Cortisol, often called the "stress hormone," is crucial for managing the body's response to stress, but chronic elevation can lead to a host of physical and mental health issues. From weight gain and immune suppression to anxiety and disrupted sleep, prolonged high cortisol takes a significant toll on well-being. This comprehensive article delves into the effects of cortisol, the link between trauma and stress hormones, and actionable strategies to naturally reduce cortisol levels. Learn how lifestyle changes like mindfulness, diet, and somatic exercises can help restore balance and protect your health from the damaging effects of chronic stress.
Read moreThe Role of Cortisol in Self-Harm and Addiction: A Psychological Perspective
Cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone, plays a critical role in the body’s response to stress. While essential for managing acute stress, chronic stress can lead to cortisol imbalances, which may contribute to harmful behaviors such as self-harm and addiction. Elevated cortisol levels have been linked to increased emotional distress, anxiety, and impulsivity, driving individuals to seek relief through maladaptive coping mechanisms. Similarly, addiction often involves a dysregulated cortisol response, with substances used to temporarily lower stress but ultimately perpetuating the cycle of addiction. Understanding how cortisol impacts emotional regulation is key to addressing these behaviors and fostering long-term mental health.
Read moreUnderstanding Sexual Assault in Relationships: Recognizing Boundaries and When They’re Crossed
Disclaimer: This article addresses sensitive topics related to sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers.
Understanding sexual assault in relationships is crucial for recognizing and respecting boundaries. This article defines various forms of sexual assault, including rape, sexual coercion, and voyeurism, and provides examples to help identify when a boundary has been crossed. Empower yourself with knowledge to foster healthy, respectful relationships.
Read moreThe Role of Nutrition in Mental Health: The Gut-Brain Connection and How Diet Affects Emotional Well-Being
Did you know that what you eat can directly influence how you feel? The connection between our gut and brain is more powerful than most people realize, with our diet playing a crucial role in our emotional and mental well-being. Dive into the fascinating world of the gut-brain connection and learn practical tips for enhancing your emotional health through nutrition.
Read moreSomatic Exercises for Trauma: Reconnecting Mind and Body for Holistic Healing
Trauma affects not just the mind but the body as well, often leaving us disconnected from our physical selves. In my latest article, I delve into somatic exercises—simple, mindful practices that help release stored trauma and reconnect the mind and body. Whether you're new to somatic healing or looking for easy-to-implement exercises, this guide offers practical tools for fostering holistic wellness from the comfort of your home.
Read moreThe Power of Vagal Toning: Healing Through the Nervous System
The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in our body’s ability to recover from trauma. As the longest cranial nerve, it connects the brain to various organs and is a key player in the parasympathetic nervous system. Vagal toning exercises offer a way to gently guide the body back to a state of balance, helping to restore emotional stability and physical well-being.
Read moreDigging the way to living in your passion and purpose
Discovering our purpose in life can be one of the most challenging things to be faced with. Day to day we are lead by an unconscious drive to fill a void that requires fulfillment through our deepest passions. But how do we become aware of what our deep passions are, which will lead to our purpose?
Read moreMy Story
Life is a funny thing. It paints some of the most exquisite experiences you could behold, while on the other hand, it can reveal highly unpleasant ones. My life has been a contrast of the two, giving me beauty and hardship. Today I am thriving and couldn’t be happier with all the experiences I’ve been through, no matter how challenging they proved to be. I wish to share my story with you so that you can get a better sense of how I’ve become the person I am today and why I strive to help others along their journey.
Read moreThe I’ll be happy when syndrome
The problem is that this syndrome has become an unconscious thought that leads in a direction away from the happiness that you crave. As a culture we have convinced ourselves that happiness is found in the future and not in the present moment where we currently are. And it seems that once that future moment becomes our present moment, that doesn’t fulfill us either.
Read moreNavigating loss
Living with loss can be an exhausting and isolating experience. It seems that everyone tells you that it will get better with time, but there is no timetable for grief. It is a roller coaster, there are ups and downs, moments of pain intermixed with relief and as the years pass you may ask, why do I still suffer?
Read moreObliterating limiting beliefs
From an early age we start to form beliefs about the world and ourselves, some that help to propel us forward and others that limit who we are. The people around us such as family, friends, society and other dominant figures, all contribute to our overall sense of self. Our beliefs need to be dismantled, seen from a new perspective, then re-formed so we are no longer limited.
Read moreComing face to face with your shadow self
When I first arrived in Chiang Mai I thought living here was a breeze. Everyone told me about all the times they were homesick and how they questioned if life as an expat or nomad was the way to go. But that wasn’t something I imagined I’d go through, I’m very adaptable and not much seems to bother me. However, I still managed to enter a gloomy phase that started about a month ago.
Read more20 life lessons I've learned on my journey so far
My journey so far has brought me moments of magic and some that were less than magical, but these are the ups and downs of life right? I can’t say I would be truly appreciative of what life has to offer had I not had the tall treacherous mountains to climb, for you cannot see light without the dark, hear music without the pauses or experience love without fear; life is full of duality so that you can come to appreciate the full spectrum.
Read moreHow to invite more happiness into your life
Life is all about perception, it all depends on how you choose to see it. There are two outlooks in life, one full of optimism, and the other full of pessimism. A negative mindset will help you manifest more challenging situations, while a positive one will help highlight all that is good assisting you in your journey everyday. The question is which do you choose and which would you rather live with?
Read moreWhat I've come to understand on my quest towards befriending fear
Just like the mind, fear can be tricky and even controlling. You can either give up your control and allow it to take the driver’s seat or you can allow it guide you as long as you’re holding the leash. For most of my life I allowed fear to drive me around, giving it the ability to control my path, often leading to dead-end streets and never-ending mazes. That was until about a year ago…
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