August Self-Empowerment Issue

FEATURE: Raising a Well-Rounded Child: Practical Ways to Build Lasting Life Skills                           

Byline: Marlaina Donato  

As our kids move into a world fraught with divisions and conflict, it’s imperative that they gain the confidence and resilience that a well-rounded environment instills. This means a broad-based education, artistic and cultural explorations, training in mind-body tools such as meditation and mindfulness, healthy eating habits and connecting deeply with nature.

HEALTHY WAYS: Soothing Scents: Top Eight Essential Oils for Anxiety Relief                   

Byline: Karolyn Gazella and Natacha Montpellier   

For people dealing with anxiety, essential oils offer a simple, inexpensive healing strategy. Used in wellness practices for thousands of years, they have been shown in research to improve mood by triggering the release of calming neurochemicals, such as GABA, in the nerve centers of the brain. A variety of methods of inhalation and application can be used, and top choices are bergamot, clary sage, frankincense, lavender, lemon balm, neroli, rose and ylang ylang. 

FIT BODY: Take a Silent Hike: Tips for Walking Mindfully in Nature                                   

Byline: Sheila Julson  

Hiking silently through nature or even around the neighborhood offers not just exercise and fresh air, but an opportunity to quiet the internal chatter that too often consumes our daily being. By focusing on our breathing and listening carefully for sounds both quiet and distant, we tap into nature’s vibrancy. Pondering an inspiring quote and meditating while sitting still in nature also deepen the experience of silent immersion.

HEALTHY KIDS: Mindful Kudos: Best Ways to Praise Kids and Boost Self-Confidence 

Byline: Ronica O’Hara   

These days, giving ample praise to our kids is an everyday part of parenting. But kudos can be a double-edged sword: Research has shown that they can actually lower children’s confidence, dampen their motivation and stifle intellectual growth. The best approaches, it turns out, are to praise effort rather than intelligence; avoid going over the top with accolades; focus on character and agency; be specific; and always to be sincerely speaking from the heart.

WISE WORDS: Mark Mincolla on the Healing Power of Our Superconsciousness                              

Byline: Sandra Yeyati  

The author, quantum energy healer and nutritional therapist says that we have both far greater power and access to remarkable outcomes than we are aware of. By going deep within ourselves during meditation into delta frequency brain wave states, we blend into a higher realm of consciousness that allows us to consciously heal and produce wellness rather than illness. 

CONSCIOUS EATING: Sustainable Shellfish: Superfood of the Sea             

Byline: April Thompson    

The perfect food may not be underfoot, but underwater. Shellfish is delicious, fast growing, nutritionally dense, sustainably produced, locally available from coast to coast and comes in nature’s own sturdy packaging. Depending on where they are raised (usually commercially), they come with different flavor profiles that also vary throughout the year. With a sidebar on vegan shellfish alternatives like King Oyster mushrooms and seaweed, and recipes for cioppino seafood soup and basil grilled oysters.

INSPIRATION: Change Your Words, Change Your Life                                                            

Byline: Christy Whitman  

The celebrity coach and author discusses how the words we speak are never neutral because language doesn’t simply describe reality; it creates reality. With every word we speak, we’re either speaking into existence a reality we desire or we’re actively creating a reality we dread. Positive strategies include using unwanted experiences to clarify our desires, breaking a desire into its essential form and inviting its essence into our life.

GREEN LIVING: The Greening of Packaging: Cleaning and Personal Care Products Go Eco             

Byline: Sheryl DeVore    

In what some call “green movement 2.0,” consumers are demanding not only toxin-free products, but the reduction of plastic and waste in product packaging. Today, they can find refillable concentrated cleaning products, eco-laundry sheets, reusable cleansing face pads, eco-toothbrushes made of bamboo, zero-waste toothpaste bits, and plastic-free and refillable deodorant and lipstick containers. 

NATURAL PET: Preventing Dog Dementia: Five Strategies to Preserve Cognitive Health                 

Byline: Karen Becker    

 Like us, dogs can decline cognitively with age, becoming apathetic, deaf, anxious and forgetful, but basic strategies can lower the risk, including regular vet visits, an omega-3 rich diet, memory-enhancing nutraceuticals, consistent routines, and lots of exercise, socialization and mental stimulation. 

ECO TIP: Planet-Friendly Picnicking: Strategies for a Plastics-Free Outing              

In the name of convenience and easy cleanup, we too often use plastic plates and cutlery, a stack of disposable cups and even a plastic tablecloth for picnics. With a little planning, simple swap-outs are easy and less costly in the long run. Reusable containers and bags, ice cubes from home instead of a convenience store, reusable plates and utensils, and a real tablecloth all make outdoor eating easier on the planet.