My friend was hoping to find some effective integrative medicine approaches to reducing his high blood pressure. He found the directions for this technique, and to his happy surprise, he reported he significantly reduced the amount of medication needed to lower his blood pressure to healthy parameters by using this technique regularly.

I discovered that whenever I was engaged in singing (sad or happy songs, it made no difference), I did not feel anxious or depressed. It felt as though the activity of singing changed something in my brain and nervous system. That’s exactly what music does.

One evening, as my co-leader and I closed a group meeting for family caregivers, I reminded those in attendance that one of the major benefits of participation in any support group is the opportunity it creates to simply check in with ourselves on a regular basis— to pause, to listen to our own thoughts and feelings and experiences, and to give voice to them— when that is often the one thing there is not time for in the midst of the sometimes all-consuming experience of caregiving itself. “Oh!” said one man in attendance, “It’s like the line in that song: ‘I just dropped in the see what condition my condition was in.’”

Donna Henderson shares why she considers poetry so essential a part of “Living Well” that she dedicates her April column to it, every year.

For Madeline Rhoades, a neighborhood café is not just about selling coffee and pastries— it’s about contributing to community, and connection, and making the kinds of sweet memories that last a lifetime.

So if you are having difficulty feeling understood by a family member, coworker, or friend, take a look at your own behavior first. Do you focus more on expressing yourself than you do on listening? Is your focus more, that is, on trying to be understood than to understand?

Misconceptions about mental health and aging include the idea that we can become “too old” for therapy to be of any benefit, as though we were a piece of petrified wood someone was trying to water back to life! It’s worth noting that…older adults often benefit more —and more quickly— from therapy than younger people do.

When you feel sorry for yourself, your heart is closed to the love and wisdom that is within you and all around you; when you choose to be kind to yourself and gentle with yourself, your heart opens to the love, wisdom and power of spirit.

The thing is, this does take some effort, but only because the positive does not shout for our attention in the way that fear and disappointment do. As organisms, we’re wired that way to survive, but it’s not what helps us to thrive! Here are 5 practices that can help to cultivate happiness.

Activity naturally helps to shift our attention away from the mind’s anxieties, connecting us instead with the body’s experience of the present moment, which is where we actually live, love, and connect with all that sustains us.

Donna Henderson, an LCSW and psychotherapist from Maupin, OR, shares why she always asks her clients what role physical outdoor activity plays in their lives. “The fact is, for possibly the majority of us, regular, moderate physical activity alone is as effective for mild to moderate depression and anxiety as either antidepressant drugs or “talk therapy,” says Henderson.

Donna Henderson an artist and licensed clinical social worker from Maupin shares how the ordinary power of poetry can impact our lives.

The City of Maupin’s recent hire of Melissa Napoli as a community liaison was done in hopes to build relationships and increase the beauty of one of Oregon’s greatest outdoor gateways. Our Nancy Henderson recently sat down with Melissa to learn more about her and how she is offering olive branches while working to put a good face on the community that welcomes tens of thousands of visitors a summer.