Millions of people who have had “The Virus” continue to experience symptoms, or develop new symptoms, for weeks, months, or years after they were first infected… but the direct causes are not currently known.
People are experiencing symptoms like: Fatigue Shortness of breath A chronic cough Joint pain Chest pain Brain fog Depression Muscle pain Headaches Rapid heartbeat Intermittent fevers And many others This is not okay…
…especially if you have a busy, high-er stress lifestyle or existing health condition!
We need answers, and now. Before it gets even more out of hand…
Thankfully, we have a resource that we think you might want to look into:
Dr. Linell King has committed his life to gathering the most cutting-edge data to help support everyday people to take control of their bodies to protect and heal themselves from “The Virus” – or any disease for that matter.
As a Johns Hopkins MD and functional medicine physician, he is THE guy when it comes to better understanding post-virus symptoms and the long-term complications that come with them.
And this week, he’s releasing a complimentary 5-part masterclass specifically designed to help those suffering from long-haul virus symptoms to reclaim their health and quality of life.
It’s called the Back To 100 Masterclass because Dr. King’s #1 goal is to help you finally get “back to 100%.”
Through his research, Dr. King has been able to help people all around the world banish symptoms, reclaim their health, and experience a level of physical vitality most people have never even dreamt of…
You may not think your health issues are anything now. But in 3 more months, it could be much worse.
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Addiction recovery is a lifelong process. There will be bumps in the road, and you will always need to stay vigilant on your journey to a better life. That said, incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine can help make sobriety easier. Today, Live Free From Stress provides some tips on how to do just that.
Get Enough Sleep
A good night’s rest is crucial for both your physical and mental health. It can be hard to stick to a regular sleep schedule when you’re first getting sober, but you must try. A lack of sleep can lead to relapse and a host of other health issues. Here are some tips for achieving a healthy sleep rhythm:
Establish a regular sleep schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will help your body regulate its natural sleep rhythm.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed: Caffeine can keep you awake for hours after drinking it, while alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle and make it harder to fall asleep.
Avoid working or using electronic devices in bed: Working on your laptop or watching television in bed can make it harder to fall asleep and get the rest you need.
Get plenty of exercise during the day: Exercise helps promote good sleep hygiene by tiredness your body and making it easier to fall asleep at night.
Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and comfortable: Keeping your environment calm and stress-free will help you relax and fall asleep more easily.
Start the Day Strong
The morning is a critical time of day; it’s when we get ready for the day ahead and set the tone for how we’ll be feeling. Developing a healthy morning routine is important for ensuring we’re off to a good start. Some things you may want to include in your morning routine are:
Waking up early enough to have some time to yourself.
Getting dressed in comfortable clothes.
Making breakfast and/or drinking a healthy smoothie.
Reading or doing some quiet meditation or mindfulness exercises.
Having these things in place as part of your morning routine can help you feel more relaxed and centered as you start your day. It can also help set the tone for how the day will go, and give you the energy you need to take on whatever comes your way.
Eat Healthily
A healthy diet will help your body heal from the damage caused by addiction and give you the energy you need to stay sober. Avoid processed foods and sugar as much as possible, and try to get plenty of fruits, vegetables, and protein. While you’re at it, limit your caffeine intake; too much caffeine can exacerbate anxiety and negatively impact your sleep.
Exercise
Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. It also helps reduce stress, improve sleep, and increase energy levels. All of these things are essential to maintaining sobriety, so find a physical activity (e.g., running, cycling, weightlifting, etc.) that you can commit to at least four days a week.
Take Breaks
When you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you’re about to lose your cool, take a break. Step away from the situation and take some deep breaths. Doing so will help you avoid saying or doing something you might regret later.
Connect with Others
Isolation is one of the main triggers for relapse, so it’s essential to stay connected with friends and family members who support your sobriety. Attend meetings, join a sober social group, or volunteer — do anything that gets you around others who understand what you’re going through.
Conclusion
Sobriety is a difficult but rewarding journey. Incorporating healthy habits into your everyday life can make it easier to maintain your sobriety long-term. So get plenty of rest, establish a morning routine, eat healthily, connect with others, and implement the other tips above. Your recovery and your overall life will benefit significantly as you put in the effort!
1 In 5 People Reading This Page Is Suffering With Chronic Pain
If that’s you, then you understand all too well how…
Persistent, nagging pain hijacks your focus and casts a shadow over every waking moment.
Memories don’t shine as bright as they could when the entire experience is haunted by physical discomfort.
With every passing year, it feels that time is running out to find solutions to break the cycle.
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Around two million people in the UK are affected by the winter blues, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, as the shorter days trigger many of us to feel more lethargic. While we can’t hurry winter along, we can give you some tips on how to navigate the colder, darker months. Here are just five…
Like its predecessors, 2022 was a tough year for many people.
But at the dawn of a new year, January brings with it positivity and plenty of promise.
As we move through the winter months, however, the winter blues – otherwise known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – can start to creep in.
SAD has been described as a “winter depression” that occurs annually during the winter months.
Symptoms are similar to that of depression and include persistent low mood, lethargy and irritability.
The good news is that there are plenty of tips and tricks that can help to combat the winter blues, as well as treatments depending on the severity of the symptoms.
Here are some suggestions.
1. Get active
Described as a “miracle cure” by the NHS – the benefits of exercise are vast.
It’s something that everyone can do to improve their health; whether it be little or a lot, you’re guaranteed to feel the benefits.
To combat SAD, the NHS recommends exercising outside in as much daylight as possible.
This could be something as simple as a gentle stretch or a midday walk.
“Exercise release endorphins – chemicals that help us to feel good,” explains rugby legend, Jonny Wilkinson.
“It also gets the body moving, the blood pumping and helps to avoid stagnancy. Completing goals and challenging limits are small victories that help us build momentum and a sense of self-worth.”
However, we know it can be difficult to be motivated to get regular exercise in the winter months.
Good health is achieved through a balanced diet. This doesn’t just mean eating a plethora of foods, but also in the right proportions.
The Associations of UK Dieticians recommends eating regular meals to help combat depression, along with a healthy portion of protein at each meal, due to its high tryptophan content – an essential amino acid needed to make proteins.
Sources include fish, poultry and eggs.
Vegetarians and vegans should opt for leafy green vegetables and pulses.
The Eatwell Guide advises to eat five portions of fruit and veg every day
Meanwhile, recommendation number one from The Eatwell Guide for a balanced diet is to get five portions of fruit and vegetable every day.
Adding more vegetables to your favourite meals is one way to ensure you’re hitting the recommended allowance. Or swap out one of your less healthy snacks for a piece of fruit.
A nutritious diet safeguards your mental wellbeing, it can improve your mood, boost your energy levels and help you think more clearly, according to the charity Mind.
Meanwhile, Vitality’s Head Mental Health and Wellbeing, Belinda Sidhu, says that foods that are rich in vitamin D and B can help with energy levels.
3. Light therapy
In an effort to simulate sunlight exposure, light therapy is becoming an increasingly popular method to counter winter blues.
The act of light therapy itself involves sitting by a specific type of lamp for around 30 minutes to an hour, giving the illusion of more natural light throughout the shorter days.
Studies have found that using light therapy it can effectively adjust users’ circadian rhythm, which improves our sleep.
These lights come in a number of different forms, such as desk lights, screens and clocks.
As mentioned above, theories around the onset of SAD come from a higher production of melatonin.
This natural hormone is produced by the brain’s pineal gland and controls the sleep cycle.
The body begins to produce melatonin when it gets dark, meaning it is produced for long in the winter months, and can disrupt our circadian rhythm.
There is some evidence to show that meditation can be used as an effective tool to overcome SAD. Meditating helps to increase the body’s serotonin levels, which modulates melatonin to a healthy level. In turn, this can help change your thoughts around negative thinking, a common symptom on SAD.
Mindfulness is another practice that can be beneficial in combatting SAD.
5. Speak to someone
A problem shared is a problem halved, as the saying goes, and it’s been proven to an effective one, too.
Research by Age UK found that around one in three adults share their worries and 36% feel better as a result.
Meanwhile, Wilkinson says that, for him, speaking out is how he moves towards his goals:
“When you feel like you’re overcome from the outside, it’s an opportunity to realise what you need to let go of in order to grow and face those challenges,”
‘Brew Monday’, is also one way that people are reframing ‘Blue Monday’, whereby people grab a hot drink and have a chat with someone, in order to ask how they’re feeling about their mental health.
But for those that are struggling with more serious forms of SAD, counselling can be a very positive form of treatment.
Habits are, unsurprisingly, habitual. And we fall into routine of behaviours from the moment we wake up to when we go to bed. Be it how we take our cup of coffee to brushing our teeth before we go to bed. But how do we make sure these everyday tasks are meaningful?
Building good habits in our life takes time and patience. But knowing where to begin and what to do can often be the most difficult part.
Did you know that habits account for around 40% of our behaviours on any given day? That’s without us even knowing.
And as the 2023 gets underway, people will likely be looking to make a kickstart their New Year’s resolutions.
So, what is a habit? James Clear, author of New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, explains “habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day”.
Adopting new, positive habits not only makes you feel good but may protect you from health problems and encourage you to live a healthier lifestyle, the NIH (National Institute of Health) tells us.
And, according to Clear, we can fully integrate a new habit in your day-to-day life in an average of 66 days (around two months).
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to successfully adopt a healthy habit.
1. Start small
“There are a number of reasons why people find it difficult to stick to their resolutions, and many of these are founded in behavioural science,” says Dr Katie Tryon.
“Many of us are overconfident, which means we overestimate our ability to achieve certain resolutions and do not anticipate challenges we may face along the way, so we eventually give up.”
But by reframing how we take on resolutions can make the goals we set ourselves much more, not only manageable, but achievable. One way to overcome this is to start small and set ourselves “micro-resolutions”, says Dr Katie.
By definition a micro, or ‘mini’, resolution is a behaviour that we commit to for four weeks. Not done in isolation, however, these can ladder up to a macro-resolution, such as eating healthier or exercising more.
She adds: “With micro-resolutions, it is far easier to estimate the effort required to achieve them and easier to plan for in our normal day-to-day life, so this overcomes any issues of overconfidence and poor planning.”
Dr Katie acknowledges, though, that in order to achieve our goals, we must also overcome something known as hyperbolic discounting.
This is when we choose smaller, more immediate rewards over those that come later and require more effort.
If the end-goal achieved through making a change is far in the future (like health improvement), it is helpful to give yourself small things – like little rewards – to keep you motivated along the way, she adds.
“Small and consistent short-term changes can result in habit formation, which is the key to long term behavioural change.”
You can also make it easier to stick to your micro-resolution by being realistic about how you will fit your new challenge into your day, depending on your personality.
“For example, if you are not a morning person, it may be better to do physical activity later in the day otherwise you will always dread it.”
2. Remove what doesn’t support you
To avoid getting into situations that can steer you towards bad habits, it can be worth removing the activities that can trigger this type of behaviour.
For example, if you tend to hit snooze every morning, placing your alarm away from reach will trigger you to get out of bed in order to turn it off, this way you’re already out of bed and you can begin your day.
Drinking a glass of water after you wake up can also help you rise on a morning as your body starts to activate itself.
3. Establish a routine
Rebecca Patterson, Personal Growth and Acquisition Mentor at Forbes explains: “It’s an absolute fact that if you can learn to do something consistently, you will discover much greater strengths and opportunities within yourself than you could have ever imagined.”
Having consistency with your new habits is a powerful tool to support changing your behaviour.
Once you’ve defined your healthy habits consider what time of day to do them and commit to them.
And, what a better time to kick off new habits than the New Year.
Research shows that more people are likely to visit the gym around fresh-start dates, such as the beginning of the year.
4. Set a checkpoint to review your progress
Tracking your progress and celebrating the small wins are important.
These help to keep you motivated.
Journalling or using a habit-tracker app, such as Habitica, can support you in measuring your success.
And, if you find yourself wandering off track, that’s ok, too.
It would be nice to be able to skip the hard work and experience the benefits straight away, but by being patient and dealing with the unexpected can often be the most rewarding part of the journey.
Keep reminding yourself why you’re investing time and effort into that habit. A good way to do this is by leaving post-it notes around your house, or on your bathroom mirror, so you can be reminded of your why you are committing to this habit.
5. Have a partner in crime
Finding a support network around you encourages, not only you to continue to form new habits, but motivates you to exceed them.
For example, if you choose to increase the number of times you do physical activity a week having someone to do it with has been found to up the intensity of your workout by 200%, according to findings from Kansas State University.
Having someone to support you with your new habit will help you to succeed
Alongside forming meaningful habits, having someone to talk to and seeking support can be incredibly beneficial for your mental health and improves your mood.
Ready for more?
If you’re feeling ready to take on more than one habit (otherwise known as ‘habit stacking’), remember to follow this process above and keep it simple so that you avoid feeling overwhelmed, stressed and burnt out with too much on your plate.
A final word from Dr Katie: “Small and consistent short term changes can result in habit formation, which is the key to long term behaviour change.
“We are all creatures of habit, and once changes are embedded in our habits, we are far more likely to stick to them.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. The best thing is to develop micro resolutions, that can really become habits going forwards, as then you will stick to it.”
The countdown to Christmas is officially on. From cost-saving tips to managing a full house since before the pandemic, here are 5 ways to reduce your stress levels this festive season.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… so Andy Williams tells us in his classic Christmas number. But the Yuletide season comes with a caveat – it can also be one of the most stressful times of the year.
Between buying presents, cooking an overwhelming number of festive meals and entertaining the in-laws (not to mention the clean up after they leave), 81% of us think that Christmas is a major catalyst for stress.
So, given it’s the season to be jolly, we have laid out some tips on how to manage the pressures of the impending Christmas period, and why it’s okay to not always be full of festive cheer.
1. Plan ahead
There is little more stressful than leaving everything to the last minute.
If you’re entertaining, it’s helps to know well in advance exactly who’s coming to stay – and when they are going to arrive. Then you can start preparing the house.
You then can also think about the Christmas shop, which, if you’re ahead of yourself, can be done online.
Preparing the festive feast in advance will also help ease stress on the day.
Crafty tip? Think about making your stuffing or bread sauce a few days before and freezing it until you need it.
2. Trim back (on all the trimmings)
Here are some ways that people can trim back on how much they fork out during the festive season.
Buy a locally grown Christmas tree – a number of supermarket chains are offering cheaper trees that are grown closer to home, or opt for a sustainable one (and keep it alive for next year)
Choose chicken – if you have a lot of mouths to feed over the festive period, you could reduce costs by having a chicken on the big instead of a more expensive turkey or goose
Secret Santa – make Christmas mysterious by opting for Secret Santa with friends and family
Reduce paper prices – swap out expensive Christmas wrapping paper with brown paper. A piece of ribbon can soon spruce up your pressie
3. Have a cuppa
Consider cutting back on alcohol.
And switching up your drinking habits isn’t only good for your pocket, but it will also help reduce stress over the festive period aside from its other health benefits.
Alcohol has been found to enhance stress and anxiety, and if you’re drinking because you’re stressed that can also contribute to feelings of depression.
Mindful drinking has become more popular over recent years
“We know from clinical studies, that alcohol actually increases the amount of the stress hormone, cortisol, in our brains,” explains David McLaughlan, a mindful drinking expert and co-founder of JITAI.
“High levels of cortisol are neurotoxic, meaning it causes cell damage in specific parts of the brain which leads to low mood and anxiety.”
Mindful drinking, he says, can reduce the likelihood of “alcohol binges”.
Here are McLaughlan’s tips for drinking mindfully:
Always use a measure for spirits and wine. Free pouring makes it very difficult to know how much you’re actually drinking.
Plan drinking ‘check points’ into your evening. Set a notification or reminder in your phone to check in with yourself to make sure you are drinking in accordance with the intentions you set.
Avoid topping up glasses. Finish one drink before moving on to the next, this makes it easier to keep track of the number of drinks you’ve had across the night.
Of course, Christmas is a time for enjoyment, but a night off won’t do you any harm.
So, why not substitute your after dinner hot toddy for a cup of tea instead?
4. Keep moving
Even when it’s cold outside, exercise is a tried and tested way to release stress. Anything that gets your heart rate up, be it a spin class, sweaty gym session or run.
However, the busy festive period can mean that our already precious time is limited as friends and family, including St. Nick, descend on your doorstep. Thus, our stress levels can mount up, which can intensify if we don’t do enough exercise.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the fact you can’t do what you want to as you’re busy or because of the weather.
There are, however, a number of ways to get active during the festive period that won’t only just help relieve stress but may even bring the family together too. Something like heading out on a long walk in the countryside would be a great start or playing games with the family. Other ideas could be partaking in activities such as ice skating if there’s a rink close by or playing some doubles tennis, for example, if you have some courts nearby.
5. Be kind to yourself
Taking time for yourself can feel impossible during the busiest time of the year. Taking time out for yourself can help you to adjust to this transition and recalibrate, as we’re often drawn inward to reflect and contemplate the year that’s been and the new year ahead.
Taking time for a walk could help reduce the pressures that Christmas brings, this could be a great opportunity for you to figure out what helps you slow down.
Maybe it’s a visit to a museum, attending a live musical performance, going for a long walk or taking a luxurious bubble bath.
Whatever it is, add this me-time to your calendar and let your loved ones know that taking this time to relax will help you show up for them in all the ways you hope to during the holidays.
After all, it doesn’t have to be perfect. The most important thing is that everyone is together at the end of the day.
Physical activity has many positive benefits on our mental health and wellbeing, from reducing anxiety to better sleep quality and even reducing symptoms of depression. Here, we explain the science behind why exercise is good for us, and some simple tips to help you get active this winter.
It is widely accepted that physical exercise is good for our mental health.
Whether that’s to relieve stress or just to help us to feel better about ourselves. But what might be surprising is how wide-reaching these positive effects can be.
Day to day, physical activity can improve sleep quality, while helping us to function more easily and feel better overall. But did you know it can boost our cognitive skills too?
This includes our ability to plan and organise at work and at home, it also helps us control our emotions, improve our memory span and deliver academic performance.
Research into 15 studies, involving more than 33,000 individuals, found that physical activity is associated with 38% reduced risk of cognitive decline – and that can include everything from the ability to concentrate to the onset of dementia.
Here, we break down four ways in which physical activity positively impacts us that are backed by science.
1. Sleep
There is strong evidence that moderate to vigorous physical activity improves quality of sleep in a number of ways, including reducing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and increasing the amount of time spent in deep sleep. It can also help to reduce daytime sleepiness.
Even small amounts of exercise can improve our quality of sleep, however how and when we exercise will affect our sleep patterns in different ways – and some of us benefit more so than others. For example, evidence suggests moderate resistance training and stretching exercise are particularly helpful to people with insomnia.
2. Mood
It might seem obvious, but physical activity can improve how we feel. And there is science to prove it. One study asked participants to rate their mood following a period of activity, such as going for a walk, and after periods of inactivity, such as reading a book.
Participants felt calmer, had more energy and felt more content, compared to those following periods of physical inactivity. Exercise can also be very effective in relieving stress. Highly active individuals tend to have lower stress rates compared to individuals who are less active, research has suggested.
3. Anxiety
Anxiety affects a large number of people every year. Findings show there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK in 2013. While anxiety can affect anyone at any age, in England women are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder than men.
The good news is that engaging in regular exercise can help reduce individuals’ acute symptoms and chronic levels of anxiety, according to findings. Most importantly also, if you’re looking for a fast results, the benefits of physical activity on anxiety can take effect immediately.
8.2 million people in the UK were suffering with anxiety in 2013
4. Depression
Alongside more subtle benefits to our overall wellbeing, physical exercise or increased activity has been proven to help alleviate even severe forms of mental illness too.
According to the World Health Organisation, depression is a leading cause of disability, affecting more than 264 million people worldwide at any age; women more so than men. Meanwhile, around 800,000 people die each year due to depression, and it is the second leading cause of death for people aged between 15-29 years old globally.
Encouragingly, physical activity has been shown to help reduce depressive symptoms for those with or without clinical depression, while lowering the risk of an individual developing clinical depression. As little as 30 minutes can bring down the likelihood of depression by more than 40%.
In its simplest form, stress can manifest in temporary feelings of frustration and hopelessness, but in its severest form, it can become something a lot more sinister, affecting your work and social life, and even developing into depression.
Unfortunately, feelings of stress are often inevitable. The good news is that there are ways in which you can reduce your stress levels before they become too dangerous.
Develop a positive mind-set
Reducing your stress levels starts with a positive mind-set, and the willingness to try and change your situation. Health professionals know that doing this isn’t as straightforward as reading a few inspirational quotes – it will take a concerted effort over time.
Try writing down three things at the end of each day that made you happy, which were a success or that you are grateful for. You may find that this brief shift in perspective becomes more infectious, and feeds into your normal mind-set. It’s also good practice to examine your habits and attitude and identify anything that could be causing unnecessary stress. For example, your deadlines might be stressful because of your tendency to procrastinate, rather than a lack of ability.
Swap out temporary stress busters
By ‘temporary stress busters’ we mean things like cigarettes, alcohol and the tendency to withdraw. While they may provide a brief reprieve from stress, they can themselves go on to create additional problems. Instead, replace them with healthy alternatives like peppermint or chamomile tea (which are known for their calming properties), a healthy refreshing snack like some fruit, and some quality time with your loved ones.
Take exercise
We’ve all heard of endorphins, otherwise known as ‘happy hormones’. These little mood-boosters are the body’s natural opiates and are produced more often during exercise – a trait which is thought to increase our wellbeing. It makes sense, then, that exercising can help to reduce our stress levels, but endorphins aren’t the only reason why exercise can help. Going for a run, doing yoga or even just going for a walk gives you something else to focus on, as well as time to think through the source of your stress.
Eat a balanced diet
The sugary foods we turn to during periods of stress may provide temporary gratification, but are typically followed by a crash in both energy and mood levels once their effect wears off. Eating the right things, on the other hand, can provide balance and lift the mood, and don’t produce the same crash in energy and mood later.
Avocados, for example, contain folate, which helps to promote feelings of calm, while raspberries and blueberries contain high levels of vitamin C, which is shown to be helpful in combating stress. Even dark chocolate (in small doses) can help to lower blood pressure and promote a feeling of calm.
Get enough sleep
It’s no secret that we aren’t getting enough sleep. In fact, our Health of the Nation survey revealed that the average person in the UK only sleeps for around 6.4 hours a night, as opposed to the recommended seven to eight hours. When you consider that sleep helps to heal the body and mind, and helps us to process the day just passed, it becomes clear why a lengthy visit to the land of nod is so helpful in reducing stress levels. Feeling tired can increase irritability, meaning we become more highly strung and likely to think irrationally.
Designate a time for relaxation
Did you know that the UK workforce works the longest hours in Europe? It’s no wonder we find so little time to relax. Designating a time for relaxation is incredibly important, however, and can help to reduce your stress levels. Whether it’s using your lunch break to read a book, setting aside an hour in the evening for a long soak or freeing up each weekend just to go for a walk, do something that keeps you calm.
Talk to someone
Whether you decide to confide in your loved ones or visit a trained professional, don’t be afraid to talk about your problems. Letting everything out can be a huge weight off your shoulders, and you may find that other people are experiencing exactly the same thing. It might be that you simply can’t cope on your own, which is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
There isn’t a one size fits all solution to reducing your stress levels, but by trying out some of these coping methods, you will at least have a head start in deciding what works for you.
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