Navigating the new year and new normal

This story is part of a feature that first appeared in print in Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine’s January 2023 issue. Read the entire e-edition here:

The past few years have turned everything we know upside down. Health and wellness are no exception. Our social, emotional and physical health has taken a tumultuous ride and normal as we knew it is a thing of the past. To start this new year, we reached out for some advice on navigating this new normal.

We asked some of Revelstoke’s health and wellness professionals what the past few years have taught them about health and wellness and what advice they would give about navigating the year ahead.

Here’s what they had to say:

Didié Hamel-Jolette

Manual Osteopathic Therapist and Athletic Therapist Keystone Health

On a smaller scale, an injury could have a “COVID” effect on your life and force you to be isolated for some time. More than before, you may realize the importance of social connections in your life, and physical activities can be a way to cultivate those cherished bonds.

Many folks in Revelstoke are hardcore when it comes to outdoor activities, and it may be one of your ways to enjoy life. At New Year, perhaps you will take time to reflect on what are your new objectives or adventures you want to achieve in 2023? Well, well, I have two pieces of advice for you crazy gals and fellas.

First, include friends or family in your objectives; it’s way more fun together!

Second, think about the steps to get there and how you can gradually increase your capacity. Many kinds of research show that spikes in training load put you at greater risk of injury. Detraining during a certain amount of time can be as detrimental as overtraining. Training hard and doing your activities “consistently” will help you to create positive physical adaptions and stay healthy and active with your friends. In other words, plan well your shoulder seasons!

Dr. Kim Niddery, ND

Naturopathic Doctor, Revelstoke Osteopathy & Wellness

You are unique. Your lived experience is unlike anyone else’s. How you arrived here today is completely different from the next person. You have a unique set of needs, emotions, beliefs, characteristics, idiosyncrasies, and genetics. Nothing in this world is a one size fits all, and this is especially true when it comes to your health. Your health is the most valuable thing you own; without it, your quality of life changes.

These past few years hit a little differently and in a variety of ways. One common thread for most was the toll it took on our nervous system. These years highlighted the need for nervous system support, not only in a burnout phase, but much earlier in order to foster resiliency. Our nervous system affects our energy, sleep, immune system, hormones, mood, cardiovascular system, metabolism, reproduction, and brain. The approach to best support your nervous system is as unique as you and how you experience the world. Revelstoke has many amazing practitioners with unique skills to help you achieve optimal health. I encourage you to curate a personalized healthcare TEAM. Surround yourself with people who want to see you thrive and work to optimize your unique health.

Shannon Morton

Interim Physiotherapist, Keystone Health

If COVID years taught me anything, it’s that health and wellness are not something that just happens but rather something that we must be mindful of. Over the last two years, we’ve all had to adapt to the new normal, which for our very active community included finding new ways to keep moving when our main outlets were shut down. My advice moving forward into the new year is to keep an open mind about what health and wellness look like — it’s different for everyone. Talk about your health and wellness with your support system, as it helps to remove the stigma and allows us to speak more freely about how we are really doing. Finally, my last piece of advice about navigating the new normal is to explore multiple activities that move and excite you. Movement is medicine, and that includes dance parties in the kitchen!

Lindsey Harris

Registered Clinical Counsellor, Keystone Health

I have learned to live in the present moment, unable to predict the future in these unprecedented times. I came to accept that plans could be postponed or cancelled at a moment’s notice. This enhanced my gratitude for all I have been able to do, during the past few years and especially this year, where community events such as arts, sports, and social gatherings are back to normal. I experienced a deepening of connections with my friends, neighbours, and community through mutual support.

Moving forwards, my advice would be to adopt or continue mindfulness practices, such as meditation, yoga, and practicing gratitude, to help with being grounded and increase resilience for the inevitable challenges in life. Consider including movement you enjoy, bonus points for it being outside, extra bonus points for including connection with people, if that feels good for you. Examine your needs for social interaction and see where you’re at. Do you need more social time? Less social time? Or simply different social interactions? Everyone’s needs are different and there are plenty of opportunities locally to engage with people in a variety of ways. Give yourself permission to stay home sometimes if that is what you need.

Nancy Hillier

Physiotherapist, Keystone Health

A constant in life is change, and adapting to change can be challenging, especially when the change creates restrictions outside of our comfort level. The past few years have opened my eyes more to the importance of what compassion is, and has made me more aware of how to meet people where they are. My profession is viewed as being very movement and physiological-based, with an emphasis on these components. I feel that an emphasis on self-compassion, self-awareness and learning what our bodies need (meditation, art, music, sitting in nature, sitting still, etc.) to heal aside from performance/ movement progression is as important as the movement component. Wellness is a state of being and changes. Practice self-compassion; take a moment to listen to your bodies and take a moment to feel. This will help you understand what helps you mentally, socially and physically.

Erin Potter

Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Jade Wellness Co.

It has reinforced the concept of connection. The health and well-being of one person, one group, or one community has a huge impact on the whole of humanity. In order to find true health, we need to consider the collective because individual health is not sustainable unless we are all taken care of. Our philosophy at Jade Wellness is to strive for strong personal health so that we may allow healing to occur for the patients we work with. Those people then have the capacity to spread health and happiness to those around them. Wishing everyone love, wellness and connection in 2023.

Noelle Bovon

Writer, Counsel & Therapeutics, and owner of Balu Yoga & Wellness

Emotional and mental health are directly related to what is happening below the neck. It’s not a mind-over-matter problem; it’s the collective of our whole system. If we’re not taking care of ourselves; mind, body and spirit (soul) — our entire emotional system can collapse.

We understand that staying physically healthy requires being active most days; the same applies to our emotional well-being. We need practices for emotional health, which can include healthy food, meditation, counselling or therapy, yoga, time outdoors, breathwork, etc. Yet we do not have to do ALL the things. Not everything works for everybody, even if it works for most people. Our inner systems are all different, which means just because it works for one person doesn’t mean it heals everyone.

Remaining soft and gentle with ourselves is essential to supporting our process. Coming together in community to practice yoga and other modalities that create connection is important. Keep company with like-minded people, people who prioritize emotional well-being. Be mindful of those who push their ideals and dogma onto you, and connect with those who work at it without being preachy.

The last three years have shown us that disconnection makes us unhealthy. Supporting both mind and body is a non-negotiable. Look at yourself as a whole and create habits that support your well-being. Being kind, patient, and gentle with ourselves are gifts of such high magnitude; remember to tend to yourself and seek help when you need.

William Jarrige

Osteopathic Practitioner, Revelstoke Osteopathy and Wellness

While the culture within and between medical and paramedical practitioners is continuously evolving to find new ways of being inclusive and working with one another, these last few years showed us again the importance of being healthy and staying healthy. Continual education and a multidisciplinary approach to your own health is key to achieving this. As an Osteopathic Practitioner, I do my best to share my knowledge in my areas of expertise to my patients. When I feel that something is outside of my scope of practice or my knowledge is limited, I do not hesitate to refer my patients to other great practitioners that we have in town. My advice for this new year to my patients is to continue to explore what our practitioners offer, learn who is the right fit for you, and don’t wait until there is a problem or the end of the year to book in your appointments. Find the balance that works for you.

Shota Ida

Physiotherapist, Keystone Health

The past few years have been challenging for us all. My takeaway regarding the new normal is to focus on building strong connections and supports in all domains of health and wellness. Physical, emotional, and social health are all equally important, and each domain can impact the others both positively and/or negatively. Focusing on having a balance and taking care of all aspects of what we define as health and wellness are what will help us navigate the new normal. We are lucky to have so many wonderful wellness professionals located in Revelstoke who are willing to listen, connect and provide great education and care to us. To summarize, my advice would be to utilize the resources we have in Revelstoke to take care of all aspects of health and wellness as we have all realized, over the last few years, how interconnected each domain is.

Stacey Pierson

Registered Massage Therapist, Bodylogic Therapeutic Massage

The last few years have taught me how important self care is for our health and wellness. If we try to incorporate some form of self care into our daily life, it can have a positive impact on our health and wellness. The daily activities that we participate in, have a big affect on our physical, mental and emotional well-being . One small thing I have seen be extremely effective is the act of moving the body. Even a short walk around the block can be a good source of self care. It’s important for us to remember that incorporating self care into our life isn’t selfish and can be a benefit to others, as it helps improve our overall wellness state.

Marie-Hélène Ostiguy

Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, Deep Roots Counselling

I believe a lot of us were looking forward to catching our breath when 2022 rolled around. However, it might have come as a surprise that this year has proven to be equally challenging in it’s on way. We might have stepped back into our lives with the same expectations that we held prior to COVID, or a feeling of needing to make up for lost times. However, a lot of us have recognize a shift in our capacity, our needs and what supports us. I believe that our ability to slow down and connect to our felt experience, our bodies and emotions is a good first step to take towards adjusting to our evolving needs. This can be hard at times when it doesn’t match the way we use to see and do things. It can actually be quite confronting. But being gentle with ourselves, meeting ourselves with compassion and curiosity can reveal new information and be quite supportive.

Photo credit: Zoya Lynch

Lauren Goss

Naturopathic Doctor, Keystone Health

More than ever, the past few years have shown us how important our mental, emotional, and physical well-being are. Of course, nutrition, exercise and sleep are crucial foundations of health in terms of managing chronic disease, mental health and keeping our immune systems strong. However, stress management may have the biggest impact on staying strong and healthy! We know stress (via cortisol) can reduce the number of natural killer cells and lymphocytes, which are white blood cells needed to fight viral infections in the body. So take that time for yourself (and your immune system) to connect with friends, read a good book, eat a delicious meal, play outside, jump in cold water and see your preventative health care practitioners! Happy New Year, Revelstokians!