@SCARLETKENT
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@SOITSREN, SOCOANDMODA
contents. 006 010
what is fthh?
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self-reflection.
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peace + power of growing food w/ nina jones.
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food philosophy w/ bianca valle.
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cooking at home.
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lessons for living w/ dr. chanelle.
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playlist.
on wellness.
about fthh. FTHH is a monthly magazine, community, and movement that advocates for wellness education for all human beings. For years, access to health and wellness resources have intentionally been exclusive only to a portion of the world’s population. FTHH strives to provide resourceful information and inspiration by having conversations with experts, specialists, and with individuals within our own community in order to enhance the quality of life for our readers—you :). Wellness journeys are very intimate and personalized. Our experiences tell a story of who we are. We learn through our experiences. We grow through our experiences. We evolve through our experiences. It should be noted that no two journeys or experiences will ever be the same. Individuality is one of the most beautiful things in the world and should always be what we strive for. Although we all have our own experiences, we can also learn from the experiences of others. As well as other humans can learn from our experiences, if we are willing to share. The more we share, the more we teach others, which then reinforces those healthy habits within ourselves. The process of learning, growing, and sharing is the cycle of life and will allow you to attract optimum abundance into your life + the lives of others. We appreciate you for allowing us to be a part of your wellness journey and hope that we contribute in a major way to your quality of life. We’re sending you so much love, light, and abundance. Thank you for being a part of the first issue of fthh. Here’s to learning, growing, + sharing and then doing it all over again. Peace and love.
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wellness.
ON WELLNESS Wellness is such a broad subject and really can’t be summed up within one plain simple definition. Well, technically it can. Wellness is simply how you feel about yourself— your selfworth. However, it doesn’t end here. Your self worth is solely dependent on how well you treat yourself— physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. As you can see, wellness cannot be simply defined and hosts an umbrella of terms that considers all aspects of your being. Wellness is a process. It’s a journey. Hence, wellness journey. Mastering each aspect of your being will take time, patience, and practice. Practice these healthy habits daily and it will become second nature to you. PHYSICAL
Physical well being refers to the lifestyle choices that you make to ensure optimum health, avoid preventable diseases, and live a balanced, happy and fulfilling life. Ways to contribute to your physical well being include being conscious about what you eat (no dieting— just eat whole healthy ingredients), staying hydrated, practicing healthy sex habits, moving your body every day, maintaining good hygiene, getting enough sleep & rest, listening to your body, and loving yourself internally & externally regardless of what your physical appearance looks like in the moment.
SPIRITUAL
Spiritual well being has to do with the ability to experience and integrate meaning and purpose in your life through connectedness with yourself, art, music, nature and/or a power greater than you. A few ways to elevate your spiritual well being include having conversations with god/the source/ the universe, practicing mindfulness, meditating, journaling, spending time in nature, doing yoga, and simply doing whatever it is that brings you eternal joy. Happiness is circumstantial and is derived from things outside of yourself. Joy comes from within and is a state of being. Choose joy. Run it up. Always.
SOCIAL
Social well being refers to the ability to connect with others and maintain healthy relationships. A few examples include surrounding yourself with positive individuals, being comfortable with who you are in social environments, practicing self-disclosure to those you trust in, communicating in a respectable way, actively listening when others are speaking, laughing, and prioritizing time with friends and family.
INTELLECTUAL
Intellectual well being focuses on the ways in which you stimulate your mind with activities that challenge both your knowledge and skill set. Improve your intellectual well being by reading every day, being creative, cultivating your own views and opinions/being open minded about the views and opinions of others, learning a foreign language, traveling, and being committed to lifelong learning. 012
@RYUPURE
wellness. WELLNESS CONT’D
EMOTIONAL
Emotional well being is centred around how aware you are of your feelings/ emotions. Being aware of your feelings does not mean that you do not get sad, unhappy, stressed, upset, etc. It simply means being aware of how you feel in that particular moment, being able to manage those feelings, knowing when it’s too much for you to handle on your own and when it’s time to seek help from friends, loved ones, or even a professional. Improve your emotional well being by finding meaning and purpose in life, managing stress, staying positive/optimistic, connecting with others, finding balance in your life, journaling, and being conscious of your emotions and reactions.
FINANCIAL
Financial well being refers to the ability to have control of your day-to-day finances and having the financial freedom to make choices that allow you to live the lifestyle you desire. Healthy habits that build financial well being include not spending more money than you have, following a personal budget, managing your credit score, investing, building an emergency fund/ savings, paying off credit card/student loan debt, and creating short-term and long-term financial goals.
ENVIRONMENTAL
The main aspect of environmental well being involves the way in which you live your life in harmony with Mother Earth and respect your surroundings. Mother Earth is so abundant to all beings. It’s so important that we flow with her, respect her, and love her because we need her. She doesn’t need us. Some ways to flow with Mother Earth include eating seasonal fruit and vegetables, reusing and recycling, decreasing plastic usage, spending time and showing gratitude to your environment, and being conscious of how your actions affect the place you call home. 014
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reflect -ion.
UNDERTANDING THE MOON CYCLE Source: THE MOON JOURNAL, a journey of self-reflection through the astrological year.
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Illustrated below are the eight significant parts of the moon cycle, as well as their meanings.
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N E W M O O N set intentions Listen to your intuition and allow new ideas to form.
W A X I N G C R E S C E N T be curious Get excited about new possibilites.
F I R S T Q U A R T E R develop Take action and build momentum.
W A X I N G G I B B O U S improve Refine and make improvements.
FULL MOON
full expression
Celebrate your progress.
W A N I N G G I B B O U S share Reflect and teach others what you’ve learned.
THIRD QUARTER
release
Take stock of your life. Find room to let go.
WANING CRESCENT
silence
Rest and restore—get very quiet so that you can hear your intuition.
LETTING THE ZODIAC GUIDE YOUR JOURNEY Source: THE MOON JOURNAL, a journey of self-reflection through the astrological year.
As the sun moves through different zodiac during the year, it illuminates different life areas. Approximately every 30 days, the sun enters a new sign of the zodiac. As the sun “lights up” a sign, a theme is illuminated and the moon helps you develop that theme.
ARIES
21 March-19 April
TAURUS
20 April-20 May
GEMINI
21 May-20 June
CANCER
21 June-22 July
LEO
23 July-22 August
VIRGO
23 August-22 September
LIBRA
23 September-22 October
SCORPIO
23 October-21 November
SAGITTARIUS
22 November-21 December
CAPICORN
22 December-19 January
AQUARIUS
20 Janurary-18 February
PISCES
19 February-20 March
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SCORPIO SEASON OCTOBER 22ND-NOVEMBER 21ST Source: THE MOON JOURNAL, a journey of self-reflection through the astrological year.
Scorpio leads us through the cycle of life, teaching us how to transition. How do we let go, forgive, and move on? Scorpio inspires us to merge in union with another person. This can happen physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Because this can make us feel vulnerable, the emotional water sign helps us understand themes of control and letting go. Throughout this Scorpio season, ask yourself: What are you trying to control? With whom can you safely feel vulnerable? Who are you ready to forgive?
SCORPIO IS A WATER SIGN
SCORPIO IS AN INTERPERSONAL SIGN
Water is the “emotional princple.” Water is emotions, dreams, the subconscious, images, symbols, intuition, psychic ability, spirituality, emotional secuirty, family, home, ancestors, forgiveness, metamorphosis, and transcendence.
The interpersonal signs that help us share with another person. They help us learn about relationships. How do you share your emotions with others? Do you have intimate relationships? Do you practice forgiveness?
SCORPIO IS A FIXED SIGN
IF YOU ARE A SCORPIO
Fixed energy is lasting energy. This energy helps you stay directed and prodcutive. Scorpio season is an excellent time to focus your energy. You may choose to continue something that requires patience and persistence. Keep going, you’ve got this.
This is your season for an upgrade. That’s why birthdays are so important. As a scorpio you are emotional, tender, passionate, sexy, devoted, penetrating, and profound. Let the Scorpio season help you to expand these natural gifts.
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THE PEACE + POWER OF GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD WITH NINA JONES Nina is an activist, plant enthusiast and single mom. She uses her platform to promote positivity for all beings. She started growing her own food at the start of quarantine and it shortly became a passion. Nina developed a spiritual connection to growing her own food because it requires much patience and care. It is also a constant reminder of how much gardening our souls need just like our soil. Below are a few tips to help you get started.
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Buy organic soil that contains manure and make sure you have enough soil to grow the plants to their full potential.
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When planting seeds or germinated seeds, be sure to give yourself enough room for each plant. You can confirm this by checking the back of the packaging of your seeds.
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The best time to water is early in the morning so the plants can absorb the water and sunlight all day.
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Be sure to cut all the bad pieces of the plant off so that too much energy is being given to that specific part of the plant. This can allow you to neglect the rest of the plant, resulting in insufficient care and a decline in the overall health of the plant.
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Take your time and be gentle with yourself. Tend to your garden as much as you can. Be sure to do additional research based on your region + climate.
“ Take your time and be gentle w/ yourself. ” 028
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food philosophy.
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FOOD PHILOSOPHY WITH BIANCA VALLE
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR YOURSELF.
So, my name is Biance Valle. And I live in New York City. And, I’m a certified holistic nutritionist. And artist. And I split my time guiding people to their truest self and helping people connect mind, body, soul, and back to nature. All of these words sound so woo woo but they’re just the truth. You know? And with the other half of my time, I spend it filling myself up through painting, ceramics, illustrating, and kind of also combining the two. I made a book. And I also have a service called the nutrition hotline, which makes my information, if you will, accessible. Anyone can call and we can speak for 15 minutes about health on a donation basis.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START IN WELLNESS?
I used to write for Nylon magazine and I was a beauty editor. And for those that don’t know, being a beauty editor is one of the most beautiful jobs out there. Back in the print era, I was writing about skin care, about supplements, about basically just taking care of yourself for Nylon. And I was 21 at the time. And I was one of the youngest beauty editors to have my name in the magazine. And I would help plan shoots. And I was getting facials all the time. And I had this incredible office in SoHo. And then, one day they just decided to cut funding for the print issue. So, my whole team and I got laid off. From that rock bottom, I kind of had the realization that I don’t want to work for the rest of my life for someone else’s dream because I felt really disposable. Every human should have really high self worth because we just exist, right? By existing, you deserve all things good. You know? From that, I decided [through guess and check, speaking with friends, making lists, and trial and error] that ultimately becoming a Holistic Nutritionist and working in food and ultimately in an industry learning to take care of yourself was my ultimate calling and ultimately my purpose for existing.
WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON FOOD?
My food philosophy is really quite simple because ultimately I really believe that taking care of yourself is a simple thing. We’ve tend to overcomplicate it now and think that taking care of yourself is a supplement. Or a yoga membership. Or a crazy expensive facial. And that’s just not true. To me, wellness is eating when you’re hungry. Stopping when you’re full. Eating things from nature. Eating what humans are meant to be eating. And being at peace during the whole process. It’s really as simple as that.
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Every human should have really high self worth because we just exist, right? By existing, you deserve all things good. You know?
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FOOD PHILOSOPHY WITH BIANCA VALLE
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WELLNESS JOURNEY.
So, my family has always been healthy. If anything, I would say “normal healthy.” I feel like it wasn’t the standard American diet by any means. I do come from a Mexican household, a hispanic family. So, I would say that we were a little more inclined than the average family living in the U.S. We ate fruit. We ate vegetables. But you know, we did have birthday cake. We did have oreos and things of that nature. There were no extremes in my house. I would say it was quite balanced, which was fine until I hit high school. And that is when I got introduced to the media and kind of more into these adult concepts of vanity, if you will. So, that affected me quite a bit. My mind made this very simple connection that skinny equals beautiful, which I think is unfortunately very common in this day and age [on Tumblr]. So, I feel into that and developed really disordered eating and just went into this huge food spiral of eating and not eating. And being vegan and not being vegan. Being vegetarian and not being vegetarian. And trying this diet pill, that diet pill. And I would do all of this unfortunately hidden. My parents didn’t know. Nobody knew. But it was like my own internal thing. And when I got older, I realized that was very dangerous. It took one trip to the doctor’s office to realize that this is actually not worth it. Manipulating my life and my body for beauty and happiness is just not it. So from that moment on, I started my big healing journey. Once I was in a place where I could really navigate my own food space, I thought...okay these past years were so awful.. I want to do everything I can so that it’s not awful for others. So, that’s why I went to school. And I started my practice. Ultimately, nutrition isn’t just about food. It’s about mind, body, soul. It’s about self worth. If you want to be a human that loves yourself— you know if you love yourself, the more you can love others, the more you can love the planet. And why shouldn’t you do those things? From this disordered eating expanding into being [what i feel like] a centered human, it’s been really beautiful and really wonderful. To answer your question, it came from a difficult place. There is always healing that needs to be done and usually when someone becomes healed, I find [at least in wellness] that then they spread that message. Any healer had to heal themselves first.
FAV MEAL RIGHT NOW?
I love rice and eggs with like a little something fermented. Preferably kimchi. I love apples, obviously. [laughter]. If you know about me, I’m very much a quick easy snack person. I’m an apple person. I’m also a big lentil person. I love lentils. But I also won’t say no to the occasional slice of pizza or the occasional chocolate chip cookie. So, yeah. I would say my favorite meal at the moment would be eggs, kimchi, and rice.
FOOD PHILOSOPHY WITH BIANCA VALLE
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR IDEA FOR YOUR NUTRITION HOTLINE?
When I was in school, I was sharing my journey on Instagram. I’ve always been a big sharer. I’m not sure intuitively why that is. We all have these inexplicable tendencies as humans, right? That’s the mystery of life. So, on my journey to becoming a holistic nutritionist, I would constantly share on my Instagram and people would respond and say, “oh… so, now that you’re learning about nutrition, can you help me with this? ...or what do you think about that?” I was just getting an influx of all of this energy from people that needed help. And I thought, well that would not be living in the truth, not living in integrity, if i just gave people short, topical, not personalized answers. Because that’s not wellness. It’s not one size fits all. It’s not being healthy. It’s not one formula for every human. There’s almost 8 billion people on this planet. It very much can’t be that we’re all the same. So, I decided to open up this new phone number on this old iphone and hand out the number and say send me a text + let’s set up a time to chat. I’ll give you 15 minutes and if you feel inclined to donate, go for it. If you don’t, that’s also fine because everything is all supported. As humans, if you put energy out, you’ll get energy back.
WHAT DOES YOUR QUARANTINE MORNING ROUTINE LOOK LIKE?
So, I wake up and unfortunately the first thing I do is check my text messages [laughter] just to make sure everybody is safe. I wake up with a little bit of doubt, if you will. Because you know, life is a crazy thing. And I haven’t come to a place where I can wake up and feel like wow, everything is fine. Thankfully for me it is. But our world is still progressing. So, I just make sure everyone is fine. And then I get out of bed. And I turn on my hot water to make tea. I go to the bathroom. I clean a little bit. I put dishes away from the night before. And depending on my energy levels, I either sit and have breakfast and start my work day or if I feel really strong, I’ll go out for a run.
ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO ARE ON THEIR WELLNESS JOURNEY.
Follow your heart and do it for the right reasons. If you’re in wellness to look a certain way or if you’re in wellness because you think it’ll make you a more beautiful person on the outside or topically, you’re going to be very very very unhappy. Because wellness is about healing. Wellness is 360. It’s mind body soul. It’s mind work. It’s heart work. It’s body work. It’s life work. Working in wellness is not an easy thing. If you’re doing it right, it shouldn’t be easy. Because working with other people and guiding other people to be their best selves is a labor of love. So, choose wisely. But if you feel called, go for it with all love and all heart and with the truth. The truth is ultimately nourishment. And self worth. And self love. Not the vanity side. That’s not wellness. That’s vanity. 038
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cooking at home.
COOKING AT HOME
Cooking whole, healthy meals at home
can at first seem overwhelming but just like anything else, with patience, time, and practice you’ll come to find that it is easy, simple and even meditative. There are so many benefits that come along with cooking for yourself. The first and most obvious benefit is knowing exactly what is in your food. When eating out or consuming processed foods, it is hard to know specifically what you’re eating. A lot of times these processed foods contain ingredients that we can’t even pronounce. Try to keep these types of foods to a minimum. Cooking at home can also help you save money, use your creativity, avoid food allergies + sensitivities, and will more than likely be healthier compared to eating out.
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basics.
Many people would rather eat out than cook at home for many reasons. One being they feel as though they don’t know how to cook or even what to cook. We are currently living in the digital age. So, there is so much information out there. However, it is important to filter the information that best serves you. That’s another conversation for another day. Right now, we’re going to start with some basics that are necessary for getting you started in the kitchen.
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Plan. Fail to plan, then you plan to fail. You’ve probably heard this a million times but it’s so true. Create a list of meals you’d like to eat. Then create a grocery list based on the ingredients that those meals require. You’ll save a lot of time and money if you prepare for your grocery shop.
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Start with whole, fresh ingredients. Fresh ingredients are the foundation to healthy meals. Foods like beans and legumes, whole grains, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, fruit, and nuts + seeds are great to start with.
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Don’t forget the flavor. For some reason, many people believe that “healthy” is equivalent to bland. This is furthest from the truth. Add flavor to your meals with herbs, garlic, onion, peppers, etc. Additionally, Seasonings + spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, and so many more are packed with flavor.
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Keep it simple. Simple meals are the tastiest. Steam, saute, or roast your veggies. Cook up a hearty source of protein like beans, tofu, or tempeh paired with a grain. Whip together a good tahini based sauce and you’re good to go. Quick. Tasty. And simple.
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Create a mood. Creating a mood + positive environment while cooking is essential. Vibe to a playlist, listen to a podcast, cook with your partner or a friend, or simply cook in silence to practice mindfulness, giving gratitude to the meal that will soon nourish your body.
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Cook enough for leftovers. Cooking enough for leftovers or even meal/ ingredient prepping is a game changer. This saves you time for the following days without sacrificing health and flavor. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Being hard on yourself is unfortunately easy and almost human nature. Take it easy. Not with just cooking but in general. Mistakes are going to be made. If not, how would you grow + get better?
@COURTNEECREWS
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lessons for living.
LESSONS FOR LIVING WITH DR. CHANELLE RAMSUBICK, MD Dr. Chanelle Ramsubick is an adult and child psychiatrist currently based in Manhattan, NY. Though originally from Toronto, Canada, she visited New York at 18 years old and in that moment knew that it was ultimately where she wanted to live a portion of her life. Dr. Chanelle felt [and still feels] that New York was a place where she could flourish into who she wanted to be. In addition to being a psychiatrist, Dr. Chanelle uses her platform and knowledge to educate her community with straightforward, basic information about mental health that people can consume, understand, and share.
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Anxiety isn’t always bad. Some degree of stress and anxiety is good. There are times where worrying and stress can actually help you to succeed. “Good stress” keeps us motivated to perform at our best. For example, if you have a test coming up. Being worried about failing might actually prompt you to start studying early. Stress can also actually be very protective. Let’s say your friends are going to jump off a cliff. You may be stressed or worried about not being a good swimmer and getting hurt. So, this worry and stress that you’re having could also be protective. Anxiety is only a problem when it extends beyond logical worry and is unreasonable, unwarranted or uncontrollable. If you get to a period when that stress and anxiety is so overwhelming that you’re not able to function, this is where it becomes problematic.
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Grounding techniques for anxiety. In terms of our evolution, there was a response in our body that gets activated to protect us. Activation will cause our heart to race faster and our eyes to get bigger because we’re ready to protect ourselves. Excessive worrying about the future can trick the body into thinking it is under threat. This activates your “fight or flight” response leading to the physical symptoms of anxiety. Just as thoughts are able to activate that fight or flight response, you can do other techniques to actually deactivate that fight or flight response (ie. grounding techniques) Grounding techniques can help you anchor into the present moment, calming your body and sending the signal that there isn’t an actual threat. The worrying thoughts that you have constantly is almost like you’re practicing. So, these worrying thoughts then become very automatic. Just as you practice those worrying thoughts, it’s very important that you practice those grounding techniques so that they’ll become second nature.
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LESSONS FOR LIVING WITH DR. CHANELLE RAMSUBICK, MD
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Physical grounding techniques to reconnect with your body. One thing about worrying is that your thoughts are often in the future. You’re often worried about the outcome of a situation. Physical grounding techniques can actually anchor you in the present. Focusing on your breathing will help bring your attention back to the present moment because your breath is something that is in the present moment. Taking your thoughts out of those worrying future possibilities and bringing it into the now. These physical grounding techniques are in the realm of mindfulness practice. Physical grounding techniques include but are not limited to breathing exercises, yoga, mediation, etc.
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Mental grounding techniques: Bringing your thoughts back into the present with your body. Mental grounding techniques include creative activities like listening to your favorite playlist, dancing, cooking, painting or drawing. Connecting with nature or pets. Talking to your support network or community. There are so many different grounding techniques. Different techniques will be more beneficial depending on the individual. Finding the best grounding technique for you is so important and will come with time and practice.
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Practice grounding techniques as often as possible. Grounding techniques are effective in the moment of anxiety, but to master them you need to practice them when you are calm and composed also. Dr. Chanelle recommends a daily mindfulness practice that best fits your lifestyle. This is not easy by any means (in the beginning) but will be very beneficial for your mental health. Prioritizing time daily for your mental health will do wonders.
For more information on mental health, please follow Dr. Chanelle Ramsubick on Instagram [@dr.chanellemd]. If you are experiencing high levels of anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness, please seek help from a professional.
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@MIYANICOLE_
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@HERHEALTHFULPLATE
wellness education for all human beings.