Our jobs and livelihoods may hinge on the “success” of our performance. It is not uncommon for our confidence, self-esteem, and sense of worth to feel like it is on the line. (PSA - You are worthy of love, belonging, and celebration regardless of your “success”).

Call it whatever you like, call it meditation, call it mindfulness, call it contemplative prayer. Meditation can help you develop a sense of inner peace, and help us become more grounded. I am wildly ADHD and very extroverted, I find meditating very hard. But I want to share a few simple tips that have helped me when I meditate.

The Vagus Nerve, also known as the Gut-Brain Axis, connects the brain to various organs in the body and plays a significant role in regulating our response to stress. The majority of your vagus nerve goes through your gut, which has roughly 500 million neurons (more than your spinal cord). This explains why we sense so many things in our gut—hence why some call the gut our “second brain.”

No one is immune to struggles, heartbreak, or adversity. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, whether it's being laid off, the loss of a pet or loved one, financial stress, or medical issues, building resilience is essential to not just survival but thriving in the face of adversity.

Your breath is the first place to get connected with your body.  When you feel anxious, triggered, flooded, angry, etc. by learning to control your breathing, you can get your Parasympathetic Nervous System online quicker to return to homeostasis. 

This blog was adapted from a paper I wrote in 2021 for Graduate School.

While this season is supposed to be full of joy and cheer, this time of year can bring up a lot of complicated emotions for a lot of people. However you decide to celebrate or not celebrate this season, I wanted to offer a few ideas for navigating the holidays with self-compassion, recognizing that your well-being is the ultimate priority.

How a Gratitude Practice Can Improve Your Mental Health and How to Implement a Gratitude Practice in Your Life 

EMDR has become the authorized therapeutic technique of the Department of Veterans Affairs and has been instrumental in helping people heal from traumatic events. By “loosening” a memory or image frozen from the past, it puts it in the larger context of one’s full life experience. I know this from my own experience doing EMDR.