UPMC Sports Medicine points out that the world sports and general recreation faces over 1-3 million cases of concussions per year. Sports ranging from football to women's soccer are prone to head and brain injuries that could result in life-long damage and disabilities. On top of that, 15% of young high school students involved in athletics had experienced a concussion. 6% of these students have received two or more.

For most of my adult life, I questioned and addressed imbalances as they arise, and the more I learn, I have instilled methods to prevent or decrease future episodes. However, I did not see this challenge coming or recognize it for what it was due to one of the most significant emotional challenges that occurred at the same time with the loss of my grandmother in October of 2017. Insomnia itself is a struggle that has afflicted me for over a decade on and off and until recently was managed well through relaxation techniques and focus on the emotional releases to encourage more restful, uninterrupted sleep patterns.

Due to my fibromyalgia, the cold is no longer my friend. In fact, I hate being cold! Ned Stark can take his winter back and stick it up his butt! But I can continue my angry ranting about the extreme cold later on Twitter. Today, I'm going to give you some tips and tricks I use to stay warmer (or, at least, TRY and stay warm) in the winter months.

Disclaimer: this is my self-care routine. Feel free to try any of the things mentioned in this article if you feel you are able to do so and that it will help you. If you feel that any of these things may cause you pain or harm (or an allergic reaction), please don't do them! Thank you!

Meditation

In this post, we want to share some ways to quickly relieve anxiety. We’ll go over scientifically proven methods, such as exercising, spending time with loved ones, listening to nature sounds, and deep breathing. Pick something that works for you, so the next time you feel anxious you know what to do.

Most of the time, home is a place of comfort and relaxation; a safe haven in which one can unwind and recharge after a busy or difficult day. But what happens when, for whatever reason, 'home' becomes a source of anxiety, stress, or depression? Don't let a difficult home environment chip away at your mental health. Here are some top tips on staying positive when your 'safe haven' becomes a living hell.

Although a face mask can feel like a relief from the pressures you're facing in life, it is not the cure-all for your unhappiness. Here are five practices I used to nip my unhealthy habits in the bud.

As the days get shorter and the dread of an impending winter begins to creep up on people, psychologists have found that seasonal affective disorder becomes much more prevalent. Though not everyone suffers from a chronic form of SAD, most people can acknowledge the gloomy winter blues and the feeling of isolation that is associated with colder days.

Self-care is one of those words that doesn't have a set definition. It's all based on the perception of the individual. Almost a year ago, my therapist would always ask what I was doing for self-care. Those two words sound self-explanatory, but, I was confused about what that really meant and how it pertained to me. I remember getting frustrated because I couldn't find a concrete answer. Each Google search was something different. Until one day, my therapist simply said: "Self-care is discovering or participating in the fun and relaxing activities you choose to do." At the time, I thought I was being tricked because there was no way that could be the answer. After almost a year of trial and error, I've finally figured out the relaxing and fun things I enjoy to do. I've listed the top ten ways to enjoy self-care.

Working long and hard may bring you a lot of money but it can also bring you a lot of stress and health problems. Everyone keeps telling you that you should slow down and you probably know it yourself, but work just fulfills you in such a way that few things can. Either that, or you’ve been working so long and hard that you forgot how it feels to relax. No more of that. Now is the time to relax and unwind and give your body the rest it needs from all that it’s been through.

I’ve been working at a community health center in a predominantly Latinx neighborhood of Boston for two years and I love working with such a diverse population. I’d wanted to work in mental health for years and I dove headfirst into my role as a Behavioral Health Clinician. I was warned about provider burnout and encouraged to practice self-care. "Make sure you take care of yourself," my coworkers said to me on the first day. "Oh, yeah, definitely," I replied. But stupidly, I believed burnout wouldn’t happen to me because I was doing what I love to do most: help people. So rather than eat lunch or go outside or read a book on my free time, I spent all of my free time on work-related tasks: writing notes, phone calls to patients, etc. I read articles and watched videos on mental health issues. I submerged myself in my work, convinced that my passion for it would never get old.