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The Power of Music

Have you ever felt the power of music? 

Music has long been known to bring joy and wellness to those who listen. It can soothe, energize, and inspire you by lifting your spirits and bringing you inner peace and harmony. 

From the calming effects of classical music to the energy of rap and hip-hop, music can create a special connection. 

Music Lowers Stress

Listening to calming music has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels. It can help to relax the mind and body, allowing us to cope better with difficult emotions. Music can also act as a distraction from worries and help increase well-being.

Music evokes positive emotions and can help lift your spirits and make you feel better by distracting you from negative thoughts, allowing you to focus on the positive.

Music Helps in Building Connections

At its core, music is about storytelling and conveying emotion. 

Through music, we can learn from each other, open up to new perspectives, and create a stronger sense of community. 

It can help you express yourself and share your stories in a way that can be healing and empowering –  as it creates a sense of belonging.

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Are You Burning Out? 3 Signs to Watch Out For

Are you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by your job? Do you need help feeling motivated or enthusiastic about the work you do? It could be that you’re experiencing burnout.  

Burnout can occur when you feel like you’re stuck in an endless cycle of stress and exhaustion without any relief.  

 And while it’s important to show dedication to your work or other commitments, ensuring you’re taking care of yourself is also essential. So it’s important to pay attention and take action if you are in danger of burnout. 

Read on to find out more about burnout and how to manage it!

Constant Fatigue and Exhaustion

If you’re having difficulty concentrating or making decisions, or if your emotions are running high and are difficult to manage, this could be a sign of emotional exhaustion.

This is one of the most common signs of burnout. If you’re feeling constantly overwhelmed, exhausted, and drained, it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate your situation. This could be a sign that you’re pushing yourself too hard and it’s time for a break.

Loss of Motivation and Enthusiasm

Another common sign of burnout is a loss of interest in activities that used to bring you joy. 

You may find that you’re no longer as interested in hobbies or social activities that you used to enjoy. 

If you lack interest, take time to do something that brings you joy, such as reading a book, getting a massage, or taking a walk. It’s also important to engage with friends and family. Spending time with those who make you feel supported can be incredibly beneficial in helping to fight off burnout. 

Frustration and Other Negative Emotions

It’s normal to feel frustrated or cynical when things seem to be out of your control. But if you’re feeling like this all the time, it may be a sign that something else is going on. 

It’s essential to take the time to identify the cause of your negative emotions and make necessary changes that can help you manage your burnout and prevent it from getting worse. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your work, take time to make changes to manage your stress. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, take some time to try something new or adjust your routine.

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The Big Fat Lie (part 2)

 

The Big Fat Lie, Part 2

By Amalia Cox-Trieger

This is the second in a multi-part series looking critically at weight loss, dieting, and the cultural, social, political, and economic landscapes that shape our ideas about weight and bodies.

I write this from my perspective as a multi-racial woman, who experiences chronic health issues, and who benefits from the privileges of a thin body, and a white-passing body, among others. I am indebted to the many pioneers of the fat activist/ fat liberation, and body neutrality movements, with particular gratitude for the Black and Trans women, and others holding marginalized identities who have incubated, enlivened, and sustained this work, often at great personal and professional risk. Thank you.

 

Bodies, Race, and Power 

When it comes to bodies, variation is the name of the game. Even within a biological family, skin, eye, and hair color may differ, cognitive, physical, and emotional abilities exist on a spectrum, and bodies come in all different weights and shapes. Rather than acknowledging this as normal, we have been conditioned to see fatness as a problem to be solved. This is due in part to the huge profit the weight loss, diet, and wellness industry can generate from a populace steeped in anxiety about weight, and socially motivated to seek thinness. It is also an intentional manifestation of systemic racism. 

In the mid-18th century, enslaved Africans were being transported and sold throughout the Americas and British colonies. The people who stood to benefit most from the practices of slavery created a discourse to justify the inhumane treatment of other human beings. They used eating habits and body size (among other things), as a way of differentiating who was worthy of freedom and who was not. 

The logic espoused by those seeking racial dominance was that White Europeans were rational, moral, and self-controlled, which could be demonstrated through the denial of sensory pleasure and keeping a tight rein on one’s appetites. These were the enlightened, civilized people. Black people, they asserted, were too lazy to control their appetites, enjoyed food too much, indulged sinfully in all kinds of sensory pleasures, and were therefore too fat. These were the primitive, uncivil people, who needed to be controlled and to be shown how to live in a refined White society. 

Of course, not all Africans had larger bodies, and plenty of White Europeans were fat, but that was irrelevant to the narrative. What was important was what people would believe, and people will believe a lot, especially when it absolves them of wrongdoing and amplifies their own power. 

Creating a hierarchy based on physical characteristics was a way to concentrate and keep power in the hands of White men, and subjugate anyone who didn’t meet their description of civility, intelligence, and desirability. White scholars of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s published articles that assigned different levels of intellectual ability, beauty, and morality to various races, with the “White race” always at the pinnacle. Magazine articles targeting middle and upper-class White women emphasized the importance of eating as little as necessary in order to show their Christian nature and their racial superiority. Labeled as scientific truths, and sanctioned by law, these ideas flourished in the United States through the 19th and 20th centuries, as a way to justify slavery, racism, and classism, and control women through “temperance”. The fact that thinness and whiteness grant more access to social, political, and cultural capital in so many areas of society today, traces directly back to these baldly racist systems.

One standout example of how these systems persist in our lives today is the use of the BMI, or Body Mass Index. The formula, created in the 1830’s by a statistician named Adolphe Quetelet, was never meant to be used in medical settings. Instead, Quetelet was aiming to create the “perfect everyman” against which others could be compared. And in his own words, “everything differing from his proportion or condition, would constitute deformity or disease … or monstrosity.” Though the “perfect everyman” Quetelet envisioned was based on a 19th-century White, European, cisgender man, taking no one else into account, his inaccurate and racist formula is used every day to make wide-ranging and life-altering healthcare decisions for people of all genders, ages, ethnicities, and abilities. 

Size and Stigma 

Racialized people face considerable health challenges due to systemic oppression and marginalization. Chronic cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic risk factors have been found to be elevated in Black women, even after controlling for behaviors such as smoking, physical exercise, or dietary variables. 

Many doctors have claimed that Black women’s “excess” weight is the main cause of their poor health outcomes, often without fully testing or adequately addressing their symptoms. The idea that weight is responsible for negative health outcomes among Black women builds on historically racist ideas and ignores how interrelated social factors impact health. Stressors like workplace discrimination, unequal pay, and the threat of sexual assault contribute to higher rates of chronic mental and physical illnesses. Black women are disproportionately more at risk of sexual violence. Nearly 1 in 5 Black women are survivors of rape, and 41% of Black women experience sexual coercion and other forms of unwanted sexual contact. Sexual trauma is frequently associated with PTSD, depression, substance misuse, suicide ideation and attempts, and other adverse health effects.

Centuries of segregation and housing discrimination keep families of color from building generational wealth. As a result, Black women are more likely to live in higher poverty areas, to contend with pollution, lack of access to fresh food and clean water, and to face housing instability.https://www.americanprogress.org/article/systemic-inequality-displacement-exclusion-segregation/

Racial disparities and bias in healthcare also effect Black women’s well-being. In the U.S., the CDC reported that Black women experience maternal mortality two to three times higher than that of white women. The estimated national maternal mortality rate in the United States is about 17 per 100,000 live births––but it is about 43 per 100,000 live births for Black women. https://www.ajmc.com/view/racial-disparities-persist-in-maternal-morbidity-mortality-and-infant-health

These social and material realities (those listed here are just a small sample), play a much larger role than body size in determining overall health. Too often, the impacts of structural violence toward marginalized people go unacknowledged and the focus is placed primarily on weight. This leads to further discrimination in the form of weight stigma, which itself increases one’s risk for diabetes, heart disease, discrimination, bullying, eating disorders, sedentariness, lifelong discomfort in one’s body, and even early death. https://publichealth.uic.edu/community-engagement/collaboratory-for-health-justice/addressing-weight-stigma-and-fatphobia-in-public-health/

It also fails to address the underlying causes of these disparities, allowing systemic injustice to flourish, while putting the onus on individual choices and claiming to be “working on the problem” by prescribing weight loss. Public health initiatives claiming to tackle the “obesity epidemic” for example, often refer to higher-weight populations as needing guidance, monitoring, or management. Stereotypes around fatness and laziness proliferate, as does the assumption that a person’s eating or exercise habits are something that can be determined by looks alone. Animalization and other dehumanizing language are leveraged against people in larger bodies, particularly racialized people. For how closely this rhetoric mirrors the propaganda used to justify genocide and slavery, it is all too common to find liberal and progressive institutions and individuals promoting these ideas. This societally condoned anti-fat bias should be named and recognized for what it is: a hierarchy that privileges some and makes others disposable.

 Even if long-term weight loss was sustainable for most people, changing body size does nothing to change the circumstances that cause poor health for marginalized populations. A society invested in weight management and idolizing thinness, is a culture invested in the maintenance of the supremacy of the dominant culture. It’s time to unlearn the lesson that fat is anything other than a neutral descriptor, and move toward a more equitable future for everyone. 

—————————

Part 3 of this series will examine the relationship between weight and health and shines a spotlight on the widespread myth that higher weight causes negative health outcomes. It poses critical questions about what being healthy actually means, and who has access to the conditions which create health. Stay tuned! 

Further reading & resources:

Fearing the Black Body:  The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings

Belly Of The Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness, by Da’shaun Harrison

Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison  (this author has a great blog and podcast as well)

https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/archive

Happy Women’s Day

” Strong Women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them”–author unknown

Wishing all women a day filled with all of the strength, power, and courage that you all have inside of you. I think a fitting way to celebrate this day is to support all of the girls and women in our lives as we all experience this journey together; with all of its ups and downs, challenges and successes, heartbreaks and joy.

Here are some links with ideas for how to support the women in your life and around the world:

“Little girls with dreams become women with vision.”

The First Lady of the Flute

,

By: Jen Champion 

I’ve always been intrigued by the breath and the unique qualities of being able to control and ignore it. We breathe without thinking about it and hold our breath more than we know. Holding our breath and not breathing correctly contribute to body tension and reduced lung capacity. This is not a place where we can function optimally. Breathing is our essence; we must ensure we are familiar with breathing correctly and then do it. 

Abdominal/ Belly Breathing. Abdominal/Belly Breathing is a therapeutic exercise that strengthens our lungs, heart, and diaphragm. This practice relaxes the nervous system, lowers heart rate, and helps us gain resilience to stress. Babies naturally breathe in this way. As we move through life, we change our patterns and do not even realize we are not living optimally. 

Try this…

Sit tall with your body feeling the support of your chair. Bring awareness to the opening of your nostrils. Notice how you are breathing. Do you feel it mostly in your chest, neck, and shoulders? Try again. Be aware of your belly and receive an expansion there as you inhale, allowing your diaphragm to descend on the inhale and ascend on the exhale. Do you feel the difference? Keep practicing. Returning to a natural, relaxed breathing state of smooth, deep breathing takes time.

 As a child, I would sit quietly and try not to hear the sounds around me. 

I started to notice that I could feel and hear my breath. I was able to calm down and zone out. Sometimes I would catch an underlying current of awareness that felt far away from my outside world. I later learned it is called energy, prana, and chi. I continue to foster that connection. I study and practice yoga, aromatherapy, herbalism, and earth-based traditions that enhance my ability to what I now call zone in. My favorite recent discovery is using the breath to inspire the Native American Flute.

The most exciting part about my discovery is I was in a community flute circle with the First Lady of the Flute, Mary Youngblood. I heard about Mary and the Flutestock event from my husband. He plays various instruments, including his friend Jim’s handmade flutes. 

At Flutestock, we made our way to Mary’s flute circle. Humorous, humble, and happy, she gifted us lessons with stories, laughter, inspiration, and guidance. Mary introduced herself, “I’m half Alutiiq (Aleut) on my mom’s side, and my father was mostly Cherokee from Florida. When I would say my parents were from Alaska and Florida, people would ask how did that happen? I would jokingly say, White man give us car, but the US Navy had everything to do with that!”

Mary’s eyes twinkled as she told stories and closed them when her breath gave life to her flute. I felt many emotions as she expressed hers through sounds that emanated from nature. I felt the wind around me, the earth below me, and held by something more profound than myself.

 Mary began making music as a child, but it was when she was an adult that she began playing the flute. She is the first Native American Woman to record flute music and is honorably the First Lady of the Flute. Mary’s flute recordings have earned her multiple distinguished awards. She was the first female artist to win “Flutist of the Year” in 1999 and “Best Female Artist” in 2000. She is the first Native American woman to receive a Grammy Award for “Best Native American Music Album” and the first Native American woman to have won two Grammy’s, the first for Beneath the Raven Moon in 2002 and Dance with the Wind in 2006. WOW! You may see now why I am highlighting her in honor of Women’s History Month.

Mary enjoys creating music to entertain and comfort people. She offers her songs to help reduce anxiety and stress and provides a relaxing atmosphere for people in hospice settings. Mary uses her breath in specific ways and chooses distinctive flutes to tell her stories. Different notes and melodies express emotions and moods that convey her feelings. Her flute songs are played for ceremonies and celebrations and as a spiritual and healing instrument. 

When we take time to sit and breathe with awareness, we enter a relaxed state of “rest and digest”. In that place, we can deepen our insight into our needs and well-being. Whether we intend to have fun or practice mindful relaxing, may we be inspired to unleash sounds, songs, and stories with our voices and instruments. Join Mary and me in our April newsletter. You will access our conversation, where we go deeper into the myth, magic, meditative and healing qualities within and around the Native American flute.  

If you have any questions for Mary, send them to me and I will include as many as possible. 

Practice with Mary Youngblood 

Listen to her Grammy Award Winning Songs through the links below.

Beneath the Raven Moon  

Feed the Fire 

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A Stronger Community

By: Christina Bein

A community is stronger when we support each other. As said by philosopher David Spangler, “Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other.”

Check out these local businesses and support your community. Especially as we celebrate Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Deaf History Month.

Here are a wide variety of businesses owned by the Black community in Eugene, Oregon. 

Here is a document from portlandoregon.gov that provides a variety of Black owned businesses in Portland, Oregon: 

Travel Oregon made a great list across Oregon for Black-owned food and drink-related businesses. 

Women-Owned Small Businesses in Eugene, OR

16 Tons Cafe 

Barre3 

Lion & Owl 

Raven & Rose Boutique 

Sardanari’s Kitchen 

Sling-in Wiener 

Women-Owned Small Businesses in Portland, OR

Bison Coffee House 

Blendily Botanical Kitchen 

Books with Pictures 

Chochu Local Island BBQ 

Citizen Ruth 

Epif 

Hip Chicks do Wine 

Mimi’s Fresh Tees 

With Love, From PDX 

Woonwinkle 

Deaf-Owned Business in Oregon

A5 Interpreting: American Sign Language interpretation services offered by Bridges Oregon will start for the public in the summer of 2023. They offer both virtual and in-person interpretation services.

CymaSpace: Promotes accessibility and inclusion for Deaf/Hard of Hearing through merging technology and arts.

Pilea Play: A space for young children and families to play in an inclusive and creative environment. 7832 SW Capital Hwy Suite B, Portland, OR.

-Sign Class: Learn American Sign Language through signclass.org.

Pah!: Deaf-owned Portland restaurant with pub-style food.

-A resource for the Black Deaf community: https://www.blackdeafcenter.com/

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3 Benefits of Letting Go of Control

Are you constantly feeling the need to control every aspect of your life? 

It’s natural to want to be in the know and in charge, but trying to do so can lead to negative emotions if things don’t go the way you planned. 

On the flip side, letting go of the reins can be a challenge, but it can bring inner peace, freedom, and joy. So, why not give up control and increase your happiness? 

In this blog, you will see how letting go of control can help you break the control cycle and find true happiness.  

You Will Feel Calm And Relaxed

Trying to control every little detail can be an overwhelming experience. So why not try surrendering and incorporating practices that help you feel relaxed and calm? 

This could mean taking a few minutes each day to meditate or simply taking a walk in nature and enjoying the outdoors. Taking the time to relax and unwind can help to reduce stress and anxiety and can help to improve your overall well-being.

The next time you feel the urge to control everything, take a deep breath and let it go. You may just find that you feel better! 

You Will Be Prepared for Anything

If you want to live a stress-free life, it’s important to let go of the need for certain outcomes. Rather than trying to control the situation, try to simply accept whatever life throws your way. 

By letting go, you are allowing yourself to go with the flow. This way, you won’t be disappointed if something doesn’t turn out the way you expected, and you won’t be overly attached to the outcome.

You Will Create More Meaningful Connections

When you try to control every aspect of your life, it can lead to being overly critical of yourself and everyone else. 

However, when you let go of that need to control, you can start to form deeper connections with those around us. This is because you’re no longer tying your love and acceptance to others.

Allowing others to simply be who they are, without your interference, and not expecting a particular outcome from every situation will allow you to love more openly.  

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The Power Of Embracing Your Strengths

How often do you lean into your strengths? It’s time to tap into your potential and embrace the strengths you possess. Everyone has areas they excel, but the first step to fully accepting your strengths is by taking notice. of them. That’s how you can turn your strengths into superpowers.  Using self-awareness to your advantage allows you to pursue the opportunities you want out of life. You may even have strengths and talents that are waiting to be developed even further.  Here are some ways to keep the momentum up and recognize your power. 


Define Your Strengths

When you think about your strengths, what qualities come to mind? You may be a great listener, a wonderful cook, have an eye for design, or are a calming presence. There are no limits to your strengths – that’s why accepting them is so important. It’s your strengths that are a motivating force to achieve the goals you set for yourself. 

Put Your Heart In It

When your “heart is in” something, that means you’re putting your all into it.  When you utilize your strengths in different scenarios, it can be beneficial for a positive outcome. It’s with energy, confidence, and enthusiasm that you can take it to the next level.

So that job position you want or the project you’re hoping to finish can all come together when you play to your strengths.

Let Yourself Grow

Giving yourself the room to learn and grow can help to strengthen the skills you excel at.  After all, the more you practice your skills, the more you develop them. That comes by allowing yourself to try new things and being open to new possibilities.

Even if there is a skill you want to improve on, it can become your strength. When you put your mind to it, anything can happen.

Positive Vibes Only: 3 Ways to Feel Happier

Are you happy? It’s a question that can be hard to answer, and that’s completely normal. 

Your sense of happiness can change from day to day, and it’s easy to get caught up in the negative things that happen in life. But it’s important to remember that you can take steps to help yourself get into a happy and positive mindset.

Why? Because feeling good isn’t just a pleasant experience –  it’s also beneficial for your health and well-being. And you tend to be more successful and content when you experience happiness. 

Here are 3 simple strategies that can help you to cultivate more positive emotions in your everyday life. 

Do What Makes Your Soul Happy

We often forget to take time for ourselves and our own well-being. But, it’s important to remember that taking time to do what makes your soul happy is essential for your mental and physical well-being. 

Taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be a big event. 

It can be as simple as relaxing with a warm cup of tea, reading a good book, spending time in nature, or taking a bath. 

Practice the Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude is the practice of being thankful for what we have rather than focusing on what we don’t have. It’s about recognizing the good in your life and appreciating it. 

It can help you experience more positive emotions, appreciate good experiences, improve your health, cope with difficult situations, and build strong relationships.  

Being grateful is one of the highest vibrational frequencies that you can be at. And gratitude can help you experience joy and contentment in the midst of the chaos.

Invest in Experiences and Relationships

Instead of buying more items, why not invest in hobbies, sports, cultural events, or travel? These experiences can bring you more lasting pleasure than material items.

You can also invest in quality time with others. Whether it’s with a partner, family member, or close friend, having people in your life who you can trust and rely on can make a huge difference in your self-esteem and overall happiness. It can provide a sense of protection from stress, depression, and anxiety. 

Nurturing new experiences and maintaining your relationships can help to bring you more joy.

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3 Steps to Self-Love: Embrace the Joy of Self-Dating

Are you ready to embark on an empowering journey of self-love? 

Taking the time to date yourself is a beautiful way to get to know your true self and unlock your highest potential. And as you start this journey of self-love, you’ll find yourself becoming more and more confident.

So, forget society’s stigma around being single – take time for yourself and experience the amazing things that come with it.

Remember, for anyone else to love you, you’ve got to love yourself first. 

If you are still thinking about taking the plunge and starting to date yourself, here are 3 ways to embrace self-dating and find the confidence you deserve. 

Indulge in Some Self-Care 

Taking the time to indulge in self-care can help you stay healthy, reduce stress, and feel more connected to yourself. 

So, take some time out to show yourself some love.

 Plan a Date Night With Yourself 

Treat yourself to a solo date night every now and then! 

Taking yourself out on a date is a great way to practice self-love and self-care. It allows you to reconnect with yourself and your needs and desires without any distractions. 

So set aside a specific day and time for your date, just like you would with someone else. Put it in the calendar and make sure to follow through. 

Let yourself indulge in whatever activity you feel like, whether it’s going to the movies, indulging in a spa day, trying a new restaurant, or just staying in and watching your favorite show.   

This will also help to bring a stronger and more confident version of yourself into the dating scene.

Treat Yourself With Love And Kindness

Being kind to yourself is often easier said than done, but it’s one of the most important things you can do for your mental health. 

Instead of beating yourself up for your missteps, try to focus on the positive and be compassionate with yourself. 

Talk to yourself in the same way you would talk to a best friend, and don’t be afraid to give yourself a break. Self-compassion and love can help you stay motivated, reduce feelings of helplessness, and ultimately lead to better mental health. 

Remember that every day is Valentine’s day if you love yourself. So instead of feeling valued on just this one day, let’s make every day a day to celebrate love.

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And She Crosses the Misty Talon of Time (By Joanna Brook)

for some time scurries

rustling about underneath 

the droppings of trees

time has big eyes 

small paws and saves seeds

 

for us

time is an eagle

a vast bird of prey perched 

on an outcrop of stone

like stone unmoving

sharp eyed and harsh

time beckons with stillness

 

in the beginning of the adventure

we consider time

a mountain

in the blue ridge

whose folds we could shred

with the power of flight

in crossing 

the folds of mountain

as a moth or a jay

time ripples

and expands

it lifts

toward the heavens as moth

wanders toward moon

as jay rises and falls

heaven bears down on time

softening the sharp upper edge

 

where when we reach it

time is so large it seems stable

as we cross the precipice 

more than any difference 

between the granite

and time’s talon 

we notice the snowy wind 

and the soft shreds of cloud

passing like veils

for us wingless

time becomes an interrogation

of each stone in the path

time is also our whorled

fingertips on ridged bark

time is a swirl of cold creek

our thirst savored

our knowing that way is the way

to the ocean

it happens 

after we cross the misty talon of time

 

time’s golden head tilts

the dark eye sparkles

all we feel is a lightening of the earth

a brightening of the sky

we stop and look around

  • what was that? 

as time lifts off

and plunges

having perceived a meal

rustling and squeaking

 

How to Care For Your Physical Health to Improve Mental Well-Being

By: Hailey Sullivan

There’s a misconception that physical and mental health are two separate things, requiring different needs and methods of care to achieve wellness. However, the two are actually closely linked. Physical activity has a considerable positive impact on mental health in various ways. This study notes that individuals who would regularly partake in physical activity had lower rates of morbidity, spent less time in hospitals, and had reduced the impact of various psychiatric disorders. Physical health was shown to be related to better moods and a better quality of life overall.

You can start caring for your overall well-being by changing bad habits and making gradual, positive changes. This article will discuss various ways to improve your physical health to achieve mental wellness:

Improve sitting posture

Correcting your posture may not always be an immediate concern for you, but doing so can make all the difference. These data points reveal that workers stay seated for roughly 42.7% of the workday. Given that many spend around a third of their day at work, it’s vital that you transition to a healthier working lifestyle, lest you worsen your physical condition. Ergonomic office chairs are one of the best investments for your posture, helping ease back, neck, and shoulder pains. Ergonomic chairs, such as those listed in this article, provide special lumbar support that adjusts and conforms to your body to give the right structure you need. Try finding a chair that keeps you comfortable and doesn’t put too much strain on your body or one that can evenly distribute your weight and align your spine to prevent pain later on.

Good posture can help minimize aches and pains, preventing the development of physical ailments and complications. Try to regularly check how you’re sitting and adjust yourself accordingly, or stand up and walk now and then to lessen your time spent sitting. Maintaining good posture through an active lifestyle can also boost endorphins, the hormone released by your body when doing pleasurable activities, which prevents strain. Keeping your body in its best state does the same for your mental health.

Ride a bike

Biking accomplishes all kinds of things at once—it’s an enjoyable way to get to where you need to go while improving your physical and mental health. It’s also an effective workout that doesn’t have to stress out your joints or body too much, and you have the added benefit of gaining strength and preventing health complications. A stronger body means less time in hospitals or feeling sick; without the emotional and financial burden of those things, your mental health can flourish.

Different kinds of cycling can also benefit your mind in different ways. Mountain biking can help improve your concentration and mindfulness when navigating tricky terrain, and road cycling can offer a smoother and more exciting ride that boosts your mood. Even if you’re just looking to get from point A to point B, your overall well-being can still benefit from this good exercise, especially when you’re outside or immersed in nature. This guide for finding the best bicycle notes that there are many types that can suit your needs. Aim to find a bike that can work across many terrains and is easy to maneuver. Keep it simple if you’re a beginner, and go for lightweight, durable options.

Get a massage

Massages are essential for relieving bodily pain that conditions or injuries can sometimes cause, but they can also provide healing for a stressed-out mind. Experiencing a physical ailment can dampen your quality of life and worsen your mood. Undergoing massage therapy can help you take your mind off of the anxiety as your body’s aches are alleviated. Even if you don’t have a physical condition, you can still benefit from stress relief as massages produce feelings of caring, comfort, and connection. Read our post for more ways massage therapy can improve your physical and mental well-being.

There are many ways to care for your physical health, and there’s no right or wrong way to go about it as long as you’re getting it done. Keeping a consistent exercise routine or changing habits to support your body’s needs can greatly help improve your mental health. You’ll feel much better, and it will show inside and out.