An animal can be a good source of comfort and a much-needed physical presence during distressing times. They promote emotional stability by providing companionship and helping remove the focus from everyday challenges.  An emotional support animal can be a dog, cat, or even, as shown on Eyewitness News, a pig if it comforts its owner….

Does modern life’s fast pace and complexity ever feel like too much? Do you ever wish things would slow down long enough for you to jump off the hamster wheel and rest a minute? Maybe it’s time to simplify your life. Maybe it’s time to say, “Enough!” and regain control.  Maybe…it’s time to realize that…

Want to change your life? Change your habits.  To rephrase a popular statement, the habits that got you here won’t get you where you want to go.  You change your life when you change your habits.  But it isn’t about “breaking” bad habits; it’s about replacing them with good ones.  But what if you’re mostly…

If you’re coming down with the flu or caring for someone suffering from it, then you’ll know how uncomfortable the whole ordeal is. This post from the CDC explains that the flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses and can lead to fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, and a runny nose. Since patients…

Avoiding problems is a band-aid approach to handling life’s challenges that makes things worse. According to Christina Smith, LMHC, “Avoidance is a maladaptive coping skill that offers the mind an escape from uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and/or experiences. It may seem like avoiding discomfort could be helpful, however, it results in never addressing the actual issue….

Ghandi said, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”  Although exercise is proven to change our body, mind, attitude, and mood, how many people get physical activity regularly?  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 46.9 percent of adults aged 18 years and over meet the…

William James said, “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”  Let’s resolve to be wiser in 2023 by letting go of everything we can that doesn’t add meaning to our lives.  Let our motto be, simplify, simplify, simplify! Trying to keep up with everything is exhausting and wastes time….

C.S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, describes his grief and sadness after the passing of his wife in his book, A Grief Observed, “Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.”  Loss, sadness, and grief affect every part of life and can leave you feeling hollow and empty.  The holiday season…

If you fear being judged by others, are self-conscious in social situations, and the idea of meeting new people triggers anxiety, you may have social anxiety disorder if you’ve been having these feelings for more than six months.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Social anxiety disorder is an intense, persistent fear of…

Aging is a part of life that brings perspective, maturity, and wisdom. In many ways, grey hair is a kind of crown that should engender respect.  But growing old isn’t the problem for most people; it’s feeling old.  Old age can usher in a new era of aches, loss of independence, loneliness, and cognitive decline. …

One of the best things we can do to reduce stress happens to be one of the last things many of us do: sleep. It’s not always easy to sleep when feeling anxious and overwhelmed. But having a routine of getting good quality sleep is probably the best thing we can do to manage stress,…

Medicine and therapy are the most common treatments for mental health problems like anxiety and depression, but lifestyle choices are often overlooked.   Psychology Today says, “That’s a lamentable oversight because lifestyle changes—things as simple as nutrition and exercise—can have a significant impact on quality of life, for any of us, but especially for those dealing with issues…