Are you at your wits end? Do you feel like past you was nuts by saying yes to helping volunterr at the kid’s fun run and the community garden while also leading a project at work and staring a new workout routing? Do you feel like you come to your monday feeling like you could already sleep a thousand years and it wouldn’t be enough?
Read MoreDid you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? I personally think it should be a year-long campaign, given the epidemic levels of stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety in our current world. Global Pandemic aside, people have been under increasing stress for years. 73% of adults in the United States report stress levels that have a negative impact on their mental health. Whether you struggle with anxiety and depression or find yourself occasionally feeling stressed out, there could be some sneaky things that are negatively impacting your mental health.
Read MoreThe world learned many lessons over the pandemic. Many people learned new skills or hobbies. Even more faced difficult emotions like depression, heartbreak, uncertainty, and grief. And if there are any lessons to be held on to as the world slowly picks up from where we left off, let it be this: prioritizing one’s health and wellbeing is more important than anything. But when work gets in the way of your balance, how do you manage? And what about when you have children who also depend on you?
Read MoreMuscle knots can be present in both superficial muscles, like the trapezius, and deeper ones like the rhomboids, which reside under the trapezius. Typically muscles knot and seize due to repetitive motion, posture, or stress. Do you notice upper back pain in the trapezius and rhomboids? It could be due to repetitive actions like working at a computer all day, looking down at your phone, or diving deep into a novel you can’t put down. However, there can also be emotional causes; depression, grief and heartbreak will typically round the shoulders forward to protect the heart.
Read MoreAs the weather warms and we finally can spend time outdoors again, it feels like the perfect time to begin purging our lives of those which are no longer necessary. Old clothes, books and trinkets collect dust. Piles of old papers grow larger. Unused items sit in the dark recesses of closets; it’s time to clear the stale energy of a long, dormant winter to make way for the bright new energy of spring.
Read Moreyou can understand how important it is to manage stress in an increasingly stressful environment. Massage is an incredible tool for managing stress that has been proven to lower cortisol levels. It’s now being used to treat PTSD and long-term studies have shown that consistent massage therapy can even decrease diastolic and systolic blood pressure, reducing risk for heart disease and stroke. However, it might be difficult to afford a massage treatment regimen. So, what else can be done to reduce stress?
Read MoreIn the past I leaned toward making gifts for my immediate family, but that was when I had more free time, a smaller family (we’ve added nieces and nephews and in-laws to the mix), and less Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent decades stressing every year before really taking the time to re-evaluate how you view gift-giving. Here are some things I’ve learned as well as some ways to approach gift giving differently this year, so you can finally enjoy the holidays.
Read MoreThe holiday season has been marketed to us for generations as the warm, fuzzy, magical time of the year when miracles and Christmas wishes all come true. And for some people, that might be the case. However, the holiday season can also be one of the most emotionally triggering times of the year-- in both good and bad ways. A study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 64% of those with mental illness report worsening symptoms during the holiday season. Added stress around the holidays can exacerbate anxiety and depression. Add a heaping spoonful of Global Pandemic, intense economic challenges,
Read MoreThe honest truth is that massage is not the magic cure-all you would like it to be. It absolutely has benefits, but when you aren’t using it in conjunction with other wellness techniques, it can only do so much. Unless you’re independently wealthy, the chances are you have to budget your time and money wisely to afford massages. If you aren’t able to come in for massages as often as you’d like, there are things you can do in between your massage appointments to maximize the benefit. Many of these options are easy, low-cost, and keep the muscle tension at bay.
Read MoreMornings don’t have to be a struggle. The key to a successful productive morning is consistency and planning. Utilize your precious morning time to reflect, practice gratitude, and shift your mindset to a positive outlook on the day ahead. Remember, lasting change happens in small, incremental steps. If you adopt one of the above tips, you’ve already made an improvement. And little by little, even the latest night owl can begin to enjoy mornings. And if you’re still tired, there’s always coffee.
Read MoreWestern society is all about the icy drinks. Soda, coffee, even water is served with copious amounts of ice at restaurants. It seems our answer to cooling down is to shock our system. Have you ever had a drink that was so cold, you got an ice-cream headache? How about stomach cramping? This happens due to a nerve response to the sudden contraction of blood vessels.
Read MoreBut aging is part of life, and there are some inescapable things that aging entails: not being able to pull all-nighters like back in college, worse hangovers, et cetera. I am also noticing more changes in my skin that I am not exactly thrilled by. So let’s explore some of the ways our skin changes from 20 to 30, and what to do to mitigate some of them.
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