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

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

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

It’s totally normal to have days when you just feel unmotivated (and those feelings are valid). But, the solution isn’t to berate...