There are many things you can do to help lessen the effects of SAD. And it helps to have many tools at your disposal, so you have the confidence of knowing you can handle it!

​Here’s a list of things you can start doing in the fall and early winter to care for your body and mental health. I hope you find them helpful and I hope you are able to adapt each one to fit your needs and likes!
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1. The best way to beat SAD is to start early! If you have had a down winter in the past, it’s likely to happen again. And even though each year the cold weather and loss of daylight  sneak up on us, it’s best to start in October or November. But if you are reading this and it’s much later, that doesn’t mean it’s too late! It’s never too late or too little to take care of yourself! 
2. Light! The best fight against the seasonal changes is to make your own sun. Get a therapeutic light that mimics sunlight. There are many options, the important factor is the number of lux. The research says to get a light that has 10,000 Lux. I use the NatureBright Suntouch Plus I got from Amazon, I've had it for a few years. Here’s a few tips for using the light. Try to get 30 minutes in front of the light and do it the morning.  Don’t worry, you don’t have to look right at the light, you shouldn’t. Put the light at an angle, so it shines onto the peripheral vision and around two feet away. It’s okay to break up the time. It’s small so it will fit on a bathroom or kitchen counter. Make it fit it into your routine. That way you are likely to stick with it all winter. Soon you will love it and notice a lack of energy if you don’t use the light.
3. Exercise! Make a commitment to get more exercise throughout the day. Keep your expectations realistic. Park farther away from the store, in the winter this is a big feat! Take the stairs. Do some lunges while you are standing in front of your Nature Bright therapy light. If you can get an extra 10 minutes of movement in 3 times a day, you are doing great! Exercise helps your body balance and releases happy hormones. And best of all, it boosts your mental health because you get a sense of accomplishment and it feels good to know you are doing something for your body, mind and spirit! 
4. Food! Even though you may only have an appetite for comfort foods, make yourself eat more vegetables and healthy fats. I love roasted vegetables in the winter, and you can roast them in yummy avocado oil and salt, which satisfies the comfort food cravings. Add in healthy vegetables and fats before trying to eliminate junk foods. This way you don’t feel deprived and your body will be getting the nutrients it needs. Once you have added in a lot more veggies and good fats, start to cut out the sugars and processed foods. It’ll be easier on your body and mind if you do it this way because your blood sugars will be more stable and you won’t get hangry.  
5. Inspiration! Get inspired and get out of routine. Doing something new or rediscovering an old hobby can give your spirit and mind an extra boost. What do you love to do? Is there something you used to love, but have forgotten about? Maybe getting together with an old friend or visiting a museum can spark some ideas or inspiration.

If you are feeling so down that you don’t have enough energy or ability try any of these, it’s time to seek some professional help. A professional can help your body get back into balance and give you more tools, it’s the right thing to do.
 
I hope these 5 Tools to help SAD are helpful! If you are only able to implement one of them, start with the therapy light! Even if you don’t have SAD, the light will help cheer you up and energize your body. 

The change of seasons can be difficult. Especially in the winter. And especially if you live in the North.

Not only is it a big season for change (school and holidays can cause a lot of stress), but you also have less sunlight and lots of cold weather.

Which is a big stress on your body. Especially your internal clock.

It doesn’t take long for your circadian rhythm to get out of whack. When the sleep and wake cycles are out of balance, serotonin and melatonin levels will also become out of balance.

There are some common signs our body is not adjusting to the winter season. This could be an indication you are experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, also commonly called SAD or Seasonal Depression.

SAD affects many people, especially young adults and adolescents because they have sensitive circadian rhythms. Generally as people age, their circadian rhythm is not as affected by changes in sunlight.

So take note of these common signs of SAD and watch your body and loved ones for these changes:

1. Carb cravings. When SAD hits, you may first notice an insatiable cravings for carbs, and little appetite for anything else. Even though you’re eating you may never feel satisfied. Or it may feel like you always need to snack in order to keep you mood up.
2. Weight gain. The weight that comes around the middle, and fast. Your pants may be the first to let you know!
3. Body feels heavy. But not because of the extra weight. It takes extra work to move your body, as if moving through water. Which makes you sluggish and slow.
4. Wandering Mind. You may notice it’s hard to concentrate. Either concentration on the task at hand because you have a lot of thoughts going on at the same time. Or you have an inability to concentrate because your mind drifts off and you forget what you were doing. You may find yourself staring off into space or feeling spacy.
5. Disrupted Sleep. Do you feel sleepy during the day but awake at night? Maybe you’ve been tired all day but when you finally get the chance to sleep, you can’t. Or you may feel like no matter how much you sleep, you never feel like you got enough.
6. Depression or Anxiety. Generally, people tend to fall on a spectrum towards depression or anxiety, and SAD will increase your level of depression or anxiety. So if you tend towards depression, you’ll notice you feel more depressed. If you tend towards anxiety, you will notice you feel more anxious.

Now you have learned some of the common signs of SAD. I understand if just reading this list is making you feel down and looking for a blanket to hibernate under.

But don’t worry. There are many things you can do to feel better and get your body back into a better balance.

So stayed tuned for my next article on ways you can fight SAD and keep your body in rhythm.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by some of these symptoms? Take care of yourself, do the hard thing and call up your mental health professional. Your future self with thank you.

And if you don’t already have a therapist, stop what you are doing and find one, you can search the Psychology Today website, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists or search Google by typing in “therapist near me”. ​

Ever wish you could just let that headache or chronic pain go?

Ever think that there was some part of you holding onto your pain, and wish you could just let it go?

I think this is very common with chronic conditions. I hear these statements from patients. Sometimes clients think there is a part of themselves (physical or psychological) that is purposely holding onto the pain. Sometimes I see an underlying level of self-blame. I can totally relate to this and understand why it happens, because after trying so many different things to make the pain go away, and it keeps coming back, you start to wonder if the pain is there because of some belief system or thought process. 

It’s very common to think we can heal ourselves because our bodies do, in fact, heal themselves all the time. And I do agree that when we feel pain there is a part of our body that cannot let it go.

But you can’t let it go on your own because your body isn’t strong enough, because you’re sick and your body doesn’t have all the tools it needs to heal. You do not have the inner power required for healing because you are sick.

What you need is a supportive, nurturing, healing environment where body, mind, and soul are safe to let go, process, and heal. What you need is therapist with a variety of tools and the power of a strong healing presence to support your body’s natural healing abilities.

You may also need traditional medicine or medications. You may also need to make some lifestyle changes. Our bodies need a combination of these. That's why complementary therapeutic bodywork can be so effective. It supports the body and helps the medications and traditional therapies be more effective.

A CranioSacral Therapist is a facilitator of healing for your body. We are trained to communicate with your body’s inner wisdom and follow its treatment plan. And our treatments affect the whole body, gently and powerfully because we are giving the body exactly what it needs.

I’ve never found another modality that truly respects the patient’s body and wisdom in this way, the sessions can be profound.
So at the end of a few appointments, your body does let go of the pain. It just needed a healing facilitator to help do what it needed to do.
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Have you ever experienced CranioSacral Therapy? Maybe it’s time to experience it yourself? You’re body with thank you! 

Politics. Whether we like to stay informed or not, we are being affected by politics and news. Many feel uneasy about the future of our country. Many of us are getting stressed out by the news. Some of us are being triggered by the news. 

What I keep seeing with clients is that the headlines and political events are causing people to be triggered by past traumatic events. Even if we are actively trying to stay out of it, we are often hit with headlines involving rape, sexual assault or abuse. And for the people in our country that have experienced these traumas, it can be a very stressful time. I know it has been for me.

Memories of trauma come up, but we still have to carry on with our lives. We have dinner to make for the family, we have meetings to run and people to manage. We often just don’t have the time to process or to even talk about what may be going on with people we trust.  Sometimes all I can do is turn it out and think to myself, “I can’t deal with this now” or “not now.” And I carry on.

Keeping busy does get us through the day. But we may notice it’s not so easy for our bodies. We may feel an increase in headaches or aches and pains. Maybe it’s a lump in our throat that just won’t go away. Or maybe we’re just so good at being busy our mind can’t turn off when it’s time to sleep. Maybe our bodies just needs a good cry.
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I sometimes feel like this too. It’s my body’s way of getting my attention.

These physical signs mean it’s time to get bodywork. It’s time to care for your body and nervous system.

CranioSacral Therapy gives our body a re-set. CranioSacral Therapy nourishes the nervous system so we can turn down our stress levels and get the pain relief we need. CranioSacral Therapy provides the safe and supportive environment for our body to release, so we can reclaim our strength and vitality.  

At Twin Cities CranioSacral I provide my clients the safe and supportive environment their bodies need to release the stress and trauma weighing them down. It’s a very important time for us to get bodywork. It’s time to release the trauma  for a new you.