A Different Way to Look at Wellness

I promise it won't be annoying.

Hello ~

I hope your week is going well.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been a bit preoccupied with the California fires.

I truly can’t wrap my head around the devastation. And for those living this nightmare… I don’t know how they can even process what has transpired.

❤️ and 🙏 to all who have been affected.

If you’re looking for a way to help, here are some (of many) ways to lend a hand:

• Charity Navigator allows you to choose an organization in need.

• NBC News put together a comprehensive list of suggestions.

• The American Red Cross is always a solid choice.

• Choose from many GoFundMe Campaigns - they’re all over social media, and the stories will break your heart. This one pulled at my heartstrings, as it was a daughter raising money for her mom, who lost everything, including mementos from her grandma. (Including a handwritten cookbook. 💔)

• One of my favorite Substackers, Leslie Stephens, has a comprehensive list of ways to help:

  A Note on the L.A. Wildfires and How to Help

Speaking of LA, check out the Substack Hold the Light with Laurie Gunning Grossman for a perspective on the fires from someone there. Laurie also reposted this 💔breaking image (originally from @abcworldnewstonight) ~

If you have another resource, please add it to the comments or message me, and I’ll include it in my Substack notes.

The bottom line… there are many ways to help.

And it is heartwarming to see all the ways people are giving.

What has struck me most in this all is how completely powerless and terrified the people in the fires must have felt. And still feel.

When things like this happen, we are all reminded that there are things greater than us that we simply can’t compete with.

But there are some things in life we can control… and one is What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:

When the world falls apart around us - on a global or personal scale-

we still have the power to control one thing.

We have control over how we take care of ourselves.

It’s about making the choices we know will make us feel, look, and perform our best.

WELLNESS stuff.

When everything is going wrong, you can still…

drink more water

take a walk

choose fruit or veggies over junk when possible

read food labels

educate ourselves with health & wellness content

get enough rest

ease up on the tech

If you’re a regular reader, you’ve heard me say all of this before.

This is just a reminder to (myself) and all of you that we have the power to feel better every single day.

(In other words, we’re in charge of our own well-being.)

We just gotta do the right things.

With that in mind, since I’m talking wellness all month, I’ve put together more ideas for you to improve your daily practices.

Last week, I focused on food and nutrition; this week, I’ve curated a list of over 10 ideas/resources/fun facts to improve our physical and mental well-being.

Let’s get to them. (They’re GOOD.)

1. This episode of Heal with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee offered some great tips on How to Make Lifestyle Changes that Last.

2. Get up to date on the Wellness Trends of 2025 (food, supplements, fitness & mental health) according to Ancient Nutrition (love their collagen).

3. How many of these wellness habits are you doing? A naturopath shares her morning and evening routines, plus - here’s an idea...