Been to a doctor's office or clinic this summer? CVS or Walgreen's, perhaps? Then you may have seen our company spotlight in the July/August issue of Healthy Kansas City Magazine! This article all about #RadiateWellnessKC features Christi, Kathy, and Mary Jane and all they do--Readings, Reiki, Energy Healing, Astrology, and QHHT and other forms of hypnosis.

by Melissa Dunn

So I did a thing and decided to smash the damn scale! 

I actually did this several months ago when I decided that my weight does not define me or my health.

Here’s the thing: our culture is so focused on a number and telling us how much weight affects our health when it’s simply not true! There are several studies that state that weight is not a true indicator of health. I also know that diets don’t work and in fact the majority of people gain all the weight back and then some within two years.

(If you want to learn more, check out the Health at Every Size Movement, or books like “Anti Diet” “The Fuck it Diet”, “Intuitive Eating,” and I’m sure if you're reading this you could weigh in with more suggestions here, no pun intended!)

Some of you may disagree and my stop reading here, or maybe you already have. That’s ok. Feel free to keep scrolling and move about your day. 

The point is, I’m no longer equating my health and happiness to a number....

I know and have felt first hand the psychological damage that comes from weighing myself, yo-yo dieting, weight cycling, and the messages that foods are either good or bad for me or I shouldn’t eat a piece of pizza because it might go straight to my thighs.... 

So, here’s how I choose to live my life instead when it comes to food and my body: 

• Do I enjoy this food?

• Do I want it right now?

• How will this food make me feel? (Physically, like will it make me ill?)

• Am I hungry?

• Am I full?

And that’s it! Am I perfect? Far from it. I’m also human and sometimes eat to fill emotional voids. I’m aware of it, and it’s ok. 

So then I decided to ask myself these questions:

• Am I happy?

• Do I feel like the best version of myself? (Whether that be physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.)

• Do I need a change right now?

• Am I doing this out of love and kindness or am I doing it because I’m feeling shame or guilt?

We all have the power to change whatever we want about ourselves, and if you want to lose weight for your wellbeing, more power to you! But let’s do it because it makes us feel good—not because of a number on a scale or because society tells us this is how it SHOULD be. 

Let’s also make sure we’re doing it from a place of self-love, not self-criticism. 

Health and Wellness is about so much more than a number on a scale.

What makes you happy? What will make YOU feel the most fulfilled and whole?

By Melissa Dunn

Do the parts of you that experience negative emotion, pain, anxiety , shame and guilt, unworthiness make you feel broken inside ?

I used to feel this SO deeply and to be honest , sometimes I still do. I’m human and I’m a human who was taught by society that it was unhealthy to feel or show rawness, real emotion, or pain.
The other night I felt triggered by a past event in which I realized I hadn’t fully forgiven myself for past mistakes .
In the past I would have run and hide from my feelings , I would have let myself disguise the pain or pass it off as it being hormonal as we women also tend to do.

But here is where I saw my truly transformed self....

Instead of running, hiding , stuffing my emotion down with food , wine or pretending it wasn’t there at all I let the sadness and tears hot on my cheeks wash over me like a warm bath and you know what I did next?
I talked to myself like a young child , put my hand on my heart and the other hand on my stomach and said it’s ok, you’re human, you make mistakes , I forgive you, I love you.

After my tears subsided...

I decided that this was a great opportunity for healing and went on google to find a healing hypnosis for guilt, shame and forgiveness and I made a promise to myself that I was going to make a habit of this forgiveness and let this shit go, kick it to the curb , “bye bye, you are no longer needed here.”
This is what having inner peace and healing transformation can look like and it can look this way for YOU too...

No more shame , blame and guilt for your past , realizing that the past version of you was just trying to feel loved and to belong.

You learn to thank her and forgive her...

You then can make the choice to step into the next level version of you, the version who loves herself completely, even with all her flaws.

Re-posted with permission from Inland Empire TMS.
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The past year has been a difficult one for all of us as we grappled with the fallout of a global pandemic. But this is perhaps most true for teenagers.

Months of lockdown, virtual learning, isolation from friends, financial troubles for families, and more have taken their toll on teenagers. Studies have found that the mental health effects of the pandemic have the most significant impact on teenagers.1

This isn’t to say teenage depression is a new crisis. It has been an ongoing crisis for some time as depression rates in adolescents continue to rise.
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Whether you’re feeling depressed yourself and looking for answers or you’re a concerned parent, you’re not alone. There are many resources, treatments, and sources of help out there. This guide is one of them.

Teenage Depression Statistics
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We can begin by first looking at the scale of the problem. Indeed, for some teenagers and families, it helps to know that their experience isn’t unique. Teenage depression is, sadly, quite common.

The CDC states that more than 4 million children are diagnosed with anxiety and just under 2 million have diagnosed depression. 2

These conditions are often diagnosed together as around 3 out of 4 of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with anxiety.

Diagnoses for anxiety and depression are more common as age increases, with adolescents most likely to be diagnosed.

This is a stark figure and it has been steadily increasing over the last few decades. To make matters worse, teenagers living below the federal poverty line are also diagnosed more often with mental health disorders.

What all this means is that depression is one of the leading causes of illnesses in teenagers. The consequences of ignoring this mental health crisis are severe as suicide is also the third leading cause of death in 15 to 19-year-olds. 3

Even for those who don’t turn to the most drastic solution, failing to address adolescent mental health issues impairs physical and mental health in their later years. It limits their opportunities and is ultimately detrimental to their long-term well-being as well as their short-term well-being.

By Steven L. Sanders

I am thinking back in my life for when I first attended management training that included a discussion on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I believe it was in the late 1980’s. I remember being fascinated about Maslow’s “theory” that all human beings move through a growth process to achieve their five core needs:

1. Basic human survival needs (i.e., physiological needs),
2. Protection-stability-& health and financial security (i.e., safety needs),
3. Relationships (i.e., love and belonging),
4. Recognition and acknowledgment from others (i.e., esteem needs), and
5. Gifts and talent development (i.e., self-actualization needs).

By Jennifer Scott

It’s undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has tested us in ways that we never could have imagined. Life as we knew it had all but ended, and we’ve been forced to adapt to what is now known as the new normal. Yet we’re already starting to find that there is no dearth to human ingenuity and creativity in the face of this adversity. And with no end to the pandemic just yet, we can only anticipate more in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Here’s what you can learn—and make use of—so far to make life just a little bit easier in these trying times, and even save a pretty penny while you’re at it.

You do you.
Coping mechanisms vary from person to person, so what may work for some may be completely ineffectual for others. This is why it’s important to remember to embrace the notion of you do you—that is to say, do what feels good, right, and comforting for you at any given moment.

If the pandemic has you feeling anxious or depressed, and you're looking to seek help, consider exploring the holistic services offered by Radiate Wellness. From life coaching to energy healing, we can help you improve your health and wellbeing.

Additionally, The News Tribune explains that if there’s a silver lining that’s observable in this pandemic, it’s that of empty animal shelters. This is because many have taken to adopting or fostering pets as companions while they’re stuck at home. Science supports that pets can provide emotional support to those in need.

Keeping yourself busy is also another great way to spend time at home. It’s more than wise, therefore, to explore new hobbies that also help fend off anxiety and depression. You can even start a new career by working remotely—not only to keep yourself productive, distracted, and challenged, but also to supplement your income during this financially troubled time. While working, you can also expand your educational background by applying for an online degree program. If you're interested in advancing in the information technology field, for example, you can work on obtaining a master's degree in IT and earn certifications during the program. These can help you stand out in the field and increase your chances of getting a job with a higher salary.

DIY is king.

The pandemic continues to keep many businesses closed. This runs the gamut from fitness centers to restaurants and many others. As a result, almost everyone has been forced to ‘DIY or die,’ if only to maintain a semblance of normalcy.

Thankfully, countless tutorials (often free) on just about everything under the sun have cropped up on the internet, so even the most uninitiated can perform tasks once entrusted to the pros. Case in point, CNET notes DIY haircuts and nail care are now not unheard of, which are great ways to keep up appearances and save money in the process. Ditto with budget-friendly dog grooming, (mostly) free online cooking classes, guided at-home workouts (also free), and many more.

When in need, go online.

Finally, don’t lose sight of the fact that while the pandemic is a pain, it’s been made a lot more bearable—even pleasurable—with technology and the internet. There’s just no dearth of entertainment opportunities that you can find online at any given time, ranging from movie streaming services to downloadable books and music—all of which will only set you back a few dollars to subscribe to, rent, or purchase.

And of course, online shopping is proving to be a real godsend. As you spend more time at home, you can still enjoy a steady supply of goods when you shop online from major retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Walgreens. Best of all, you can stretch your dollars by using promo codes and coupons from many retailers.

Indeed, if there’s one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching us, it’s that we, as humans, really do have a great capacity to endure, and we can still experience joy even during the hardest times. Technology and the many affordable resources available to us at present are only serving to add to that. And with that, there’s no doubt we’ll all get out of this stronger and more resilient than before.
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Photo via Pexels.com

The inside didn’t match the outside. My childhood home was simple and plain, a yellow-spilt level with a square back yard and faux black shutters. The inside was packed with antiques from Europe, portraits in gilded frames, clocks from all over the world, Oriental rugs, and a museum-piece dollhouse that my great grandmother once owned and now took up a whole wall the living room. No other house in the neighborhood looked like ours inside.

My mother was a tall woman with hazel eyes and high cheekbones; she played up her sing-songy accent, and was everyone’s favorite. I often watched her frantically rubbing her eyebrow as she raced around, trying to fix whatever my father bellowed about in his German accent with his rolling R’s. Although for her it was all a bit of theatre. She liked the role of martyr and harried housewife. She prided herself on being married to “the most difficult man on earth.” She was fiercely competitive; she was a Swiss National Champion figure skater in her youth. 

My mother believed in pretending. Pretend you are strong, pretend you never feel nervous, or anxious, or God forbid, depressed. Act. Pretend you are Jewish in front of Jews, and Christian in front of Christians. There is no harm in playing both sides. The inside doesn’t have to match the outside.

Both of my parents came from Jewish families, and both families fled from Frankfurt before the start of World War II. My mother’s mother and grandmother moved to Switzerland. Their reasons for leaving Germany were multi-layered. It wasn’t only because they were Jewish. There was another factor, something that in 1935 might have been even worse than Judaism. There was mental illness, kept secret for many years.

My father’s family made it out right before Kristallnacht. Until that point, my grandfather had refused to believe that people would ever do horrible things to other humans. He was a doctor, the doctor of Anne Frank’s family. He had sharp blue eyes, a great mind, and a naïve heart.

My father had a happy childhood, or so he insisted, though my mother would whisper to me that the Nazis had beaten him daily. Above all, no one in our family had ever been mentally ill. We were normal. Perfectly so. And we had better behave accordingly. Hiding and deception were a way of life for us.

Like many refugees, my parents refused to speak about their experiences. My mother’s mother, we called her Omama, was the family matriarch. She had emerald green eyes, perfect bone structure, and thick wavy hair that turned snow white in her 60s. She remained in Switzerland and had an enormous amount of influence over all of us. Critical to the point of being mean, she cared deeply about her family, especially her grandchildren. She desperately wanted us to project refinement and culture so that we could be accepted into the highest circles of society. When she had left Germany, she had lost her money, her position, and her status, but she still played the role of aristocrat. Though there were moments when her guard came down and loneliness poked through.

I tried to please my elders. I failed often. My father yelled at me to “pull up my socks.” My Omama told me not to slouch and to tame my wild hair. I felt stretched and pulled by the adults around me, pushed sometimes to the point of breaking, and perhaps I would have broken completely if I hadn’t known, somewhere in my core, that my family had been shaped by things they had no control of, things set in motion before I was born.

I married and had a child. The birth of my daughter triggered severe panic attacks and a depression that had been dormant for many years. My world cracked. The old rules failed me, and I had a breakdown that landed me in a mental hospital. It was the start of a deep introspection and an unburdening, not only for me, but for my mother and grandmother as well. Slowly and cautiously, they relinquished some of the family secrets. The insides were beginning to show.

I began to understand that the extreme attitudes in pre-World War II Germany--fear of the other, of homosexuals, mentally ill, Jews, Gypsies, immigrants—any non-Aryans—had seeped into Germany’s consciousness. My Omama, although Jewish, was swept up in the tide of the times, the belief in sterilization and euthanasia of the incurable. It wasn’t only the Germans who bowed to the science of eugenics; it was the world, though the Nazis were the ones to take these ideas to an obscene conclusion. Back then, my grandmother, a bright, wealthy, independent young woman, had done what she could to protect her sister, Rigmor, who had been diagnosed with mental illness. But my grandmother couldn’t save Rigmor, who became a source of shame, and ultimately a victim of the Nazi regime.

[My second novel], Where Madness Lies, is both my grandmother’s story and mine. It is a story about hope and redemption, about what we pass on, both genetically and culturally. The names have been changed, and some of the details are how I imagined them, not exactly as they might have been. But the bones of the story, the insides, are true.
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