you are basically a plant with complicated feelings
Gardeners know that healthy plants have certain basic requirements: they need the right temperature, the right amount of sun, the right amount of water, and the right amount and kind of nutrients in the soil. Different plants have different needs, but one that has all...
exercise. the best medicine. (podcast!)
Growing up, I was a kid who hid in the back corner during gym — because dodgeballs are hard and kids are mean. I never developed a sense of myself as athletic, and mostly didn’t miss it. Instead, I found my physicality by carrying my life essentials on my back...
my top prescription for seasonal affective disorder
How do you stay sane during Cascadia’s dark, wet winters? When I first moved here, I got some great advice that I completely ignored. It was logical, sure, but it went against deeply ingrained biases. When I finally started heeding it, though, everything about...
healthy presents for the holidays
Stumped about what to get friends and family for special occasions? Want to help them get and stay healthy? Here are my top recommendations. Food is the First Medicine Nutrition seems confusing, but eating right can be simple. The bottom line: eat whole foods. My...
does summer make you SAD?
Most people understand SAD as a depression response to the short, dark days of winter. And indeed, that is the most common form.
But summer SAD is also truly a thing: hot days, unrelenting brightness that makes you think you have to be cheery and energetic, wildfire smoke in certain parts of the country — all of these contribute to seasonal depression in the summer.
Here’s one simple way to beat it.