Beyond Medication Monday

Monday September 18th, 2023

Relax and Enjoy some of your favorite things, get out with the people you love, and breath in the fresh air.

• Hiking in the Park

• Visit a Pumpkin Patch

• Drink Apple Cider

• Hang Around a Bonfire

• Take a Scenic Drive

• Plant Mums

• Escape a Corn Maze

• Carve Pumpkins

• Roast Pumpkin Seeds

• Watch Spooky Movies

Monday June 20th, 2023

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook is great for those who struggle with overwhelming emotions. While we can’t always control the pain in our lives, we can control the amount of suffering we have in response to the pain. The workbook is broken down into several sections, or skills to learn.

1) Distress tolerance – teaches coping skills, ways to build up your resiliency, and soften the impact of upsetting situations. Also teaches the importance of treating yourself kindly and with love.

2) Mindfulness – teaches how to be more present in the moment and overcome negative judgments about yourself and others.

3) Emotion regulation skills – teaches how to process and understand your emotions without getting overwhelmed by them, or behaving in reactive, or destructive ways.

4) Interpersonal effectiveness – teaches tools to express your needs, and how to set boundaries to protect yourself and your relationships.

This is a great workbook for those struggling with anxiety, irritability, mood swings or overwhelming emotions. You can buy it online for $20. It is by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley. It is important to buy the paper version so you can write in the workbook.

Monday May 29th, 2023

Here is a great list of journal prompts to use this month to help start your day in the morning, calm your mind throughout the day, or unwind at night. These journal prompts are a great way to help your mental health beyond medication!

June Journal Prompts

Monday April 24th, 2023

Journal a little bit each day can be a great way to benefit your mental health beyond medication!

May Journal Prompts

Monday April 17th, 2023

It is so important to surround yourself with good people. Your friends and family make up so much of who you are and it can be very detrimental to your mental health if the people around you are tearing you down instead of building you up. Having strong, supportive relationships can be a great reason to keep fighting even when the going gets tough.

Healthy relationships are built and maintained with trust, respect, open communication, honesty, care, and support. You need these relationships to bring you up when you are feeling low, celebrate with you when you are at your best, and bring you confidence to always be who you are. Your friends and family are the people that you can talk to about the things you may be struggling with and the people you can go to with your best and worst moments.

Having happy, healthy relationships can be a great way to help your mental health beyond medication.

Monday April 10th, 2023

Eating healthy is a very important part of taking care of your brain and body. Cooking delicious, healthy meals can also be a great activity to do with friends and family or just to occupy your mind. Here are some delicious recipes to give a try…

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon oregano leaves

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

• 1 small green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced

• 6 flour tortillas , 8-inch

Instructions:

1. Mix juice, oil, salt and all of the spices in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor.

2. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp and chicken is cooked through.

3. Spoon chicken mixture into warm tortillas. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 medium overripe bananas

• 1 cup old fashioned oats, or quick oats (check labels for gluten-free)

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, I like Orgain

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• Pinch kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ cup peanut butter, or nut butter, or seed butter

• ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips, such as Lily's

Instructions: ​

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.

2. Move oven racks to the second from top and second from bottom slots.

3. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas.

4. Add the oats, protein powder, egg, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and peanut butter and chocolate chips and mix with a fork until combined.

5. Scoop ¼ cup of mixture and place on a baking sheet, flatten the top slightly with the back of the measuring cup. Repeat with remaining mixture, adding 4 cookies to each sheet.

6. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pans ½ through bake time to allow for even browning.

7. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Ingredients

• Olive oil spray

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat or gluten-free mix, (5 oz in weight)

• 2 teaspoons baking powder, make sure it’s not expired, or it won’t rise

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, diamond crystal, use less if using table salt or Mortons

• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, not regular yogurt, it will be too sticky

• 2/3 cup marinara or pizza sauce

• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

• 1 ounce turkey pepperoni, chopped

• Crushed red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F and spray two 12-cup stand size muffin tins with oil.

2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well.

3. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.

4. Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).

5. Divide the dough into 16 equal-size small balls (about 25 grams each).

6. Press each ball into the bottom of the muffin cups, allowing it to go up the side slightly.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully press balls down in the middle to create a small well.

8. Top each ball with 2 teaspoons sauce, 1 tablespoon cheese and a sprinkle of pepperoni.

9. Return to the oven and bake for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes. With a paring knife or metal offset spatula, carefully remove the bites, cutting around the top to remove any cheese that may have stuck to the pan.

11. Spray the pan again and repeat with remaining dough and toppings.

Monday April 3rd, 2023

Sleep is incredibly important for helping boost your mental health beyond medication.

Issues with your mental health can cause difficulties sleeping and a lack of sleep can be problematic for your mental health. This back and forth problem is the reason that sleep is so important. Sleep allows the brain to rest and process the events that happened during the day. This processing time is crucial for our emotional well-being. If you aren’t sleeping well then you will be tired during the day which can lead to a difficulty coping with daily life, low self-esteem, and feelings of worry and stress.

Here are some tips to improve your sleep:

1. Maximize the comfort of your sleep space with warm blankets, a comfy mattress, and a good pillow.

2. Do not look at your phone within an hour of bedtime.

3. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine in the evening.

4. Do relaxing wind-down techniques such as meditation or journaling before bed to allow your brain to relax.

5. Take care of yourself physically during the day. If you are exercising and eating well your body will naturally be more tired and therefore it will be easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

6. Establish a good bedtime routine. If you always do the same things before bed, then your body will be more naturally prepared to fall asleep when you actually get in bed.

Some small changes to the way you think about and practice positive sleep habits can make a great impact on your mental health beyond medication.

Monday March 27th, 2023

Take the time this month to journal each day and allow your mind to calm. Journaling can be a great way to help your mental health beyond medication.

April Journal Prompts

Monday March 20th, 2023

Happy spring!! Spring is a great time to reset, clean things out, and get prepared for summer. As the sun shines a little bit more, we all tend to get a little happier. Now is a great time to pack away the snow pants and boots and get ready for life a little lighter.

Here are some great tips for getting started on your annual spring cleaning.

Clean out the fridge: give it a nice wash and make sure that you aren’t holding onto anything that is expired. Along with spring comes the best seasons for fresh fruits and vegetables so make sure your fridge is ready for all of this delicious fresh food!

Reorganize your junk drawer: while opening the junk drawer can seem like a daunting task, it is important to get rid of all the things that you know you will never use and are most likely garbage. This gives your spaces new life and can make spaces feel a bit bigger.

Dust everything: it is so easy to build up dust, especially in hard to reach places. Removing dust from the house can help freshen up your spaces. Dust is also much more visible in the sunlight, and as the sun begins to shine a little more, make sure to get rid of all those dust bunnies flying around.

Clean out the closets: go through all of your clothes and see if there is anything that can be donated. This is also a great time to transition your closet and bring forward your summer shirts and hide away your thick winter fleeces.

Give everything a nice, good scrub: clean the cabinets, windows, floors, and spaces in the house that don’t seem to get cleaned as often as they maybe should. These spaces may not need to be cleaned all the time, however taking the time each spring to make them shiny and sparkly clean can really help brighten up your space.

Spring cleaning can seem like a daunting task, however when it is completed it feels so nice to have a clean, decluttered, and freshly organized space. You can also make this a family task to get everyone involved. You might like to turn on some music and spend the day with loved ones taking care of the spaces that you call home.

Monday March 13th, 2023

With the cold, snowy weather it can be difficult to find fun activities to stay busy. Here is a list of some things you can do to stay busy on a cold day. Take your family and friends to one of these places and have a great time by helping your mental health beyond medication!

You could visit the…

• Walk around the Walker Art Center or Minneapolis Institute of Art

• Explore the Science Museum of Minnesota

• Play mini golf at Can Can Wonderland

• See a show at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater

• Go see a concert or sports game at the Xcel Energy Center

• Walk around the Mall of America

• Go bowling

Monday March 6th, 2023

Listening to music provides a variety of people with an escape from the thoughts racing through their minds. Something as simple as listening to your favorite song can completely change the course of the day. Music can lower stress, help with self-determination, encourage collection of thoughts and feelings, build community, and boost your mood.

Interestingly, these benefits are most commonly seen in teens and young adults. According to The Jed Foundation, teens and young adults spend an average of 2-3 hours listening to music each day. They also note that more than half of young adults, ages 18-29, listen to music every day. With music so deeply ingrained in the lives of young adults, it is able to provide them comfort and joy to boost their mental health when listening, playing, or dancing to music.

Some great ways to use music to boost your mental health are by…

• Playing music yourself; playing an instrument can be a great way to express yourself and allow your mind to focus on something specific. Making music yourself can boost your self-esteem as you develop your skills.

• Listening to new music; listening to new music can activate different parts of your brain. Trying out new songs can also introduce you to songs you never thought you would enjoy and allow you to explore a variety of music and the way that different songs make you feel. Also, listening to music with your eyes closed and noise cancellation headphones features can allow your mind to slow, focus, and destress.

• Dancing or singing; dancing and singing to your favorite songs can make you feel happier and be a great escape. Additionally, moving your body can benefit your physical health creating an even greater positive effect.

Music can be a fun, empowering release and has had great effects on the brain and mental health of a variety of people.

Monday February 27th, 2023

Journaling is a great way to allow your mind to settle and to refocus your thoughts.

March Journal Prompts

Monday February 20, 2023

When life is stressful or overwhelming and you need something to help calm yourself down, this tactic can be really beneficial. To begin grounding yourself, you need to take deep breaths and pay attention to your breathing. Many people like to use the square breathing technique which involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, breathing out for 4 seconds, and then holding again for 4 seconds and continuously repeating the process for a few minutes.

Once you have your breathing under control, you can begin with the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 grounding technique. Begin by taking in your surroundings and paying attention to your senses. As you progress from 5 to 4 to 3 to 2 to 1 say each observation out loud and allow it to calm your nerves.

First, look for 5 things you can see.

You might look for small details or patterns or maybe you see something you never noticed before.

Next, notice 4 things you can feel.

You may be able to feel your clothes on your skin or the wind in your hair. You could also pick up an object and describe how it feels in your hands.

Then, listen for 3 things you can hear.

Pay attention to the sounds that your body normally tunes out. This may be people chatting next to you, the sounds of the vent above you, or a clock ticking in the background.

Pay attention to 2 things you can smell.

You may see a candle near you or notice that you are sitting by a flower. Describe the scents of wherever you are.

Finally, describe 1 thing you can taste.

If you carry gum, candy, or a snack on you then you can eat that and focus on the specific details of how it tastes.

By doing these 5 simple steps, you can help ground yourself in the current moment and allow your body to clear its mind and refocus on your surroundings.

Monday February 6, 2023

Exercise is one of the most important things that you can do for your mental and physical health. In this TEDx, Chris Wharton explains how using weight or physical appearance as a measure of progress is self-sabotaging.

He makes four recommendations to improve your relationship with exercise and improve your relationship with yourself:

Write a daily gratitude journal. Write 2-3 things daily about your body that you are grateful for. (I love this! The brain is a creature of habit. If you habitually love and appreciate your body, those positive thoughts will come more naturally to you.)

Find a form of exercise that you enjoy, and do it! Exercise does not mean you have to go to the gym. There are so many forms of physical activity.

Exercise is non-negotiable. (He recommends allowing 20-30 minutes of me-time every day. I know this can seem like a lot, but remember that you are your own best friend. It also doesn’t mean you have to exercise 30 minutes every day. You could take this time for a warm bath, reading a good book, or getting a massage, etc. The idea is to take this time completely for yourself)

Set performance related goals. (Perhaps you want to run a 5K, or a half-marathon. Maybe you want to be able to do 10 push-ups. Or maybe you want to exercise just because you know it's good for you. I think the most important take-away is that your goals are not related to physical appearance because those goals are based on the idea that you are not good enough.)

At the end, he reminds us to be kinder to ourselves because the people in our lives will love us no matter what we look like as long as we are strong, healthy, and happy.

The Exercise Happiness Paradox | Chris Wharton

Monday January 30, 2023

Journaling a little bit each day can help boost your mood!

February Journal Prompts

Monday December 26, 2022

Taking some time each day to journal can help you escape from your negative thoughts.

January Journal Prompts

Monday December 12, 2022

Looking at winter light displays is a fun winter activity. There are places where you can drive, stay in your car, and admire the lights. Some winter lights have other activities as well and are a great way to spend some time outside during the cold winter season.

Here are some great light displays to enjoy in the Twin Cities:

• Holidazzle in Downtown Minneapolis

• GLOW Festival at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds

• Union Depot Holiday Tree in Downtown St. Paul

• Winter Lights at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska

Some spectacular houses:

• Christmas at Dodd Crossing in Lakeville

• Lights at the COVE in Prior Lake

• Porter’s Holiday Light Show in Apple Valley

Monday December 5, 2022

Baking your favorite recipes with family or doing a cookie exchange with friends are fun ways to celebrate the winter holidays. Spending time with friends and family can be incredibly beneficial for your mental health and eating cookies is also a delicious way to make you smile.

Sugar Cookies and Icing

Cornflake Wreath Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Monday November 14, 2022

Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family, being grateful, and eating delicious food. For many people, thanksgiving dinner is a time to come together and bond over traditions, delicious food, and loved ones. Here are some delicious recipes to try this year. Maybe you will try something new or create something with your family. Take this holiday to be grateful for everything in life and spend time with the people who matter most in your life.

Here are some delicious recipes to try:

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sweet Potato Casserole

Butterhorn Rolls

Classic Roast Turkey

Monday November 7, 2022

It is getting cold out which makes it more difficult to go outside for runs or walks to stay active. However, there are lots of great ways to exercise inside such as having an indoor dance party or following along to a YouTube workout class. Getting your body moving each day is incredibly important for your mental health. Even just a half an hour each day can get your endorphins running and put a smile on your face.

Here are some great ways to exercise indoors:

• Try a 30-minute Yoga class from YouTube or a Core Workout.

• Find an open space and move.

• Blast some music as loud as you can and then dance your heart out.

Monday October 31, 2022

Journaling is a great way to write all about what you are feeling. Here are some prompts to help you get started!

November Journal Prompts

Monday October 17, 2022

Practicing gratitude is such a simple yet incredibly beneficial way to improve your mental health. The act of practicing gratitude can have psychological, social, and physical benefits. There are so many ways to practice gratitude in life and anyway you choose to incorporate it can make a huge impact on your life. Just 5 minutes a day can positively impact your outlook on life. However, gratitude must be genuine, and you must truly feel it otherwise it will not have the same effect.

Here are different ways to practice gratitude. Commit to giving this a try every day for at least two weeks.

• Make a gratitude journal and each day list 3-5 things you are grateful for.

• Write gratitude letters to people you are grateful for in life.

• Kiss your Brain and be grateful for your body.

• Emote, Extend, Exercise

  • Emote: feel the gratitude

  • Extend: include other people in your gratitude

  • Exercise: practice being grateful

Here are 2 great TED Talks about gratitude:

• Kiss your Brain: The Science of Gratitude

• Discover the Three Keys of Gratitude to Unlock your Happiest Life

Monday October 10, 2022

There are so many classic fall activities that are so fun to do at any age range with or without children. These places have great activities and ways to make fun fall memories. Doing fun activities, spending time with friends and family, and exploring new places are all great ways to improve your mental health beyond medication.

ValleyScare (Valleyfair) Shakopee MN
Sever’s Corn Maze, Shakopee MN
Emma Krumbee’s, Belle Plaine MN
Applewood Orchard, Lakeville MN Minnesota Harvest, Jordan
MN Vikings Games, Gophers Game,
or Minnesota United Game
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley

Monday October 3, 2022

Food is our body's fuel; this fuel comes from healthy foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. Adopting a few healthy eating habits and committing to them can vastly improve your mental and physical health. Eating to fuel your body is so important, and the best way to do that is to eat foods that are good for your brain. Incorporating more brain foods into your diet can help your mental health. Brain foods also make you feel better just knowing that you are putting good food into your body.

Healthy Eating Tips:

Prep meals – Each weekend take the time to prep healthy meals, so you do not end up grabbing fast food on the way home from work or eating a giant unhealthy snack because you are too hungry to decide what to make for dinner.

Swap pre-packaged sweet snacks for fruit – When you are craving something sweet, eat a bowl of strawberries or grapes. This will fill your craving and fill you up so you do not eat more than you need.

Drink carbonated water instead of soda – Swapping your favorite fountain soda for sparkling water can be a simple swap that will benefit you in the long run. Sparkling water is carbonated so you still get the refreshing bubbly taste, but with 0 calories.

Eat lots of protein – Foods packed with protein are going to fill you up faster and for longer saving you from snacks and foods that will make you feel gross or not fully fueled.

Drink more water – Your body needs so much water each day. Swapping your afternoon snacks for a tall glass of water could be exactly what your body needs.

Use smaller plates to help with portion control – Eating meals on smaller plates can make you better see how much food you are eating so you do not eat to the point of being uncomfortably full.

Avoid eating after 8 pm - Eating after 8 pm is usually eating out of boredom and not hunger. Skipping this bedtime snack can avoid unneccessary calories and other health problems.

Eat Brain Food - eggs, vegetables, black coffee, avocado, salmon, fruit nuts

Monday September 26, 2022

Each day respond to one of these journals prompts as a way to allow your brain to rest and reset.

October Journal Prompts

Monday September 19, 2022

From the first page of this book, I found so many simple self-help tips to finally end the negative self-talk. This book includes so many tips to really break down our thoughts and try to better understand how and why we give them the control over our lives, that we seem to do.

Just a few pages into the book my highlighter was out, Bonior spends time explaining or should I say helping us understand why we give negative self-talk such a strong hold in our thoughts yet let those thoughts of amazing days and fancy sports cars come and go without any more thought or really even a pause . . . why is that? It’s like we let them (through nasty negative thoughts) sit there and stew, we let them sink in and begin to control our other thoughts, how we view ourselves, and our actions.

Included in this book are so many great tips on sitting back and looking at your thoughts differently, tips for practicing ways to take control of these thoughts and how to approach things differently moving forward. You do deserve love, peace in your heart and mind, kindness, safety, and compassion . . . especially from yourself. This book is a reminder that this is possible and that beginning to take control of negative self-talk can get us there.

According to research, by focusing on negative self-talk and ridding it from our lives we can increase our life span, lower rates of depression and distress, have a greater resistance to the common cold, and have overall better psychological and physical well-being. By focusing on a few quick and fairly simple tricks you too can begin to eliminate the negative self-talk. This book wraps up with reminding us that we will always have negative thoughts and that’s OK, what we need to focus on is having a positive and controlled relationship with these thoughts.

If you are looking for a quick read and want to take control of the negative self-talk that seems to have a hold of you, then this is a great book. “Detox your thoughts gives you permission to feel your emotions-be the fuzzy or frenzied-and provides the tools to work with and through them. This is a funny, down-to-earth read that helps you transform self-doubt into self-assurance one thought at a time (Monice Sweeney, Author).”

Monday September 12, 2022

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment, aware of who we are, aware of our emotions and our surroundings. The goal of mindfulness is not to be happy, but to accept that life is full of joy, elation, achievement, loss, anger, and sadness. Being mindful means being in tune with how your mind and body feel. Being aware that thoughts are just thoughts. We often live our lives stressing about the past or worrying about the future, that we’re not truly present in the moment. Living this way can lead to anxiety, sleepless nights, and obsessive thoughts. If you are feeling frustrated, lean into your emotions and explore the thoughts going through your brain, and recognize they are just thoughts. If you are feeling empty, put down the electronics and reach out to someone who matters to you. There are many small things that you can do to make mindfulness more routine in your daily life.

Monday September 5, 2022

Burnout is a state of being overwhelmed and exhausted to the point of breakdown. People can often feel burnt out from excessive stress in the workplace or other parts of their lives. Burnout can stem from feeling overworked and overwhelmed, lacking support, and not maintaining a work-life balance. It can feel necessary to devote excess time to your job even when it is harming your body mentally and physically. You might not feel burnt out or notice the changes until it is too late; burnout happens slowly, and you keep struggling through it until you cannot keep going.

Here are some common symptoms of burnout:

Procrastination
Chronic Fatigue
Cynicism
Chronic Lateness
Pessimism
Loss of imagination for the future
Reduced happy moments
Job dissatisfaction
Doubting core beliefs

The best way to move beyond your burnout is to take care of yourself: your mind and body. To help prevent burnout make sure to keep your work and life in balance and prioritize yourself and your wellbeing.

Self-Care for Burnout:

Rest, relax, sleep
Create a to-do list of only essentials
Let go of big things
Remember it takes time
Listen to your body
Exercise

ASK FOR HELP! If you or someone you know is struggling with burnout, we encourage you to reach out and get the help you need. No one should have to deal with feeling burnout because life without burnout is so much better and happier.

Monday August 29, 2022

Journaling is a simple and easy way to benefit your mental health. Take some time each day to respond to a journal prompt and allow your brain to let loose and write out whatever you are feeling.

September Journal Prompts

Monday August 22, 2022

Salads are both delicious and healthy. After eating a salad, you often feel better about yourself and you feel full and rejuvenated the way good food is supposed to make you feel. Here are some great recipes to try this week to help you feel better and healthier. You can’t go wrong with a delicious new recipe.

• Classic Corn Salad – A Couple Cooks

• Classic Pasta Salad – A Couple Cooks

• Greek Orzo Salad Recipe – A Couple Cooks

• Strawberry Spinach Salad (with Strawberry Dressing!) – A Couple Cooks

• Southwest Style Cobb Salad with Smoky Chipotle… | The Modern Proper

Salads are a delicious part of summer! Try a new recipe this week to enjoy something new and delicious!

Monday August 15, 2022

Adding yoga into your daily routine can provide you with a plethora of health benefits. Yoga improves your strength, balance, and flexibility in addition to just getting you to move and exercise a little. Yoga also has a lot of psychological benefits such as relaxing your mind and helping you to clear your mind. Part of practicing yoga is clearing your brain and allowing your thoughts to focus which can help you to manage your stress. Just 15 minutes of yoga each day can help bring you more energy in the morning or help you to calm down and relax at night.

Here is a great 15-minute yoga to try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqlcOv4vgEQ

Here is some great yoga for after a long day of work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0i_ywpnwYQ

Here is a TED Talk about the history and benefits of yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8kV4FHSdNA

Monday August 1st, 2022

It is National Wellness Month! Practicing wellness in all aspects of your life will help you to feel more fulfilled and healthier. There are seven different aspects to wellness: mental, social, physical, spiritual, financial, environmental, and vocational. Each of these must be maintained and developed to achieve holistic wellness. Wellness goes beyond having good mental and physical health. Those who have mastered wellness are practicing healthy habits in all areas of their life such as in their relationships, at their work, and with themselves

Tips to improve your overall wellness:

• Practice Healthy Habits

• Focus on intention, action, and activities

• Connect with others. Support them and allow them to support you

• Exercise, Eat Healthy, Get enough Sleep

• Practice Gratitude

• Tidy your spaces

• Budget and stick to it

• Do what makes you happy

Here is a great TED Talk about discovering wellness in life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKQLBiylsn8

Monday July 25th, 2022

Journaling is a simple and easy way to benefit your mental health. Take some time each day to respond to a journal prompt and allow your brain to let loose and write out whatever you are feeling.

August Journal Prompts

Monday July 18th, 2022

Hiking is a great form of exercise that will benefit your physical health and your mental health. There are so many great trails in the Twin Cities area with some incredible views.

Here is a list of great trails in the area that you should definitely check out!

Interstate State Park - Glacial Pothole Trail

Banning State Park - Wolf Creek Falls Trail

Afton State Park - North River Trail & Prairie Loop

Fort Snelling State Park - Snelling Lake Trail

Hidden Falls

Shadow Falls

Cannon Valley Trail

Hyland Lake Trail

Mazomani Trail

Tamarack Nature Center - Goldenrod Trail

Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area - Overlook Trail

Monday July 11th, 2022

You Are a Badass – How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life by Jen Sincero forces you to look intrinsically to bring out your inner badass. You have the potential to be whoever you want to be and do whatever you want to do, but you must do it for yourself. Sincero discusses all the different thought processes that are affecting our decisions and therefore our successes. She explains how changing our mindset is the key to having a more positive outlook on different situations and achieving the goals we set.

Our mindset controls all our decisions and affects all our actions. We are the only people in control of our mindset and the way we view and react to each situation. If we want something, we must really, truly work for it. Sincero forces you to think about how your thoughts and actions are influenced by others. Oftentimes we allow the blame of life to be put on everyone else when what we really need to do is change our mindset.

The 27 chapters discuss a variety of topics such as the Big Snooze, gratitude, and fear. Sincero explores what she calls, the big snooze, which she describes as a recurring funk/dark cloud holding you back. She writes, “the Big Snooze will do everything it can to stop you from changing and growing” (pg. 46). The Big Snooze is allowing us to self-sabotage, and it is holding us back from reaching our full potential. However, this is something we can overcome. Sincero also writes about gratitude and the importance of being grateful for everything in life. She considers gratitude to be the gateway drug to awesomeness because even just a little gratitude can go a long way when it comes to appreciating all the little things in life. Sincero also explores the idea of fear and how it holds us back. As a remedy she suggests “face your fears with the truth, that they are all in your mind, and they will lose their power on you” (pg. 173). Our fear comes from the way we look at things and if we change our mindset, we can escape from the fear holding us back.

Overall, Sincero does a great job of encouraging you to rethink your mindset and focus on the things you really want in life. She explores a variety of mind-opening lessons through interesting, comedic anecdotes. None of these changes will happen overnight, however focus, manifestation, and commitment will take you a long way. Sincero ends each chapter with, Love Yourself, because that is the most important way to become your best self. Self-esteem is the key to achieving your goals. You are a badass and you need to believe that for yourself before you can make any real change in your life.

Monday July 4th, 2022

Our life is full of relationships, including those we have with our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and romantic partners, everyone we are with has an important role in our day-to-day life. These relationships shape our lives and affect how we feel each day. Strong relationships and social connections are incredibly important and often beneficial for our mental health. People who are more connected socially are happier, physically healthier, and live longer. However, this connection needs to be face to face to have an impact. Today these in-person interactions are much more difficult with the popularity of chatting online using social media and the decreased ability to see people due to COVID-19. Loneliness and isolation are detrimental to both your mental and physical health. A lack of relationships can be just as bad if not worse than smoking or drinking in terms of life longevity.

In addition to connection, good, productive relationships need commitment and dedication. In relationships, quality over quantity is the most beneficial for your wellbeing. Our close, positive relationships give us a certain sense of purpose and a deep feeling of belonging. Our friends and relationships have incredible effects on us. If we live near/spend time with people who are very happy, they can increase our personal happiness by up to 25%. We tend to chameleon to our friends and their states of being, so if we surround ourselves with happy friends, we will also be happier. While these relationships can affect our mental health, our mental health can in turn affect our relationships. Disorders such as depression and anxiety can influence someone's ability to connect with others, making strong relationships more difficult to create and maintain. However, you are not alone, 1 in 3 people has depression, so put yourself out there a little and you might make the best relationships of your life. Here are 5 ways you can devote more to your relationships: Give time: you need to spend time with people to build a strong and trusting relationship, also your time together is where all the benefits come from. Be present: when spending time with others, stay off your phone and devote your attention to your time together. Listen: make sure to actively listen to the people closest to you in a non-judgmental way. Be vulnerable: share things that are important to you and allow yourself to be supported. Recognize unhealthy relationships: not every relationship is perfect, and it is important to recognize when a relationship is doing more harm than good.

Sources: Relationships in the 21st century: the forgotten foundation of mental health and wellbeing | Mental Health Foundation

Monday June 27th, 2022

Journaling is a great way to write out your thoughts and escape for a little while. Just 5 minutes of journaling each day can vastly improve your mental health and give you a great output for your negative thoughts.

There is a journal prompt for each day! Some are fun and others will force you to dig a little deeper. Take the time each day to write out your thoughts, with some guidance from our questions. It is a great way to relax, be mindful, and get your brain thinking differently for a little bit each day.

July Journal Prompts

Monday June 20th, 2022

10% Happier by Dan Harris is a great introductory book to meditation and mindfulness. GQ Magazine aptly refers to it “Part-science, part-memoir and part self-help”. The takeaway of the book is that daily meditation has a multitude of benefits for your physical and mental health, such as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, improving sleep, reducing pain, lowering blood pressure, improving memory and attention, and making you a more compassionate person, towards yourself and others. Don’t feel overwhelmed by the thought of having to meditate daily. Even if you’re not interested in meditation, the book still has a lot of great lessons to learn, especially relating to mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. Being mindful is beneficial in positive and negative situations. For example, we tend to always be living for the future - waiting to take the next bite, make more money, go on another vacation, etc. Mindfulness tells us to enjoy the present. We focus so much on obtaining more for our future, that we lose sight of what we have in the present. Harris says that the pursuit of happiness can easily become the cause of our unhappiness.

Mindfulness also teaches us that it is ok to have negative emotions, they are subconscious after all. When we experience sadness, anger, jealousy, worry or fear, we tend to try to push away these emotions which cause inner turmoil. Instead, we should lean into our emotions, let our body experience them and try to understand where these thoughts are coming from. Once we’ve processed our emotions, we can ask ourselves “Is there any more thinking I need to do on this?” and “Will thinking about this more at this moment get me any closer to a solution?” If the answers are “no” then you’ve given your emotions what they are due, and you can set them aside and try to move on. Mindfulness is not the absence of negative emotions or experiences. Harris likens mindfulness to the space behind a waterfall – you can see the torrential, dangerous water falling from a place of calm, peace, and safety. It is ok to feel sadness, stress or anger. Just don’t let it define you.

Dan Harris appears to be a realist when it comes to the benefits of meditation, he titled his book 10% Happier after all, and not 100% Happier. He is honest that meditation and mindfulness won’t make you happy all the time, but they can help you to live more in the present, process your emotions more thoroughly and not let them define you, and learn to respond versus react to stressful situations.

Monday June 13th, 2022

Exercising and spending time outside are great ways to improve your mental health beyond medication. Minnesota and the Twin Cities area have a multitude of gorgeous bike trails to spend a day outside enjoying nature's wonders. Take some time to enjoy these trails if you can.

• Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway – Minneapolis

• Minnesota River Greenway

• Minnehaha Falls

• Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail

• Bde Maka Ska Lake

• Murphy Hanrehan Park

• Ritter Farm Park

• Singing Hils Trial

Monday June 6th, 2022

Enjoy a refreshing smoothie to cool off in the warm summer sun!!

Aloha Tropical Smoothie

1 Cup Pineapple – cubed
1 Cup Strawberries – quartered
1 Banana – sliced
1 Cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 ½ Cups Ice
1/3 Cup Pineapple or Apple Juice
Blend together in a blender and enjoy

Tropical Summer Fruit Smoothie

1 ½ Cups Frozen Mango Chunks
1 Cup Frozen Strawberries
1 Cup Frozen Sweet Pineapple
2 Cups Orange Juice
1 Cup Vanilla Yogurt
Blend juice and fruit completely, then add in yogurt and blend again. Pour in a tall glass and enjoy!!

May 18, 2022

May is mental health awareness month. Take some time this month to evaluate your own mental health. Untreated anxiety can have severe consequences including disrupting your sleep, impacting your performance at work or school, affecting your relationships with others, increasing your risk for substance abuse, depression, heart disease and dementia. Some stress and anxiety can be normal. Persistent worry and anxiety are not. If you are concerned that you may have an anxiety disorder schedule an appointment to better understand anxiety and how medications and lifestyle changes can help you live and feel better.

What’s the difference between stress and anxiety?

Stress vs. Anxiety – Knowing the Difference Is Critical to Your Health

May 11, 2022

Gardening is a great activity for all - the new and the experienced. That is what makes it so great! Gardening is about growth, resilience, strength, dedication and adventure. Life is not perfect, and neither is any garden. They are adventures. Gardening is great for your physical and mental well-being. It allows you to connect with nature and it is amazing to enjoy the fruits of your labor, such as admiring the beauty of your begonias or the scent of your rosemary. It’s also a great activity to enjoy with others and pass on to future generations.

Check out these great articles to learn more about all the awesome benefits of getting out to Garden . . .

10 Mental Health Benefits of Gardening | Psychology Today

The MN Landscape Arboretum also offers gardening advice by season, check out their tips for spring at . . .

MN Landscape Arboretum

May 1, 2022

Happy May Day! As children, we would leave May Day baskets at our neighbor’s homes and what a joy it was to receive similar baskets in return. We challenge you to deliver joy to one person today. Giving activates the pleasure center in your brain, so it may just have benefits to you as well.

This Is Your Brain on Charitable Giving | Psychology Today

The Secret to Happiness Is Helping Others | Time.com

April 23, 2022

Free access to Minnesota's state parks today! Get those endorphins running at any one of Minnesota’s 66 state parks. Did you know that enjoying time in nature can boost your mood and improve your Mental Health . . . learn more at www.nps.gov. Free entrance days to all Minnesota state parks | Minnesota

Don’t forget your rain jacket and umbrella.

Free entrance days to all Minnesota state parks | Minnesota