The pandemic’s severe blow to our collective sense of wellbeing will, of course, be global, but the US seems particularly vulnerable. As of last week, roughly 22 million Americans filed for unemployment. According to a new study by Harvard and City University of New York (published in the prestigious Annals of Internal Medicine), 1.5 million people in the US have already lost their health insurance during…
The Cluster Effect: How Social Gatherings Were Rocket Fuel for Coronavirus – Guardian, April 9, 2020 This article explains how social gatherings of different sorts (religious, social, cultural, etc.) helped spread the virus. This is the so-called “cluster-effect” that turbo-charged the spread of the pandemic. It begs the fundamental question of whether governments, when they start relaxing social distancing measures, will allow large social, cultural…
Strengthening our lungs and practicing conscious breathing (one of the most potent, accessible wellness tools) is more critical now. Controlled or mindful breathing can reduce chronic pain; lessen symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, mass disasters and depression; and positively affect your immune system. Mindful breathing is also linked to increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a better cortisol awaking response (CAR)—each a physiological key for meeting challenges with…
Could We Come Out of the Coronavirus Crisis with New, More Healthful HabitCs? – Washington Post, March 27, 2020 Written by a US doctor, who looks at how, among those lucky enough to have access to food and safe housing and not be sickened by COVID-19, there are indicators that the pandemic itself, and the massive shutdown it has triggered, is forcing the adoption of…
Out of the 7.8 billion people living on our planet, at least 3.5 billion are employed. In the coronavirus crisis, employers have an extraordinary impact not only on the people that work for them but their families and friends. Because employers’ responses to COVID-19, large and small, have such a ripple effect, Renee Moorefield, chair of the GWI’s Wellness at Work Initiative and CEO, Wisdom Works Group, has…
As the world goes into home lockdown, and as coronavirus closes gyms and fitness, meditation and yoga studios, the wellness world has responded fast, with a proliferating array of new (and often free) virtual classes. The examples are countless, and new announcements are made daily. For instance, At Home with Six Senses just launched, helping people that can’t hit a wellness resort to stay well—with…
