We all have our battles when it comes to health.

In the past few months, I’ve been struggling with my health in multiple ways (don’t worry though, I’m doing alright!) Between myself and my doctors, we still have yet to pin anything down. After yet another bout of being ill, my brother gave me a gentle reminder:

“take care of your body. It’s the most important thing you own.”

 

No matter how large or small your health battles are, it’s important to seek remedies and be more self-care aware.

There’s a lot we can do on a daily basis to show support for our health. There’s the obvious, such as eating well and working out. But there are other ways to boost our bodies too. Whether you’re looking to beat that mid-day fatigue or a way to clear your head while experiencing stress or burn-out, I’ve picked up a few tips along the path of my own health journey that I’m here to share.

These are just a few small changes I’ve implemented that I believe have helped some aspect of my physical or mental health. Keep in mind these are not substitutes for seeing a health care professional, just tips to enhance and maintain the state of your body and mind.

1. vitamins

• B-12 – This vitamin is found naturally in animal products. So if you’re a vegetarian like me, you may be deficient in B-12. If you are deficient, incorporating this as a dietary supplement has been proven to give a mood and energy boost! 
• Zinc – helps your immune system and your metabolism
• Turmeric – Turmeric is thought to have both anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s active ingredient, curcumin, is thought to help mitigate the effects of arthritis, heart disease, and possibly even cancer.
• Biotin – The go-to supplement for skin, hair, and nail health. Biotin also supports the eyes, liver, and a healthy nervous system.
• Multi-vitamin – My primary care physician suggested taking a multi-vitamin, specifically with vitamin D600-800, to help with daily fatigue. If you’re not already taking a multi-vitamin, get on that!

2. zen care

Zencare.co is an amazing resource for those looking for a mental health professional. A friend initially recommended this site and it’s how I found my therapist. They simplify the process by having filters such as budget, your insurance, and what kind of specialist you’re looking for.

3. cured nutrition

I’ve tried a number of CBD products and CURED nutrition has hands down the best products I’ve found. I’ve used their classic mint hemp oil, which is great just to take orally or add a few drop to coffee or wine. From CURED I’ve also tried their Rise and Zen mushroom and CBD blends. These herbal supplements promote stress resilience during the daytime and encourage relaxation at night. They also used to have a CBD peanut butter cookie dough that was AMAZING, but I don’t see it on their site currently.

If you’re still new to the CBD trend, just a reminder that it does NOT contain THC, the psychoactive found in marijuana. Benefits of CBD are thought to be eased anxiety, stress, and depression as well as anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties.

4. headspace

If you ask me, I’ve saved the best for last. Headspace is a meditation app, created with the help of Buddhist monks. This app is incredible just for the shear amount of content it has. I originally tried it out for help sleeping, which I truly think helped and I still use to ease into sleep nightly. They have sleep podcasts, sleep music, sleep meditation, and soundscapes to chose from. And that’s just their sleep content!

They have short meditations to ease in the moment burn-out and group meditations to help you form a sense of community in your practice. They help you track milestones and reflect meaningfully on your practice. It’s truly a beautiful place for you mental state  and has done so much for my meditation practice, I couldn’t recommend it more.

There is a free version but if you want full access to their content it’s going to cost you. But not if you’re student.