Thrive-Health Guide Southern West Virginia August 2020 - Page 2

FROM THE EDITOR Worrying never helped anything They tell me it’s August, but I’m not sure I believe them. Day is night and night is day. Monday feels like Wednesday feels like Saturday. I barely remember February and I think we’re all still trying to forget March. Probably April, too. I remember when this mess — that’s one of the things I call what we’re experiencing now — began. I tried to find some way to maintain sanity. Back in those early days with so much upheaval it was really difficult to find any sort of routine and, like a lot of people, I struggled a bit. It seemed like bad news was coming from every direction and it was just a bit too much. I’m a worrier from way back and it didn’t take long before I realized I needed to get a handle on things — I wasn’t going to worry my way out of a global pandemic after all. I might have worried my way into insanity though. Even though I work in newspaper, I realized I needed to check how much news I was consuming, or at least check the hours at which I consumed the news. So instead of turning to my phone first thing in the morning, I made a pledge to turn to a daily devotional I received as a gift a few years ago. And I decided before I scrolled through the crazy on Facebook, I would try to post one thing that makes me happy. I began to look for new ways to stay in touch with my family. I’m not the best cook so I let them teach me new recipes via FaceTime. My cousins taught me to make my Aunt Peggy’s treasured spaghetti sauce and my Aunt Carol taught me to make my Pawpaw’s beans and cornbread. And these things helped. Now, they didn’t make Covid go away, of course. They didn’t make our current situation better. But they did make me feel better. There’s a lot of doom and gloom in this world right now and we can’t run from it. But we also can’t let that be all there is. Yes, the world is different now. Day sometimes feels like night. Monday feels like Wednesday feels like Saturday. We’ll never forget the shock that was March and April. But it is in fact August. It might not be what was once your “normal,” but look for something that makes you happy. Consumer Health Guide for Southern West Virginia AUGUST 2020 • Volume 16, Issue 4 Publisher: Randy Mooney Consulting Editor: Michelle James Thrive Project Coordinator: Michelle James Contributors: Connie Gottshall, Family Features, Michelle James, Josephine E. Moore, WVU Health Sciences Photography: Rick Barbero, Getty Images, Metro Creative and Pexels Graphic Design: Cody Lewis Advertising Director: Terri Hale Advertising Representatives: Lisa Stadelman, Debbie Maxwell, Stephanie Walkup, Peggy Weidensall An important note to our readers: The editorial content of Thrive is intended to provide you with up-to-date health and medical information from area health care professionals. The information and opinions expressed here are in no way intended to replace your medical provider. There is no substitute for regular professional health care. Thrive Magazine is a bi-monthly publication of Beckley Newspapers, located at 801 N. Kanawha St., Beckley, WV, and Bluefield Daily Telegraph, located at 928 Bluefield Ave., Bluefield, WV To reach Thrive Magazine: Office: [phone] • 1-800-950-0250 FAX: [phone] Advertising Sales: Beckley: [phone] Advertising Sales: Bluefield: [phone] Email: [email protected] Letters should be sent to: Thrive Magazine c/o Beckley Newspapers Inc., 801 N. Kanawha Street, P.O. Box 2398, Beckley, WV 25801. Letters may also be sent by e-mail. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner without permission is prohibited. © 2018 by Beckley Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Beckley Newspapers Inc. and The Register-Herald are subsidiaries of Community Newspaper Holdings Incorporated. 2 • THRIVE • AUGUST 2020