I love lavender! Just the mildest whiff makes me sigh with release. And, of course, stress relief: That’s what lavender is all about. These days, who isn’t stressed? That’s why I keep an aromatherapy diffuser loaded with lavender essential oil on my desk (yes, I pause every couple of minutes as I’m writing this and … Read more
I know. This time of year, everyone is all obsessed about exercise and trying the shed those holiday buffet pounds and all of my fellow writers are urging you to hit the gym. I look at exercise in a slightly different way: As a stress management tool. It is perhaps the most effective stress buster … Read more
Note from Kathleen: April is stress awareness month, so I’m excerpting chapters from my book, Ten Best Ways to Manage Stress. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration here. It might seem like looking out for Number 1 means being selfish. That notion couldn’t be farther from the truth. I was recently on a plane trip and … Read more
Feeling like your life is one big drag? Are the vagaries of everyday life gotten you down? No. This isn’t an article about depression. It’s about something else that might be dragging you down: Adrenal fatigue can be dragging you down. You might not even know it, but here’s a hint: Relentless stress can put … Read more
Last night, I was sitting around with some friends and one woman mentioned that she suddenly had an outbreak of psoriasis, a nasty itchy, scaly skin problem. She wanted to know if there were natural treatments instead of the steroids and immune suppressant drugs doctors usually prescribe. So, I whipped out my trusty iPhone and … Read more
Note from Kathleen: It seems that everyone I know, myself included, is under great stress right now for a wide variety of reasons. This is an excerpt from my book, 10 Best Ways to Manage Stress. I hope it will help you recognize the causes and effects of unrelieved stress and offers way to find … Read more
If you’re as old as I am, you’ll remember “Laughter is the Best Medicine” was the name of the humor column in Reader’s Digest. It was good advice 50 years ago and it’s even better advice, backed by science, today. In today’s world, it’s probably the redeeming value of Facebook, where I can count on … Read more
Most of us think that meditation is an esoteric practice, perhaps a spiritual practice and the province only of the enlightened. I’ve been a meditator for most of my adult life and I find it amusing that science is finally catching up with what millions of meditators know intuitively: Meditation helps us to cope with … Read more
I am of the firm belief that everyone needs a pet. Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird or goldfish, I’ll go farther to say that a house is not a home without a pet. A huge body of research confirms that people with pets have healthier hearts, stay home sick less often, make fewer visits … Read more
I’m an avid walker. I mean, I am a really serious walker. I wear an Apple and I aim for 10,000 steps a day. Most days I meet or exceed my goal. Only on rare occasions do I fall short, usually because of weather constraints. I guess you could say I am addicted to walking. … Read more