The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, the air is fresh and seasonal allergies are back to wreak havoc once again. Don't worry - I have you covered! We need way more support as the weather changes than we think, and I'll explain why. It's common knowledge that we tend to catch colds towards the end of summer, just as the windy nights and unpredictable temp changes roll in. We intuitively know that the changing of the seasons and subsequent weather extremes

Once a calf is born, handlers usually remove the calf from their mother within 24 hours of birth. There is ample documentation of mother cows fighting to prevent their calf being taken, crying out, and even chasing the vehicle taking her calf away. Instead of their mother's milk, calves are fed an artificial formula. Modern dairy cows have been genetically modified and selectively bred over time to increase milk production. These cows used to produce about 1 gallon of milk pe

What’s the one thing men dislike doing the most? To be fair, that's a pretty open-ended question. But if you said going to the doctor, you’re probably right. Apparently, June was Men's Health Month, but honestly, we should always be on top of our health. Encourage the men in your life to see their doctor for an annual visit (no, you don’t just see a doctor when you’re sick), have preventive care such as screenings + vaccinations, maintain a regular exercise routine + eat a he

Mama Joy + I are gearing up for the OWL Reset (OWL = One Whole Life) + I’m excited to take you along for the journey! I’ll be diving deeper into why we chose to do the Reset + what it means for us in my next blog post. For now, let’s focus on preparing your mind + body before starting. Below, I’ve gathered all the essential pre-Reset tips from Health Coach Lillian Jacobs to help you get ready. Your diet, lifestyle + environment leading up to the Reset will influence how you

Assertiveness is communicating and expressing your thoughts, feelings, and opinions in a way that makes your views and needs clearly understood by others, without putting down their thoughts, feelings, or opinions. Assertive communication is the ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in an open, honest and direct way. It recognises our rights while still respecting the rights of others. It allows us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions w

Things that go through the mind of someone with an Anxiety Disorder : Why we don't get help I can't control it, it controls me. I don't always know why I'm anxious. Even I think the things I worry about are ridiculous. No matter how irrational it all sounds, it's not a choice and it feels real to me. People will think I am doing it for attention. It's awkward. People will think I'm weak. People will think I'm crazy. People won't understand, they'll minimize it by saying, "get

Shawn Leyden, of Maplewood, New Jersey was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016. A busy executive at the state's largest electric and gas provider, Shawn was on an aggressive every-other-year colonoscopy schedule due to a family history of colon cancer. However, he had missed a scheduled colonoscopy that might have caught his colon cancer earlier. He eventually scheduled his colonoscopy at Saint Barnabas Medical Center with Mark Gilder, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon and an

I learned cue-controlled relaxation a few months ago during virtual therapy and it has worked wonders for me. It is not something that worked overnight, it is something that I continue to practice each and every day to calm myself and check in with myself. What is cue-controlled relaxation? Read on... Cue-controlled relaxation reduces the time you need to relax even further: down to two or three minutes in most cases. In this stage, you will focus on your breathing and condit

I’ve experienced panic attacks both in private + in public + both are terrifying because they can come without warning + it’s hard for those around you to know how to help. Thankfully, I haven’t had a panic attack in quite a while. Through one-on-one therapy + practicing coping techniques, I’ve learned how to manage them. I’ve “done the work,” + I’m proud of myself. My first panic attack as a young adult happened during a period of depression. I remember rocking back + forth

Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Stressful situations such as meeting tight deadlines or important social obligations often make us nervous or fearful. Experiencing mild anxiety may help a person become more alert and focused on facing challenging or threatening circumstances. But individuals who experience extreme fear and worry that does not subside may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. The frequency and intensity of anxiety can be overwhelming and interfere w

Part of living a full life in the community includes being able to travel to faraway locations for both work and pleasure. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are entitled to this piece of community participation—just like anyone else—and should be able to navigate air transit comfortably to experience the same opportunities as every other traveler. People with autism and other I/DDs often experience barriers to participating in air travel. Airports

I'd like to share with you all a meditation that I learned in my virtual group therapy course that I began during the height of the pandemic back in March. I participated in one on one therapy and in addition to that, this was also a course that I initially hesitated being part of (I don't know why or what I was afraid of.....) and I'm SO HAPPY I did participate in this course, because I truly learned so many helpful mental health techniques. Meditation - Loving Kindness For

Before buying a home, you should be debt-free with 3-6 months of expenses saved for emergencies + have a down payment saved of at least 10%. A 20% down payment is even better to avoid PMI. Private mortgage insurance, also called PMI, is a type of mortgage insurance you might be required to pay for if you have a conventional loan. Like other kinds of mortgage insurance, PMI protects the lender, not you, if you stop making payments on your loan. Remember, just because you're ap

Although, I have not experienced the amazingness of being a parent (I absolutely love being an Auntie to the 3 most amazing kiddos) , I have consulted with my awesome family + friends with children + there was a consensus of a few go-to products that they love that I thought I would share with you below. MOTHERLOVE Herbal Company My friend, Yael loves this brand, especially the diaper balm + nipple cream . She said yes, it's $10 for a tiny jar but a little went a long way! S

Growing up, many people, including myself received mercury fillings. I remember asking my parents why we had them + at the time, they weren’t aware of the potential risks associated with mercury. A few years ago, I decided to have two of my four mercury fillings replaced. Some biological dentists accept certain insurance plans, or you can explore options like CareCredit. When I lived in Florida, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Castellini at Medplex Dental, Holistic De

If you’ve ever arrived on an international flight carrying 500 passengers , you know that the line at customs can be brutally long. And when you’ve been traveling for 18 hours and have already been through two layovers , the last thing you want is to spend another hour in line waiting to officially reenter the country. Time spent in the customs line is really just time you’re never getting back—and it’s further delaying the post-flight shower you’ve been longing for. This is

I've been asking myself recently, am I busy or productive? We all have "busy work" to do and for me that's emails, filling out endless spreadsheets in Google docs, editing, writing, scheduling, researching etc. Then there is the non "busy work" but what I call my productive results driven / life changing work. Take this website for instance. I have been putting this off because it sounded too overwhelming to start. I kept my writing, photos and ideas tucked away for too long

Insomnia has been a struggle for me the majority of my life + of course a pandemic hasn’t helped matters. Sleep is a precious opportunity for your body + brain to detoxify, repair + grow stronger. Not getting enough sleep can lead to both short term + long term consequences that will impair ones health + well-being. Just like you need food to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we need good sleep hygiene. Between 1am-3am is the "time of the liver" + the time when the body should be

Genuine connections are rare + precious + staying connected to them requires intentionality. Thoughtful, reliable + consistent people are hard to find, so if you have them in your life, make a point to express your gratitude + appreciation often. At the same time, it’s perfectly okay to step back from people, places, or situations that feel forced, inconsistent, or one-sided. Setting boundaries can feel difficult, especially if you’re used to putting everyone else first, but

Lately, every day can feel a bit monotonous like living in a real-life Groundhog Day especially if you’re in a colder climate + stuck indoors. I try to remind myself that the sun will shine again soon + the snow will eventually start to melt. In the meantime, I’ve put together some tips that have been helping me stay sane during these unpredictable times. I hope you find them useful! I’d also love to hear what you’ve been doing to keep your sanity intact. Alright, let’s get