Wellness Mama Queen

As those in the Northern Hemisphere are emerging from the dark, icy thaw and are turning their faces toward the warmth and light of Spring, those in the Southern Hemisphere are preparing for winter. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s something about hunkering down for winter that teaches the importance of self-care. You stay home more, gravitate toward more substantial meals, and bundle up against the elements. But these lessons can be enjoyed during all seasons. They provide a refuge from the convenient, fast-paced culture so many face on a regular basis. If only you could discover lifestyle habits that can help you   manage your stress   and relish the present. The answer, in a word, is the Danish concept that has recently spread beyond Scandinavia: hygge. What is Hygge? Pronounced “HOO-guh,” the word doesn’t have an exact English translation. Hygge is a mindset—a series of lifestyle choices, practicing deliberate moments of cozy comfort to improve your overall contentm...

The bad news: Your relationship with time is more than likely toxic. You’re overscheduled, stretched too thin, and find it difficult to focus on the present moment. You probably respond with, “busy,” when people ask how you’re doing. The worst part? You don’t feel like you have the power to take control of your time. Whether you joined voluntarily or not, you’re a card-carrying member of the cult of busyness—the ever-growing group of people whose anxiety is rising because they don’t feel like they have enough time to get everything done. You’re among the hordes of multitaskers who scramble to squeeze the most out of every minute, rolling through life as a ball of stress, only to collapse into an exhausted heap at the end of every day. How Busyness Took Over and Why it Keeps Getting Worse It’s not your fault. You weren’t born to be a slave to your schedule. You just got swept up in an unhealthy cultural trend. But how did so many people become obsessed with time and productivity? When t...

A whiff of something enticing hits you and you immediately wonder what it is. You have to identify the smell. Before you know it, the scent has started a tango between   your brain and your stomach. When you finally walk by a burger joint, pastry shop, or a place serving one of your favourites, it’s hard to turn off the craving. This scene happens to everyone, even if your tummy is full. That’s because everybody has strong connections to different foods. It’s part of everyday life in a world full of potential food addictions. Yes, they’re real, and food addictions are hard to break. But how, exactly, do you know when you’re addicted to a food or beverage? The answers are below. You’ll find out how your tastiest choices consistently register in your memory and what causes food addiction. With that brings the usual internal battles like how to pace or limit yourself in the face of your delicious addictions. You’ll find tips for accomplishing that tough task, too. What   is ...

  Stress is part of the human experience. Since the evolution of early man, you’ve been hard-wired to encounter stressful situations. And though threats from predators may not be common in modern life, the fight-or-flight response has not been left behind. Evolutionary mechanisms for survival are useful tools for long-term health. By harnessing the power of stress, you can empower your health. It’s true, a certain level of stress can be quite healthy. And given it is nearly impossible to escape stress in your daily life, this is good news. There are ways to utilize the benefits of short-term stress to create a calmer, more relaxed mindset. Purposeful stress—or good sources of stress—can activate cellular pathways that support greater resilience to other stresses. Too Much Fight or Flight Moments of crisis trigger complex physiological adaptations deeply engrained in your DNA. When you perceive your safety is in danger, these instincts prepare you to react. Short-term stress respons...