Living Healthy 6 The holiday season can be hard, especially if you are missing someone who passed away, feeling sad after a breakup or facing a big life change. Instead of looking forward to the season, you might feel sadness, anger, tiredness or body aches. It’s OK to feel this way. You don’t have to pretend to be happy. Here are some things that can help ■ Call Member Services at 800-700-3874 (TTY: Dial 711) to request no-cost counseling or support. ■ Join a local grief support group, or look for help online at websites like grief.com. ■ Try to sleep at least 8 hours each night. ■ Eat healthy food and drink plenty of water every day. ■ Move your body daily. If you haven’t exercised in a while, talk to your health care provider about exercise that’s right for you. ■ Connect with family, friends or neighbors you enjoy being with. ■ Try activities like drawing, reading, listening to music or spending time in nature. ■ If you are spiritual, connecting with your spiritual practice might also bring you comfort. You can choose how you celebrate the holidays. It’s OK to skip traditions, change them or start new ones. Grief is different for everyone, and it takes time to heal. Be kind and patient with yourself, and remember—it’s OK to ask for help. Coping with grief during the holidays Let your voice be heard! We have many ways for you to let us know how we are doing and how we can improve. One of them is through our Member Services Advisory Group (MSAG). Through MSAG, we can hear from our members and people who serve our members. We use this information to help us better understand what our members think, want and need. This group is made up of Alliance members and representatives of county and community agencies. Meetings are held four times per year. Alliance members or parents of an Alliance member can get $50 for going to each meeting. If you would like to know more about how to join MSAG, please email msag@thealliance.health, call the Alliance at 800-700-3874 (TTY: Dial 711) or visit us online at www.thealliance.health/msag.
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