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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2020)
16 Wednesday, April 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon DEVICES: Constant news checking breeds anxiety Continued from page 3 the brain mostly oper- ates from a fight-or-flight response mode. It <seeks out quick fixes to feelings of anxiety,= according to Price. For example, your rational brain might think meditation, prayer, or exercise sounds like a good idea. Price said, <Your more primitive brain is like, »That sounds hard. Why don9t I just have a drink?9 Our brains are going to seek out rewards, some- thing that will trigger the brain to release the chemical dopamine.= Dopamine produces a temporary feeling of good- ness, a mini-high. Common <quick fixes= for dopamine rewards include alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Most people understand that these substances cause health prob- lems and can lead to seri- ous addictions that destroy lives. <Alcohol and drugs most definitely activate t r i g g e r d o p a m i n e c i r- cuitry in your brain,= said Price. <Interestingly, the news does too,= she said, <because novelty is a really big dopa- mine trigger. So every time you check the news and find something new waiting for you 4 which you will, every single time, because it9s the news! 4 your brain is going to release a little bit of dopamine.= On a quick-fix level, that dopamine hit makes us want to repeat the behavior. It doesn9t mat- ter if the news is unhelp- ful or makes you stressed out or breeds even more anxiety. Price said, <Your brain does not care. It9s just like, »Oh, I got a hit of that new stuff. I9m going to do it again.9= Today9s newsfeeds and social media apps are built by designers and engineers trained in provoking that dopamine response. Interface design elements 4 scroll- ing and <pulling= the bot- tom of a phone to refresh the screen 4 work in tandem with content algorithms to keep users coming back. This produces more adver- tising revenue for media companies. Price believes it makes sense that we would try to relieve our anxiety by turn- ing to the news. <We9re hoping to find answers,= she said. <We9re hoping they9re going to tell us the pandemic is slowing down, a vaccine has been discovered, or that a com- mon throat lozenge is the cure.= Looking for a concrete answer and not finding it causes more anxiety. This is <sending our rational brains even further under that rock,= according to Price. To crawl out and start feeling better, people can use solid techniques for reduc- ing device and news engage- ment. (See <Seven Steps to Sanity,= page 17.) Upcoming issues of The Nugget will feature special advice for families and kids who are sheltering in place. HOUSING: Habitat will build six townhomes Continued from page 3 the process. Habitat requires that families receiving homes put in 200 hours of <sweat equity= working on building Habitat homes or in support roles helping the organization. <We have selected fami- lies, but they haven9t hit that threshold yet,= Weed said. Hall noted that all six townhomes will be also be Earth Advantage Platinum certified, resulting in low utility expenses for the owners. The process of applying for LIFT funding delayed the start of construction, which has been further impeded by the shutdown associated with the battle against COVID-19. The shutdown has severely impacted Habitat9s operations, particularly impacting its Thrift Store and ReStore, which provide key revenue for Habitat9s work. <It9s horrible,= Weed said. <Our stores are closed, our revenue streams have dried up. Maybe when we9re getting ready to come out of this, we9ll be ready to break ground over there.= Gypsy Wind Clothing Good News in Tough Times… WE ARE EXPANDING & MOVING! We are working hard at getting the new space ready for our unveiling and will reopen as soon as possible! NEW ADDRESS: 183 E. HOOD AVE., SISTERS A U T H E N T I C J A PA N E S E , SU S H I , A S I A N Community newspaper advertising gets seen! Display ads in The Nugget start at $27.20/week Ghost Town… PHOTO COURTESY BARRAGE STUDIOS Sisters is taking the mandate to stay home seriously. Sisters was eerily quiet in last weekend’s snow showers. TY E F A S YOUR OUR IS TY! I PRIOR 541-549-4349 Driving in separate work vehicles Wearing protective gloves & face masks at all jobs Maintaining appropriate distance Daily cleaning of vehicles & tools 260 N. Pine St., Sisters LOCAL. RELIABLE. PROFESSIONAL. Licensed / Bonded / Insured / CCB#87587 Serving Sisters Since 1976 ng on i o g t e g o Need t e’ve W ? s t c e j o spring pr ing you need! th FREE got every Local Delivery Lumber • Hardware • Paint Fencing & Decking • Doors & Windows ows Hours: M-F 8 to 5, Sat. 8 to 4:30, Closed Sundays 440 N. Pine St. • 541-549-8141 • www.hoyts.net Victor y for Lif e! Celebrate Easter WE ARE OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT ORDERS ONLY Call your community marketing partner, Vicki or Patti Jo, to discuss promoting your business to every household in the Sisters area. Tues.-Fri. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4-8:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun., 12-3 p.m., 4-8:30 p.m. Closed Monday 541-549-9941 541-548-3035 DOWNTOWN REDMOND 511 SW 6TH ST. online with Highland Baptist Church www.hbcredmond.org During this diffi cult time, we continue to worship, pray for our community and nation and minister to people. Need prayer? prayer@hbcredmond.org Highland Baptist Church 3100 SW Highland Ave., Redmond 541-548-4161 • hbcredmond.org Visit NuggetNews.com or Facebook.com/NuggetNews for breaking news, updates and the