Tag: mental-health

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Caring for your mental and physical health during these unprecedented times – Love, Wendy

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The brain has its limits when it comes to processing information, especially when it’s complex or emotionally charged.

Psychologically, we tend to get overwhelmed when we are bombarded with too much uncertainty, bad news, or major shifts in their environment. This type of overload (allostatic load–a physiological stress response when repeatedly exposed to stress which is affecting our wellness. DAILY self care is needed for balance and wellness) is where stress hormones like cortisol ramp up, and it becomes harder to focus or make decisions.

When we are observing our fundamental rights and our democracy under attack constantly throughout the day and in a very short amount of time, we feel our safety net blowing in the wind and our once solid foundation crack.

We are watching the erosion of our rights and freedoms.

Practicing extra self care, especially during times of external chaos is the one thing we have control over. We must preserve our personal power. It’s like putting on your own oxygen mask first before you can help others. Our family, friends, our adult children, our grandchildren, our students may be looking to us for comfort and guidance.

By preserving our personal power, we are more inclined to stay grounded and resilient when everything feels overwhelming, and in this space we are able to support others.

I literally felt breathless last night as I tried to fall asleep. I had to do mindful breathing for awhile before I was able to feel more at peace. Deliberately implementing a relaxed breathing pattern calms a dysregulated nervous system.

Our breath is our most accessible tool to intervene with our physiology in real time.

I made the following changes and I am suggesting these to you, my dear readers, as a possible source of alleviating the chronic stress and taking back your personal power.

  1. Turn off all news notifications on your cell phone. I only left on the “emergency notification.”
  2. I only watch the weather on the television, never the news broadcast as they tend to bombard us with the same information over and over.
  3. Engage in self care practices that bring you peace and wellness. There is a wonderful mantra that I practice from “A Course In Miracles” that says, “I can choose peace rather than this.” Whenever I begin to feel my body tightening and my heart racing, I remind myself of this simple yet powerful mantra.
  4. I am a writer, so writing is so cathartic for me as I release my thoughts and emotions onto the paper. Perhaps journaling your thoughts and emotions would be helpful. Writing stimulates the RAS Reticular Activation System in the brain and this part of the brain filters and processes information. SO EFFECTIVE.
  5. Getting outdoors to breathe the fresh air and to release the overwhelming negative energy through a walk in nature is so comforting. I always come home feeling calmer, more peaceful and hopeful.
  6. I listen to “Calm Radio” on Pandora.
  7. I practice mediation and mindful breathing and stretching.
  8. Give yourself whatever you need…i.e., your favorite cup of tea, coffee, light candles, essential oils, etc. A healthy practice supports a healthy mind and body.
  9. Talk to a trusted friend or loved one. DON’T get stuck on the negative. Going around and around about the negative creates a downward spiral of our mental health.
  10. IN ANY MOMENT WHERE WE FEEL STRESSED OR TRIGGERED, WE CAN CHOOSE TO USE OUR “RATIONAL AND WISE MIND” VS OUR “EMOTIONAL MIND,” IF WE ARE PRACTICING ONGOING SELF CARE. IN THIS MOMENT, WE CAN STOP AND ASK OURSELVES, “WHAT ACTION/PRACTICE WILL SERVE ME BEST IN THIS MOMENT? WHAT WILL PROMOTE MY WELLNESS?”

Allow your brain space and time to receive information, and use the information as it pertains to your individual situation.

Most of what we are experiencing is out of our control. Focus on yourself and your loved ones.

Do whatever you can to preserve your physical and mental health by practicing daily self care, and do it often throughout the day.

Release any thoughts of worry. Be prepared for unexpected events in whatever way brings you peace. And remind yourself often…

“I can choose peace rather than this…”

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life

From Stress to Serenity- Love, Wendy

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Our emotional health is such an overlooked factor in influencing the length and quality of an individual’s life.

Shaping lifespan refers to the ways in which both genetic and environmental factors influence the length and quality of an individual’s life. The concept encompasses a range of biological, social, and lifestyle determinants that interact to affect longevity. 

Poorly managed, or unmanaged chronic stress, an allostatic load, fuels unhealthy coping habits like overeating and substance use that promotes dis-ease, eroding health and wellness, and shortening one’s lifespan, especially when we are not taking time to practice self care to balance our emotional and physical states. When we are experiencing chronic stress, the body remains in a constant state of ‘fight or flight,’ which leads to persistent inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and a weakened immune system.

This ongoing wear and tear, known as allostatic load, accelerates the aging process, increases susceptibility to chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, and can severely impact mental health.

Moreover, in severe cases, poor emotional health impacts one’s longevity when individuals who are feeling unwell, emotionally, or living with a mental health disorder that goes untreated, tragically end their own lives prematurely…which is occurring at unprecedented rates.

At this time of year between holiday stress, financial stress, living with a chronic illness, grieving those we’ve lost, or reflecting on a year filled with challenges, it’s imperative to remember the importance of self-compassion and balance. 

When we actively practice self-care—whether through mindfulness, exercise, healthy eating, or seeking professional support—we can counteract the effects of stress, restore balance to our bodies and minds, and cultivate a more sustainable, healthier lifestyle.

When we invest in our well-being, we promote long-term health, vitality, and even longevity. The choices we make for ourselves on a daily basis either creates inflammation, or wellness.

Please remember to take a break when you need to during this season, and throughout the year as a lifestyle practice.

This can look like unplugging from social media, daily intentional self care, or reaching out to a trusted friend or mental health professional when you need support.

TAKE A BREAK.

For more self care and spiritual solution ideas to manage your chronic stress, read my book, Write Pray Recover:A Journey To Wellness Through Spiritual Solutions and Self Care.

This is an interactive journal that guides one from stress to serenity.

https://a.co/d/3ZSZsHv

Wishing you and yours a healthy, joyous and blessed holiday season.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

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Mental Health and Wellness – Love, Wendy

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Our mental health is on a continuum and on any given day, for any given reason, at any given time we move along that continuum and we must be armed with a variety of tools at our disposal as we move along the continuum.

Movement along the continuum could relate to biological factors, environmental factors and even how we practice daily self-care.

Self care is one of the most effective ways in managing our symptoms and to stay ahead of our symptoms. This is especially true when we are aware of our body/mind connection and recognize the symptoms in the early stage of escalation. With this information, we can intervene immediately, and/or ask for support.

We all have mental health.

Our relationship to self driven by self care, self respect and self preservation above all else is the foundation of wellness.

Wellness becomes not just an outcome, but a living practice grounded in our ability to honor and protect the integrity of who we are, and how we experience life.

Love,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life

A Gentle Reminder of Self Care – Love, Wendy

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The holiday season is here, and I like to remind our community how important practicing self care is every day, and especially during the holiday season where we may feel triggers more easily when engaging with people and specific situations that we may not engage in during the rest of the year.

Prioritize your well being. No job or relationship is worth jeopardizing your wellness.

Purposefully create a safe, quiet space for healing. You will NEVER be able to heal in the midst of chaos or in the company of those who are infusing unhealthy behaviors into your space and causing you anxiety.

The thought that family bonds are “forever and unbreakable” sadly is a fallacy. ANY person who consistently infuses toxicity, drama and triggers anxiety into your space is NOT enriching your life and wellness.

Healthy relationships should enrich, not complicate your life into a spiral of confusion and despair.

Make peace (this takes time and should not be “set” to a timeframe) with the people and situations that are not serving you and discharge them from your life. If we don’t accept these realities and eliminate the emotional and toxic stressors from our lives, it WILL significantly hamper our recovery from the situation and keep us stuck in a dysfunctional mindset and relationship/job/situation.

Your only job in practicing self care is to re-visit your own expectations of self, create realistic, achievable goals, and to create a small action step to achieve that goal. Move forward slowly and strategically. Offer yourself as much time as needed to heal.

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO FEEL WHATEVER YOU FEEL FOR AS LONG AS YOU FEEL IT.

YOU are the one who is in charge of your thoughts, behaviors, relationships, happiness, and on the flip side, the unhealthy connections that exacerbate and fuel anxiety, sadness and can even manifest in physical symptoms of dis-ease.

There is NO quick fix.

Being in a hurry to “fix” it only fuels anxiety.

It is a daily process of reminding ourselves of how we want to feel, daily, and how we want to be received by others. What kind of environment do we want to create for ourselves and those we CHOOSE to allow into our space.? We need to ask ourselves, “What will bring me joy today? What do I need in this moment to feel peace? How do I need to love myself today?”

Inherently, we all know the answers to these questions.

The way in which we respond to these self reflection questions directly influences the reality that we create including the relationships and situations that we choose and allow into our space.

1. Speak your truth to yourself first. “To thine own self be true.”

2. Be selfish with your energy. CONSERVE your energy by not expending it in any negative connections through worry, anxiety, anger, etc.

3. Set healthy boundaries. Say “I love myself and my body. My boundaries will speak to others what I will and will NOT accept into my space and energy.”

4. Make a mindful decision to create a safe space for yourself whether at home, at work, or out enjoying fun times with others. Make a mindful decision to never engage in an energy that will drain your own energy.

5. Empower yourself through self care, self compassion and self preservation. This is the way that we empower and teach others.

For more on self care, read my book, Write Pray Recover: A Journey To Wellness Through Spiritual Solutions and Self Care available on Amazon and online bookstores worldwide. Or click here: http://www.writeprayrecover.com

Wishing you a blessed and peaceful holiday season.

Love and blessings,

Wendy