Skip to main content

Cancer is an Ugly Word: Prevention and Help Tips

There’s no easy way to talk about it. Cancer is just one of those pure evil things that affects everyone in life, one way or another. Nearly 40% of people will have a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Last year I lost my grandmother. Her and I were close, as we shared a love of travel and old movies. While she lived until she was 97, in her 80s she had a bad case of breast cancer. She has a double mastectomy and carried on though in remission for another…

Read More

When It’s Too Much: How to Seek Help for Addiction and Mental Health Crisis

There’s a lot of buzz these days about self-care. Some people, despite all their sorrow and struggle, think a long bath or a good run is going to balance them out and fix things. Sometimes, that’s not enough. There’s a big difference between feeling frazzled and feeling out of control. Self-care is a silly trend and does not address the real pain some people are going through and cannot overcome on their own. Like depression, anxiety disorders have been linked to decreased sexual desire and arousal. Because anxiety can distract…

Read More

How I get Fit? Any Way I Can!

feet on mats at a yoga studio

Yoga is something that is very much connected to your mindset. There’s a man in my current classes who is constantly looking at everyone else, grunting through the tougher poses and packing up before shavasana (rest) is over at the end. Sadly, although he seems to be in better shape than I am and others in class, he’ll never get where he wants to go. He’s missed the point of yoga – it’s about letting go, gently moving where your body allows and not letting ego be in the way….

Read More

Anxiety, Depression and Traveling with Panic Attacks: One Year Later

eileen working from home

One year ago I couldn’t board the plane to Sri Lanka because I thought I couldn’t breathe. Today I’m writing this from another plane on my way down to Portugal. Cool as a cucumber, working and enjoying the view from the window seat. Sure, having no turbulence has helped this particular flight, but overall, I seem to have a good handle on things. It’s not close to perfect, but I can happily say I’ve avoided flight-related panic attacks for a long, long time. The worst part about having mild anxiety…

Read More

An Introduction to Ayurveda: At Adler Thermae in Tuscany, Italy

yoga studio adler thermae tuscany italy Eileen Cotter wright

To truly develop your entire being, body and mind, all have to be considered part of the journey. In other words, when I drink a ton of wine, it’s going to make my mood real crappy too. Exhibit A: All the Tuscan wine I could carry home from Sasso Di Sole. Anything in excess, whether it’s food, fun or just dwelling on negative thoughts means you’re going have a bad time. Awareness of this and of your connections inside and out are so important to feeling good. As I started…

Read More

Confession of an Expat Hypochondriac

sunshine arthurs seat scotland edinburgh eleen cotter wright

Something subtle always pushed me into action. Maybe a little pain in my abdomen, a short period of not feeling hungry or maybe just a never ending cold. I’d fly over to Google and start searching what was wrong. Was it cancer?! Oh no, do I have a debilitating thyroid problem? No, it has to be an allergy. A life-threatening allergy that will leave me bedridden in a couple days. I know everyone goes down the internet rabbit hole when it comes to Googling your symptoms sometimes. But when my…

Read More

How to Maintain Top Mental Health with Technology

tomtom Adventurer watch and fitness tracker

Being proactive about how good your mind and body feels is not a small task. It’s even worse when you’ve maybe let yourself get into a rut and everything seems like an impossible effort. I’m using this wonderful time in the world to best enhance my mental health with endless technological advances. It’s so fun and exciting to discover new ways to nurture my mind with online doctor consults, fitness trackers, light therapy and more. Here’s what has helped me the most lately! Track Your Exercise Efforts The top thing…

Read More

4 Ways Yoga Can Help Travel Anxiety

cobra pose yoga eileen cotter wright

Sadly, so many people avoid traveling because it can add stress to their lives. Real, scary stress. I totally get this. Oftentimes I’m filled with hot dread before boarding planes and can barely get myself together to book hotels, activities and more. I really, really don’t like flights either. With the world in a bit of disarray too, would-be travelers are putting off vacations and adventures, worried about current state of affairs. These stresses and fears are valid. But, it still shouldn’t stop you from seeing the world. While I…

Read More

A New Perspective: Fear, Anxiety and A Tiny Hope

sunset duxbury massachusetts eileen cotter wright

I really didn’t want to write this one. I also didn’t want to wait until a good day came along. It’s happening now, so now it’s time to talk. About three months ago, my world changed. I was about board a plane to Sri Lanka, hanging out by the terminal. All of a sudden, my thoughts went into overdrive. I was imagining the plane crashing, terrible things happening, being trapped in a tin can for hours. The airport started spinning. I couldn’t breathe. Then all I could think was, I’m…

Read More