Christmas in 2020 is going to look a lot different than any Christmas we've seen before; from where we do our shopping to how we celebrate, there's a lot of change coming. Things are moving online as we adapt to a new normal. Let's use this opportunity to have a green Christmas! I've put together this Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Guide to help you find the perfect present for your loved ones. I've included links for many of the gift ideas since most of us may not have the opportunity to do any in-person shopping. I've broken my Eco-Friendly Christmas Gift Guide for 2020 down into 3 categories ..read more

One topic that comes up often in conversations of ,sustainability and ,wellness is minimalism. Not minimalism as the art or interior design style, but minimalism applied as a lifestyle. What does that look like and how does it apply to topics such as sustainability and wellness? Minimalism as a lifestyle means different things to different people. But there are some core values we can narrow it down to. In this way, minimalism is a tool for simplifying your life, something that many of us can benefit from. In this article, we’ll look at: What is minimalism? What minimalism is not. What are so ..read more

Social wellness is ,one dimension of our overall wellness; it's domain is our relationships with other people. From a quick glance, social wellness seems to be influenced by the outside world — the people we work, live, and interact with — but, in fact, good or bad social wellness comes from within us. With this information, we know that our social wellness can always be improved. In exploring social wellness, we'll look at: What is social wellness? Why is good social wellness important? How do you cultivate social wellness? What is Social Wellness? Social wellness is concerned with our inte ..read more

Zero waste started as a set of design principles for creating products, services, and processes that minimize waste that is produced. These principles were adopted as a lifestyle by environmentally minded people who are now carrying zero waste to the mainstream spotlight. As the zero waste movement has grown, it’s message has been somewhat diluted. As the lifestyle side of the movement has exploded, the onus on companies to reduce their waste is pushed aside. While individual actions are still useful, the importance of regulating industries can not be forgotten. The core principles of zero was ..read more

We’ve been At first glance, environmental wellness appears unique. It seems to emphasize the outside world, as opposed to the internal changes the other dimensions prioritize. But if we examine how to improve our environmental wellness, we’ll see otherwise. While environmental wellness is impacted by the world around us, it is improved by changes we make in ourselves. The goal of environmental wellness isn’t to solve the climate crisis; that’s too big a demand for an individual. Instead, we change our mindset and behaviors, to have a healthier relationship with the planet, our personal environ ..read more

You've probably heard somewhere that you should start meditating or practice mindfulness. I'm going to tell you that as well, but why? What exactly is mindfulness and why is it so good for us? How does it work, and how do we get started? ,Mindfulness, the way we understand it today, has been sneaking its way into the public sphere since it was first developed in the 1970s. In the 2010s, mindfulness finally went mainstream and it's been blowing up on apps, books, and websites. ,Mindfulness is closely related to ,Many of the ideas behind mindfulness predate their modern applications. The practi ..read more

,If you’ve read my ,Emotional wellness is the dimension of wellness concerned with our emotions. Specifically, it includes our awareness of our feelings and their physical signs, the ability to acknowledge and accept our emotions, our capacity to appropriately express strong emotions, and our coping strategies. ,Someone with poor emotional wellness may spend hours agonizing over natural emotions such as envy or anger. They may lash out when irritable, regardless of the true source of their irritation. A society full of people who are not in tune with their emotions would not function very well ..read more

I've been To understand why gratitude is so beneficial we should understand what it means. To see how gratitude can support wellness, we'll look at specific benefits of gratitude that research has found. Once we know all that, we can delve into a daily gratitude practice. What is Gratitude? Gratitude is the feeling or practice of being thankful for the good in life and the kind actions of others. It may arise spontaneously, some people are more prone to feeling grateful than others, and it can also be cultivated consciously. Like happiness, gratitude can arise as a spontaneous feeling. This ma ..read more

When I told my editor-slash-husband that I was going to write about happiness, he wasn't convinced. But it kept coming up with other topics so I knew it was something I wanted to explore. See, humans have always worried about happiness in some form or another (some cultures actually have Before I dive in, I want to share a bit about my experience with "happiness." I've struggled with depression and anxiety for over 5 years and it's that part of me that's brought me to the journey I'm on today. I don't mean to imply any of the ideas I'm sharing are quick cure-alls or substitutes for medication ..read more

We engage in and improve our wellness when we pursue activities and follow behaviors that benefit us. I've written a whole post about In another post Physical Wellness Physical wellness is the dimension concerned with your body. It includes physical activity and nutrition, as well as maintaining health. Exercise or otherwise engage in physical activity daily Set fitness goals for yourself to achieve Take care of your body via self-care Focus on eating home-cooked nutritious food Eat lots of fruits and vegetables Drink water (and tea) Get adequate sleep Environmental Wellness Environmental we ..read more