Kootenai | Kootenai Health

F A K E I T T I L L Y O U M A K E I T

Body language can have a surprising effect on your mood.

Dr. Heidenreich explained that purposefully smiling throughout

the day, even if you do not actually feel happy, will actually boost

your mood.

“One saying we have around here, especially in dealing with

addictions is, ‘It is easier to act yourself into right thinking than

to think yourself into right acting,’” Dr. Heidenreich said. “Mean-

ing, doing healthy things brings about healthy thoughts and

feelings faster than waiting to feel good enough to act.”

S P E N D T I M E W I T H Y O U R P E T

Cuddling with a puppy or kitten will melt anyone’s heart, but they

aren’t just cute. Study after study shows that spending time with

animals lowers blood pressure, slows your heart rate, promotes

more regular breathing and eases muscle tension—all of which

are signs of reduced stress. These have been shown to take effect

faster than medication. (To learn more about

the benefits of pet therapy, read about Koote-

nai’s therapy dogs on page 16.)

C O N S I D E R T H E W H O L E P E R S O N

Dr. Heidenreich said it is important to make

sure all of a person’s basic needs are be-

ing met, what he calls a bio-psycho-social

approach.

“People who are biologically healthy have a

chance at thinking better and can make better

choices when it comes to being physically

healthy. When your bio-psycho-social needs

are met, you are typically in a better state of

mind,” he explained. “The challenge lies in

learning to recognize those needs and in doing

what you can to ensure they get met. It is not

one’s vulnerabilities that are the problem; we

all have those. Rather, it is vulnerabilities that

aren’t recognized, accepted and addressed. A

problem that is fixed is no longer a problem.

Get help—it’s out there.”

T H I N K I N G G O O D T H O U G H T S

Learn more about Kootenai Health

Behavioral Health Services by visiting

KH.org/behavioralhealth .

If you or a loved one experi-

ences a crisis needing immediate attention, call the

Northern Idaho Crisis Center at

(208) 625-4884

visit

KH . ORG