If there is one that deserves daily attention, it’s the vagus nerve. It’s the longest cranial nerve in the body, extending from the brainstem, through the neck and chest, down to the belly and pelvic floor. While it is connected to every system in the body, it’s most deeply integrated with the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), immune response, the gut, and our sexual organs in the pelvis. It’s kind of a big deal. Due to its long path, the…
Grief is a natural response to loss. Often it can be overwhelming, and you can experience all kinds of unexpected emotions. It is a unique process for every individual, and we should not compare the way we grieve to the way others do. It’s important to be patient with yourself and practice mental, emotional, and physical self-care. There are typically five stages of grief: Denial: “This can’t be happening to me.” Anger: “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?” Bargaining: “Make this not…
There isn’t a single person on this planet who doesn’t want to feel amazing. Unfortunately, most of us have been in situations where high vibes fall prey to toxic energy—including drama, blame, and the giant soul-sucker known as fear. Sometimes, it can feel like we’re walking through a minefield of conflict that makes it tough to keep our heads up and our hearts open. So, how do we snap back to our natural high vibes—that state of being that is…
Every day, bad news fills our newsfeed. From pandemics and wars to inflation and heated political dialogue, a never-ending stream of stressors can do a number on your head and heart. No matter where you turn—TV, social media, the Internet—there’s no escape. Let’s not forget the difficulties we face in our daily lives—struggles in our relationships and careers, worries over finances, and concerns over our health and safety. These all have an immeasurable impact on mental (and physical) health. So how is it possible…
Welcome to Did you Know, a bite-sized new column where we aim to make wellness more digestible. On the agenda for today: foot reflexology and massage. Specifically, massaging your feet can help with digestion, a li’l tidbit we learned from Yamuna Zake, author of The Foot Fix and founder of Yamuna Foot Wakers. WHAT: Reflexology, a traditional Chinese medicine practice similar in principle to acupuncture, can help ease digestion and constipation when used on the feet. It works by relieving tension in muscles and…
Have you ever had a bruise on your leg and even though it hurts to touch, you can’t resist pressing it? Or perhaps a pimple on your face that you pick at despite wanting it to heal and not leave a scar? This behavior can apply to our emotional wounds as well as the physical ones. We might continue to ruminate over who and what has hurt us in the past, finding familiar comfort in revisiting the pain over and over again.…
We too easily get caught up in the everyday hustle and can forget that we need to pause and take time to be good to ourselves. This can be anything from giving longer hugs to waking up 20 minutes earlier, whatever floats your self-care boat and helps to boost your mood for the better. Below, we’re sharing 15 ways you can prioritize your self-care without spending a fortune. Let the good vibes roll, and let us know which resonated with you the most and how you…
To be clear, we’re not referring to physical features here. It’s a mindset—read that again. Feeling “hot” is all about your mindset. One person can feel their hottest or most confident after accomplishing a big task or trying a new hobby. For others, it’s when they feel connected to others or simply wake up having an amazing hair day. It’s different for every single person, and that’s the beauty of what makes everybody on this planet truly unique. Feeling hot—whatever…
There are so many ways we can tap (literally and figuratively) into ourselves to reach places of calm, collection, awareness, focus, and self-love. Meditation and somatic therapies are so powerful. Yet in those sticky, chaotic times that we need them most, they can seem overwhelming or confusing if we haven’t yet developed the practice fully. Enter: shaking. While some somatic therapies are more technical or specific, like tapping, we can also dance or just move. Moving our bodies helps us break up stagnant energy and…
Our lives are brimming with distractions that make it difficult—and sometimes downright impossible—to stay focused. (Seriously, we’re bombarded with so much information every day that our collective attention span continues to decrease.) While it’s tempting to just shrug our shoulders and tell ourselves that it be like that sometimes, improving our attention spans is important in a variety of ways, from learning new skills to watching a TV show without scrolling through your phone at the same time to not getting fired at work…
