GOLD NOTES

It’s a tough time to be a teenager. Covid didn’t help either. Kids are dealing with stresses that my friends and I never experienced in the 70s. I know when I felt sad or angry, I would hide out in my bedroom. My walls were covered in posters of my favorite celebrities (Elton John, Rolling Stones) and movies (Gone with the Wind), and my ears were filled with the sounds of my favorite albums. I didn’t know those were healthful choices. I just knew they were helpful. (Not sure my mom would have agreed when I’d blast Queen’s Tie Your Mother Down.)

Since it’s Mental Health Awareness Month, I decided to reach out to some experts and devote a post to how wellness design can help your teenager. Here it is. I hope these insights help him, her or them. Please share a link if it does!

Teen bedrooms should be designed as calming, personalized sanctuaries.
(SARAH COLE INTERIORS / JARED KUZIA PHOTOGRAPHY)

***

BONUS NUGGETS

• As I write this on Tuesday, another school shooting just tragically took more lives. If these mass shootings, whatever their motive or location, are causing you to lose hope in life, please seek help and surround yourself with calm. Here’s a post I wrote on creating calming spaces after an earlier spate of tragedies. I hope it helps.
• I was proud to be invited to share insights on creating healing spaces for cancer survivors. Here’s a link to that session, hosted by Feel Good, Look Better.
• Wellness by Design has been included in Purist’s Wellness Library!

***

BOOK BUZZ

Here’s a practical guide to cooking and eating for your health. Its author is the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, one of the top research facilities in the world. Dr. Gary Deng shares both tips and recipes in this handsome volume.

What:

The Wellness Principles goes beyond simple recipes to tips for healthy living.There are chapters on stocking your pantries, healthy eating principles, dos and don’t and living beyond the plate. The recipe photos are gorgeous, full color images and there are helpful menus for those who find that structure helpful.

Who:

As I noted above, Gary Deng, MD, PhD, is the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He integrates Eastern and Western medicine into a holistic program. That works for me!  

Why:

Why did I choose this book for my latest Book Buzz? I’ve long been a fan of integrative medicine with its whole life approach to diagnosis and patient care. So when this title hit my inbox, I requested a copy. It’s definitely a book I’d use myself. I hope you find it useful too.

***

SOCIAL GOLD

Next on Clubhouse

I’ll be talking about wellness design and pets with a panel of experts on June 1, 4 pm EST, 1 pm PST and all the related time zones. I hope you’ll join us!

• 6/1 Wellness Design and Pets
• 6/15 Designing with Plants
• 7/6 Beat the Heat
• 7/20 Wellness Benefits of Co-Living
• 8/3 Creating Healthy Back to School Home Spaces
• 8/17 Creating Healthy Work from Home Spaces
• 9/7 New Smart Home Technology and Wellness Design
• 9/21 Creating Healthy Garage Spaces

___