Self-Development, Mental heath Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt Self-Development, Mental heath Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt

A Holistic Approach to Mind-Body Wellness

There’s a strong connection between the body and the mind. Our bodily systems can directly impact one another and paying close attention to all of them can result in the best outcomes and healthiest lifestyle. Strengthening both our minds and physical bodies can lead to happier and healthier lives.

There is a strong connection between the mind and the body. When you’re working on your own personal development, it’s essential that you address both your physical health needs and your mental health needs. When it comes to health and wellness, it is no wonder when we’re not well physically it impacts us emotionally and when we’re not feeling well mentally this impacts our physical health. This means that your mindset, attitude, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, your emotional state; they all directly impact your physical health and vice versa.

Research shows that mind-body therapies such as relaxation, hypnosis, visual imagery, meditation, biofeedback, even cognitive-behavioral therapy have all been helpful at managing certain physical illnesses such as arthritis and pain management. These studies indicate that mind-body focused activities can actually help to improve psychological functioning, they can reduce the symptoms of disease and increase one’s overall quality of life.

Nutrition has also been seen as having a large role in mental health and cognitive functioning. There is quite a bit of research that shows the brain-gut connection; therefore, maintaining a healthy gut with good foods can help to promote positive mental health and cognitive function. Nutrition can directly impact things such as memory, processing speed, mood (depression and anxiety) as well as physical energy and mental focus and attention.

What is having a holistic approach to wellness?

A holistic view takes into account all of our bodily systems working together to optimize our functioning. It means that we believe further in the relationship of all of the systems being interrelated and impacting one another. For example, nutrition impacting the brain, mental health impacting physical health or more specifically depression impacting pain management.


Having a holistic view is critical as views us as a whole being and takes into account all parts of our life: our physical body, our emotional wellbeing, our mental health, cognition, and spiritual being. This also goes to show how important things like nutrition are for both our physical and mental health. This mind-body and holistic view means taking care of all aspects of yourself and making good healthy decisions from a well-rounded perspective.

Activities to Boost Mind-Body Wellness:

ONLINE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE

If you are needing support, virtual services are available, see Online Coaching with Dr. Shelley. Services are provided by telephone or online through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth portal, which allows you to be in the comfort of your own home during sessions & have increased privacy. Sessions are available for individuals or couples. Appointments can be booked online or simply email Dr. Shelley with any questions or appointment requests.

Remote couples counseling

Blog written by: Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt, Clinical Psychologist, Relationship Coach & Founder of the Loving Roots Project, an online wellness practice specializing in personal growth, mental wellness, & relationship betterment.

Follow the Loving Roots Project on social media for weekly blogs & videos:

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How Practicing Gratitude Can Ease a Bad Day

Practicing gratitude has been noted to have many positive mental and physical benefits. These include increased positive thinking, improved sleep, uplifted mood, increased happiness, and better physical health. Gratitude can also serve as a coping skill when you are going through something difficult or just having a bad day.

When things are going well in life, it can be easy to find things we are grateful for, but when times are tough, it can feel daunting to find hope or have any optimism. The challenge of forcing yourself to find something positive during a very trying time can actually be a wonderful cognitive task that can help reduce the negative.  

Research has shown that by practicing gratitude, we can actually uplift mood, reduce negative thinking, and increase happiness. Practicing gratitude can have many benefits for our mind-body wellness. The studies have also shown that a regular gratitude practice can boost sleep, improve physical health, and help build stronger immune systems. 

5 Gratitude-Expressing Activities That Help Ease a Bad Day:

1. Write in a gratitude journal:

This is probably one of the most common gratitude practice examples. It involves simply having a journal that you can write in on a daily basis to express things you are grateful for. When we are having a challenging or difficult day, it can seem impossible to find something positive; however, when we force ourselves into positive thinking it can have a profound impact in a beneficial way. Forcing yourself to look through your pain can be powerful.

2. Make a gratitude box:

This involves less writing than a gratitude journal and it can simply be a random box, jar or other household items that you can use to store brief slips of paper where you write down something that you are thankful for during that day. These small statements can be something jotted down on a post-it note and placed in the box and perhaps it expresses how you are feeling with your struggles that day like “this is horrible, but I will get through it."

3. Say it out loud: 

Express your gratitude and appreciation to someone else. This could be something as simple as paying someone a compliment or it could be something much deeper. Perhaps you have a friend who is always supportive to you and when you are having a bad day, it may be helpful to call up that friend or send them a message expressing exactly how grateful and appreciative you are for their support and friendship. Being kind to others, helps us to feel good too.

4. Share it on social: 

Use your social platforms as a way to express and share something positive even on a day when you are finding it the hardest to be positive. You can find an inspirational quote, a positive blog or article on something you are passionate about or just post something that you are grateful for. Again, this idea of expressing something positive even in the worst of situations can really bring about a change in one’s mindset.

5. Personal Affirmations: 

So while saying it aloud to others by paying compliments or expressing appreciation is very important, sometimes the most impactful thing we can do is express it to ourselves. Use daily affirmations to help ease your negative day to a more positive one. Examples of daily affirmations could be something like, “you can do this,” “you can get through this.”

ONLINE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE

If you are needing support, virtual services are available, see Online Coaching with Dr. Shelley. Services are provided by telephone or online through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth portal, which allows you to be in the comfort of your own home during sessions & have increased privacy. Sessions are available for individuals or couples. Appointments can be booked online or simply email Dr. Shelley with any questions or appointment requests.

Blog written by: Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt, Clinical Psychologist, Relationship Coach & Founder of the Loving Roots Project, an online wellness practice specializing in personal growth, mental wellness, & relationship betterment.

Follow the Loving Roots Project on social media for weekly blogs & video posts:

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Simple Steps to a Calm Mind

Rushing through our day-to-day lives, juggling work, family, and errands can be hectic, chaotic, stressful and constantly busy. It can feel hard to stop your mind at the end of the day. Take a few moments each day to calm the mind and just breathe can have incredible benefits. One popular strategy for calming the mind is through meditation or mindfulness.

Rushing through our day-to-day lives, juggling work, family, and errands can be hectic, chaotic, stressful and constantly busy. It can feel hard to stop your mind at the end of the day. This mental exhaustion can have impacts on our concentration, memory, focus and even sleep. Taking a few moments each day to calm the mind and just breathe, can have incredible benefits. One popular strategy for calming the mind is through meditation or mindfulness.

Mindfulness is described as a mental state in which a person is highly present and aware of their own body, mind, thoughts, and surroundings. We are often not fully aware of how we may feel in a given moment or what specific thoughts are present in our minds. We are usually on autopilot. By increasing awareness of one’s physical and mental experience, this can assist in building appreciation for various aspects of life as well as gain better emotional control, focus, and even help to create more concentration, empathy, and lower stress.

Many people feel intimidated by the idea of starting a mindfulness practice. One simple way to begin is to simply focus on breathing. The act of focusing on your breath can slow you down, help you to maintain focus, and stay in the present moment.

Simple Breathing Exercise:

  1. Pause & take a moment to just breathe.

  2. Sit or lay down and get comfortable.

  3. Close your eyes or leave them at half gaze.

  4. Breathe in slowly and deeply while counting to 5 in your mind.

  5. Pause with your breath for a small count of 5.

  6. Exhale completely while counting to 5.

  7. Continue this 5 - 5 - 5 pattern for several minutes while breathing in deeply, pausing, exhaling, and repeating.

  8. Practice daily! 

Now that you’ve read through the instructions, practice and try this exercise on your own. Remember, breathe in while counting to 5, hold your breath for 5, and then exhale while counting to 5. Simple, yet calming.

Try this exercise for a few minutes each day for one week and see how you feel. Maintaining a regular practice can have many benefits, including lowering stress, increasing mental focus and attention, less emotional reactivity, more cognitive flexibility, improving connections with others, and being more in tune with your mind and body.

Online services are available

If you are needing support, virtual services are available, see Online Coaching with Dr. Shelley. Services are provided by telephone or online through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth portal, which allows you to be in the comfort of your own home during sessions & have increased privacy. Sessions are available for individuals or couples. Appointments can be booked online or simply email Dr. Shelley with any questions or appointment requests.

ONLINE STRESS MANAGEMENT CLASS

Life in Balance: Stress Management & Mindfulness program is an 8-module online class to help you better cope with stress and anxiety, as well as learn strategies for better balance and incorporate mindfulness. This program is a self-guided virtual class that you can complete at your own pace. Click here for more information.

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Blog written by: Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt, Clinical Psychologist, Relationship Coach & Founder of the Loving Roots Project, an online wellness practice specializing in personal growth, mental wellness, & relationship betterment.

Follow the Loving Roots Project on social media for weekly blogs & video posts:

More Blog Topics:
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Read More