What we do know is that emotions don’t just disappear over time. Feelings are akin to energy and the energy of an emotion needs to be released in some way or fashion. Writing about what you are holding, feeling, experiencing deep inside of you is a great way to express and release this energy.

The recipe below is a collaborative effort between myself and a functional nutritionist to find and then evolved over time to include cranberries and pears to align with the autumnal season. I brought this dish to a Thanksgiving dinner at a friends house a couple of years ago, mainly so I had a potato dish to indulge in that was dairy-free; was surprised how much everyone liked the dish and made it disappear before anyone could have seconds.

It is a commonly held misconception that the brain is beyond repair. Even the medical establishment has asserted that once we kill brain cells, they are gone forever. The fact is, the brain can repair itself, and as science is now proving, there is real benefit to simple practices that can help keep our brains sharp and elastic throughout our lifetime.

The topic of psychiatric medications doing harm continues to be ‘taboo’ in the mainstream media which is why I was surprised, in a good way, to see the New York Times write a front-page article (that appeared on-line on Sunday August 28, 2022) titled “This Teen Was Prescribed 10 Psychiatric Drugs. She’s Not Alone: Increasing, anxious and depressed teens are using multiple, powerful psychiatric drugs, many of them untested in adolescents or for use in tandem” by Matt Richtel. He weaves in stories from several people who were prescribed a ‘cascade’ of pharmaceutical combinations as teenagers along with statistics and evidence around the increase in psychiatric medication prescribed for adolescents and teenagers even though they have not been formally approved by the FDA for this age group.

Listening and social engagement can soften someone who is being defensive or has PTSD. It is usually because they are engaged in ‘fight or flight’ and they can’t just turn it off by themselves. They need connection to another human who cares about them, who really listens to them, lets them know they are heard, validates what they are feeling and saying.

How are we suppose to cope with all the feels and stress from the uncertainties and challenges that surround us everyday? Most people internally disconnect from intense feelings by denying them, distracting with eating, working, or binge-watching. Or others disconnect by numbing them with alcohol or other substances. Now is the best time to learn how to cope.