Elemental

Two vaccines are awaiting a decision from the FDA, and four others in the U.S. are in phase 3 trials (the final phase before it's submitted for approval). It’s been a whirlwind. You likely have questions. We answered as many of them as we could think of: read.medium.com/JZKBWc3

It’s reasonable to presume a relationship between a headache and stressful thought exists because of where the brain is located. But the farther down pain travels in the body, the murkier the relationship between thoughts and tension becomes. read.medium.com/9xJdqJt

"This quiet has shown me I can, and should, set up protections against giving 200% to my public life. Would I continue to wear so many hats as a dancer, a writer, a teacher, and more? I didn’t know. But I could enforce regular [breaks]." —@michelebigley read.medium.com/r9VtvO8

"What I’ve found is that excavating those 'little t' traumas has helped me chip away at the bigger ones. ... [It's] taking off the backpack and looking at what’s inside, before it gets so heavy you have no choice but to topple over." —@sophianjune read.medium.com/eggK2BJ

In a private health care system where significant earnings are to be had, how can we be sure that we’re receiving the best option for our physical, emotional, and financial health? The short answer is, quite simply, is: we can’t. read.medium.com/0bzitKI

Per @CDCgov, more Americans were experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression last month than they were in early September, when the pandemic outlook was far grislier. When will our collective pain finally ease up? read.medium.com/UrQIsin

Resiliency means "seeing a threat not as an insurmountable problem but as a challenge to be solved." #BehavioralScience #neuroscience #psychology #wellness buff.ly/3tPrwTe

“The thinking brain isn’t what decides whether we’re stressed, whether we’re feeling threatened or challenged, whether we’re going to turn stress on, whether we’re going to turn emotions on, Stress arousal and emotions belong to the survival brain.” elemental.medium.com/anxiety-is-in-…

Some studies suggest that side-sleeping may improve spine health or relieve back pain. Back-sleeping may prevent facial wrinkles. Pregnant people are advised not to sleep on their backs. So, can we change the way we sleep? @markhamh investigates: read.medium.com/JBxqCID

Talk therapy can be helpful for many issues. But for anxiety — which doesn’t take place in your thinking brain — it places the focus on the thought (“I thought there was a tiger”) and not the physical response that preceded it ("my heart is racing.") read.medium.com/VcUVtuG

I love the Coronavirus Update newsletter from @Medium, y'all. coronavirus.medium.com/im-sick-and-ti…

Women who walk 4,400 steps per day have a 41% lower risk of premature death than those who get fewer than 2,700, and the pace doesn’t even matter. Fast, slow; steps are steps. Our move of the week: read.medium.com/RIbdJQb

.@amalt's move of the week: yes, burpees suck, but if you’re physically able to do them (and willing to get sweaty and exhausted), they are also… the best. Hear us out: read.medium.com/YoXjWoy

Skaters strengthen the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and abdominals, and help improve your balance, even as they challenge your cardiovascular system. If you can't fit in a workout, try fitting in a few of these. read.medium.com/zNfzmBQ

"I’m sick and tired of bothering the experts, who give graciously of their time to educate the public . ... I’m sick and tired of writing the same damn Covid-19 cautions over and over. I’m sick and tired of preaching to the choir." —@robertroybritt read.medium.com/VrAJEcH

The bold move toward mandatory vaccination comes on the heels of a new @CDCgov report showing that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 infections in healthcare workers and first responders. read.medium.com/c52mtb5

"If we leave pockets of infections happening, the more people continue to get infected, the more opportunities there are for this virus to mutate and possibly acquire a feature we don’t want it to have," says @JenniferNuzzo. elemental.medium.com/inside-one-of-…

#COVID19 exposed glaring problems in our society. But will we make changes to lesson the blow from future crises? SMLR's Christopher Hayes tells @elemental, "I can see a future in which all of this fades back into the background as the #pandemic recedes." elemental.medium.com/7-hard-and-cru…

Vaccines are the way out of the Covid pandemic, but we must solve systemic issues of vaccine inequity, both in the United States and globally. bit.ly/3uiEQjl

When you consider the potential culprits — stress, childbirth, anxiety, medication, to name a few— of course a lowered libido is one of the most common sexual issues women experience. And yet, there aren’t great medical options for those experiencing it. read.medium.com/ZYv39ug

1. Fewer than 100 deaths a day nationally. 2. Low percent positivity rates with robust testing. There will be no dramatic end to the pandemic, but we can at least look for the following signs that it’s under control: read.medium.com/fG53vmo

I wrote about how this summer will be weird. Going back to normal—whatever the hell that even means—will be a shock for many. I know because I've had to do it before. Some of us will bounce back differently, faster, or more completely. And that's okay. elemental.medium.com/its-about-to-g…