This summer and fall the outdoors were a welcome respite to the isolation that came with the pandemic. You could go outside, feel the sunshine on your face, get some movement, and be around others at a safe distance.
Now that the weather has turned colder, you may prefer to stay inside where the temperature is well regulated. However there are so many benefits to embracing the cold weather and engaging in extreme temperature exposures that you may want to reconsider the great outdoors.
You may be surprised to learn that that exposure to the cold has many health benefits, especially if you really dislike the cold. But I invite you to come into this discussion with an open mind, no matter how much you would prefer to live in a sunny, warm climate year-round!
A Look At History
I often look at how our ancestors lived as a guide to what is natural for the human body. When it comes to cold exposure there is a huge discrepancy between how our ancestors experienced the weather and how we experience it today.
Most of us work, live, and spend our time in buildings that maintain a very comfortable temperature. We wake up in temperature-controlled homes, take a warm shower, and drive to work in comfortable cars that have been in the garage all night.
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What if there was a cheap effective supplement that could help protect your body from the effects of Covid-19? Would you be interested in learning more? If so, you will want to look at the research surrounding vitamin D.
While no supplement can provide complete protection, the research on vitamin D is very promising. Let’s take a look at the research to see the powerful impact it may be having on those with Covid-19.
Observational Studies
Throughout this pandemic there has been quite a bit of research surrounding supplements and the effects they have on covid. There have been at least 15 observational studies which have investigated the connection between vitamin D and COVID-19.
Recently, Chris Kresser discussed one such study that was published in the journal Nature. According to Kresser, “The researchers compared people with asymptomatic infections to people with severe infections: 97 percent of people in the severe group had vitamin D deficiency (average level of 14!) vs. 33 percent in the asymptomatic group... People with low vitamin D also had higher levels of inflammatory markers like ferritin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6. Most impressively: the fatality rate was seven times higher in the low vitamin D group!”
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Do you regularly find yourself overwhelmed and exhausted? Does it feel like your responsibilities are never done and that you never have time for yourself? If so, you might have come to play the role of “needless” - one without needs!
When you are not aware of your needs, or aren’t comfortable asking for those needs to be met, you can easily take on too much. Focusing on other people’s needs without considering your own will leave you living an unbalanced life.
While being too needy isn’t the goal, neither is being needless. To live a balanced life it is important that we learn how to both give and take in relationships. Let’s look at this dynamic and challenge any unhealthy beliefs we have about welcoming our own needs.
Why You May Struggle
As babies we are all very needy! We make our needs known without hesitation - often through our cries. But as we grow, we gain more and more control over our emotions and the way we display our needs. This is a good thing, however at times it can go too far.
As children grow society puts a lot of pressure on them to be "good boys" and "good girls." There is a large focus of conforming in many schools and families. Children are praised for helping others and not causing trouble. While there are obvious benefits to this behavior, in some cases it can create "people pleasing" tendencies that can become out of balanced. If children get the message that their needs are too much or will not be met, sometimes they simply turn them off. Of course this is not really possible, so those needs and the emotions that accompany them just get pushed down. When we do this for long enough, we can become “needless”.
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We at DuPage Family Wellness would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving week!
There are many things that typically make Thanksgiving special - time with loved ones, tasty food, and the focus on gratitude!
I don't know that any of us will have a traditional Thanksgiving experience this year, but the one thing we can do is choose to embrace gratitude. After all it is the one day of the year that our culture encourages us to pause and reflect on all we have.
There are so many benefits to developing a gratitude practice that I wanted to share our gratitude blogs with you once more.
I think you'll be surprised at how much we have to be grateful for even in the craziest of times!
Dr. Jamie
Do you ever have trouble sitting with your own thoughts?
Perhaps you go through most of your day at a fast pace... rushing out the door to run an errand on the way to work, or picking the kids up only to rush home and make dinner before running to another activity.
If so, you are not alone. We live in a fast-paced society and rarely take time to sit with our own thoughts. As a result, you may have lost the ability to simply be present, sitting with your own thoughts with ease.
Let's explore this issue and discover ways we can become accustomed to being in the present once again.
Shocking Research
Studies done by researchers looked at this issue by asking people to be alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Participants were given the option to give themselves an electric shock if they didn’t want to simply be alone with their thoughts for the full time.
The results were truly unbelievable! A full 30% of men and 60% of women chose to give themselves an electric shock, rather than being alone with their thoughts.
It is interesting that anyone would rather experience the pain of a shock rather than sitting with their own thoughts, but it is not completely surprising. As a society we do not value stillness and presence, instead honoring productivity and accomplishment. For many people this culture of striving results in great discomfort when they have time to simply be.
What You Can Do Today
If you are someone that has little time for sitting with their own thoughts, you may find it beneficial to intentionally develop your ability to simply be. But with all the busyness surrounding you, what can you do to give yourself a little time alone with your thoughts today?
To begin with, start small. You don’t need to go to an hour long meditation or yoga class three times a week. Simply sit in your car for a couple minutes after doing your grocery shopping or dropping the kids off at an activity. During this time settle your heart and focus on your breath.
When your mind begins to wander, just notice it and bring it back to your breath in a non-judgmental way. It is normal to have to bring your mind back to the present quite frequently when you begin this practice, the key is to simply refocus without getting caught up in frustration.
Use Your Senses
Your senses are other great tools to bring you back into the present. The following exercise takes just a few minutes and can be done just about anywhere.
Start by getting in a comfortable position either sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the ground or lying down if you aren’t too tired. Then take a few refreshing deep breaths. Now tune in to your senses. What are 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and one thing you can taste?
Using Guided Visualizations
Some people find guided visualizations extremely helpful in helping them focus when they are first trying to develop this type of practice. Kristen Neff is a mindfulness expert who focuses on self-compassion.
Her guided meditations are available free online. Each exercise lasts between 5-25 minutes and can be done in the privacy of your home. It is a great place to start if you struggle to stay present in the moment.
Developing a Mindfulness Practice
As you develop your skills to be present in the moment, you are actually developing a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness had been found to lower stress, anxiety, and depression. Becoming more mindful can even help you respond more appropriately in stressful situations.
There are so many ways to develop your own mindfulness practice. It is truly just intentionally bringing your attention to what is happening in the moment without judgement. Even just a few moments of purposefully being in the moment can make a difference. There is no right or wrong way to do it as long as it’s approached with openness and grace.
Perhaps the only time you have to yourself is when you are in the bathroom or going to bed. If so, try giving yourself a few minutes alone with your thoughts while you are lying in bed or taking a shower.
These little moments will become a gift that you can look forward to giving yourself throughout the day!
Dr. Jamie
Between work, activities, and family, life can feel pretty overwhelming. You may feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, so there simply isn’t time to get a good night’s sleep. But sleep is one of the most fundamental functions we do each day. Without good sleep, you will not only feel terrible, but you will begin to damage your body.
Without proper sleep, you will likely notice a difference in your energy, mood, and ability to function. And if you consistently wake up from a full night's sleep feeling less than refreshed, you may be dealing with undiagnosed sleep issues.
There is an easy way to check for such a sleep issue that you can do in the privacy of your own home. This simple test costs next to nothing and only takes a few extra seconds at night. Let’s look at what the experts say about this test and how to use the results to train your body to sleep well again!
What We Are Looking For
According to Dr. Mark Burhenne of Ask the Dentist, sleep apnea is the “lack of the ability to breathe properly at night to the point where your sleep is interrupted.” While most people are aware of severe sleep apnea, Burhenne explains that mild forms are often left undiagnosed, especially in otherwise healthy individuals.
Oftentimes a dentist can see early warning signs of sleep apnea through features in the mouth. These early signs include gum recession, tooth sensitivity, TMJ, dry mouth, morning headaches, chipped teeth, and nighttime clenching or grinding.
All of these signs can be attributed to the inability to consistently breathe through your nose rather than your mouth.
A Simple Test
Discovering if you are a mouth or nose breather at night is the first step. But how do you know what you are doing while you are asleep if there is no one watching you throughout the night? The easiest way is to use some special mouth tape to gently tape your mouth shut at night.
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