Other things that help you relax will also help you extend your rest and digest stage. Reading a book if you love to read. Taking a bath with your favourite scented bubbles, if that’s your thing. Playing a musical instrument. Painting. You get the idea. If you’re feeling like you’re under constant stress, try to build some time into your day for the things that help you relax - it does more good for your health than you can imagine.

There are many different kinds of rest your brain and body need to feel whole and function at their best. As the darker days and cooler temps set in, remember that this time of year - which so many of us dread - presents an excellent opportunity to build a little more rest into our routines.

If it seems like you know more women than men who are impacted by autoimmune diseases, you’re not imagining it. Current statistics estimate that women account for a whopping 78% of the roughly two million Canadians who suffer from autoimmune diseases.

You have a digestive system. You have a reproductive system. You might visit a gastroenterologist when you experience abdominal discomfort. You probably visit a gynecologist for reproductive concerns. But the truth is that these two distinct systems are not unrelated.

I know a few things to be true. One is that it is virtually impossible to know how you will feel about being a new mom until you bring that baby home. Two is that you should always ask for help when you need it.

Once in a while, a book comes along that resonates so much you want to shout from the rooftops that everyone else should read it too. For us, one of those books is Burnout, The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski.

We all experience life transitions. They may correlate with our age and stage of life, like perimenopause when we go through significant biological changes, or with milestones - like entering adulthood, forming relationships, motherhood, divorce, empty nesting, retirement, or loss.

Many of our clients walk through our doors for the first time without knowing what a sensitized nervous system is or how it relates to the levels of pain we experience. With an estimated 7.63 million, or one in four Canadians aged 15 or older, living with chronic pain, it seems like we should be talking more about the root causes of pain.

Pain. So many of us live with it. Sometimes because we’ve been living with it for so long, it has become a part of us. Sometimes because we don’t believe there’s anything else out there that can actually make a difference.

Since the start of the pandemic, rates of anxiety and depression have been going up at an alarming rate. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, ancestry, etc. That’s why it’s more important now than ever before to pay attention to your mental health, to know the signs of depression and anxiety, and to build some self-care for mental health into your daily routines.

Famed American midwife Ina May Gaskin says it quite clearly in her childbirth guide: “Gardeners know that you must nourish the soil if you want healthy plants. You must water the plants adequately, especially when seeds are germinating and sprouting, and they should be planted in a nutrient-rich soil. Why should nutrition matter less in the creation of young humans than it does in young plants? I'm sure that it doesn't.

Pregnancy, labour, and delivery are so unpredictable, aren’t they? Some women sail through 40 weeks with a smile on their face while others suffer from nausea, heartburn, and sciatica with little relief. Birth can go any which way – a little early, a little late, induction or impromptu, long or absurdly long, vaginal or caesarean. Whatever way it happens, the only constant is that it rarely goes the way you plan or imagine it.

Since the start of the pandemic, rates of anxiety and depression have been going up at an alarming rate. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, ancestry, etc. That’s why it’s more important now than ever before to pay attention to your mental health, to know the signs of depression and anxiety, and to build some self-care for mental health into your daily routines.

When my second child was born, I was completely unprepared for the postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety that quickly set in. It changed me, it changed my journey through motherhood, and it changed my career. All of a sudden, my understanding of the postnatal mental health challenges so many women face expanded – and we don’t talk about them enough.

There has long been a stigma around mental health issues, so much so that often people who are suffering keep it to themselves for fear of being judged. That stigma seems to be lifting and there are safe places you can go to get the care you need.

The lyrics to that Taylor Swift song often makes me think of all the new moms out there, some of whom are suffering in silence with postpartum depression or anxiety. Feeling like they aren’t capable of being good mothers and that, somehow, it’s their own fault. It’s not. A major life change like bringing a whole new person into the world coupled with massive changes going on in your body can cause a little or a lot of mental and emotional fog in the early days.

Congratulations! You grew a complete and tiny human in your body and then gave birth to him or her. From the moment you found out you were pregnant, you probably paid close attention to your diet. Tried to hydrate enough, increased your intake of fruits, veggies, protein, dairy, and ice cream. (Maybe the ice cream was just me?)

Your body has been through so much. You grew an entire human being! You labored to bring that person into the world, and now you spend all day every day feeding, rocking, and loving that little baby. Your breasts may feel swollen, your pelvic area is healing, and the space between your hip bones and your ribs just feels like jelly where there should be muscle.

It’s no secret that routines and rituals are restorative. Our nervous system, by design, responds favourably to the familiar. When we know what to expect, we feel safe. It’s the unexpected things in life that can cause confusion and indecision, leading to stress and a nervous system in a state of unrest. Even the simplest of routines performed with regularity can create a sense of surety and safety.