2020 was a fairly disastrous year to say the least, but one thing we have gained from the unique obstacles we’ve been presented with is the understanding that for a moment, we were truly all in the same boat. Or at least in the same ocean. 

We all know now how easy it can be to lose yourself in times of great stress and uncertainty. Of course, we’ve all experienced our own varying levels of stress. We all have our own limits, and we have methods that may work for ourselves, personally. You owe it to yourself to find and finetune your personal wellness methods too. 

To give you a little headstart with this personal process, I’ve decided to put together a small step-by-step guide on how you can effortlessly learn to balance your mental and physical wellbeing on your own terms.

Step 1: Prioritise Your Healthcare Appointments

Healthcare appointments are the most foundational element of self-care. It’s all about ensuring that your mind and body are well-equipped for maintaining their respective health and vigour. Be sure to attend all your regular physicals, dentist appointments, therapy sessions, chiropractic appointments, and any other appointments with specialists that are a part of your personal healthcare routine. 

Keep in mind that prioritising these appointments will ensure that your healthcare essentials are taken care of, even if you may feel otherwise. Take confidence from the fact that you’re allowing yourself to secure the practical support and framework for self-care that’s being offered to you by your healthcare professionals, and use this confidence to aid you in the subsequent steps of your wellness journey.

Step 2: Cut Out The Junk

Whether this means junk food, smoking, drinking, or any other particular bad habits, it’s definitely worthwhile taking some time to identify the things in your life that you could do without. A good place to start is simply by taking stock of your eating habits, and assessing how you can eat more wholefoods. Those of you who are largely on the go can greatly benefit from taking a few minutes every evening to prep a breakfast smoothie that’ll be sure to carry you through the busy day that lies ahead. And if you’re finding that you do have the time to cook but are lacking the energy, even making an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables on their own can go a long way! What we put in our bodies dictates a fair bit when it comes to how we feel. 

This system doesn’t just work for junk foods either. You can use this same ‘baby steps’ approach for any other nasties that you’re looking to cut out. Just be sure to practice some goal-setting to ensure that you provide your journey to clean living with a realistic and practical framework.

Step 3: Develop A Physical Wellness Routine

Now that you’ve consulted with your specialists and transformed your eating habits, it’s finally time to build further and start developing your own routine for supporting and maintaining your physical wellness. Exercising on a regular basis isn’t just great for your body, however. It can also work wonders on your mental health and wellbeing too! Your emotional health and wellbeing can truly thrive when following a wellness routine, and the release of happy hormones through exercise can thoroughly aid you in your ongoing journey. 

Think about the kinds of physical activity you’d like to be doing, and assess the barriers that are currently standing between you and building those healthy habits. The bulk of these barriers are likely to be largely overcome. For instance, social or environmental barriers can be overcome by choosing activities that can be completed within the comfort of your own home. Financial barriers can be largely mitigated by following online classes such as free yoga flows and pilates workshops. Even setting aside two or three times a week to go jogging round the block can be a superb addition to your self-care routine. 

At the heart of it, balancing your mental and physical wellbeing in times of great stress is really all about allowing yourself enough room to rediscover structure in chaos. By allowing yourself to build and maintain healthy habits, you’re demonstrating a dedication to your self-care needs that will surely see you thrive in next to no time at all!

Every month, women find themselves swallowed up by an irritating cycle of emotional chaos and physical discomfort. For those unfamiliar with feminine hygiene products and PMS-induced mood swings, menstruation indicates a woman’s incredible capability to create life and acts as a testament to her mental fortitude. While the bleeding itself occurs for two to seven days, the side effects of a period get a running start and hit full swing several days before the first sign of menstrual blood.

In many cases, this dreaded monthly visit incites feelings of anger or anxiety, while other period-havers report feelings of sadness and distress. Despite the off-handed side comments and jokes of uterus-owners binge-eating and bursting into tears at random, premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, isn’t something to take lightly. Severe mood swings can end in debilitating panic attacks and crushing depression. Riding a rollercoaster of emotions every month would drive even the most tenacious person to madness. Luckily, women are resilient creatures who go about everyday life despite the internal war waging inside them.

Menstrual cycles affect half of the Earth’s population, but a disturbing lack of education on women’s health has led to social stigma and misunderstanding. The ignorance surrounding periods can have devastating consequences for people who experience menstruation and those who don’t. Almost 50% of women have experienced period-shaming in their lifetime. The culprits? Those closest to these anxiety-ridden menstruaters. Feelings of embarrassment and hostility cause many women to avoid speaking about their period, furthering a culture of silence surrounding menstruation.

While menstruation is a miraculous mark of femininity and fertility, many women will live their whole life with little understanding of their bodies’ natural functions. Even the most empowered women may receive inadequate education about periods. Fortunately, these five mind-blowing facts about bleeding will prove just how powerful the female form is.

Start with the basics

Due to incompetent menstrual education, not everyone understands what it means to bleed. So, what is a period? The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and consists of four primary phases. The first stage is menstruation, during which the body eliminates the thickened uterine lining. Bleeding typically occurs for three to four days, although irregular periods may lengthen or shorten it. The follicular phase begins the first day of menstruation and ends with ovulation. In this stage, hormones encourage the ovary to produce dozens of follicles filled with immature eggs. Typically only one follicle will mature into an egg.

Ovulation is the third stage in which the mature egg travels from the ovary to the uterus. The egg will die within 24 hours unless it fuses with fertilizing sperm nearby. In the final luteal phase, the ruptured follicle that once housed a mature egg transforms into a corpus luteum. This structure will continue to grow if a fertilized egg implants in the uterus lining. However, if pregnancy doesn’t occur, it will wither and die. The lack of progesterone levels then causes the uterus lining to fall away, thus triggering menstruation and renewing the cycle.

Your body is telling you something

Cramps, heavy bleeding, and back pain are not typical symptoms of a period. Although, the majority of women will experience at least one of these symptoms during their cycle. High estrogen levels can cause an increase in blood and a flare-up of back pain.

To combat shell-shocking cramps, have your doctor check hormone levels and consider ways to lower your estrogen levels. While high estrogen levels may be to blame for cramps that render you bed-ridden, they are usually an indication that you may have ingested too much sugar. In some cases, cramps may be a sign of a much bigger problem like cysts or fibroids.

You can regulate your cycle

Exposure to light impacts a menstruating woman’s melatonin production, a sleep hormone that helps control the release of reproductive hormones and dictates the beginning and end of menstruation. Studies have shown that women with irregular periods can shorten their cycle by sleeping with a nightlight. The trick is to keep the light on only during the last two weeks of your menstrual cycle.

Your voice can change during your period

Vocal studies have found an association between changes in reproductive hormones and the sound of your voice. Women may have a higher-pitched tone during ovulation and experience more hoarseness right before menstruation.

Your pain threshold lowers

During menstruation, the nerve sensors in your body are more receptive to pain. Why? For starters, low estrogen levels during pre-menstruation and the bleeding phase lower your pain threshold. So if you notice the beginning of your period, you might want to consider rescheduling that bikini wax.

Free flow

Periods are one of nature’s many miracles. Every time your body menstruates, it is undergoing a cycle of renewal and rebirth. Dismantle social stigma by reminding others of the power of periods.

Wrap up

With period talk relegated to whispers and hushed tones, it’s no wonder these mind-blowing menstrual facts can even shock those readers who’ve religiously stocked their purses with tampons and pads for most of their lifetime. For those rattled by the insights above, consider doing your part to protest period-shaming behavior.

Chronic pain can stop you from fully enjoying your life. They can also keep you awake at night and start an anxiety cycle, as you lack sleep and it affects your days. There are also back and joint pains as well as temporary ones when you hurt yourself. If you don’t want to take medicine to reduce it, there are natural ways to fight the pain and regain control of your life. Here are some of them.

CBD Oil

Today, one of the most popular food supplements is CBD oil. Ever since new regulations were passed in various countries, regarding cannabis, the properties found in CBD have been at the center of various health products, including pharmaceutical ones. But if you want to benefit from the natural effects of cannabidiol (CBD), then you should use CBD oil as a food supplement.

Adding CBD oil to your diet will help you in many ways. First, it will aid you to digest, which is an important part of your body function. If you have an upset stomach, CBD oil will calm it down. When it comes to pain, CBD is the perfect natural ingredient to stop it, as well as nausea. It is certainly the most efficient food supplement for a god night’s sleep.

It also contains many other ingredients beneficial to your health. Inside the cannabis plant, we find different vitamins, amino acids and terpenes (commonly found in phytotherapy). These and the various phytocannabinoids will help you stay in good health all year long and keep pain away.

Other Natural Pain Killers

There are other food supplements that can be used if you suffer from back and joint discomforts. Here are a few of them:

Turmeric

This root is part of the ginger family and can be found in your local supermarket on the spice rack, but also in capsules. Because it is known to curb inflammation, it can help to relieve pain. You can cook with it, drink it like a tea or add it to your diet, as a food supplement, in its capsule form.

Devil’s claw root

Studies have shown that this herb may help to ease low back pains, as well as arthritis discomfort, thanks to its active compound: harpagoside. However, if you have a fragile stomach, it might not be the best solution for you.

Capsicum/capsaicin

Did you know that chilli peppers can help relieve your back pain? In cream form that is… Don’t try to place chilli peppers directly on your skin, it won’t work and may cause burns. But they are found in capsaicin cream, which can be used to reduce pain. They also come as pills to help relieve diarrhoea and cramps.

Take a moment to ask yourself: When was the last time you had a physical? If it’s been longer than a year or two, you’re not alone. In fact, a survey completed by Harmony Healthcare IT revealed that close to one in four millennials hadn’t scheduled an annual physical exam in five or more years. On top of that, a little less than half of all Americans failed to realize yearly physicals were essentially non-negotiable in the medical community.

Not surprisingly, a whopping majority of millennials have turned to online resources and somewhat unreliable symptom checkers in lieu of in-person doctor’s appointments with a primary care physician, and there may be more than a few reasons why.

For many, not having insurance coverage is a significant deterrent against annual physical exams. Under most insurance policies, a yearly exam involves little to no out-of-pocket costs. With these savings in mind, researching available health insurance plans on platforms like AHiX Marketplace can set you up for success and ensure you have proper coverage when emergencies strike.

Without insurance, a simple visit to the doctor can be quite costly. Without signs of infection, a bothersome runny nose, or open wounds, many patients may struggle to rationalize these additional costs. After all, why visit the doctor if you don’t feel sick?

Still not convinced that the annual physical is genuinely worth taking a long lunch break? Take a moment to review a few of the reasons that you shouldn’t neglect your yearly check-ups. Upon further investigation, you’ll likely realize that shrugging off the importance of annual physicals can have profound implications. That said, here are a few of the unignorable reasons why you should take your preventative healthcare seriously.

It may save you money

The goal of an annual physical and preventative healthcare, in general, is to prevent diseases and chronic conditions before they’re able to wreak havoc on your internal organs. Some of the standard tests performed in an annual physical exam include blood cholesterol and HbA1c, which is a way to tell if your blood glucose has stayed at elevated levels over a long period. These tests can reveal potential signs of high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, both of which can be prevented through lifestyle changes. Catching these signs early on can save you money in the long run by nixing the need for medication and potential medical procedures.

Turn multiple visits into one

Many people visit a doctor or pharmacy to get their annual flu shot, so why not combine that service with your yearly physical? Not only will you feel prepared for the upcoming flu season, but you can also have other tests run to gain a better understanding of your physical health. Cancer screenings, such as breast cancer and skin cancer, can be completed during an annual exam to give you a clean bill of health or take note of any suspicious lesions or bumps.

Maintain an updated health record

Being consistent and carving out time for a physical exam every year helps you track health trends over time, which is a critical step in identifying lifestyle changes that you should begin to make in your life. Additionally, securing a firm grasp on your state of health (past and present) can also play a life-saving role in emergencies. If you get injured, require surgery, or have a health complication that needs diagnosing, a fully fleshed-out medical record will be an invaluable resource.

Get a professional opinion

If you have something funky going on with your health, don’t rely on the internet for answers. The results you may stumble across can incite fear and anxiety when, in reality, it’s nothing to worry about.

Whether you’re suffering from a persistent dry cough or shoulder pain, have a professional take a look. Doctors didn’t endure medical school and residency for nothing. They’re trained to help and heal.

Live your best life

Preventing disease can save you money, but more importantly, it will spare your health. If you want to enjoy your life without health complications for years to come, preventative healthcare is your best bet. Annual physicals can help ensure that you have the best quality of life possible by assessing where you should make changes in your lifestyle and evaluating potential genetic risk factors for specific conditions.