COVID-19 Economic Benefits how-to Guide

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As more Americans with and without disabilities are caught up in the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are wondering where to find answers to life-or-death questions.

What do I do if I’m a person with a disability and lost my job because of COVID-19?

You are not alone. A monthly report published by the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD), shows that nearly one million working-age people with disabilities lost their jobs. That represents a 20 percent reduction of the number of workers with disabilities in our nation’s economy. There is a significant question whether those jobs will ever come back.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) website has a comprehensive run-down on what you as an individual with or without disabilities needs to know about accessing unemployment benefits if you are an eligible worker.

Unemployment insurance (UI) is a joint state-federal program that specifically helps workers who have lost their jobs. With more than 22 million workers now out of their jobs, UI is more important than ever before.

How do I know if I am eligible?

Each state has its own guideline around who does or does not qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. Generally speaking, if:

  • You lost your job through no fault of your own or you were separated due to a lack of available work.
  • You also meet specific work and wage requirements.

Then you should qualify for unemployment benefits. However, beyond those basic guidelines, each state has different rules in terms of wages earned and time worked. To find out what your state requirements and guidelines are, visit careeronestop.org.

FYI: It generally takes two to three weeks after you file your claim to receive your first benefit check.

What about COVID-19 specific unemployment resources?

In response to the pandemic, DOL issued new guidance to address COVID-19 in the workplace and different scenarios involving workers at risk of losing their jobs because of the virus. You can read that guidance online at dol.gov.

Who can I talk to for more details?

The DOL’s toll-free call center can assist workers and employers with questions about job loss, layoffs, business closures, unemployment benefits and job training: 1-877-US-2JOBS (TTY: 1-877-889-5627).

What other resources does DOL offer?

DOL maintains a dedicated page for job seekers and unemployed workers looking to access the workforce system. That page includes specific information about finding new job training opportunities as well as disability-specific resources.

What if I’m on SSI or SSDI, but I lost my part-time job? Can I claim unemployment?

The answer really depends on whether you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.

For people receiving SSDI, unemployment income is counted as unearned income and DOES NOT count towards the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit. This means that people who receive SSDI, but had been working part-time, can claim unemployment without worrying about the usual income limit.

SSI is different from SSDI, but unemployment income also counts as unearned income for SSI. However, SSI benefits may be offset by the amount of unemployment received. SSI has a strict $2,000 asset limit. If SSI recipients receive benefits that would push them over the asset limits, they should consider spending those funds right away to purchase needed supplies.

If a person with a disability had been working but lost their job because of COVID-19, they will need to apply for the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

The Arc has a great website with lots of details on navigating unemployment as a person with a disability at thearc.org.

What about accessing food benefits?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal nutrition assistance program. SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. This card can be used like a debit card to purchase eligible food in authorized retail food stores.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) runs the SNAP program and maintains a great website about SNAP eligibility at fns.usda.gov.

While SNAP is a federal program, like most benefits, it is run by state agencies. To find out about your home state’s rules on SNAP benefits, visit fns.usda.gov/snap/.

Before the pandemic, 11 million people with disabilities depended on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) nutrition benefits to put food on the table. That number has increased significantly as people with and without disabilities have lost their jobs and hungry children have lost food access with school closures. In response, more states are seeking a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow SNAP recipients to use their benefits for online grocery deliveries. Learn more at RespectAbility.org.

What about food benefits for women and children?

The USDA also runs the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to help low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five at fns.usda.gov/wic.

Like most benefit programs, WIC has strict eligibility requirements that specifically limit the pool of people who can make use of these resources. To determine your eligibility for WIC, visit: fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility.

How do I order food online for delivery?

To limit their risk of exposure to the virus, many people with and without disabilities have opted to switch entirely to online grocery deliveries. Unfortunately for many people with disabilities, this is an inaccessible or unavailable option.

Popular options for online grocery deliveries include Instacart, Amazon and Walmart. In 35 states, people with disabilities now can or will soon be able use their SNAP benefits for online grocery deliveries. However, there are still states that have taken no action to help millions of people with disabilities put food on the table. RespectAbility and other disability organizations such as the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) are actively working to solve this and other critical, COVID related economic challenges.

What about delivery fees?

Unfortunately, even if you are in a state that has joined the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, you will need to cover the cost of delivery fees.

What federal agencies or programs are providing information to help people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has been leading disability related efforts to respond to COVID-19. They have a great website that has information for aging and disability programs, as well as videos in American Sign Language (ASL) and Spanish language materials.

ACL has distributed information to its grantees in every state about preventing exposure to the virus, tips for dealing with social isolation, technology resources, as well as guidance for programs that are directly helping people with disabilities deal with COVID-19.

Visit their extensive website with resources and information at acl.gov/COVID-19.

What about Veterans with Disabilities?

Like ACL and DOL, the Department of Veterans affairs has created an extensive website to cover VA specific issues in the COVID-19 pandemic. You can use the website to read the latest about COVID-19, make appointments or access other benefits/services: va.gov/coronavirus-veteran-frequently-asked-questions.

If you are not yet connected to a Veterans Service Organization (VSO), why not connect with one now via the internet? For example, you could connect with Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) pva.org/find-support, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) dav.org or Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) iava.org.

What do I do if I am at-risk of COVID-19 and have roommates or live in a group home and people are not practicing social distancing or taking precautions?

This is a serious matter and your safety needs to come first. Consider preparing a script of what you want to say before saying it. Remember to be respectful of everyone’s emotional needs but firm about your own health and safety.

Have a conversation with your roommate about documenting when and if people are coming. That way you can tell public health authorities if either of you comes down sick.

This great article from TODAY has more ideas on how to handle this delicate issue: https://www.today.com/health/social-distancing-how-talk-those-who-aren-t-doing-it.

For more resources and updates from RespectAbility about the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the one-in-five people who live with a disability, please visit: RespectAbility.org/covid-19.

5 Things To Remember About Being an Effective Leader
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Belva Anakwenze wearing bright orange jacket sitting in large chair smiling

By Belva Anakwenze

Given the current state of life as we know it, finances are top of mind for everyone right now. The accounting industry, known for its quick burnout, is included in that conversation. My career started in corporate America, working long days and nights, to ensure the company’s months would fiscally close on time. In addition to the long hours as month-end neared, I felt like a cog in a wheel and undervalued.

Before I decided to leave the corporate machine, I saw numerous peers promoted into leadership roles for reasons like length of service or technical skill. Obviously, technical skills are necessary in a role of leadership, but just as important is emotional intelligence. Very young in my career, it seemed insulting to report to individuals without the interpersonal soft skills to actually lead, inspire and guide human capital in an organization.

As I began to envision my next chapter beyond the corporate machine, I vowed to honor that I was more than my work product or career choice. I approach everything in my personal and professional life by looking at the whole person. I support small businesses to lend to the growth of local entrepreneurs and communities. When I was looking at schools for my children, I wanted an environment that nurtured them socially and emotionally. I have carried this with me throughout my entrepreneurial career.

My greatest test as a leader came in my years as an income tax franchisee. My partners and I operated five locations and dealt with a myriad of obstacles. Some of our challenges were high employee attrition due to seasonal employment, specialized skill set and more. In addition to the core staff, we also hired an array of positions that all needed to be filled at the same time; store managers, experienced tax preparers, outdoor sign wavers who danced and brought visibility to our stores.

We struggled as business owners and leaders until we began to understand that our staff, regardless of role, were not a monolith. We began to lean into the interpersonal side of our staff members. We got to know our employees as the humans they were outside of work. We took the time to understand the personal needs of our high-performing employees. Taking the time to understand the motivators in our team members’ individual lives allowed us to meet them where they needed us.

One person may have been motivated by money, while another would be looking for professional development, and another would be looking just to be seen as a member of the team. Others may have been looking for simple concessions that allowed them to start their shift 20 minutes later than normal one day a week or a host of small asks that could make the world of difference in their personal lives.

Diversity is diverse in the true essence of the word. There was diversity in life experiences, thoughts, desires and more that all led to each person’s unique lens through which they approached life and their job. The diversity in the needs of staff allowed me to grasp the true diversity of a team. I began leading with care and affection, as a mother would.

As leaders, we have to meet those who we lead where they are. That does not mean inserting our wishes or desired outcomes on them, but truly understanding what our team members want, how they show up as their best selves and more.

Some of the key lessons I learned from my experience as a franchisee that I still use and follow to this day are:

Understand what motivates each staff member and use that as a reward

  • Money
  • Professional Development
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Flexibility

Our team members perform at their best and desire to exceed expectations when they are valued and rewarded in ways that matter to them.

Give team members autonomy to create their own path

Self-efficacy is the best way to have individuals perform up to their potential. When a team member truly believes in their ability and capacity it is easier to reach specific goals.

Work in collaboration

When developing workflow, especially during change and transition, a leader needs buy-in from the team. Give your team space to offer suggestions, feedback and improvements. They will be open about current bottlenecks and improve business efficiency.

Make your team’s job as easy as possible

Invest in technology, training and human capital to help your team. Duplicative work, inefficiencies or stagnation in workflow processes can be extremely frustrating and anxiety-inducing for your team; especially if they want to do well.

Create a company culture where your team can show up authentically

Be kind and nurturing to your team. Remember we all have lives outside of work that are consuming. Have a physiological safe space, so your staff can show up as themselves. The more accepted they are as individuals, the better they will be at work.

A true leader understands the power of undergirding human capital. The most important thing to remember as a leader is that change is inevitable. It is important to handle changes with grace, dignity and humanity.

Breast Cancer Survivorship and the Impact on Mental Health
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Picture of a pink ribbon for breast cancer

By Leona Vaughn, Everyday Health

Three years ago, Hil Moss says she was lounging around, casually watching television and relaxing when she touched her chest and felt a lump. She was 28, and with no family history, she says her doctor reassured her that she had nothing to worry about. But after a few more appointments, they confirmed a diagnosis of breast cancer, likely caused by an ATM gene mutation they found.

After three years and a 14-month treatment plan — which included three months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and a tissue-based reconstruction, later followed by hormone therapy — Moss, a student in the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, and an advocate for cancer care, now considers herself a breast cancer survivor.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) defines survivorship as, “living with, through, and beyond cancer.” But some patients who get to the “beyond cancer” stage say they were unprepared for the toll this experience would take on their mental health.

When she was first diagnosed, Moss says she anticipated that the most difficult part of her experience would be receiving the treatment, but a fellow survivor warned her that it would actually be the months following her completion of it that would be the hardest. Sure enough, Moss says she found the first six months of her recovery period more mentally challenging than anything she had physically gone through, including the amputation of both her breasts.

“That just seems impossible to believe,” Moss says. “You’re in chemo, you feel horrible, how could it possibly be worse? But it kind of is. When you’re actively in treatment, you at least have this sense of what your day-to-day is, and sometimes that can feel like a safety blanket.”

“When you are removed from that, you are forced to essentially reckon with what’s happened. You have to come to terms with your own mortality,” Moss says.

Breast Cancer Survival Rates Are Increasing
Marleen Meyers, MD, a medical oncologist and the founding director of the Survivorship Program at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health in New York City, says that breast cancer is a “hopeful cancer,” because more and more patients diagnosed with breast cancer are surviving, but that living through this experience “comes with a price.”

“I’ve been an oncologist for a long time, and early on, we were just happy that people survived,” Dr. Meyers says. “We didn’t really look at what their quality of life after survivorship was. I always like to say that the cancer treatment may be over, but the cancer experience is far from over.”

Experts say that the vast majority of patients struggle with mental health after receiving cancer treatment.

“There’s anxiety about what the next steps are, how they’re going to feel, how long it’s going to take for them to get better,” Meyers says. “The reality is, while you can give somebody an estimate, it’s impossible to predict.”

Click here to read the full article on Everyday Health.

Money Mistakes Women Should Avoid
Finance
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woman seated at kitchen table reviewing financial documents

Financial or money mistakes are not gender-specific: they can happen to anyone. And if you fail to take it into account, long-term financial troubles can ensue. If you’re an ambitious woman and don’t want to struggle with your finances, here are some money mistakes to avoid.

Not Taking Retirement into Account

If you have a stable job, retirement may seem like something far away, but the sooner you start, the better. Starting early will help you stay on track and secure your financial future. However, the reality is that many women are so busy fulfilling different responsibilities that saving up for retirement is the last thing on their minds.

As a woman, not starting retirement saving or planning early enough is among the biggest financial mistakes you can make. Regardless of whether you have kids or not, setting yourself to be financially independent is critical. You can do so by making a retirement plan to keep things in control and gain financial stability.

If you already have a plan but never follow it, it is high time you start. For a thorough plan, you need to assess when you will retire. This means calculating how many years you will work before taking a permanent break.

Then, add up your current expenses to determine how much money you’ll need to live a comfortable life. Knowing what kind of lifestyle you’ll live once you retire and how much you will need for healthcare is crucial. Of course, if you’re having trouble calculating expenses, opting for third-party assistance is always helpful to maximize savings.

According to a recent report by Morningstar, people who receive expert guidance on managing their finances can enjoy 40 percent more income when they retire.

Waiting Long to Upgrade Your Lifestyle after Separation

If you’ve recently opted for a divorce, you may have to move from a stable dual-income household to a single-income household. Major lifestyle changes can occur as a result. The best way to deal with this scenario is to assess your financial needs when you’re going through a divorce process.

This will help you determine if your income is enough to support your lifestyle. You might find that many of your expenses fall beyond your current needs or budget. It is better to adjust them according to your financial income or needs.

Not Saving on Payday Loan Debt Settlement

Payday loan debt settlement is an option that helps people lower debt via negotiations with their lenders. If you overlook the benefits of this option, it can be a big money mistake that will impact your financial reserves. If you don’t want to negotiate it yourself, consult professionals to discuss it on your behalf. The approach will help you and your lender agree on a payoff amount to consider as full payment.

Debt

An important part of financial stability is to live according to your means. So if you lack the cash to backup spending on a credit card, avoid using it unless you have an emergency. Plus, make sure you don’t have late fees that can lower or reduce your credit card scores. If making payments on time isn’t possible, call your creditors to explain your situation. They might consider waiving your fee and give you a new payment schedule.

Lack of Involvement in Family Finances

If you’re not involved in planning or managing your family’s finances, you’re making a big mistake. You and your partner must make financial decisions together. Not knowing where your family’s money goes and how much goes into savings and retirement funds can prove detrimental to your long-term financial stability.

While many women manage the day-to-day finances of the family, such as paying bills, their role in financial planning doesn’t go any farther than that. They don’t focus on investments and retirement plans, leaving these decisions to their spouse. This is a BIG mistake. Start broadening your financial responsibilities by keeping track of finances and monthly expenses.

Building these habits can give you an outlook into what your financial future can look like.

Summing Up

All in all, women must participate in all investment decisions, as well as retirement plans, to prepare for the future. Women who manage their finances tend to be more independent and confident, both of which are essential for a secure future.

Author Bio:

Catherine Burke is a financial writer for online payday loan consolidation. She provides information on successful cash loans and payday loan consolidation to help people get over a difficult patch. She lives in Kansas and has earned a frame in the matter of payday loans.

Black Wealth Transfer and Confronting the Racial Wealth Gap
Finance
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The second installment of Bloomberg’s Power of Difference series on Black wealth offered a deep dive into issues that impact intergenerational Black wealth transfer. The three part series, hosted by Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, seeks to highlight and encourage dialogue about the structures that aid in Black wealth accumulation and extraction.

Speakers discussed why wealth transfer remains pivotal to building wealth in the United States and explained how the historical lack of opportunity for Black families to preserve and pass on wealth has contributed to the prevalence of racial wealth inequality today.

 

Inherited wealth plays a pivotal role in advancing the economic launch point for future generations. Despite the pervasiveness of the American rags to riches story, the wealthiest families have certainly benefited from this capital infusion power–about 30% of the Forbes 400 inherited at least $50 million. Middle and working-class families can use transferred capital and assets to boost emergency savings, make down payments on homes, pay tuition for private schools and higher education, and invest in the financial markets or new entrepreneurship.

Black families, however, are five times less likely than white families to receive a sizable inheritance. When they do, the amount is still typically three times lower on average than what white families receive. This disparity has contributed to Black Americans falling behind in wealth accumulation while white generational peers are empowered to move towards further economic stability and advancement. Black families have certainly been capable of growing assets even in the shadow of Jim Crow and other forms of systemic racism that persist to this day. So why haven’t they been able to hold on to this wealth and pass it to their heirs?

Before the Race Massacre of 1921, the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a vibrant, thriving community of Black residents, like many of the “Freedmen’s Towns, and “Freedom Colonies established after the Civil War. Families there owned land, operated businesses, and ran community-sustaining institutions to create property wealth with an estimated value of over $200 million in today’s dollars, earning Greenwood the moniker “Black Wall Street.” When the Greenwood neighborhood was burned to ashes during a violent racial attack, hundreds of residents lost their lives and businesses, thousands of survivors were left homeless and impoverished, and many of them were hunted down, executed, or imprisoned. Laws were passed by the city of Tulsa to impede the rebuilding of Greenwood by survivors and their families. The most disheartening part of Greenwood’s story: this was not an uncommon occurrence.

In Chicago alone, approximately 1,000 Black homes and businesses were burned down during the Red Summer of 1919, a season of racism-fueled on Black communities across the nation. The segregation and violence of Jim Crow, in particular, have been theorized to have had a pervasive impact, stifling Black innovation and entrepreneurship with the threat of violent reprisal for Black wealth building.

In the latest Power of Difference event, speakers discussed how racially driven violence toward Black people like in Tulsa, Chicago, and elsewhere — particularly during the several decades following the abolishment of slavery — was used to rob Black people, destroy their property and intimidate them from building wealth. Government policies, local and federal, often neglected to protect Black communities from this ongoing threat, and instead have codified many racially discriminatory policies such as redlining, government seizures under eminent domain, and disenfranchisement. In turn, such practices have systematically destroyed and eroded the value of Black wealth since the Reconstruction era, with the effects felt to this day.

Pathways to recovery and resilience

Despite economic impediments and discriminatory policies, strategic options and vehicles for securing assets can help more Black families strengthen the economic mobility of future generations. Session speakers painted a detailed picture of how to address these systemic injustices: loopholes in state property inheritance laws can be closed; discriminatory institutional practices and local ordinances, such as those that might assign more value to land according to who owns it, can be revoked; and concentrations of wealth in Black communities, like those created in Greenwood can be systematically encouraged through initiatives that can start at the individual level.

Sean Anderson, a curator from The Museum of Modern Art, discussed the Reconstructions, Architecture, and Blackness in America exhibition he created with scholar and architect Mabel Wilson and 11 Black architects, designers and artists. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the project aims to encourage reflection on how Black communities strive to build and rebuild in the face of economic and social challenges, and “…how history can be made visible and equity can be built”. The exhibition sparks questions about topics such as “What might our nation look like today if all-Black towns of the past had been allowed to thrive?” and “How might Black community spaces be used to prepare for threats imposed by climate change?”

Reggie Lee, Partner and Chief Transformation Officer at The Carlyle Group described the ten-year journey he took to reclaim the family land that his great grandmother, a formerly enslaved person, had purchased during the Reconstruction era. His story serves as a case study for reclaiming and preserving family-owned assets. For example, to keep the newly reclaimed property intact for future generations, using a trust to ensure legacy building.

The panel Q&A delved into reasons for the continued loss of Black assets and different ways better laws, policies, and individual practices could help reverse this trend. Lack of wills and vehicles like trusts, for example, can make family land and other asset claims vulnerable to loopholes in policies, such as heirs property laws (aka ownership in common) or inheritance taxes. However, it is estimated that 70% of Black Americans do not have a will or estate plan.

Click here to read the full article on Bloomberg.

5 Ways to Chill Out in a Hectic Life
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According to the American Psychological Association, the country is facing a mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.

This was brought on by the stress created by the pandemic, leaving many people to feel anxiety and worry more. With that in mind, it’s crucial that people prioritize relaxing and reducing stress in order to protect their mental health. The good news is there are numerous things they can do to help them achieve that goal.

“Being busy became such a trend, as though busy equated success – now freedom and flexibility are the symbols of success,” explains Katie Sandler, personal development and career coach. “It’s hard for people to chill out when their systems are programmed to be going nonstop and working nonstop. It takes a minute to down regulate the system in order to actually reduce stress and chill out.”

In a Pew Research Center survey, at least 60% of the adults reported that they sometimes feel too busy to enjoy life, with 12% of them saying they felt that way all of the time. Living like this is one sure way to increase stress and anxiety levels. Having long term stress can lead to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, obesity, cognitive decline, and depression, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While many people want to reduce the stress in their lives, they are not always sure how to go about doing so. Here are 5 ways to chill out in a hectic life:

  • Mindfulness. Keeping yourself in the present moment can go a long way toward helping you lower stress, anxiety, and even depression as well as help you get better sleep and establish a better sense of well-being. Mindfulness is something that everyone can learn and practice anywhere at anytime.
  • Connect with people. Getting together with people we enjoy being around helps us laugh, feel connected, and make us happier. Those populations who are the healthiest in the world, such as the Blue Zones, tend to get together for social interaction regularly. Join a group or find some friends you like to be around and meet up on a regular basis. If you don’t feel comfortable being in person – create zoom social events; something is better than nothing.
  • Be in nature. There are many health benefits from spending time in nature. Even a view of nature helps us feel better and can improve our mood. Be sure to get outdoor time, taking walks, biking, gardening, or doing something else you enjoy. Nature-deficit disorder is real. Whatever you choose, just be sure to spend time outside and in nature.
  • Schedule free time. With the busy lives that people live today it may be necessary to put free time on the schedule. This way it will be a part of your plan and you will have to give it your attention. Don’t let other things crowd out your scheduled free time.
  • Set the intention. The first part of making your life less hectic is to set the intention that you are going to chill out. Setting the intention will get you to formulate your thoughts, plans, and goals. Determine what you want, what you will do to make it happen, and what you want the outcome to be.

“You can’t continue to put off reducing your hectic and stressful lifestyle,” added Sandler. “Having a more relaxing life with less stress takes being proactive and making some changes. You have to put work into it, some of it may seem counterintuitive, but what you get back is beyond rewarding.”

Sandler has worked with many people to help them identify a plan for personal achievement, take steps to reach goals, and identify areas that need to be worked on. She provides people with meaningful tools that they can use to help bring calm and insight into their life. In addition to working with individuals, she offers luxury impact retreats.

Sandler has a bachelor’s degree in psychology anda master’s degree in mental health counseling, has a strong foundation in mindfulness-based stress reduction, and has worked in hospitals and private practice. She previously spent time as a research assistant while at Johns Hopkins, focusing on purpose in life. To learn more about Katie Sandler and her services, or to see the retreat schedule, visit the site: https://katiesandler.com/.

About Katie Sandler

Katie Sandler is a popular impact coach and provides health and wealth coaching and personal and professional development. She offers retreats around the world, as well as private coaching and corporate impact coaching opportunities. She focuses on helping people become more successful so they can live with purpose and make an impact in our world. To learn more about Katie or her services, visit the site: https://katiesandler.com/.

Source:

American Psychological Association. Stress in America 2020. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2020/report-october

Pew Research Center. How Americans feel about the satisfactions and stresses of modern life.https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/05/how-americans-feel-about-the-satisfactions-and-stresses-of-modern-life/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Manage Stress. https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/health-conditions/heart-health/manage-stress

SkyPoint FCU Closes $7 Million Investment from the U.S. Treasury’s Emergency Capital Investment Program
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SkyPoint Federal Credit Union (SkyPoint), a premier, member-owned financial institution, has recently closed on a $7 million investment as part of the U.S. Treasury’s new Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP). This investment increased SkyPoint’s net worth which will allow for growth and expansion of their lending portfolio.

The ECIP initiative is designed to provide access to capital for communities, businesses, and individuals traditionally excluded from the financial system, particularly those that have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. SkyPoint will use the funds to provide financial products for small and minority-owned businesses and consumers in low-income and underserved communities. The credit union already has a long history with members in this demographic.

“We’re very proud to be selected for this program that looks to address some of the long-standing inequities in our financial system,” said Jim Norris, CEO of SkyPoint. “SkyPoint has always been focused on helping underserved communities, and this investment will give us a solid foundation to expand our services and help more people.”

SkyPoint is evaluating ways to broaden its portfolio of lending programs to communities most impacted by the COVID pandemic. The credit union is also planning to add business accounts and lending programs this year that will complement its financial service offerings for consumers.

“We know with higher prices for almost everything, families can be worried about making big investments like a car or a home. And entrepreneurs may be nervous about starting or expanding their businesses,” explained Norris. “As part of the ECIP, we’re well-positioned to give families and companies access to the capital they need, especially groups that historically were not able to easily receive funding.”

Over the long term, the funds will also help SkyPoint grow and continue its role of helping foster financial opportunities and inclusion in low-income and traditionally underserved communities.

About SkyPoint Federal Credit Union (SkyPoint)

SkyPoint is one of the premier financial institutions serving Montgomery County, MD; Frederick County, MD; Arlington County, VA; Alexandria and Falls Church, VA; and the District of Columbia. SkyPoint is a Community Development Financial Institution and a designated Juntos Avanzamos credit union. To learn more, visit www.skypointfcu.com

Selena Gomez Calls Out Body Shamers Who Criticize Her Looks: ‘I Don’t Care About My Weight’
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Selena Gomez at a Netflix function wearing a gold lamme dress

By Julie Mazziotta, People

Selena Gomez doesn’t care about her weight — and wishes other people wouldn’t either.

On Sunday, the actress and singer, 29, called out the body shamers who feel the need to comment about her looks. Talking on her TikTok Stories, Gomez said that she tries to limit her fast food meals, but sometimes goes all in. “So I be trying to stay skinny, but I went to Jack in the Box and I got four tacos, three egg rolls, onion rings and a spicy chicken sandwich,” she said, E! News reported.

The Only Murders in the Building star said that it doesn’t matter, because no matter what she does people will still criticize her body. “But honestly, I don’t care about my weight because people bitch about it anyway. ‘You’re too small,’ ‘you’re too big,’ ‘that doesn’t fit.’ ‘Meh meh meh meh.'” “Bitch, I am perfect the way I am,” she added. “Moral of the story? Bye.”

Gomez — who underwent a kidney transplant in Sept. 2017 due to complications from lupus — has previously explained that her health issues cause “weight fluctuations” that used to bother her.

“I have lupus and deal with kidney issues and high blood pressure, so I deal with a lot of health issues, and for me that’s when I really started noticing more of the body image stuff,” she said in an interview with friend Raquelle Stevens on her video podcast Giving Back Generation in Nov. 2019.

The “Lose You to Love Me” singer said that the “combination” of her lupus and the medication she needs alters her weight.

“It’s the medication I have to take for the rest of my life — it depends on even the month, to be honest,” Gomez said of her weight changes. “So for me, I really noticed when people started attacking me for that. And in reality, that’s just my truth. I fluctuate. It depends what’s happening in my life.”

Click here to read the full article on People.

Selena Gomez says she’s ‘happier’ after being off social media for over 4 years: ‘It makes me feel normal’
AdvocacyEntertainmentHealth
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Selena Gomez smiling at the camera at a red carpet event

By David Artavia, Yahoo! Life

Selena Gomez is taking her passion for mental health advocacy to new heights.

On Monday, the singer, actress and entrepreneur celebrated the launch of her multimedia company Wondermind alongside her two co-founders, her mom Mandy Teefey and fellow mental health activist Daniella Pierson. The new platform aims to be a free resource to help users navigate their own mental wellness. The 29-year-old, who has spoken candidly about living with bipolar disorder, says she wants to use her own experiences as a conduit to help others, particularly as it pertains to the toxicity of social media.

“I haven’t been on the internet in four and a half years,” Gomez said in an interview with Good Morning America. “It has changed my life completely. I am happier. I am more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal.”

Last year, she told InStyle she “created a system” where she doesn’t know the passwords to her social media accounts — a step she said was necessary in order to focus on herself.

The Only Murders in the Building star explained that “growing up in the spotlight has definitely taught me so much.”

“I can’t believe that I am where I am mentally just because of how I took the necessary steps in order to kind of remove myself from that because it’s just not normal,” she said.

Gomez, who has spoken candidly about living with bipolar disorder after publicly revealing her diagnosis in April 2020, says her mental health journey has been “freeing.”

“I started to have a relationship with myself,” Gomez said. “I think that’s the best part. I’ve probably been the happiest I’ve ever been.”

With Wondermind, Gomez says she wants “people to be understood and seen and heard. It’s OK to not be OK.”

“If I’m known for anything I hope it’s simply just for the way I care about people,” she added. “Those days where I don’t want to get out of bed, if I had something like Wondermind, even if it took me a minute to get into it, it’s just there. And there’s something that’s really comforting about that.”

Now, as the star is getting closer to turning 30, she hopes to take all the lessons she learned in her 20s and apply them to a better future.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to step into this chapter. Alone, independently, strong, confidently,” she said. “That’s all I really want, you know?”

This isn’t the first time Gomez has spoken openly about her mental health.

In an interview with Elle magazine last year, she touched on the public scrutiny she faced over the years — including a very public breakup with Justin Bieber, undergoing a kidney transplant due to her lupus diagnosis and seeking mental health treatment.

“I don’t even know what they really believed I was doing — drugs, alcohol, running around, partying,” she explained of the negative press she endured. “The narrative was so nasty.”

Click here to read the full article on Yahoo! Life.

Black women start to talk about uterine fibroids, a condition many get but few speak about
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Uterine Fibroids patient Daye Covington after treatment

By Claretta Bellamy, NBC News

When Daye Covington visited her doctor for a routine physical last year, she expressed concern about weight gain in her belly that she said made her look seven months pregnant. But she knew she wasn’t pregnant, and she had a healthy lifestyle. An MRI revealed that she had multiple uterine fibroids — noncancerous growths in the uterus — the size of cantaloupes.

“First, I was relieved to know that I was not pregnant because I was not trying to be pregnant,” she told NBC News, “and then I was scared because I didn’t know much about fibroids.”

Uterine fibroids are rarely discussed, despite being a common condition, particularly for Black women. Experts say that by age 35, about half of Black women have had them, and by age 50, 80 percent of Black women have them, compared to 70 percent of white women. Black women are also more likely to have higher fibroid growth than other racial groups. While most cases require no treatment, in some instances, they can cause weight gain, heavy periods, frequent urination or pelvic pain, and they may require surgery.

Now, some Black women, like Covington, who shared her experience on are speaking up about their struggles and are encouraging others to educate themselves about the condition, so they can identify the symptoms and seek treatment, if necessary. Former star of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Cynthia Bailey, 55, recently shared her experience with uterine fibroids with People, saying she endured heavy bleeding during periods, fatigue and an expanded belly, which led fans to assume she was pregnant. She also said her mental health took a toll.

 

31-year-old Daye Covington’s stomach is shown before and after her myomectomy.
31-year-old Daye Covington’s stomach is shown before and after her surgery to remove fibroids. Daye Covington

“It’s very hard to be in a good space mentally when you’re bleeding all the time and when you don’t have any energy, and you’re anemic,” she told the magazine.

While all women are at risk for developing uterine fibroids, Black women are disproportionately affected, with one study showing that Black women are three times more likely to develop them than white women and that Black women are more likely to need surgical treatment.

The reasons for this disparity, however, are less clear, said Eric Hardee, a physician and co-founder of Houston Fibroids and Texas Endovascular Associates. A family history of fibroids increases a woman’s risk. Obesity, diet and environmental factors may also play a role. Hair relaxers have also been linked to increased risk of uterine fibroid development.

Black women may also be less likely to seek help.

Cynthia Talla, 28, said despite her severe symptoms, she felt like she had to endure her pain alone. When she did seek help after dealing with fibroid symptoms as a teen, Talla said the medical professionals made her feel that Black women are able to bear the pain.

After Talla had surgery in 2020, she recalled telling her mother how good she was finally feeling.

“I remember crying, like, ‘I can’t believe I didn’t feel like this for years,’” she said. “So it’s very bad.”

Sara Harris, who serves on the board of the reproductive health organization Resilient Sisterhood Project, agreed.

“I do think there’s that superwoman phenomena, that Black women can do it all,” she said, “and speaking from my own personal experience, not wanting to ask for help because you know that you can take care of your own stuff, and you have to take care of everyone else around you at the same time.”

Harris added that many Black women also feel a taboo talking about these issues. Resilient Sisterhood Project offers support groups and virtual webinars with Black health experts to answer questions about topics on endometriosis, infertility and HPV, as well as training for universities and health care organizations about reproductive health and Black women’s needs in accessing health care.

Another issue with uterine fibroids, Harris said, is that they’re often misdiagnosed.

“Black women might be misdiagnosed for having an STI [sexually transmitted infection] or misdiagnosed for being pregnant or treated for preventing pregnancy, rather than looking at sort of what could be a deeper cause of the same symptoms that a Black woman is facing — like pelvic pain or prolonged menstrual bleeding,” Harris said.

Click here to read the full article on NBC News.

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Robert Half