Baths are an ancient healing practice in almost every culture around the world, from the hothouses of Scandanavia and banyas of Russia to mud baths in Ecuador, hot springs in New Zealand, and ancient Indigenous parajes of the American Southwest. The therapeutic use of water to soothe mental and physical ailments (also known as hydrotherapy), […]
anxiety relief
How Weighted Blankets Improve Sleep, Stress, and Anxiety (& The Best Ones to Buy)
The health benefits of sleeping under heavy blankets have been documented throughout history, but the trend has emerged again in the digital age as an antidote to insomnia, stress, anxiety. As it turns out, sleeping under a weighted blanket is a particularly effective treatment for people who find themselves struggling with an inability to “wind […]
25 Helpful Gifts for Stressed Out People
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that people really only want gifts that will make their lives easier. That’s why I put together this collection of gifts for stressed-out people– a collection of beautiful, functional stress relief gifts that promote mental health and well-being. We live at a moment in history when divisive […]
How to Get Better at Overcoming Rumination (aka Obsessive Thoughts)
Rumination is the phenomenon of continuously, obsessively thinking about negative or unpleasant thoughts in a way that makes it hard to let go. By definition, it is a repetitive thought process that has a negative tone because it is focused on negative experiences, which often get replayed over and over. Many people struggle with excessive […]
25 Research-Backed Remedies for Meaningful Anxiety Relief
The latest statistics from the World Health Organization estimate that over 260 million people across the world struggle with anxiety and chronic stress– a figure that is projected to grow exponentially in an age of increased political tension, economic upheaval, and post-pandemic rebuilding. While shocking, this figure isn’t necessarily surprising. In the digital age, information […]
How To Use Glimmers (The Opposite of Triggers) to Relieve Stress
I first heard about glimmers and the concept of a “glimmers list” when somatic coach Sarah Baldwin mentioned them both in a tutorial about how anxious people can learn to understand and regulate their nervous system. After 10 years of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and about ~3 years of Somatic Therapy, I was surprised that this […]
This is “The Most Calming Song in the World” According to Neuroscientists
Hunting for relaxation music and want to get really clinical about it? Marconi Union’s “Weightless” is literally the most calming song in the world– at least according to neuroscientists. Allow me to explain further. In 2011, British ambient band Marconi Union worked with sound therapists and researchers from Mindlab International to specifically design an 8-minute […]
Gut Health Strongly Linked To Anxiety, Research Finds
Gut health and mental health may be more strongly associated than scientists previously suspected, new research suggests. According to recent meta-analyses published in the medical journal General Psychiatry, anxiety might be alleviated by regulating gut bacteria. This is a massive finding considering that as much as a third of the global population experiences anxiety, and […]
How Mental Health Became Pop Music’s Unlikely Muse
Maybe you’ve noticed that some of the biggest songs on the radio in recent years have dealt with themes of depression, anxiety, suicide, and other aspects of mental health. Or maybe you saw Lady Gaga‘s 2019 speech at the Grammy Awards in which she mentioned, perhaps unsurprisingly, that many artists deal with mental health issues. […]
3 Helpful Tools & Insights From Dr. Michele Kambolis’ Stress-Focused Book, “When Women Rise”
For the last 25 years, Vancouver-based Dr. Michele Kambolis has worked in private practice treating women with various degrees of stress, anxiety, and trauma in their lives. Accordingly, her new book on women and stress, When Women Rise: Everyday Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Body, and Soul is both a primer and masterclass on […]