

Few Amazing Self Help Tips To Overcome Mental Health Issues

October 10, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Every new day is a new opportunity for you to start fresh. With stress and anxiety overwhelming our lives, mental health concerns are substantially rising, impacting our mood, thought, and behavior. These concerns become mental health disorders or illness when the symptoms start interfering with your day to day life and maybe so severe that they cause suicidal thoughts.

We often have this phobia of being judged for our mental illness or struggle with thoughts that asking for help indicates weakness. Due to this, we take a step back and try to suppress our thoughts and feelings. But it is vital to acknowledge and treat them before they become severe. Guided self-help is often fruitful in treating common mental health problems.

Some Self Help tips you can easily follow are listed below:

Pay attention to signs, and take proper treatment to reduce the symptoms that impact your life. Don’t be afraid of being labeled with mental illness.

Seeking assistance is imperative. It is an indication of strength because it takes courage to speak up.

Say positive mantras like ‘I am strong. I am enough’ instead of playing the victim. It separates the person from the illness. Never let the illness define who you are.

Keep yourself engaged because an idle mind is devil’s workshop. Try new things, pursue your hobby, cook, learn a language, solve a crossword, etc. because it boosts your mood and breaks unhealthy thinking patterns.

Understand your worth and accept who you are to deal with it better. Don’t let stigma create self-doubt. Treat yourself with kindness and avoid self-criticism.

Isolation befriends mental illness. Reach out to loved ones, talk out your feelings as sharing helps you feel better.

Set small but achievable goals, as accomplishments boost your self-confidence and motivate you to move towards bigger goals.

Take care of your physical health by indulging in physical activities like walking, swimming, eating a nutritious diet, taking quality sleep.

Avoid alcohol and other drugs as they might make you feel better for some time but aggravates the problems in the long run.

Take a break from the monotonous schedule. Give your mind some rest and spice it up with something you like doing or are good at.

Control your restless mind by practicing meditation/ yoga. Start with simple deep breathing exercises as they can improve your state of mind and outlook on life. Try breathing activities on the JoyScore app. The universal 4-7-8 breathing works wonders.

Write a journal to track mood changes, activities, people that cause you to feel better or worse. It might also help you notice that you have more good days than you think. Or the best option you can explore is the mood tracker in the JoyScore app. It also gives you a report of all your days and suggests relevant activities to elevate your mood.

Repel your weak emotions by following the opposite-to-emotion technique. If you are upset with an urge to isolate, instead move out and be around people.

Identifying the symptoms and recovering from mental illness requires strength, persistence, and awareness. If you feel powerless battling with everyday problems, remind yourself that you have made it this far, and you are incredibly strong to make your way further. Joyscore app helps you realize self-worth and stabilize your wandering mind with plenty of techniques to direct you far away from the burdens of life and attain peace. It will also help you change the way you feel and experience a rewarding life.

Autism In Kids – Signs, Causes, And Symptoms

October 9, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

1 in 54 kids in the United States are affected by autism today, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls. It may occur in people of any nationality, race, or social background. A child’s risk of autism is not affected by family income, lifestyle, or education level.

It takes a village to nourish a child, especially for parents of children with autism. Autism refers to various distinguished conditions like social disabilities, repetitive activities, speech, and nonverbal communication problems.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder that involves communication and behavior issues. People with autism have trouble with communication that makes it difficult for them, either through words or by movements, facial expressions, and touch, to express themselves.

People with autism may have learning difficulties. Their abilities may grow unevenly. For instance, they may have trouble talking, but they may be unusually good at art, music, math, or memory. Because of this, they might do exceptionally well on tests of analysis or problem-solving.

Signs and Symptoms

Autism signs are visible typically before a child turns 3. Some babies show signs from birth. Widely known autistic symptoms include:

Lack of eye contact.
An individual showing less or intense interest in specific topics.
Children repeating an action or words & phrases or rocking back & forth.
Strong sensitivity to other people’s noises, touches, smells, or sights that seem familiar.
Not wanting to be held or cuddled.
Child talking in a sing-song, flat, or robotic tone.
Trouble adapting to changes in routine.

Often, some kids with autism can have seizures. These might not start until adolescence.

Autism Causes

Autism might stem from issues that perceive sensory feedback and process language in parts of your brain. Autism might run in families, so a child’s likelihood may be raised by certain combinations of genes.

There is a greater risk of autism in a child with an older parent. An infant is more likely to be autistic if a pregnant woman gets exposed to certain substances or chemicals, such as alcohol or anti-seizure medications. Maternal metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity, are other risk factors.

Autism Treatment

There’s no cure for autism. But for a child with autism, early therapy can make a significant difference in growth. Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you believe your child has ASD symptoms.

For one person, what works may not be favorable for another person. Your doctor should tailor treatment for you or your child according to circumstances. The top two recommended treatments are:

Behavioral and communication therapy that helps with structure and organization. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is one of these treatments; it promotes positive behavior and discourages malicious behavior. Occupational counseling may assist with life skills, such as dressing, sleeping, and personal relationships. Speech therapy improves communication skills.
Medications that aid with ASD symptoms, such as issues with concentration, hyperactivity, or anxiety.

How Can I Help My Child?

Many resources and support services can help if your child is diagnosed with ASD. You will be directed in the right direction by your doctor and care team.

Sleep Well, Be Well

October 7, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

A person sleeps 26 years on an average of 70 years of his lifetime. This activity may not seem so productive, as sleeping takes away the precious hours of potential when you could be getting stuff done. 34% of the adults in America barter the sleeping hours for working or catching up on emails, binge-watching on Netflix, texting overseas peers, scrolling through Instagram, and getting stuck in the loophole of the internet. After all, what else can be done in the period between 10pm – 2am, right?

This is the best time to sleep. The deepest and most regenerative sleep occurs during this time which is responsible for the feeling of freshness and zeal in the morning. Your body is ever ready to finish up the tasks of the day. After 2 am, sleep becomes superficial. This period is called dreaming sleep or REM ( Rapid Eye Movement). Your brain is twice as active as when you are awake and your eyes dart back and forth rapidly behind closed lids. This is well described as “ an active brain in a paralyzed body”. Just as deep sleep restores your body, dream sleep, or REM restores your mind by dissipating the irrelevant information. Studies have found that REM sleep eases learning and memory. After conducting a test, it was discovered that students who pulled an all-nighter to cram up before an examination retained less information than the classmates who got adequate sleep. If you refrain from sleeping before 10pm, you may wake up feeling still fatigued from the previous day. Hence, it is not important how much you sleep rather when you sleep.

Our brain is equipped with an internal clock called- the pineal gland. The pineal gland produces the hormone, melatonin, as the sunsets. Exposure to light prevents the secretion of melatonin and darkness promotes it. Parents often advise teenagers to avoid using cellphones during bedtime. This is due to the same reason that excessive screen time can allay the secretion of melatonin further impairing the sleep cycle. This can lead to obesity, a weakened immune system, hypertension, anxiety, and stress. Hence, even the adults should take the advice seriously and switch off their computers, laptops, and smartphones one hour before bedtime.

What are the other ways of improving sleep?

Avoid stimulants such as coffee after lunch or in the evening. Caffeine delays sleep. Caffeine blocks the adenosine receptor to keep you from falling asleep.
Take up relaxing activities to encourage sleep before going to bed such as meditation, reading a book, or a hot bath.
Make sure your bedroom is darker than the shades of your room.
Get yourself a comfortable mattress.
Keep your bedroom at a cool temperature.
If you are struggling to fall asleep, try a breathing activity called ‘parasympathetic breathing’, which is aimed at restoring your body to a state of calm. Or head over to JoyScore to try some breathing activities.
If you had a poor sleep at night, you can take a power nap of 20 minutes for restoring the maximum functioning of the mind as well as alleviate stress. Napping too close to your bedtime impacts your sleep time at night.

There is no such ideal total number of hours for sleeping. Your sleep requirement and sleep pattern change as per your age. You can monitor and regulate sleep by being more aware of your body needs. For more insights on living a healthy and mindful life follow JoyScore. Download the JoyScore app now to experience more joy.

How To Cope With Anxiety

October 6, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Life is a blend of a little that we experience and mainly how we respond to it. Anxiety is the mind’s reaction to stress or fear of what will happen. Your first day at work, moving to a new place, approaching exams, an interview, public speaking, etc. can trigger nervousness and anxiety. Anxiety is becoming more common in today’s unprecedented COVID times as the situation was not anticipated and everyone was/is stuck at home.

But remember that an anxious mind results in an obnoxious life. If appropriately dealt with, anxiety can also motivate you to perform better, for example, a job interview. But if left unattended and untamed, it can lead to severe anxiety disorder and other mental problems like depression.

Signs that you might be anxious:

You feel scared, have racing thoughts in mind, tend to overthink, or worry too much

Lack of patience and restlessness

Difficult to concentrate on a specific task

Inconsistent sleeping pattern like trouble falling asleep and waking up in the middle of the night

Getting startled or irritated easily and changes in appetite

Panic attack occurrence because of extreme fear accompanied by shallow and fast breathing, rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, dry mouth, short breath

Extreme tiredness, lack of energy, dizziness are few other signs

But, everyone who worries a lot may not have an anxiety disorder. You may also feel anxious because of a tight schedule, lack of sleep, pressure at work, or even from too much caffeine. An unhealthy and stressful lifestyle can make you even more anxious. So, before opting for medications, try to alter your lifestyle as it might be useful to cope with the symptoms.

Some tips to help you lower anxiety and manage symptoms:

Stay connected with your trusted loved ones, and share the concerns bothering you because seclusion and loneliness can worsen anxiety while talking about it might calm you down

Review your responsibilities and try to share or delegate them to others to manage your stress levels

Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, visualizing techniques, yoga, and deep breathing as they get rid of chaotic thoughts from your mind, restore normal breathing, and eases anxiety

Exercise is a stress buster and anxiety reliever. Try to ingrain at least 30 minutes of exercise in your routine. Start with simple ones, may it be stretching or walking in a park

Get quality sleep of 7-8 hours every night as sleep deprivation can increase anxious thoughts. Hence, avoid using your phone in bed, avoid caffeine before bedtime

Consider reducing your caffeine intake, alcohol, cigarette consumption as it stimulates higher levels of anxiety

Stick to a healthy diet by staying hydrated, eliminating processed foods, eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Artificial flavors, sugar, and preservatives in processed foods may cause mood changes and impact temperament

Lastly, try to accept uncertainties, challenge your thoughts, and end this mental habit of worrying

Therefore, proper self-care is vital to manage your anxiety levels, and nothing diminishes it faster than action. Especially activities like breathing in a particular pattern can help you reduce anxiety in an instance. So, act now and download the JoyScore app to experience calmness and peace in your life. And remember to live in the moment to take charge of your life.

World Heart Day: Treat Your Heart Right

September 29, 2020 by Dikshi Gupta

Preventing heart diseases depends largely on our lifestyle, at least for most of us. Which means it’s in our power to improve our odds of living a long and healthy life. Then too, it is the most leading cause of deaths among both men and women in the United States.1 out of 4 Americans are affected by Cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The issue is serious but preventable if measures are taken from an early age.

Here are 3 key tips for improving your heart health naturally:

Reduce Sodium intake

A Lady in Supermarket with Healthy Food.

According to studies conducted by the European Society of Cardiology Congress, high salt intake is associated with a twofold increase in the risk of heart failure. And 75% of our salt intake comes from processed food. Hence, it is recommended to keep an eye out for sodium listed on food labels. Beware of dressings and sauces especially in burgers and sandwiches. Choose to make your own dressings to control the amounts of condiments used to keep the intake of sodium in check. Pick fresh poultry and if you’re picking the frozen one, check the fine print on the packaging for terms like ‘saline’ or ‘sodium solution’. Most importantly, look for products with the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Mark to find which type of food meets its predefined criteria.

Be Active

A Girl doing Yoga on World Heart Day 2020

Did you know people who are physically active live 7 years longer? And these extra 7 years are generally the healthy years. The current sedentary lifestyle is the primary reason behind heart diseases and stroke. With Work From Home declared almost at every other organization and company, you might be still stuck at home or paranoid about going to the gym. But now is the right time to get in shape and stay fit and get rid of those extra pounds to treat your heart right. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. You can easily achieve that in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. And every minute of activity counts towards your goal. Exercise increases muscle strength, and also our ability to do other physical activities, thus making our heart stronger and healthier.

Cut back on alcohol consumption

Are you drinking too much or too often? Perhaps, this is a habit you need better control on. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more Americans suffer from heart disease than any other condition. Drinking regularly contributes to higher calorie intake and directly affects the heart. One good way to cut back on alcohol is not to keep it in the house. Or you can also choose alcohol-free days and keep a journal about it. This will help you keep a track of your drinking habit and make changes in your lifestyle.

Your diet also matters a lot. Including at least 4 colorful vegetables and fruits in each serving have unique nutritional benefits. Cutting down on processed foods and excess calorie intake goes a long way. Stay heart healthy always by following these tips and more.

Download JoyScore now to improve the quality of your life. It is a scientifically-backed app that gives you insights on living a healthy and content life.