What the hell is self-love? When I first heard this term, I thought it was the way you felt about yourself and that’s a small part of it but nowhere near the full story. Love is not just a feeling, it’s also an action word and we show the people in our life that we love them by what we say to them or about them, the actions we take towards them, and the way we treat them. When I started to think of self-love like that, things really started to change…
Many people deal with seasonal mood changes. Whether it’s the “winter blues” or feeling fatigued on a rainy day or more active in the summer. It’s normal for people’s mood and energy levels to ebb and flow with the weather especially since things like sunlight, humidity, and other natural forces influence our body’s biochemical processes. However, for some people, their seasonal mood changes become so intense that they start to impact their ability to function and develop seasonal affective disorder or SAD.
Our culture depicts a very romanticized holiday experience that includes enjoying family, getting great gifts, and enjoying yourself. However, this isn’t everyone’s experience. Some people are isolated and only feel more lonely at the holidays. Some people have bad memories associated with them. Whatever the reason, it’s more normal than we recognize to struggle during this time of year….
2020, if nothing else, will be an unforgettable year for those of us living through it. We’re all dealing with a global pandemic and quarantine as well as widespread political and social instability. Despite the progress it seems we’re making with racial and social justice, it’s been stressful AF, am I right?
Wow! What a week it’s been, right? Whatever your feelings are about the coronavirus, it’s hard to escape the collective feelings of anxiety about how all of this will play out. Couple that with social distancing and quarantine measures being implemented and it will be easy for our mental health to go south fast. The good news is there are steps you can take to prevent your symptoms from spiraling out of control. It’ll just take some intention and thought.
