Category: Mental Wellbeing

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02.23.23 | Sage Advice®

Habit Making: Finding Fun

Not all things are ‘fun and games’…Or are they? Well, it depends on who you ask. One person might enjoy mountain biking down steep slopes, while another might find falling to their impending doom — i.e. bungee cord jumping — fun because of the risk involved. That isn’t to say that all fun warrants some kind of risk, because that would be further from the truth. So when we strip away the performative act involved with the idiom of ‘having fun,’ how do we instead — find it?

True fun begins with having your basic needs met. It then becomes a choice when we give ourselves permission to stop judging ourselves — giving us the ability to walk away with energy that will buoy us up long after the music has stopped, the book is finished, and the movie credits have started to roll. Finding fun doesn’t have to mean searching for it on a vacation, or within things and other people. It can be summed up as the embodiment of three things: playfulness, connection, and flow.

Playfulness

Playfulness isn’t about the act of playing as much as it is about the act of embracing freedom and lightheartedness. It means letting go of the idea that the moment has to be right or that you have to achieve something for you to play and find fun. 

Connection

Finding fun involves having a connection with the activity you’re doing. Perhaps it’s a physical activity that involves other people such as swimming, basketball, or tennis. It could even be a mental activity such as reading, or writing that you do by yourself. If the connection is clear, so is your journey to establishing what fun means to you.

Flow

Flow is the last piece to finding fun, it’s the feeling you have when you’re totally immersed in your activity. Sometimes you may even lose track of time doing it. All things are fun and games depending on the framing of an individual’s own fun. In order to establish a life purpose, and to engage more with yourself and live a fulfilling life you must be willing to embrace freedom, make your connections clear, and allow yourself to flow effortlessly from one fun activity to another!

Old Couple
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02.16.23 | Sage Advice®

Overstimulation: How to Shut Out the Noise

Think back to a time when your heart was racing, and your senses were in disarray. Where your mind, body, and spirit were being swallowed by a dark torrent that refused to let go. You probably asked yourself, “what’s happening to me?” The peace you carried as you were running errands, working out, or simply walking was no longer present and neither — were you. That’s what overstimulation — in other words, sensory overload feels like, and we’re going to show you how to shut out the noise.

Sensory overload is when one or many of your senses become overstimulated. This overstimulation happens because of stressful external stimuli in your environment. Think of it as your brain trying to juggle everything all at once. Two results can happen: your brain can keep juggling until it no longer feels the need to hold onto the extra mumbo-jumbo of the day. Or it can inevitably drop everything forcefully — leaving you exhausted. 

Seek Help

One of the first things to do is to seek help from a professional. Many qualified psychologists and occupational therapists have experience treating overstimulation. Techniques like behavioral therapy, and sensory integration help patients engage with the world around them, learning healthy long-term coping mechanisms. 

Self Care

Self-care is another extremely important facet of our daily lives when it comes to managing stress. It’s ingrained into much of what we do here at Sage Collective and is vital to our Vibrant Living model. Give yourself permission, and time to rest and recharge. This means setting boundaries, putting down the phone, remote, or laptop and finding something else to redirect your time and attention towards. 

Mindful Breathing

Practice mindful breathing, scientific studies have shown that mindful breathing techniques can reduce stress and promote physical and mental well-being. Breathing essentially acts as an anchor that will keep you rooted in place against the aforementioned torrent. Finding the time to stop and take a few breaths has also been proven to release endorphins from the brain to promote a sense of relaxation and calm, give us more energy, release muscle tension and decrease pain.

We urge you to continue to find coping mechanisms and ways to restore balance in this fast-paced world, ones that you’re most comfortable with and can maintain for the long-term. Your inner peace is vital to leading a healthy and vibrant life, one that is full of purpose, and engagement.  

At peace
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02.02.23 | Sage Advice®

National Self-Check Month: Checking Yourself Out

Oftentimes, we hear the stories behind what it feels like to lose someone, the whirlwind of emotions like pain, guilt, even the anger we associate with that loss. But what if the person lying on the table were you? Would you have second thoughts? Would you ask yourself, “What could ‘I’ have done better?” If so, then it may be time to start taking care of yourself more, and we’ll show you how.

Checking

Today we generally hear a lot about “self love” and taking the time to commit a piece of our lives to “self care.” What we don’t often hear about is the practice of Self-Checking. This is considered the umbrella term for self love and self care, just with more emphasis on physical awareness and wellbeing. 

Yourself

This means finding some time today to ask yourself important questions like, “Is there pain anywhere on my body?”, “How do I feel currently?”, and “Is there anything out of place?” (Hopefully it’s not an arm or a leg of course) Make sure to examine your body on a regular basis to ensure that you are healthy. Find your personal “normal” and if it at all looks different than the day before, you might need to make a visit to your personal physician. 

Your age, sex, family history, and lifestyle all have an impact on the self-checks you should be performing. Early detection of most cancers, heart problems, diabetes, and weight issues tend to be simpler to address and have better long-term outcomes when detected early. Many people don’t perform self checks because they think they don’t want to know if they’re sick, or believe that they are not at risk for disease. However, the earlier an issue is detected, the more likely a person is to get the treatment that can save their life.

Out

Consider the basic healthy lifestyle habits like, eating well, and getting regular exercise that will contribute immensely to your mind, body and soul. The 9 Vibrant Ways of Living will give you an outline to build these healthy habits.

Most people are familiar with the self-check for breast cancer, but self-checks don’t always mean a physical self-evaluation. Understanding your personal risks and knowing the warning signs that indicate you are not completely healthy are important. There are various cancers that you can be aware of to check for, as well as keeping an eye out for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other health issues that may run more deeply in your family than others. If you need help going through the self-check process, Selfchec is a great step-by-step guide to checking yourself out. 

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01.26.23 | Community

Control How You Maneuver Your Day With Ultradian Rhythms

Everyone feels the ups and downs of a day. There are typically moments when we’re energized and excited, but we also all have times when we feel stressed and fatigued. Because this is a regular occurrence for many of us, we don’t usually think about the cycle behind those emotions. Today, we’re spotlighting the science of ultradian rhythms and how you can use your body’s natural cycle to reduce burnout and boost productivity. 

What are ultradian rhythms?

While the term ultradian rhythm sounds complicated, the concept is quite simple! An ultradian rhythm, at its core, is a recurrent cycle that dictates how our bodies function daily. The word ultradian means “cycles in a day”, and rhythms apply to the up and down waves the cycles follow. And, like any other pattern or cycle our bodies follow, ultradian rhythms have a powerful effect on our body’s health and wellbeing, and when disrupted, they can affect more than we think. 

What a day might look like

Throughout the day, ultradian rhythm waves naturally move up and down, affecting performance, mood and everything in between. So, when your body tells you that you’re tired and distracted before noon, it’s doing the right thing! At this point, your ultradian rhythm is experiencing a trough and is telling you that you need to take a break. You may also experience an ultradian performance peak during the day, where your energy is the highest it will be throughout the day. 

Many of us learn that a day starts when we wake up, we go go go, and then the day ends, but in reality, the human body can’t function properly with that lifestyle. What we aren’t taught is that once we wake up, our bodies go through the same natural cycles every day, affecting everything we do. 

Start listening to your ultradian rhythm and learn that even when you’re feeling down or low-energy, it’s natural to take a break. So, whether you close your eyes and meditate or walk around the block, the less you ignore your body and the more you learn to understand it, the more vibrant your life will be.

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01.19.23 | Sage Advice®

aRT Without the Capital “A”

Believe it or not, the little stick figure you managed to draw as a kid on is considered a masterpiece. Okay, maybe not a “masterpiece” per se, but definitely a piece of work you should be proud of, because that same stick figure is doing more than you might think.

Flexing That Creative Muscle

Everyone is capable of creative expression. Regardless of skill level, age, or disability, the benefits of creating art are nigh infinite. Whether you draw, paint, do woodwork, or draw stick figures, making art is good for the mind, body, and soul.

The act of creation has been linked to a reduction in anxiety and stress. It even improves your sense of agency when it comes to imagining solutions to problems you may face on a regular basis. 

Making “aRT”

Painting

Start with what you enjoy — maybe something you’ve done before, maybe something you loved as a kid. But keep an open mind in this process.

Anything that engages the creative mind — reformatting the ability to make and establish connections between unrelated things through visual communication — is good for you.

Here’s a few to get you going: finger painting, cooking, baking, collaging, oil painting, weaving, knitting, crocheting, writing screenplays, scrapbooking — lose yourself in the process and let go of expectations.

Do what lets you express yourself fully in the world of art making. You do not need to complete a project or like what you’re making to feel the various health benefits.

“aRT” Like You Exercise, Like You Eat

Just as you make time to eat, exercise and hang out with family and friends, you should make time for your new found joy for artistic expression. Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy — remaining connected to yourself and remaining connected to the world.

Chicago Methodist Senior Services offer a few more resources for healthy art making, enjoy!

Art therapy
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01.12.23 | Sage Advice®

Walking With Desire: How Walking Can Lead to Finding Purpose

We have all been there before, stumbling about, searching for the right set of answers within a sea of uncertainty. Some of us look in places where there are no answers and often find ourselves discouraged. What if you discovered that they have been walking right beside you all along? And all you have to do is wander with intention, with a desire to see them.

Intention is the reason behind doing something. In the context of walking, we walk so we can get to work, to exercise, to try out new shoes, the list goes on. When cities lack the paths pedestrians need, people intentionally vote with their feet, creating what are called “Desire Paths.” They are shorter routes humans and animals take to get from point A to point B and are defined by a naturally-made pathway. These “desire paths” often serve as reference for walking with intention in our daily lives. 

Cadence

First, let’s talk about cadence. Walking itself is more than just a motor function of the human body, it is a restorative act of the mind and soul, as well. With every step, the force you send out is the force you get back. Imagine walking with anger…it stands to reason that your walking cadence will be more aggressive and rigid, which influences the way you mentally process what made you angry in the first place. Next time your emotions get out of control, choosing to actively slow down your gait will give you time to think through your emotions. 

Location

Where we walk matters. A casual stroll through the hustle and bustle of a loud city presents its own set of challenges. Environmental clutter and noise may scramble your thinking. So it is important to find a space where your walk is uninterrupted. A host of studies into the science of walking suggests that spending time in green spaces — parks, forests and gardens can rejuvenate the mental resources that man-made objects strip from you. 

Purpose

Walking organizes the world around us, while reflection gives us purpose. Slowing down your walking also leads to self-reflection. This is where desire comes into play. Thinking about yourself is important — it allows you to crystallize what you want out of life and the values that are important to you. Maybe you strive to provide for your family, perhaps you want to grow closer to your higher power. Whatever your purpose might be, when you transform a casual stroll into a walk of intention, you will find yourself on a desired path.

Walking with purpose
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12.15.22 | Community

The Benefits of Befriending Your Neighbors

At Sage Collective, we strive to foster feelings of value and community. And, with engagement in social life as one of the pillars in our 9 Ways of Vibrant Living, it should come as no surprise that we believe in the impact and importance of neighborliness within communities. That’s why today, we’re highlighting the significance behind knowing your neighbor.

Drawing data from a Pew Research Center study conducted in 2019, research shows that a majority of Americans don’t know most of their neighbors — and they barely talk to the ones they do know. Over the last several decades, our connections with our neighbors have been fraying. Because we’re leaving our homes with screens in our hands, and since the pandemic made us even less likely than we were before to stop and chat with new folks, most of the people living around us are strangers.

Befriending neighbors ensures a helping hand in times of need, provides new friends to explore your larger neighborhood and builds strong communities, which leads to healthier, happier and longer lives. Whether you know everything about your neighbor or they’re a stranger to you, here are a few actions you can take to ensure an enriching relationship in your community: 

The simplest way to start a friendship is by sharing a smile. Because smiling is a mood-enhancing action, not only will you feel better and less stressed, but those around you will perceive you as a welcoming person. The easy effort is the best way to start an introduction or continue a conversation where it left off. 

Small talk is something we all love to hate, but embracing the awkwardness of not knowing someone helps a ton with getting to know them! Don’t shy to chit-chat about everything from food and drinks to the latest movies and television shows to find shared interests. 

The bottom line is there’s no downside to knowing your neighbor. Befriending your neighbor only comes with a wealth of benefits. So step outside and start a conversation today!

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12.08.22 | Arts & Culture

Understanding the Swedish Philosophy of Fredagsmys

Swedes are known for their love of organizations, structure and readiness, which is one of the reasons why their culture’s work ethic is unlike any other. Because they value their work time so much, Swedes typically reserve a night a week to unwind and relax, which they call fredagsmys. While the philosophy shares similarities with other European philosophies, the Swede’s tradition is something we should all embrace to live a more vibrant life. 

What It Means

Following a hard work week, it’s a Swede tradition to spend Friday nights relaxing and unwinding. They call this fredagsmys, which means “Friday coziness” in Swedish. A typical fredagsmys will involve time spent with family and friends, playing board games, watching movies and enjoying their favorite snacks and meals.  

There’s no question that fredagsmys contribute to Sweden’s position as the happiest country in the world. Instead of staying in and watching television, Swedes spend Monday through Thursday evenings doing their favorite hobbies and activities, reserving Friday for relaxation. Fredagsmys have been a staple of Swedish households since the mid-1980s. However, today more than ever, Swedes are embracing the tradition as a perfect Friday night recharge. 

How To Embrace Fredagsmys 

There’s no correct approach to fredagsmys, which makes the philosophy easy to embrace. While you can do it alone, the most popular way to participate in fredagsmys is with others. Call up your family of friends and make a fun meal like a taco bar or a grand salad for everyone to enjoy together. 

Fredagsmys is all about going for casual and comfy. After dinner, throw on your snuggliest pajamas, grab a blanket and move to the couch for game night or a movie night with a glass of wine. However you choose to fredagsmys, what matters the most is the quality time spent with others or with yourself. 

We could all benefit from incorporating fredagsmys into our vocabulary and philosophy. At Sage Collective, we believe in the power of recharging, community and high-quality living — and we celebrate all that fredagsmys embodies.

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12.01.22 | Sage Advice®

The Importance of Normalizing Grief

Pain and grief are a natural part of our lives and aren’t just things we see or feel at the end of life. In reality, these feelings surround us daily whether we know it or not, and while they’re typically associated with sadness, they don’t always have to be. And while grief is often seen as taboo, it’s important to alter the conversation around the subject to create a safe and supportive community for all.

It’s critical to know that there is no perfect answer to everything with grief; everyone has to find what works best for them, and this may look different depending on the person. So, try to be patient with yourself, and take every day one step at a time. 

One of the best ways to normalize the process of grieving is simply by acknowledging what you’re going through. Let yourself feel everything, and allow yourself space to feel comfortable sharing those feelings, even if that means you need a break here or there. Ensure that you also have a way to do something with your feelings, which can be anything from talking to friends or family to writing or painting. 

While looking for support from others can sometimes feel selfish, it’s not. Lean on as many people as possible and remember to look for the good in the situation. By being vulnerable, you allow the opportunity to build trust, relationships and support.  

Grief is something we all experience. It’s not something we can hide from, so why not face it head-on and create a safe and supportive experience not only for yourself, but for the world? 

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11.03.22 | Mental Wellbeing

Pause, Reflect, and Celebrate Your Wins

Life can often feel as if it’s moving at uncomfortable speeds. From working and errands to relationships you have to take care of, rushing through life can be a lot on your wellbeing. And, if you’re not careful, it’s easy to get misplaced and lose track of your goals, which is why it’s important to remember to pause and reflect every so often before journeying ahead. 

Because lives are more of a marathon than a sprint, pacing yourself to what you feel comfortable with rather than rushing ahead is crucial. Pausing is a great way to take a constructive break on your journey, and it gives you the time to thoughtfully evaluate your accomplishments. Take a look at your goals and purposes and ask yourself if you’re still on track, if you need to speed things up or slow things down and if you have the resources to continue. 

Too often in life, because of busyness and day-to-day, it’s paramount to celebrate your victories, and thankfully, pausing leaves the perfect opportunity to do so. It’s crucial to remember that no matter how big or small they may be, you should be proud of every accomplishment and victory you achieve. Take a moment to celebrate each one and reward yourself for your efforts!

While it’s essential to evaluate achievements and celebrate victories, it’s also important to acknowledge your mistakes so you can learn from them in the future. While some mistakes are obvious, others are hidden by bias, but in all cases, you should look at every mistake as an opportunity for learning, not a failure. Besides, learning about your previous mistakes ensures a lesser chance of repeating them in the future!

Taking a moment to pause and reflect gives you a chance to ensure that you’re still on the track for success, no matter your goals. So, as much as you may want to rush to your dreams, it doesn’t hurt to take a break – it helps!

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