“Inhale: 1-2-3-4-5. Exhale: 1-2-3-4-5.” If you’ve been doing breathing exercises to feel calmer, happier, and more focused, you know how soothing yoga is. Despite being an ancient practice, yoga has become increasingly popular, and for good reason. It is suitable for people of all ages and impactful for treating chronic conditions. Interestingly, scientists have discovered that this practice has several mental health benefits. Let’s explore…

We all want to take care of our emotional well-being so that we can enjoy life and benefit from good mental health. When life is busy, you might feel like you need to check everything off your to-do list before you can even think about your mental health. However, the opposite is true! When your mental health takes a back seat, you may find you…

Our inner voice or internal dialogue can be either positive or negative. If one encourages us to believe in ourselves, there’s also that voice that constantly reminds us how inadequate we are. The latter can sometimes be downright mean or rude, along with expressions of judgment, criticism, and disapproval about everything we are and everything we do. The dialogue inside our minds or the voice…

Gratitude is sometimes considered synonymous with being thankful. Whilst this is true to some extent, true gratitude is much more than just thankfulness. Gratitude can have a significant effect on the brain, with researchers confirming that it can lead to substantial neurological benefits for those who practice it. Here we will look at what gratitude is, how to practice it, and how it could benefit…

Emotions are powerful. So powerful that they control almost every action you take every day. Like every other aspect of life, emotions are best handled with moderation and logic. In their extreme form, they can have negative consequences, including sleep issues, high stress levels, harm to self, and others. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to apply logic while experiencing extreme, intense emotions. Fortunately, anyone…

From early cave paintings to the modern works of Toni Morrison, we can see how humans are natural storytellers. It’s how we make sense of our experiences, process our internal worlds, and connect with each other. Journal writing is a powerful storytelling tool that we engage in with ourselves. When we arrange our experiences into a coherent narrative, our logical left hemisphere is able to…

You’re helping one kid complete her assignment between Zoom classes when you look across the room and see your younger child coating his feet in the paint for an art project. Paint on the rug and his clothes, your older child is upset that your attention is split, you’ve had to pee for as long as you can remember, you haven’t eaten since 6 pm…

Let’s say you had an argument with your partner in the morning, 30 minutes before work video meeting in Zoom. To have a reputation to uphold and look “professional,” you try to stay positive and pretend to be focused on videoconference and be in business mode. Are you controlling or suppressing the outburst of emotions you feel as a result of the morning situation? The…

Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing your attention on the present moment. You perceive the present without any judgment and seize dwelling on the past or projecting into the future. This practice generally involves an elevated awareness of your sensory stimuli. You become more aware of your breathing and body sensations. It’s all about living “in the now.” Contrary to popular belief, mindfulness isn’t…