Self-Care Practices

I’m a Trauma Therapist. Here’s What I’ve Learned About Yoga’s Impact on Genetics Our physical, emotional, and behavioral tendencies—both good and bad—aren't ours alone. They're often passed down from generation to generation. At one point in my young life, I wanted to be a public defender. In my first criminal law class, my professor asked the question, “Are fairness and justice the same thing?” I raised my hand high, almost bouncing with excitement. After stating my argument as to why I...

What does self-care mean, and what does it involve? Simply put, it implies— physical, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual care. The very idea of survivors of suicide loss practicing self-care can seem radical. The stigma, shame, secrecy and silence that a survivor faces invisibilizes, erases and marginalizes any of their valid concerns. Equally relevant, most survivors themselves feel they are not entitled to any form of support—either from themselves or from others. On a...

Spring in my garden is a riot of color. I caught the above pic of my poppies just past their peak after deciding to replace them and wanting to document the process. Because uprooting a cheery, bright colored plant that makes me happy in order to take the chance that something else might do an even better job can feel, as a friend of mine once quipped, "fraught with peril." And that's what it can feel like when we are in the process of healing. When, instead of believing that this is the...

I had a good life prior to December 14, 2012, the day of the Sandy Hook tragedy that took my six-year-old son Jesse's life. I was a single mom with a full-time job, a first and seventh grader, living on a horse farm with a wonderful mother/grandmother living nearby to help, and a supportive extended family. Always on the go, I woke up early, went to bed late, and would list the day’s accomplishments in my head each night. When I woke in the morning I would thank God for another opportunity...

June is Jesse’s birthday month. Each year, since my six-year-old son’s murder in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in 2012, people from all over the world continue to come together in the form of concerts, 5K’s, and online events to honor, remember, and celebrate all the lives lost on this tragic day. In a recent interview with a reporter, as we were talking about my organization’s annual Month of Fun fundraiser, he exclaimed how amazed he was that Jesse’s spirit seemed to continue to...

Music Beyond Measure engages trauma survivors in arts-based, healing-centered programs that teach coping skills through music education, collaboration in songwriting, and empowerment through performance. Based in New Jersey and serving the tri-state area, MBM is a registered 501c3 organization dedicated to individual and community healing through the arts. We are so excited to present our new Mindful Music program, which merges quality music instruction with mindfulness techniques meant to...

Basic yoga tools for anyone working with families impacted by toxic stress in their homes or communities, as well as for improving your own health and wellbeing. This training combines physical practice with the latest science on trauma and recovery. You will learn basic yoga and mindfulness techniques to practice in any environment – from the classroom to the office – to bring balance and peace to the mind and body. These tools provide a foundation for a practice that can alleviate and even...

Healing is a force of nature. It’s only natural for us to seek it out. Just as white blood cells flood to a wound to heal it and a tree releases sap to protect and cover damage and breakage, all of life is oriented to self-nourishment and repair. We are multi-layered beings living in a complex universe. Without actively taking care of our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls, we become sick. Perhaps one of the simplest and easiest ways we can call on the healing force within and around us is...

By March, I sometimes feel as if I am marching through winter. It has been cold long enough that the novelty of snow boots and mittens has worn off. Sledding, skiing, and skating have been fun but navigating the ice from the house to the barn for my daily farm chores gets wearing. March marks one long year of quarantining and social distancing, and it’s still an altered way of life we are required to continue. I noticed, however, that the purple and yellow crocuses have already bloomed in my...

After nearly a year of living through the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have dealt with bouts of loneliness . The feeling stems from all sorts of places: you might be lonely because you’re spending time in actual isolation , or you might be lonely because you’re feeling disconnected from yourself and your pre-pandemic life. Whatever the cause, feeling lonely can be deeply unsettling, with negative consequences for our mental health. And while we can’t always control the circumstances that...

Scarlett, JT, and Jesse

This is a blog I posted a few years ago which I hope might be helpful to others, I have learned so much on my journey of healing childhood wounds and am so happy to see resources like this group available to help others. 15/11/2017 “If the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world“ – Sydney Banks. While there are many words to describe resilience such as spirit, strength, toughness, buoyancy, no one truly understands just how many...