The holidays are right around the corner! And that means many of us will begin losing our minds, patience, and good cheer. Well, can you blame us? The holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. Between shopping, decorating, and keeping your drunk aunt away from your recently widowed neighbor, it’s enough to pull your hair out! If you tend to get a little stressed over the holidays, here are some tips to help you stay cool, calm, and collected. Embrace Flaws Nothing and no one is perfect. No matter how hard you try to have “the perfect holidays,” it’s simply not going to happen ..read more

Our mental health significantly impacts our quality of life, so it makes sense that we would want to do all we can to improve it. This may include things like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting enough quality sleep each night.  But there is something else that greatly influences our mental health and that is a community and a sense of belonging. Human beings are wired for connection. When we feel connected to others, we feel loved and supported. Friends can often help alleviate the stress in our life because our friends are there for us to lean on. If you have been feeling alon ..read more

The old saying goes, “Into every life a little rain must fall.” Stress is like rain. A little of it can be a good thing. But too much can cause havoc and devastation. Our bodies are designed to handle a little bit of acute or sudden stress. But when stress is prolonged or becomes chronic, it can have devastating consequences to our health. Here are just some of the ways stress can negatively impact your body: Respiratory Issues Prolonged stress can lead to respiratory issues such as shortness of breath. Individuals who do not have an underlying respiratory disease may not be very impacted. But ..read more

When we speak about human behavior or ways of being in the world, we have traditionally described someone as having normal behavior or abnormal behavior. Recently, mental health experts have begun to look at things in a broader, more inclusive scope. What Does Neurodivergent Mean? Neurodivergent is a term used to describe someone who either behaves in a specific way or processes information in a specific way that differs from cultural norms. It is an important shift in the mental health community because it allows clinicians to discuss diagnoses, such as autism, in a way that doesn’t portray t ..read more

When you think about it, modern women are really like superheroes. Not only are they obtaining college degrees and climbing corporate ladders, they’re doing so while also raising families. They may also find themselves taking care of aging parents at the same time. While some women are able to manage juggling all of these big responsibilities, many women, over time, will experience burnout and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. A Gold Medal for Prioritizing Mental Health Last summer, the world held its collective breath as gymnast Simone Biles made the heartbreaking decision ..read more

You know you got your hairline from your Dad’s side of the family and your eye color from your mom. You know diabetes runs in your family, as does heart disease and Parkinson’s. But do you know that many families also pass down trauma to their loved ones? It’s not just our physical makeup and risk of disease that we inherit from our family, it is also the emotional wounds as well. What is Transgenerational Trauma? Before you were born you were in your mother’s womb and very susceptible to her emotions. As your mother felt joy, her body released hormones that made you feel joy. When she felt sa ..read more

According to CDC data, 1 in 4 children experiences some form of trauma or abuse in their childhood. More sobering statistics indicate that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have experienced rape at some point in their lives. These numbers suggest that many people, male and female, young and old, have and will experience trauma in their lifetime.   Treating Health in People with Trauma  If you’ve ever gone to the doctor or been treated at an emergency room, you know that the entire scenario can feel incredibly invasive. Sensitive questions are often asked, intimate body parts may need ..read more

Recently, actor Bruce Willis announced he was stepping away from the cameras after a diagnosis of aphasia, a brain disorder that impacts a person’s cognitive abilities. While many had not heard of aphasia until Willis’ announcement, the brain disorder is more common than Parkinson’s Disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy and affects roughly 2 million Americans, according to the National Aphasia Association. What is Aphasia Exactly? Aphasia develops when portions of the brain that are responsible for language are damaged. Aphasia usually happens suddenly as a result of a head injury or s ..read more

When you think of water exercise you most likely imagine a pool full of octogenarians moving around very slowly. While water exercise is very beneficial to older people, it actually offers tremendous benefits to people of all ages! What is Water Exercise Exactly? As the name suggests, water exercise, also often referred to as water aerobics, is a fitness activity done completely in the water. Water exercise is typically done in a swimming pool where the water is between four to five feet deep and the temperature is between 82 and 87 degrees Fahrenheit. You might be surprised at the variety of ..read more

It’s that time of year when most of us think about setting our New Year’s resolutions. If you’re like a lot of people, you may have a goal of “losing weight” or “getting healthier.” These are obviously great goals to have, and making changes to your diet is one of the best ways to reach both. The problem is, too many people make the wrong changes to their diet. They want to lose 30 pounds and be healthy in an unrealistic amount of time. And so once January 1st comes around, they rely on fad diets that don’t provide their bodies with proper nourishment. This is the number one reason people fail ..read more