Social Entrepreneur : Speaker : Author : Triathlete

Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds

Social Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author, Triathlete

You are here: Home / Archives for Jeffrey Reynolds

Why Fireworks on July 4th Aren’t for Everyone

by Leave a Comment

PTSD-SIGNThere are lots of reasons to leave fireworks displays to the professionals. Beyond the risk of personal injury and fire, many veterans and their families have come to dread July 4th. As our nation celebrates its independence, many of our nation’s veterans will become prisoners in their own homes as they seek refuge from sounds, sights and smells that can trigger Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Here’s what one military spouse posted on Facebook:

“Well, we’ve finally made it to what has now become one of the most predictably dreaded weeks of the year in our home…. the week including the 4th of July. A day that we used to enjoy celebrating our country’s freedom, it’s independence, has ironically become a tremendous source of added mental anguish for my husband, and for many other Veterans, the very people who have fought the hardest for our freedoms. Last year’s FOUR days in a row of explosions (YES, I said four days…. and we are not referring to sparklers here my friends, but the BIG ones) in our neighborhood started my hubby on a PTSD downhill spiral that wound him up in an inpatient lockdown facility a few days later…. absolutely NOT okay! I vowed after last year that if I had to temporarily move him to a hotel in the middle of a city where fireworks were not allowed, I would do it, because it was like torture for him. It was so hard watching him try to maintain his calm and use all his coping skills (and meds of course) and still continue to get worse and worse each day. He also re-injured himself physically twice that week, when he hit the ground “diving for cover” (automatic response). For those of you who are struggling with this in your homes also, or just looking for understanding as to why this is so bad for many of these Vets, I wanted to share with you what he was able to tell me on the first night of the fireworks last year (when he could still communicate a bit)…. I think it was profound and I really appreciated him letting me in for better understanding. He said, “I can sit here and tell myself all night long that those explosions out there are not a danger to us and that I am NOT in Iraq right now …. I understand that intellectually…. that they are JUST fireworks…. BUT that doesn’t stop this awful FEELING inside me that IF I don’t go out there and try to do something about it, that people ARE going to die!” I’m not sure that every Vet would say it the same way, but I’m guessing many might. I am really glad that this year we live in a state where fireworks (used by the general public) are mostly banned, not that I think a few people around me won’t try it, so hopefully that will narrow down the activity considerably, and we will make it through without the level of agony we experienced last year. I think (or hope) it would help if the general public were better informed about how badly this affects many Veterans, so that they may choose different options for celebrating the 4th. Please pass this around so we can make people aware, who otherwise may not have any way to understand.”

PTSD is actually pretty common in the general population and experiencing trauma isn’t rare. About 6 of every 10 (or 60%) of men and 5 of every 10 (or 50%) of women experience at least one trauma in their lives. Women are more likely to experience sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Men are more likely to experience accidents, physical assault, combat, disaster, or to witness death or injury. Chronic poverty and community violence can fuel PTSD in children and families. Among civilians:

  • About 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
  • About 8 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.
  • About 10 of every 100 (or 10%) of women develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 (or 4%) of men.

Increasingly, those who have experienced direct or vicarious trauma because of mass shootings or other acts of gun violence are among those most at risk given the loud bangs and flashes associated with fireworks. School-age children are at even higher risk than their adult counterparts.

Military service comes with an added – and often compounded – set of risks for PTSD. According to the Veterans Administration, PTSD varies by service era:

  • Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF): About 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans (or between 11-20%) who served in OIF or OEF have PTSD in a given year.
  • Gulf War (Desert Storm): About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12%) have PTSD in a given year.
  • Vietnam War: About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam Veterans (or 15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD at the time of the most recent study in the late 1980s, the National
  • Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS). It is estimated that about 30 out of every 100 (or 30%) of Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.

Lots of folks in our community are struggling with trauma and PTSD. Making sure that everyone can enjoy our annual national celebration of our freedoms – especially those who fought for those freedoms. It seems like the very least we can do.

Equality and Social Justice Make Great Mother’s Day Gifts

by Leave a Comment

Sunday is Mother’s Day and according to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an average of $180 on mom this year for a national total of 23.1 billion. Hallmark says 133 million Mother’s Day cards will be exchanged this year and the U.S. National Restaurant Association reports that Sunday will be this year’s most popular holiday for dining out. Indeed, Mother’s Day is an opportunity for families to acknowledge the private sacrifices made by our moms.

But Mother’s Day should also be a time when we consider the plight of mothers who are struggling and re-affirm our commitment to women’s equality and social justice. At any one time, about two thirds of single mothers work outside the home; despite a booming economy, only half are employed full-time all year long, and a quarter are jobless the entire year. Among those who were laid off or looking for work, only about 22% receive unemployment benefits.

If by some miracle, a single mom is able to find both affordable child care and a steady job, her earning power still lags significantly compared with men’s – about 78 cents on the dollar for the same job – leaving a sizable wage gap that grows even wider for women of color. African-American women earn only 64 cents, while Hispanic and Latinas fare worse, being paid just 56 cents on the dollar.

The poverty rate for single-mother families in 2017 was 34%, about five times the rate for married-couple families. More than half live in extreme poverty with incomes less than $9,900 for a family of three. One third of single mother families were “food insecure,” one seventh (13%) used food pantries, one-third spent more than half their income on housing.

Spending more than half your income on rent and a third on child care leaves little for educational expenses, which is why 40% of single parents are employed in low-wage jobs. Only one third of single mothers receive any child support and the average amount these mothers get is just $430 per month.

Being a Mom isn’t an easy job, but it’s even harder for those who are struggling to do it on their own, for those who are recent immigrants and for those who have survived violence. On this Mother’s Day, let’s make sure we are giving all moms – and by extension, their children – the same unconditional love we enjoyed from our mothers.

Better yet, let’s do that for all women.

What Can You Remove From Your To-Do List?

by Leave a Comment

hamsterI make lists, mostly for short-term daily goals, but also for long term goals. For most of us, lifetime goals are organized into a “bucket list,” while annual goals mapped out on January 1st and updated quarterly are typically labeled “resolutions.” My daily to-do list includes key tasks, phone calls, emails and exercise. I try to chunk tasks together for optimal efficiency and love to create “found time” by listening to educational  podcasts while running, responding to emails while waiting for meetings to start and cleaning up my call-back list while driving (using a hands-free device).  There’s a great feeling of accomplishment when you cross that last task, email or phone call off the list and finish the day.

But how many of those things never should have made it onto the list in the first place?

How many of the meetings we go are twice as long as they need to be, include the wrong people or are wholly unnecessary? How many end without a concrete follow-up plan or next steps?

As we spend hours pursuing “in-box zero,” and checking social media feeds, it makes sense to wonder whether we really need to send all of those emails and Facebook messages? Do we need really need take that last look at Instagram?

Is everything on your to-do list really that important or meaningful? Will it make a difference tomorrow, next week or next year? Do the things on today’s list relate to your goals for the year or are you rushing through those tasks, hoping to have time to do the really important stuff?

Before adding things to your to-do list, carefully consider the impact and importance of each item. Doing a bunch of meaningless stuff fast isn’t productive. Working hard is easy; working smarter takes some strategic thinking and tough decisions.

For every new thing you add to your list today, take something off. The important stuff will rise to the top.

Groundhog Day

by Leave a Comment

Today is February 2nd and it’s Groundhog Day – the day when we cheerfully note the fact that a burrowing rodent in Pennsylvania is generally more accurate than weather forecasters who have hundreds of millions of dollars worth of technology at their fingertips. The good news this morning is that Punxsutawney Phil, surrounded by a bunch of middle aged bearded men in top hats did not see his shadow and as such, has predicted an early Spring.

It’s likely that some television channel will air the classic 1993 movie Groundhog Day this afternoon and millions will try to track it down on Netflix, OnDemand or YouTube. The film stars Bill Murray as Phil Connors, a TV weatherman who, during an assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event, is caught in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the same day – a day that begins with Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” blaring on the alarm clock radio.

There’s more to the story, but here’s something to think about as 2019 marches on: If each day has become routine for you and you want more, now is the time to make it happen. Make today different. Make a decision, take an action or start something new.

Do it now because Spring is just around the corner.

Social Links