As you may know, I frequently teach grad students how to PMHNP. One of this year's students, the wonderful Kirstin Snyder, RN told me about an amazing class she took at UT which was taught by Kristin Neff. Dr. Neff literally wrote the book about self-compassion.  I'm reading the book now, and many of you will probably be hearing from me about why you should read it too.  However, in the meantime, I ran across this article from Shape Magazine. It features Dr. Neff speaking about self-compassion and even links to some excellent exercises and resources. Check it out. 

Hello all! Although we had been making plans to be back in the office on Mondays in August, the delta variant has me a little nervous.

Because the front end of my building provides adoption services, and children under 12 cannot be vaccinated, it seems returning to the office is a higher risk option than I am willing to make or to ask you to do.

So for now we will continue on Zoom. And on the bright side, while your pets can't be with you in the office, they can definitely be with you on Zoom. 

Cheers,
​Jen

Let me be honest for a minute.  I haven't been very steady with exercise.  Ever.  Much less so since the quarantine.  I understand the connection between exercise and mental health, but my couch is just so comfy, and exercise is not. And before quarantine, I was too busy, there was no time, yada yada yada. Then when the quarantine happened, I was just so dazed that I didn't engage in exercise like I should have for my own mental health. 

But as the quarantine continues to change how we live, I realize I really need to make my physical health more of a priority.  So, I thought about what I could do to incorporate more exercise into my day.  I'm not ready to head to a gym, pool or studio. So home workouts it is. 

I've been scouring the interwebs, looking for free, accessible home workouts to help out until we are all comfortable in the gym, studio, pool or court again. 

Here are some of my faves so far: 

• 305 Fitness.  This is a brick and mortar studio out of NYC. The owner is very invested in inclusivity and absolutely no shaming.  They are offering live streaming classes daily on youtube as well as some archived videos.  
• YMCA 360 It's the YMCA you know and love, digital style.  Gotta love those chair yoga classes for those of us with mobility issues. 
• Obe With a huge range of classes, Obe tries to have something for everyone.  Classes are arranged into Sweat (cardio), Strength, and Flow (yoga and stretch). The classes are also broken down into time and effort, with special classes for beginners.  Use the code SWEATSANDCITY to get a 30 day free trial instead of the regular 7 days. 
• Peleton Offering a 30 day free trial.  It's not just bikes!  They have all sorts of classes, from yoga to stretching, from cycling to core workouts.  
• Daily Burn. Lots of classes, 30-60 days free. 
• And finally, our girl Adriene of Yoga with Adriene. She's an Austin local and an OG yoga streamer. She's goofy, approachable and has tons of different workouts that you can (forever, not just 30 days) access for free on YouTube.  

I hope you all find this list useful.  If you have other suggestions please feel free to share!