For many, summer is an easier time to stay healthy and eat nutritious food. The days are longer, more time is spent outside and gardens are bursting with vibrant fruits and vegetables. However, summer also typically is a time of indulgence. From backyard barbecues to beach days and weekend getaways, it can be tricky to stay on track with your healthy habits!

Mindfulness may almost be counterintuitive to what you know and how you live or experience your days. Your to-do list is a mile long every day and you never get it all checked off. How on earth are you going to pause your day to be…mindful?! So what is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is not a magic cure-all pill. Though, I do believe it can be healing to all!

There are many reasons why parents find balancing out the summer schedule and responsibilities stressful, such as finances, not having “fun” options in the community or not being able to afford to travel because of the increase in gas prices. Perhaps you are a single parent and have other problems to face. These are all valid challenges and you may also have your own personal battles such as managing anxiety or depression, a recent break up/separation, and just not having the motivation to occupy your children for the entire summer.

The teen years can be such a challenging stage in your child’s (and your) life! Body changes, friend choices, academics, athletics, social media and technology stress, mental health…the list could go on forever! Teens are at such a formative age. Their brains have years to go until they’re fully ready for adulthood. Yet, they are trying to figure out their identity NOW!

How do you connect with our teen when they are navigating all of this?

I am a therapist and have been so for decades. I have seen countless individuals, couples and families make positive changes through important conversations, making life-style changes, developing important skills and healing from their pasts during therapy sessions. Could it be that brain training, with or without any therapeutic conversations, could be helpful too?

Communication can strain a relationship and it is so important to understand what you and your partner need when it comes to communicating with one another. I truly believe that communication can either make or break a relationship. Poor communication between you and your partner can cause stress and emotional turmoil. Which is why many couples seek counselling when communication styles conflict, cause anxiety and one or both partners feel like they are walking on eggshells around each other. Does this sound like you? Do you want to improve how you communicate with your partner?

Are you someone that carries feelings of sadness, rage or even pain when you think about your relationship with your dad? Are you looking for a better relationship with your dad?

All relationships have flaws and many people do not have the ideal relationship with their father. There are many factors that can strain the relationship between father and son/daughter such as divorce, absence, rejection and disappointment just to name a few. Then there is the perfect father, the father everyone looks up to, the over-involved father, the father you could never impress or maybe you never felt good enough.

Why does this matter? Because the first important man in your life and the impact they had on you will follow you and play a huge part in your life.

Being a father is not something you can simply learn in a book or at school. It is a role you are thrown into that changes and evolves over time. It is challenging, fun, exciting, testing and rewarding at the same time. Being a father means caring for your children and family, which starts by caring for your mental, emotional and physical self. Christy shares 10 ways to help you live and model a healthy lifestyle.

Being a caregiver is busy…to say the least! Time to yourself is precious and can be hard to come by. It probably feels like you live in your kitchen. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, odds are you could use a break. For this reason, we have put together 15 simple strategies to help you save time in the kitchen so you can spend more time focusing on yourself instead of waiting on others. Utilizing these time saving tips can also help you and your family to eat healthy, which is an important but overlooked aspect of self-care.

Most of us love a day of acknowledgement and celebration—there are so many benefits to both expressing and receiving love and appreciation. But what about when it’s hard to jump on the celebration train? I want to speak to the ones who can’t get too excited about Mother’s Day for a moment.

In the last 5 to 10 years, we have learned so much about ADHD and what the symptoms look like that we’re seeing people who were not diagnosed as a child are now being diagnosed in adulthood.

Art therapy is a tool that we can use to work through your feelings, trauma, history, emotions instead of exclusively trying to understand it through words. Art therapy helps you realize things you didn’t know before about yourself.

This is somewhat old news by now, but the majority of the COVID-19 mandates have dropped! For many this is exciting and celebratory; for others, it is stressful and confusing, especially as people are still getting sick from COVID. All of these reactions are normal…as normal as any of this can be. If you are celebrating, I am so glad you are able to do so! If you are anxious or a combination of both - here are some tips for navigating these new waters.

Are you or a family member looking for natural options to complement what you are doing with other health care practitioners to help manage the symptoms of ADHD? Christy de Jaegher shares some practical ways to change your diet in order to help mitigate ADHD symptoms.

It feels as though it's almost impossible these days to get kids off their phones and out of the house to enjoy the outdoors. The rise of social media, the convenience of indoor play gyms as well as overscheduled days make it seem impossible even for adults to be getting outside, let alone our kids. 

I don’t know about you, but this year I find myself craving the longer days, the chirping birds, and smell of grass being cut. All of these sensations paint the same picture as a deep inhale and exhale after being submerged in water. My shoulders drop, and my chest rises with deep relief.

If nature calls to you and you have a family, you may want to think about how you can pass on your love of the outdoors. Getting your kids outside when they’re young is ideal and helping them associate outdoor adventures with fun is essential.

If you’re like me, I’m far less likely to lace up my runners and go for a walk or run if it’s pouring rain. Crappy weather can become a “get-out-of-jail-free-card.” Lately I’ve been attempting to not let the weather determine my self-care habits… and honestly? It’s been invigorating to learn that I don’t have to let external variables like weather get in the way of what feels good!

Sometimes when your teen is going through something such as depression, it can feel out of your control. Chandan shares some practical ways to provide support for your teenager.

Oftentimes the relationship with in-laws is portrayed as difficult, strained or awkward.  Though there is no one-size fits all approach to building and maintaining a relationship with your in-laws, here are some strategies that might help you communicate, set boundaries, and build connections!