Love and Support for Western North Carolina

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I moved to Western North Carolina when I was 7. For as long as I can remember, the Blue Ridge Mountains have felt like home. Whenever I go back to visit, the mountains call to me: their beautiful layers of ridges, green and lush in the summer, all shades of blues, misty, foggy and in the fall bursting with bright colors. They are the fabric of my childhood and they feel comforting, familiar and I love them. The curvy mountain roads feel familiar as does the Appalachian accent

As I saw pictures and videos of the devastation from Hurricane Helene, I felt swallowed with grief. So many places that I hold dear are either gone or have experienced horrible damage. Even though I haven’t lived there for years, it feels like part of my heart has been broken. Asheville is well-known, but there are so many small towns affected — Burnsville, Micaville, Marshall, Hot Springs, to name a few. The places where I grew up, rode horses and bikes, took my driver’s license test, spent my summers and went to college.

The places I mentioned are just a few of those I know best. There are SO many small, rural towns and communities that have been destroyed by this storm. Some of these small rural communities may never be able to rebuild.

Many of you have asked how you can help. Here are some options to donate financially if you’d like. If you haven’t visited Western North Carolina, I hope that someday in the future when they are welcoming visitors, you will.

Challenges with Change and the Nervous System

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Do you find transitions hard? Do seasons and routines changing feel challenging? Do transitions during your days (work to home, weekend to the weekday routine) feel like they take more out of you? This can be a signal that your nervous system is experiencing dysregulation.

Our nervous systems are designed to respond to stress and to activate our fight, flight or freeze responses — then to deactivate from stress and move into the restful and restorative parasympathetic nervous system. These shifts happen in bigger and smaller ways throughout our days, even days without much stress. Our nervous system states are constantly shifting and changing. This is normal and exactly what our nervous systems are designed to do. We ideally want to be able to move with ease from different nervous system states.

When we experience nervous system dysregulation — as many do either occasionally or chronically — it can feel challenging to shift nervous system states. You might feel like you go from feeling completely overwhelmed to crashing or wanting to zone out by using your phone, watching tv or other ways of disconnecting. You might feel like small things stress you out and overwhelm you and you might feel like you can’t relax. These are signals that there is nervous system dysregulation in your body and nervous system, and it can make changes, even ones that are relatively easy feel challenging.

Understanding this phenomenon can be helpful to understand ourselves better. And when we understand ourselves better, we can make small shifts to support bigger changes.

Can you notice that your nervous system shifts, even a little? Can you feel the difference between activation and deactivation in your body? What happens when you notice your breath? Or notice one thing you can see that you find pleasant to look at? If you notice a shift, bring awareness to that change. Over time, this simple practice can help support nervous system regulation and you feeling more ease and increasing the capacity to be with these shifts and changes.

Tips to Manage Hot Summer Weather

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It’s been HOT in Charlottesville this summer! Hopefully you’ve had time away, enjoyed cooler weather and reveled in some summer fun. But in Virginia, summer weather doesn’t stop when summer vacation ends. Here’s a few tips to help manage the heat until cooler days arrive.

  • Exercise and do other outdoor activities early! Try to avoid the hottest times of the day for walking, exercising, gardening and walking the dog.

  • Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Make sure you’re drinking enough water. If you are sweating more, you’ll need to drink more. It can also be helpful to replace electrolytes that are lost through sweating. There are many different brands on the market that can be added to water. Here’s one that’s a favorite of mine.

  • Rest! You may feel more tired during the heat of the summer, so listen to your body and make sure you’re taking time to rest.

  • Wear sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat if you need to spend time in the sun.

  • Listen to your body when it comes to how much you should push yourself with a workout or activity.

  • Eat regular, light meals.

  • Stay cool while you’re sleeping to help support restorative sleep.

I try to enjoy all the seasons, but this summer has been a roaster! I remind myself that before we know it, it will be cold and I’ll be wishing for warmer days!