Sustainable wellbeing and green living

Mindfulness is a term that you are likely to hear and read about quite often. It has become a bit of a buzzword, but despite its recent popularity, mindfulness isn’t a new fad. It's actually a basic human ability that anyone can tap into. Essentially, mindfulness is the ability to centre oneself in the present moment and become aware of our actions without becoming overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Even though you may understand the basic premise of mindfulness, it can still be difficult to achieve, and actually feel the positive impacts in your daily life, especially during stressful times (like a pandemic) or when we have other life challenges. But, this is when we actually need it most.

One of the ways mindfulness can help improve your life is through its ability to reduce stress. Mindfulness is being recommended for people going through a variety of especially stressful situations such as serious illness and can be used to also help us at least in part,...

Have you noticed that spending time in nature is a great way to enhance your physical and mental wellbeing? Well, you are not alone! There is a reason that gardening and walking outdoors and spending time in nature is such a lasting activity that people keep coming back to - and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are you growing a garden, perhaps for the first time? It turns out there are benefits to us beyond the joy of watching plants grow and reaping the harvest of our efforts. For starters gardening gives us enjoyable light physical activity and, the psychological benefits of gardening include reduced stress, increased happiness, and overall mood enhancement. To learn more about the benefits of gardening, click here!

Similarly, forest bathing - spending time immersing yourself in nature and connecting to the natural world, provides individuals with significant psychological and physiological improvements such as reduced anxiety, stress relief, decreased blood pressure and...

These days, it might feel like your entire world is online. When you’re not using your laptop or phone for work, you may often find yourself browsing the internet or scrolling through your social media news feeds. Whether you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, dating apps, your favourite news website, or all of the above, there is a good chance you spend a decent-sized chunk of your day online.

Not only can this end up being a major waste of time, but you are actually consuming and internalizing this content whether you realize it or not! Have you ever noticed that you experience an influx of negative emotions after consuming certain types of online content? Perhaps you feel like your life isn’t as exciting as your favourite social media influencers’, your extracurricular activities aren’t interesting or “on trend,” or your achievements aren’t actually that impressive. Unfortunately, the list can go on and on.

Social media...

Do you remember and love Bill Watterson’s iconic Calvin & Hobbes comic strip? I know that my husband A.J. and I have long loved the world of the young boy Calvin and his stuffed Tiger, Hobbes. They manage to show us the world as it is - usually as they careen down a hill in a little red wagon or play a vigorous game of Calvin ball.

The insights they bring, even after multiple re-readings throughout the years have helped me sleep better at night and even feel like I can be a better human being.

In case you are unfamiliar with Calvin & Hobbes, the comic strip centres around a six-year-old boy named Calvin and his imaginary stuffed tiger named Hobbes. Together, this inseparable pair makes many observations about life, the state of the world, philosophy, and everything in between!

Calvin & Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985 and could be found in over 2,400 different newspapers worldwide. Watterson retired in 1995, but his comics and their life lessons...

It is quite possible that throughout the course of your life you have accumulated at least one, if not multiple, musical instruments that you no longer have a use for. It might be an instrument that you played when you were younger, one that was passed down to you or one that needs some repair. Perhaps you’ve picked up an instrument as a hobby and lost interest, are a musician who has cycled through instruments over the years, or maybe you know someone else who no longer has a use for the instruments they have acquired.

Whatever the case, deciding what to do with an unused instrument can be difficult. While many may choose to simply throw away their instruments, especially if they are broken, there are other options that not only benefit the environment, but other people as well!

Embodied energy

When deciding on what to do with your old or broken musical instrument, it is important to think about its embodied energy. Embodied energy is the sum of all the energy that is...

Forest bathing is a mental and physical wellbeing exercise that emerged in Japan in the 1980s, and is a tool of Forest Therapy. The Japanese name, shinrin-yoku, can be directly translated into the English words “forest” and “bath.” This exercise, as its name suggests, involves immersing yourself in nature and connecting to your surroundings through sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

Therapeutic effects of forest bathing

Forest bathing is not only a relaxing and peaceful activity to partake in, but it also has many therapeutic effects. Spending time in a forest can provide individuals with significant psychological and physiological improvements such as anxiety, stress relief, decreased blood pressure and heart rate, pain management, and improvements in certain mood disorders.

Additionally, scientific studies have identified that forest bathing may result in improved immune function. This increased immune response is thought to be caused by human...

Ubuntu is a term that originates from a Nguni Bantu language spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa. In its most simple form, ubuntu can be translated to the English word “humanity.” This translation, however, doesn’t do the term justice, as it can also be translated to the more complex expressions “I am because we are” and “humanity towards others.”

Ubuntu is more than a simple word or phrase. It also has philosophical associations, as Ubuntuism was accepted in Southern Africa in the 1980s and 1990s as a kind of humanist philosophy. In this context, Ubuntu means “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.”

As you may be able to gather from the definitions and translations provided above, Ubuntu is about togetherness and sharing the burden of our actions and their impacts. Despite how it may feel at times, we are not alone in this world. Our existence is shared and our actions, whether they are positive or...

Have you ever found yourself nodding off at your desk or falling asleep on the job? While this can be embarrassing if caught, some workplaces are actually encouraging their employees to take naps during the day! Napping at work might sound unproductive, but in reality, the negative effects you may be experiencing due to lack of sleep might be causing your performance to decrease.

Some symptoms of not getting enough sleep include lack of concentration, headaches, irritability, and reduced ability to remember and keep track of things. In the long term, sleep deprivation can cause serious health issues such as hypertension, heart attacks, and a weakened immune system. While making sleep a priority and getting a full 7- 8 hours is one way to reduce these negative effects, taking a nap during the day is another option!

Companies with nap rooms/pods

People’s lives are often fast-paced, resulting in seemingly not enough hours in the day. With so many errands to run and tasks to...

Do you know that feeling of losing time when you are immersed in technology? Or perhaps feeling a little groggy after too much time with screens? Sure, we all can fall into this trap. Many of us are using electronic devices and looking at various screens for large portions of our day. This may have increased due to working remotely, or just a habit that has crept into our modern lives.

Whether you find yourself scrolling through social media throughout the day, binge watching television, or sending off dozens of emails and texts, there is a good chance that you are letting electronics take up time that you could be spending on other things that you value more. While some forms of electronic use can be vital to your day for work or communications, it can be beneficial to take some time away from the digital world and regroup.

This can be done through a digital detox which entails setting boundaries regarding your electronic device usage or physically separating yourself from your...