Healthy Life Lessons

 As you can tell by the lack of frequency of my posts, I am a bit busy right now. I think I am burning myself out trying to help my counselling clients with burnout 😏 It seems the pandemic has either forced people into extreme boredom or working 24/7 without any separation between work and home (since most of us are working from home!). Anyways, I pushed myself to read these 2 books because they are work-related and I am always trying to learn more as a therapist and I also like having books to recommend to my clients. Fight Back: End Cycles of Anxiety and Depression This book is written by a Hypnotherapy practitioner and life coach, Mike Oglesbee, who himself battled anxiety and depression for years. Though his approach to treating anxiety and depression is really just cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) repackaged, I did like this book. Oglesbee starts by explaining parts of the brain as well as the mind (unconscious vs conscious, critical and primitive). The strategy he employs is

Given that the world is a complete train wreck right now, it's more important than ever to focus on all the things we have to be grateful for. For me, there is a lot. I have a wonderful husband and kids, loving family, job I adore (that is busier than ever) and financial stability. Really from a personal perspective I have to complaints. But being in a pandemic in a world that was already on it's way to destroying itself has left me very anxious about the future, particularly what things are going to look like for my children. It's heavy. I am sure we are all feeling it. So here are a few of the things I am enjoying right now. First off, I am in love with the Armchair Expert Podcast ! It is hosted by Dax Shepard (husband of Kristen Bell) and Monica Padman. I didn't bother checking it out for a long time because I thought it was just interviews with actors and celebrities, which doesn't interest me, but I discovered they interview a lot of researchers, scientists and

  So how is your end-of-the-world life going? Things are pretty apocalyptic right now and it's downright terrifying. Are you wondering how to keep your shit together in the face of all this chaos? Let's face it, even before 2020, the world seemed to be moving in a not very good direction and as a therapist, I can tell you, lots of people were already struggling. Anxiety and depression have been a growing problem for a long time but now experts worry we are in for a mental health tsunami thanks to the pandemic. I am always looking for useful resources that can help my clients manage their anxiety and boost their mood, so I was happy to review Have a Magical Day - 7 Keys to Living Happy Every Day . Written by motivational speaker, Wendell Miracle, who I had never heard of, its a short little guide book with, you guessed it, 7 practices to bolster mental health.  Now Miracle looks way to young to be a motivational speaker, but hey, if he has a sound message, I am willing to keep a

Has the Covid-19 Pandemic made you worry about your immune system and wondering what you can do to bolster it? Well don't search for the answer in an expensive bottles of supplements. To some extent, immune systems vary from person-to-person because of genetics, and, of course, some people are immuno-compromised due to underlying health issues or medications. The best things you can do for your immune system are: 1. Do not smoke or drink 2. Get enough sleep/manage stress 3. Exercise 4. Eat a nutritious diet that includes lots of fruits and veggies Unfortunately, the pandemic has created the perfect opportunity for companies to exploit people's fears and convince them to spend large sums of money on unnecessary products. A good example of this is the immune shot package from BodyBio . For $69.99USD you get: 1. Vitamin C crystals 2. Liquid zinc 3. Liposomal (a gel like substance that is the same material as your cells which increases 'bioavailability' of the vitamin C and

Did you notice that since the Covid-19 pandemic started, there are stories about how to boost immunity all over the media plus ads for supplements that are supposed to increase immunity everywhere? So far, only Vitamin D seems to show any lick of connection with Covid-19 infections, and the very preliminary findings are that there seems to be a link between those who get the most severe cases of Covid and Vitamin D deficiency. Aside from that, the best way to keep your immune system in good shape is focusing on the macro-level lifestyle variables: don't smoke, limit alcohol, get enough sleep, exercise, and eat lots of plants. All of this also helps with stress management and yes, excess stress can strain your immune system. Differences in immunity, according to researchers, is, in large part, determined by genetics, so not much we can do about that. As I always tell my counselling clients, focus on what you can control, which is, lifestyle. In any case, there are other r

There are some silver linings coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic for some fortunate people. One is that those used to ordering in food or going out to restaurants daily have had to learn to cook for themselves (I know not everyone is happy about this...but think of all the money saved!). Also, with gyms and recreation centers closed, people have had to find ways to be active at home. Again, a lot of people are not necessarily seeing this as a good thing, but I do. I am always encourage my friends and clients to find ways to exercise at home since it is so much more convenient but many people resist, believing that they will get distracted or don't have enough space. Now that everyone has had to do it for several months, a lot of people I know have started to see the benefits of home workouts and have decided they will not return to their gyms. Nothing has changed for me as we have a lovely home gym and I have been exclusively working out at home for years now. So I was mo