Staying Positive During This Stressful Time
by Hailey Haywood
©2020 Hailey Haywood. All Rights Reserved.
Everything is energy when you break it down…
Even Words have energy, that’s why when someone says “I love you” we feel different emotions. Maybe your heart starts pounding, maybe your whole body relaxes.
This shows there is power in our intent, and power to words.
So if what someone else says about us or to us can affect us so drastically think about the power we have when we “self talk”.
1st tip-
This is where mantras come in. A mantra is a phrase (typically an “I Am” statement) that we repeatedly say to ourselves.
I want you to pick just one Mantra to repeat to yourself over the next few weeks. If you can, I want you to say it while looking at yourself in the mirror!(maybe work up to that.)
Examples of mantras:
“I am loved.”
“I am beautiful.”
“I forgive myself.”
“I accept love from others.” “I trust myself.”
5 Foods to Boost Your Immune System During the Coronavirus
By Janelle Imel
©2020 Janelle Imel. All Rights Reserved.
The foods you consume help to optimize our defense system. By consuming a nutrient- dense diet you can boost your immune system, support proper gut health, and help fend off infections and viruses. Though eating these foods may not help you avoid the Coronavirus here are five foods to help promote your defenses during the pandemic.
1. Garlic- Garlic is known for its antiviral, antimicrobial, and immune-boosting compounds. Try eating 1 raw clove of garlic 2-3 times a day to receive its immune- boosting benefits.
2. Zinc Rich Foods- Zinc helps to strengthen the immune system and fight infections. Good food sources of zinc are: grass-fed red beef, oysters, eggs, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and legumes.
3. Fermented Foods- Fermented foods contain healthy bacteria that promote proper gut health. Around 80% of the immune system is in the gut. Try eating these fermented foods to help boost your gut bacteria: kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha.
4. Bone Broth- Bone broth contains an amino acid called L-Glutamine. L-Glutamine helps to repair and support a healthy gut. A healthy gut is essential in keeping the immune system strong. Try making a bone broth at home or purchasing bone broth in the freezer section of your grocery store. Add bone broth to a soup or sip on it throughout the day.
YOGIC SUPPORT FOR UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
By Debbie Coleman, PRYT
©2020 Debbie Coleman, PRYT. All Rights Reserved.
Our breath is automatic … and we can interact with it in a way that helps us shift our mood, mental processes, and energy. If you find you need calm, practice these types of breathing:
Diaphragmatic breath
Inhale and allow your belly to expand like a balloon
Exhale and feel your belly contract as you release
*If it helps to feel this breath more, put one hand at your belly and the other at your heart
Bee breath
Inhale deeply
Exhale and make a HUM sound (like a bee) for as long as you are breathing out. Make the sound enough to feel the vibration in your throat
*The hum sound does 2 things: it extends the exhale which is useful to connecting into our rest and digest system – the parasympathetic nervous system; this helps us reduce stress and tension in our body. Secondly, the hum vibrates the vagus nerve which runs from our belly to our brain and provides signals to our brain to get out of a stress response into a more relaxed response.
We currently live in a world where chronic stress has become commonplace. Depending on one’s profession, especially if a person is a first responder (e.g., paramedic, police officer, fire fighter, ER doctor or nurse, dispatcher, crisis worker), veteran, or a licensed clinician, hearing and witnessing a variety of traumatic events is the daily norm. Similarly, children and adults may be exposed to home or cultural environments where various forms of violence is a daily occurrence. Since the invention of the internet and all the ways everyone has online access to anything and everything, witnessing horrific trauma multiple times a day has desensitized many of us.
Unless it hasn’t...
Too much stress on anyone, regardless of its origins, often has an impact on individuals’ bodies, not just our minds. Our bodies may get used to experiencing a stress response, but that doesn’t mean it is normal or healthy. For decades, research has indicated that chronic stress can result in auto-immune diseases as well as adrenal insufficiency.
As an expert in treating intimacy disorders including teaching healthy* sexuality (*a relative term) to those in intimate relationships, I am often asked questions regarding how to improve people's sex lives.
Many folks come to me with stories and myths about sex, intimacy, and sexuality, and most have some element of shame surrounding sex. Along with this, if there is infidelity or an intimacy disorder involved, that adds a whole other layer to the sex-equation.
This blog is about improving your sex life with the one you love (or ones if you are poly) from the space you are in today. So, if you are in the eye of the storm with a recent betrayal or new to recovery from an intimacy disorder, you may feel this blog doesn't relate right now. That is ok.
My staple when I am working with couples or partnerships surrounding sex is Emily Nagoski's book Come As You Are. I will reference this book as I share 5 helpful tips for better sex. Note: I discuss many of these tips and more in my 12-Session Art of Ecstasy Webinar.
