Coping with chronic illness 2 | The Health Sessions

The Importance of Your Surroundings for Your Mental Health & Motivation

This article is written by Thomas Lanigan.

Mental health is not just determined by what is happening inside your head. Your environment plays an important role in shaping you. From a poorly lit office to a cluttered bedroom – all these impact your mental health.

The physical environment affects your psychological health directly. External stimuli like natural light and noise trigger a psychological response in your body. In turn, the kind and amount of neurochemicals that are released into your bloodstream strongly influence your mood, energy level and mental focus.

Another major reason why your surroundings matter is that we spend a lot of time thinking about our living environment. Maybe the dishes haven’t been done or the laundry hasn’t been folded in a week. And it bugs you every time you see it.

Changing your environment can improve your health dramatically. Here are some solutions that you can use to improve your environment and mental health.

How Foam Rolling Can Help with Chronic Illness

This article is written by Aimee Harrington.

You might have often seen a foam roller used by athletes to help ease muscle soreness after exercise. However, a foam roller uses a technique called self-myofascial release, which treats muscle pain and immobility through applied pressure to the ‘fascia’. The fascia is the tissue that connects everything in our body. When pressure is applied in this way, it can help to increase blood flow to the muscle, which in turn eases soreness and inflammation, as well as improving flexibility and mobility.

Little do people know, but foam rollers can also be extremely beneficial in helping ease a number of chronic illnesses linked to muscle problems. However, at The Health Sessions, we always recommend getting the go-ahead by your doctor before use!

Everything You Need to Know About Online Pharmacies

This article is written by Aaron Smith.

Online pharmacies are fast becoming a way to take charge of both your health and your healthcare costs. A far cry from the mail-order “medications” advertised in the back of magazines for decades, modern online pharmacies are licensed and regulated. They provide the same high-level of service and safety you’re used to from a brick and mortar pharmacy, but at a lower price point.

While some medical systems and insurance carriers are establishing their own online pharmacy networks to reap the savings for themselves, more and more patients are turning to cash-cost online pharmacies that offer lower prices without the hassle and paperwork of insurance to save both time and money on the pharmaceuticals they need.

40 Journal Prompts to Help You Heal, Grow and Flourish

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For as long as I can remember, writing down my thoughts, hopes, dreams and plans has instantly made me feel better. So to me, it’s no surprise that journaling has so many benefits for your emotional and physical wellbeing.

Trusting your deepest feelings to paper helps to reduce stress, which plays a major role in your overall health. Research shows that emotionally expressing yourself through journaling can strengthen your immunity and reduces symptoms in asthma and arthritis patients. And of course, traditional journaling is also a great tool for self-reflection and personal development, and to rewrite your personal story after traumatic events.

But a diary-style of writing isn’t the only way to keep a journal. Gratitude journaling has gained a lot of popularity over the years, and it’s not hard to see why. Study after study shows that writing down 3 positive things that happened that day is one of the most effective ways to feel happier.

Writing by hand also signals to your brain that ‘this is worth remembering’, which is why so many people use a journal to define their (health) goals and visions. If you write and read your dreams, plans and to-dos every day, you’ll be much more likely to actually achieve them.

No matter if you’re looking to boost your health, happiness or self-growth, grab yourself a journal – I recommend the beautiful & inspiring collection from Emily McDowell – and start jotting down your thoughts with these 40 journal prompts!

How to Talk to Your Boss about Your Mental Health

This article is written by Sara Anderson.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental health conditions are amongst the most troublesome health distresses in the United States, and 63% are part of the workforce. Mental health problems impact many workers, a fact that is usually ignored because the disorders can be hidden at the work place. Unfortunately, the stigma involved in having a psychiatric disorder in workers may make them hesitant to seek treatment, especially in the current economic statuses.