Tense, nervous, unable to relax, restless, sweating, shortness of breath, sense of dread, unable to sleep - these are just some of the symptoms of having anxiety. Life is uncertain and some events or situations can bring up feelings of anxiety. Remember when the pandemic started? It felt like the whole world was having a panic attack. Unfortunately, anxiety can have cognitive, emotional and physical effects. It’s not just something that’s happening in your mind. It affects your overall health. That’s why it’s important for us to learn how to deal with anxiety before it gets worse. Here are some strategies from Verywellmind that you can do to help you cope better when things get nerve-wracking.

Stop and Breathe
When anxiety flares, take a time-out and think about what it is that is making you feel nervous. Anxiety is typically experienced as worrying about a future or past event. For example, you may be worried that something bad is going to happen...

One of our faculty, Dr. Daniel Amen, has a favorite acronym that he likes to share with us. It is HALT which stands for:

• Don’t get too HUNGRY.
• Don’t get too ANGRY.
• Don’t get too LONELY.
• Don’t get too TIRED

According to Dr. Amen, HALT is an acronym that is commonly used in addiction treatment programs, but it is also particularly helpful for overeaters who have trouble coping with daily stress. HALT has proven to be a very effective way to keep people on track when they are trying to change their eating habits. Dr. Amen shares with us some strategies that apply this technique.

HALT: DON’T GET TOO HUNGRY

Going too long without food lowers your blood sugar levels, which can lead to a variety of emotional issues, including feelings of stress, anxiety, and irritability. These may be the very emotions that trigger your overeating.

Low blood sugar levels are also associated with lower overall brain activity, which is linked to an...

This week we want to take a fresh look at what it really takes to make wellness simple, and to explore a few key tools that promise to renew and recharge your life!

If you’ve been looking for a way to kick start your health and to find simple strategies that actually work, then you’ve come to the right place!

R - RENEW YOUR SPIRIT
 

For centuries, societies across the globe have engaged in sacred practices that elevate one’s faith, hope and a greater sense of purpose in life- all which have been scientifically shown to increase one’s happiness.

Starting each morning with acts such as praying, meditating, journaling or reading a sacred scripture creates a “Sacred Moment”, that can dramatically impact your heart and set the stage for the day.

I - IGNITE YOUR MIND

Romans 12:2 states that we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And research shows that one of the best mindset shifts is to have an attitude of gratitude!

We suggest...

How do you practice self-care? What are some of the things you do to take care of yourself? Perhaps it’s a nice long bath at the end of the day, cooking healthy meals, or going for a walk. These are all good; but maybe that’s not what self care is all about. Real self care doesn’t mean we need to find ways to escape stress and do things that relax us. It also means doing the hard work of facing our problems, instead of avoiding them and finding ways to distract us. Here are some ideas from Psychology Today on what real self-care means.

“Self-care means doing what makes you anxious now, like setting boundaries with tough people, saying no when you don’t want to do something, getting through a tough workout, or telling someone something they don’t want to hear. It means compassionately accepting yourself for who you are instead of burning yourself out trying to be everything to everyone all the time. It’s living your life in a way that...

There’s a reason why we need to reduce clutter in our lives. According to Psychology Today, all this clutter, physical and mental, can interrupt your flow—both your ability to move and your ability to think. In a 2016 study at the University of New Mexico by Catherine Roster and colleagues they examined how clutter compromises an individual’s perception of home, and ultimately feelings of satisfaction with life. The underlying premise of the study was that because many people identify so closely with their home environments, the extent to which it’s cluttered can interfere with the pleasure they experience when being in that environment.

The authors of the New Mexico study concluded that “Clutter is often an insidious and seemingly harmless outgrowth of people’s natural desire to appropriate their personal spaces with possessions… when [clutter] becomes excessive, it can threaten to physically and psychologically entrap a person in...

Clutter is defined as a collection of things lying about in an untidy mass. Aside from the obvious physical effect, clutter can also negatively affect mental health. One study found that women who reported more clutter in their homes had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day compared to women who had less clutter.

Clutter affects your focus, makes you procrastinate, and strains relationships. It can trigger unhealthy eating behaviors as shown by a study where people ate more cookies and snacks when the environment in which they’re offered a choice of foods is chaotic which leads to stress. Clutter can also lead to an overall decreased satisfaction in life.

Cleaning up clutter can be overwhelming which is why it’s also important to understand the emotions you experience when reducing clutter. Here are some tips from Verywell Mind on how to remove clutter from your life and improve your mental health:

Dedicate the Time
No doubt, decluttering your...

Happy New Year! Just like you, we too are excited about facing a brand new year! January is also the time when people start thinking about new year resolutions. But how important is it really to come up with new goals or promises when, as we know, sometimes promises get broken. Dr. Caroline Leaf tells us that it’s okay to not keep a resolution. She says it’s actually quite difficult to build a new mental habit, which is the foundation of any lifestyle change, and it requires time and good mind management. Here are some of Dr. Leaf’s wisdom nuggets regarding new year resolutions:

• As you start your new year’s journey, you may find that your resolution needs to be changed, because your needs have changed, or you find that your resolution was too big. This is why it is always important to be open-minded to changing your direction. If something doesn’t work for you, analyze why and try something different. Have what I call a “possibilities...

Hello friend! What better time to learn about the importance of gratitude than the month of Thanksgiving! In our coaching community, we are learning that having an attitude of gratitude is key to better health. In fact, research shows that gratitude helps create better relationships, improves physical health, increases joy, helps us sleep better, boosts self-esteem and builds mental resilience. Dr. Caroline Leaf tells us more about how to have an attitude of gratitude.

“We all know it is good to stop and smell the roses every once in a while—to pause and realize how much we have to be grateful for. But did you know that gratitude is essential to success? If you can’t appreciate what you have to be thankful for right now, it is harder to achieve what you desire in the future.

In fact, gratitude changes the brain and body for the better! Research on the effects gratitude has on our biology shows how being thankful increases our longevity, our ability to use our...

When it comes to losing weight and creating better health, what you eat matters. So, too, does when you eat.

We’ve talked about how meal timing can impact weight loss. But another critical piece of weight loss that sometimes gets overlooked is mindset.

By mindset, we’re focusing on your mental attitude about health, being aware of your eating habits, and paying attention to bad habits that can sabotage your health goals.

With these 7 simple and effective strategies from Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin, you can retrain your brain to develop a healthy mental mindset and find your healthy weight.

Even if you currently go on autopilot when you’re eating, you can retrain your brain to cultivate healthy habits and be present during meals and other activities throughout your day.

As a nice “bonus,” being mindful can help you lose weight. In one review, researchers discovered significant weight loss in 13 of 19 studies among participants who practiced...

We all want to make positive changes in our life, and Dr. Daniel Amen provides an encouraging roadmap of how to reach our goals and make them stick.

“If you have come to the decision that you want to make changes in your life, you probably want them to happen NOW! But after nearly 30 years of helping patients navigate the change process, I have learned that taking a gradual approach is the surest way to success.

So many people try to change all at once, but this almost inevitably invites disappointment and failure. You don't have to change dozens of behaviors at once. Start with a few vital behaviors—the ones that will have the biggest immediate impact—and go from there.

Here are 5 essential tips to retrain your brain to make the long-term changes you want most.

1. Focus on your successes. 
Rather than dwelling on the habits you haven't managed to change yet, focus on the positive steps you have made. Are you drinking more water? Terrific! Are you...