Emotional Health

August 17, 2014 In Emotional Health, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Melissa Carr

Multitasking: A Four Letter Word?

How do you feel when I say the word “multitasking”? Do you feel overwhelmed? Or do you proudly say that you’re a good multitasker? Does it stress you out? Or do you feel efficient? As a health professional, I’m supposed to tell you that multitasking may be bad for your health. After all, your focus is usually poor when you try doing two or more things at once. Take, for example, the well-known risks of driving and talking on a phone or text messaging. In TCM, even eating and working at the same time is discouraged. We believe that the...

August 15, 2014 In Emotional Health, Green & Healthy Living, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Choosing a Preventative Approach to Stress Management: Part One

Often we can tell when someone is stressed out simply by what they tell us: “I am so overwhelmed. I have too much on my plate. I can’t handle it right now. I can’t keep up. I’m frazzled” “I’m so stressed out. I’m so stressed out. I’m so stressed out.” Repeating these mantras can make the experience of stress a self-fulfilling prophecy. There’s no doubt about it: the business of life can be stressful. We aim to keep up and maintain a certain quality of life, and often lose our sense of balance in the grind of it all. Frequently we forget to...

August 11, 2014 In Emotional Health, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Increasing Energy Levels Naturally: Tip #1

One of the most common complaints I hear in my practice is about not having enough energy. Over the next few months, I will share simple practices that can be done to enhance your energy levels naturally. Some may be obvious - but worth restating, while other practices may give you new perspectives that you may not have considered previously. Increase Your Energy Levels Tip #1: Breathe By far, the most important tip I can share is remembering to breathe properly. Let me tell you why. Your body cannot heal and repair at the same time as being stressed. When we breathe...

July 10, 2014 In Emotional Health, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Five Ways to Incorporate Meditation into Your Work Day

Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or as an end in itself. Here are 5 ways you can incorporate this practice into your daily routine. 1. Silence before email. Morning meditation gives you a chance at clarity before your mind becomes busy with the thoughts and activities of the day. If your routine wake-up involves checking your inbox in bed, swap your mobile phone for a few minutes of morning silence. Have a comfortable cushion set up in a peaceful area of your home. Make it a...

June 28, 2014 In Emotional Health, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Job Loss and Emotional Distress

One way to visualize emotional equilibrium – that much sought-after sense of “balance” – is as a literal scale or balance.  The weight on one side is made up of two factors: your individual vulnerability to distress, and the stressors presently in your life. The counterbalance is made up of your coping skills, and the quantity and quality of support you have or can access. Individual vulnerability to distress is largely a measure of temperament; whether you are easy-going and handle change or uncertainty without much worry, or whether you have a more anxious or ruminating temperament and have a hard time...

February 14, 2014 In Emotional Health, Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Mental Benefits of Exercise

The Mental Benefits of Exercise From improving your heart health to toning your tush, we all know about the numerous physical and aesthetic rewards of working out. Yet many of us don't realize that exercise can play a very important role in mental health also. In recent years, mounting research has showed the effects of exercise on cognition, memory, mood, self-confidence, stress levels and overall happiness. Here are the top five mental health benefits of exercise. Takes Your Stress Away Prolonged or intense stress can have a very damaging effect on both the body and mind. It has been linked as one of the...

April 16, 2013 In Emotional Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Dove Conducts Social Experiment to Help Change the Way You See Yourself

Fitness Goop is proud to feature this video by Dove that teaches a vital lesson about how we view ourselves compared to how others see us. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. Dove has conducted a social experiment called the Dove Real Beauty Sketches showing that women are more beautiful than they believe they are.  A former forensic artist that worked for the San Jose police department met a series of women and asked each to describe the way they look. He had no way of seeing them behind a curtain. He further prompted them to detail everything:...

April 10, 2013 In Emotional Health, Fitness, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Motivating Yourself To Stick to your Fitness Goals

Planning new fitness goals can be exciting and powerful, but sometimes they’re just lip service. Lip service to ourselves that we promise to get back on track once the holidays are over and life returns to normal. Sometimes words are not enough. Stating goals and writing them down are an important part of the equation, however it’s the taking of action that everything truly depends on. Let’s look at a classic example. You’re health-conscious and have decided to throw caution to the wind over a holiday such as easter, indulging in whichever cookies, or chocolates and fat-laden appetizers that come your...

December 16, 2011 In Emotional Health, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

The beautiful benefits of Iyengar yoga: Helping both the mind and body

Iyengar yoga is one of the most popular forms of yoga in the United States. Created by Shri B.K.S. Iyengar, this type of yoga is particularly well-suited for people with back problems and for people who suffer from stress (two conditions that often go together). Iyengar yoga has been around for over 60 years, and since it is a form of yoga, it is based on practices that are thousands of years old. It is one of the most effective yoga forms for people who want to cope with mental and spiritual stress. Excellent posture, balance, and relaxation are major...

February 1, 2010 In Emotional Health, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Only the Lonely

“Sometimes I feel so lonely, it’s palpable.”  My client, a beautiful young woman with an infectious laugh, interests she’s passionate about, and a circle of friends and family that care for her, doesn’t look like a “lonely” person. And yet loneliness – whether it’s the situational loneliness that comes from too few or too far connections, or an existential loneliness born of awareness of our ultimate and fundamental aloneness in the world - is an experience almost all of us have known, regardless of our circumstances. For some of us, the root of that loneliness is not a lack of appreciation...