How we feel has everything to do with the state of our digestive tract. If your gut is inflamed or if the balance of microbes is off, you may feel depressed, anxious, unfocused, or tired, or this may manifest with eczema, joint pain, acne, or other downstream symptoms. Increase gut healing foods (bone broth, ghee, glutamine powder in smoothies), slowly increase fermented foods (apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso paste), and cut the inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, sugar, industrial vegetable oils). Get more rest and give yourself a little more spaciousness and relaxation during the day. Your gut will start to heal and the rest of your body will feel better.

Originally published in Phoenix Helix Podcast

The Health Impact of Loneliness

When we feel lonely or isolated, it can seem like we’re the only person experiencing it, yet loneliness has become an epidemic affecting millions. Living with chronic illness can be an especially isolating experience, and it all becomes more poignant around the holidays. In addition to being emotionally painful, loneliness also carries health risks. It’s been compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day for its negative impact on health and longevity. But loneliness isn’t a life sentence. I’m honored to be featured on the Phoenix Helix Podcast, where we discuss practical tips for overcoming feelings of loneliness and expanding our social connections again.

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I’m honored to be featured on the Magik Vibes podcast with Kelsey J Patel. We talk about mental health, listening to your body, and finding fulfillment in life.

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Originally published in mindbodygreen

There are better ways to get rest. With the snooze button, nobody wins. You’re not getting great rest, and you’re also not having a leisurely, relaxed morning.

Set yourself up for success by getting into bed early enough, ditching your phone (no blue light in the bedroom!), and getting an old-fashioned alarm clock.

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Originally published in MotherEarthLiving

An earlier bedtime is the secret ingredient that helps strengthen your biological clock and cue your brain when to rest.

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We have an enormous loneliness problem in modern life. For me personally, I was lonely until about age 26. Now I have abundant community and a strong sense of connection in my daily life. ⁠
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Here are some keys to moving from loneliness to connection:⁠
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* Move past the fear and get comfortable being vulnerable⁠
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* Chances are, the people around you are lonely too⁠
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* Ask questions: rather than talking about yourself, ask questions of others. Just let yourself be curious–what do you want to know about someone? What lights them up? What makes them unique?⁠
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* Let yourself be goofy — I’m convinced that stiff social etiquette stands in the way of connection⁠
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* Lower your standards for hosting — it’s wonderful if you can cook a homemade meal for someone or bust out the fine china. But if you can’t, then have people over and order takeout. It can mean the difference between social connection and netflix alone.⁠
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* Don’t let your insecurity drive you to obligate people to hang out with you. Give everyone their freedom. Just be generous, kind, thoughtful, and authentic, and you will be the kind of person that people will want to be around. ⁠

Originally published in mindbodygreen

The fact that some people get attached to presenting themselves in enhanced ways, only to be disappointed by their real image, is disheartening. I would much prefer to live in a society that had no mirrors than to live in one in which we felt it was so important to look a certain way that we apply digital plastic surgery! In general, I’m all for re-centering our expectations of what others look like and what we should look like back to a more realistic baseline.

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Turn off your phone and put it aside. Read a paper book, listen to music, have a conversation, take a walk, take a bath. Take out a piece of paper and do some future-self journaling. Do something that engages your senses and reclaims your time. Let the phone and all of its applications serve you. Don’t let them drive the ship of your life.

Originally published in REI

The body likes predictable daily rhythms that are synced up with the sun and the moon. There is no evolutionary precedent for everyone suddenly shifting their circadian rhythm by one hour—it’s like a mini form of jet lag, and it takes a minute for our circadian rhythm to catch up.

The best way to regulate your circadian rhythms is to spend plenty of time outside in natural light during the day, and to expose yourself to the moon and darkness at night. These were the original cues for our circadian rhythm and they’re still more effective than any amount of synthetic melatonin or indoor lights for conducting our body’s symphony of internal rhythms.

Be sure to get bright outdoor light exposure first thing in the morning for the whole family. This will help everyone get on the new circadian rhythm.

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Originally published in Well + Good

While vitamin D plays a big role in mood, so too, does light itself. Research has shown light therapy to be a positive way to boost mood, especially during the darkest months. For those who don’t have the option of taking sunrise walks, I recommend adding a 10,000-lux lightbox to your a.m. routine (although, you should speak to your doctor beforehand). 

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