Tag Archives: mental-health

Sunday Game Plan: Mental Health Awareness with Ways to cope and upgrade your well-being

Posted on by

Today is the last day of Mental Health Awareness Month, but Mental Health Awareness is an ongoing process especially for mothers.  As we enter Men’s Mental Health month, let’s address the issue that gets overlooked which is motherhood and mental health.  Marina Lamar, creator of Whole Health HQ recently share her tips on how to upgrade your well-being. After reviewing this article, I am glad to personally share that I am heading in the right direction and I would attempt/strive to apply other tips to further enhance my mental health and well-being.

Simple Everyday Tips to Boost Your Well-Being and Enjoy Better Health

NYC-area home cooks and food lovers often spend their days making nonstop micro-decisions, what to cook, when to move, how to unwind, until decision fatigue turns daily well-being into one more chore. That pressure doesn’t land equally on everyone, and this May, Mental Health Awareness Month, feels like the right time to say it out loud: for mothers, especially new ones, “feeling your best” can feel like the most out-of-reach idea imaginable. Time constraints in wellness don’t just limit workouts or meal prep; they fracture routines, drain energy, and make consistency feel impossible. Add social isolation and the pressure to keep everything healthy, productive, and enjoyable, and even a simple day can feel like too many choices. A steadier, whole-person definition of well-being makes it easier to move through the day with clarity.

Understanding Holistic Well-Being

Holistic well-being means your body, mind, and emotions work as one system, not separate projects. When you’re run down physically, it’s harder to think clearly, stay patient, or feel motivated. A simple mental health definition helps here because it includes how we feel, relate, and handle stress.

This matters because food choices, restaurant plans, and cooking habits are easier when you feel steady inside. Self-care definition makes it clear it is the everyday actions that support your whole wellness, not a luxury. When self-care is in place, changing meals or movement stops feeling like punishment.

Think of it like making a great dinner: you need a hot pan, prepped ingredients, and a calm pace. If you skip sleep, run on caffeine, and feel anxious, even a simple pasta turns chaotic. When you reset first, cooking becomes enjoyable again.

A Note on Motherhood and Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s also a month that tends to center mothers, the visible celebrations, the quiet ones, and the ones who are just trying to hold it together. So this feels like the right moment to say it plainly: your mental health is not separate from your identity as a mother. It’s the foundation of it. When you’re depleted, disconnected, or running on nothing, it affects everything. How you eat, how you move, how you relate to the people you love, how you feel about yourself at the end of the day.

A few things worth holding onto if you’re in it right now.

What you’re feeling is probably more normal than you think. Postpartum mood changes, anxiety, exhaustion, and even the strange grief of losing your old self are real and common. They don’t mean you’re failing.

You don’t have to earn rest. Rest is not a reward for finishing everything. There is no finishing everything. It’s a basic need, full stop.

Small moments count more than you’re giving them credit for. A cup of coffee while it’s still hot. A meal you actually liked. Five minutes outside. These aren’t small because they’re trivial. They’re small because that’s what fits right now, and they are doing real work.

And if what you’re carrying feels heavier than just hard days, if it’s been more than two weeks of persistent sadness, anxiety that won’t let up, or thoughts that scare you, please reach out to your care team. Postpartum depression and anxiety are common and treatable, and you deserve more than being told it’ll pass.

Motherhood is one of the most demanding things a human body and mind can do. Taking care of yourself isn’t a distraction from being a good mother. It’s how you become one.

Try 10 Tiny Upgrades Today: Movement, Meals, Mind, Joy

Small, consistent choices support holistic well-being because your body, mind, and emotions all get a vote. Pick a few options below based on the day you’re having, then repeat the ones that feel doable.

  1. Bookend your day with a 10-minute walk: Set a timer for 10 minutes after breakfast or dinner and walk at a pace where you can talk but feel warm. The goal is “exercise most days” as a baseline, since research on most highly ranked well-being strategies consistently puts movement near the top. If you’re short on time, do two 5-minute loops, consistency beats intensity.
  2. Do a “kitchen-counter strength set” while you wait: While coffee brews or a pot comes to a simmer, do one round of 8–12 counter push-ups, 10 chair sit-to-stands, and a 20–30 second plank on the counter. This turns dead time into a daily exercise routine without needing equipment or a full workout block. Keep it easy enough that you could do it again tomorrow.
  3. Plan one “default” nutritious meal you can repeat: Pick one breakfast and one lunch you genuinely like and can make on autopilot (example: Greek yogurt + fruit + nuts; or a big salad with canned beans and a simple vinaigrette). This is nutritious meal planning for beginners: you’re reducing decisions, not chasing perfect macros. When life gets busy, defaults protect healthy eating habits.
  4. Prep one component, not an entire week of food: Choose a single 15–20 minute prep that makes the next three meals easier, roast a sheet pan of vegetables, cook a pot of grains, or mix a quick sauce. You’ll build flexibility: grain bowl today, veggie omelet tomorrow, stir-fry the next night. If you need a fast win, remember many meals can be made in 30 minutes or less when a component is already done.
  5. Use the “half-plate” rule at home and out: Aim for half your plate to be vegetables or fruit, a quarter protein, and a quarter starch, no weighing, no apps. At restaurant week spots around NYC, this can look like splitting an appetizer salad, choosing a veggie-forward side, or boxing half the pasta before you start eating. It’s a simple structure that supports energy and satisfaction.
  6. Try a 2-minute reset to calm your nervous system: Sit or stand tall and do 6 slow breaths, in through the nose for 4 seconds, out for 6 seconds. Name one feeling and one need (example: “I’m wired; I need a pause”) to connect mental and emotional wellness. This quick mindfulness practice is especially useful before snacking, pouring a drink, or answering another message.
  7. Schedule one small joy or hobby “starter step”: Don’t commit to a new identity, commit to 15 minutes. Examples: learn one knife skill, make one new spice blend, sketch one recipe idea, or visit a new produce stand and buy one unfamiliar ingredient. Starting new hobbies works best when the first step is tiny and repeatable.

Small Rituals for Steady, Feel-Good Health

Habits work because they remove guesswork, which helps home cooks and food lovers stay consistent while cooking at home and exploring local restaurant menus. Pick a few that fit your schedule, then repeat them long enough to feel the payoff.

Water-First Morning
Protein Plus Produce Anchor
  • What it is: Build one meal around a protein and one fruit or vegetable.
  • How often: Daily, at your busiest meal.
  • Why it helps: It supports steady energy and makes takeout choices simpler.
One New Recipe, One Repeat
  • What it is: Cook one new dish, then repeat it once unchanged.
  • How often: Weekly.
  • Why it helps: Repetition builds skill and turns favorites into easy defaults.
Five-Minute Kitchen Tidy
  • What it is: Reset counters, sink, and leftovers before you sit down.
  • How often: Nightly.
  • Why it helps: A calmer kitchen reduces stress and speeds up tomorrow’s cooking.
Two-Minute Grounding Pause
  • What it is: Practice mindfulness with six slow breaths before snacks or seconds.
  • How often: Daily, as needed.
  • Why it helps: It lowers impulse eating and improves satisfaction.

Common Well-Being Questions, Answered

Q: What are some quick and effective self-care routines I can incorporate into a busy day to boost my well-being?
A: Pick two “micro” routines you can finish in under five minutes: drink water before coffee and take six slow breaths before you snack. Add a short walk while a pot simmers or during a lunch break. If your mood dips seasonally, knowing seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression can help you treat low-energy days with extra kindness.

Q: How can I overcome decision fatigue when planning meals and choosing activities that make me feel my best?
A: Create defaults: a short list of 6 weeknight meals, 3 go-to restaurant orders, and 2 relaxing activities you genuinely enjoy. Then rotate, instead of reinventing your plan daily. When you feel stuck, ask “What is the next easiest choice?” and do only that.

Q: What strategies can help me stay motivated to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle despite a hectic schedule?
A: Lower the bar on purpose: aim for 10 minutes and allow it to “count.” Tie movement to cooking, like squats while you wait for the oven or a quick block walk after dinner. Track streaks, not intensity, so busy weeks do not derail you.

Q: How do I find balance and avoid feeling overwhelmed when trying to improve various areas of my life at once?
A: Choose one bottleneck, such as sleep, lunch, or clutter, and improve only that for two weeks. Use a “good enough” rule: one nourishing meal, one small movement, and one reset task per day. Progress feels calmer when you narrow your focus.

Q: How can I find guidance and support when I feel stuck or uncertain about making important life changes to enhance my overall well-being?
A: Start by naming your biggest barrier, such as time, stress, or low energy, then pick one realistic workaround you can repeat for a week. If work pressure is a major driver, 87 percent of employees choose employers based on health and wellness programs, so it can help to review your benefits and ask what support exists. When uncertainty persists, consider talking with a qualified professional for personalized guidance, or exploring University of Phoenix career services.

Q: I’m a new mom and I don’t recognize myself right now. Is that a mental health issue or just adjustment?
A: Honestly, it can be both, and that distinction matters less than you think right now. Postpartum life reshapes your identity, your body, your sleep, your relationships, and your sense of control all at once. Feeling lost in that is not a character flaw. What to watch for: if low mood, anxiety, or feeling detached from your baby persists past two weeks, gets more intense, or includes thoughts that frighten you, that’s a signal to call your provider today, not next week. In the meantime, the smallest things help more than they seem: one real meal, one glass of water, one person who knows how you actually are. Start there.

Turn Small Daily Choices Into Steadier Well-Being This Week

It’s easy for stress, busy schedules, and mixed advice to push well-being to the bottom of the list, even with the best intentions. The steadier approach is an ongoing health commitment built on integrated wellness practices, small, realistic choices that fit real life and support sustained self-care. When that mindset becomes the default, energy, mood, and well-being motivation start to feel less fragile and more dependable. Choose consistency over intensity, and your health becomes easier to maintain. Pick one simple focus for the next 7 days, note what helped and what got in the way, and carry the best piece forward. That’s how personal growth through wellness becomes stability, resilience, and better health over time.

Sunday Game Plan: Uncomplicating Health: Simple Shifts for a More Resilient Life

Posted on by
Image: Freepik

A few weeks ago, Mariana Lamar, creator of Whole Health HQ.  Her blog is designed to share and connect with introverts who want to achieve optimal health and wellness.  After publishing two game plans for NYC Restaurant Week and Long Island Restaurant Week, I am going to share this blog post that Mariana wrote, which highlights ways of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through awareness and shifting habits such as scrolling late at night or early in the morning instead of resting.  Thank you Mariana for contributing another article for the Sunday Game Plan. I am sure anyone who reads this will learning something from it.

Move Your Body Daily

You move more than you think — you just stopped counting it as exercise. That stretch you did getting out of bed? That counts. The walk across the parking lot because the close spots were taken? That too. Bodies don’t need perfection. They need participation. Keep your limbs in the game and your joints from stiffening. Don’t worry about tracking steps — worry about forgetting to step. Make movement part of the background, like music you forget is playing until it stops.

Prioritize Rest and Recovery

Rest is too often the first thing we trade and the last thing we protect. But sleep isn’t an accessory. It’s core maintenance. You can survive without it — people do — but the cost builds quietly. Your decisions start to wobble. Little annoyances start to feel heavier. There’s no medal for exhaustion, and nobody’s handing out trophies for burning out. Reclaim bedtime. Build a shutdown habit that doesn’t involve a screen glowing inches from your face. You don’t have to be perfect — you just need to be consistent enough that your brain knows when to quit for the day.

Connect with Others

You can do a lot on your own — but you weren’t built to go it alone. Humans regulate in pairs. We soften through conversations, even short ones. A quick check-in. A joke in a text. Shared silence on a walk. It’s not about having deep talks every day; it’s about staying tethered. You’re not bothering people — they’re waiting, too, for someone to reach out. Don’t let isolation sneak in under the disguise of “being busy.” Connection doesn’t require a big gesture — just a nudge that says, “I’m still here.”

Align Your Career and Purpose

What you do all day feeds back into how you feel — and not just when the paycheck hits. If work is draining you dry, it’s going to show up everywhere: in your body, your relationships, your sense of possibility. Sometimes the answer isn’t quitting. Sometimes it’s retraining. Shifting. Giving yourself permission to grow. For example, you might explore a healthcare administration degree — something fully online, flexible, and accredited. It won’t fix everything. But it can remind you that you’re allowed to evolve, and that your well-being includes your work, not just your weekends.

Reclaim Attention with Nature

Your nervous system knows what a tree is. Even if you don’t think of yourself as “outdoorsy,” your brain recognizes sky, leaves, shadows shifting with the wind. That recognition slows you down — not in a bad way, but in a reset way. You don’t need a trailhead; you need a window. A pause on a walk. Something real to look at that isn’t pixels. Let your eyes stretch past the screen. Let your breath catch up. Nature doesn’t demand anything of you. That’s part of why it works.

Create a Daily Structure

You already have routines — they might just be accidental. Checking your phone first thing. Skipping breakfast. Checking emails before dressing. What if you picked one piece to do on purpose? Wake up, open a window, drink water before caffeine. Something repeatable, something grounding. It doesn’t have to be a ritual with candles and affirmations. Just something that says, “I’m starting now.” When your day has edges, your mind can settle in the middle. Otherwise, it spills everywhere.

Cultivate Emotional Habits

Most people think emotions just happen to them — but the truth is, we rehearse them. Bitterness, stress, hope, appreciation — we get good at what we repeat. Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending things are fine. It means learning to hold two truths: some things are tough, and some things are still okay. Saying thank you to no one in particular. Writing down one sentence before bed. Giving yourself a break for not doing more. These aren’t tactics — they’re survival skills. You can still be angry. You can still struggle. Gratitude just gives the struggle somewhere to breathe.

Most people think they need a reset button. What they really need is a few things to stop breaking. You don’t have to start over — you just need to start smaller. Put one thing back in your own hands. A walk. A meal. A better bedtime. You won’t feel the change in a day, but you’ll feel it later when you haven’t fallen apart. That’s what health really is. Not optimization — orientation.

Discover the ultimate dining experiences with Tablespoons and Teaspoons, your go-to guide for navigating NYC and Long Island Nassau County’s vibrant restaurant weeks and replicating recipe adventures

Sunday Game Plan: Self-Care Strategies for Introverts

Posted on by

Image: Freepik

A few weeks ago, I connected with Mariana Lamar, creator of Whole Health HQ.  Her blog is designed to share and connect with introverts who want to achieve optimal health and wellness.  One of the topics addressed is self-care, which is crucial, but sometimes a struggle to achieve due to busy schedule and life priorities such as parenthood.  As part of the Sunday Game Plan, I am going to share this blog post that Mariana wrote, which highlights ways and how to plan time for self-care.  Thank you Mariana for contributing your article for the Sunday Game Plan. 

Self‑Care for Introverts: Nurturing Your Body and Mind

As an introvert, caring for yourself often means going quiet, not loud. Self‑care isn’t about following the loudest trend, it’s about creating practices that feel soothing to you. You need tools that honor your need for solitude, pace, and reflection. In this article, you’ll find strategies focused on both body and mind, ones that won’t demand more social energy than you can spare. Let’s explore ways to build a self‑care regimen that doesn’t drain you — but refills you.

Prepare Healthy Meals

What you eat matters — your brain, mood, energy, and digestion all respond to food. Aim for meals rich in vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. For mood support, include foods like salmon, leafy greens, or beans — which nourish brain health while stabilizing energy. Plan meals that can be prepped once and reused, so you’re not reinventing dinner every night. Batch-cook in quiet time or use simple recipes with few ingredients. The result: consistent nourishment without decision fatigue.

Start a Solo Exercise Routine

The first step is choosing movements that don’t require a crowd or a coach — think stretching, yoga, light strength work, or gentle cardio you can do in your own space. Make it low‑stakes: 10 minutes of bodyweight moves or a few flows in the quiet of your room will do more than nothing. Over time you’ll grow confidence, noticing how your body and mind settle into more calm. And if you’re short on time, you can get steps in by walking during your lunch break or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Let your exercise be a personal invitation — not a demand or a performance.

Build a Calming Morning Ritual

Your morning sets the tone. For an introvert, that might mean waking up a little earlier or shifting your wake‑time to include five minutes of breathwork, journaling, or simply sitting in stillness. Keep it minimal — just one or two micro rituals you actually enjoy. Consistency here is more potent than grandiosity. Over time, your brain will come to expect that quiet moment and start to crave it. With that anchor in place, the rest of your day can carry less reactive energy and more intentional calm.

Cultivate Mindfulness & Inner Pause

Mental well-being is just as vital as physical. Introduce micro‑pauses throughout your day: take 30 seconds to notice your breath, feel your body, or name a feeling. Use brief guided meditations or deep breathing apps when your mind becomes too loud. These small resets help soothe the nervous system. Over time, your threshold for stress begins to shift — things that once overwhelmed you will have less grip. This buildup of calm is essential for sustaining energy in your quieter life.

Guard Solitude with Boundaries

Your alone time is your recharge time — and it must be protected. Practice saying “no” or “not right now” to social or professional invitations that would deplete you. Honor your energy limits and schedule buffer zones after any social interaction. If people around you don’t fully understand, you don’t owe them constant explanations — a short “I need some quiet time” often suffices. Over time, others may come to expect that you honor your space, which helps reduce friction. This boundary work is the backbone of self‑care for introverts.

Design a Restorative Evening Buffer

Evening time is sacred. Build a ritual you look forward to — dim lights, herbal tea, reading, or a warm bath. Avoid screens when possible; blue light and digital stimulation can delay your rest. Use the last 15 minutes before bed to slow the mind: a gratitude note, gentle stretching, or simply quiet sitting works. This buffer helps transition your system from day mode into rest mode. Over time, this transition becomes easier and your sleep quality improves.

Use Creative Expression as Quiet Therapy

Introverts often process through reflection and creation. Whether it’s journaling, drawing, crafting, poetry, or gentle music, these acts externalize what’s inside you. They’re not assignments — they’re invitations. Don’t pressure yourself to produce; just do it for the act itself. Over time, this expressive channel can help untangle heavy thoughts, refresh your mindset, and deepen your sense of self. Giving yourself permission to explore quietly is a form of care.

Self-care as an introvert doesn’t mean mimicking extroverted strategies — it means aligning practices with your inner rhythms. Start by choosing movements you enjoy, building gentle routines, and nourishing your body intentionally. Pause throughout your day, cherish your solitude, and guard it with firm boundaries. In the evening, soften the edges with restorative buffers. And don’t forget creative expression — it’s a companion to your internal world. Over time, your version of self-care becomes a concrete, sustainable map toward feeling grounded, recharged, and whole.

Discover the ultimate dining experiences with Tablespoons and Teaspoons, your go-to guide for navigating NYC’s vibrant restaurant weeks, culinary adventures and evidence based research on recipes for Meatless Monday and Traditional dishes!