February brings love to mind, and that’s a good thing. Love creates, nourishes, rewards, and defines us. It affects how we communicate outwardly and feel inwardly. Counsellors are often asked to help with relationships and it does not take long before it is realized that love of any type (parental; sexual, intimate love of adulthood; demanding love with family and friends; and especially self-love) can get out-of-balance and negatively affect the relationship. Avoiding or suppressing old love issues clearly affects the present. Fortunately, even a small amount of awareness and acceptance about these love relationships can improve a relationship. Don’t wait to connect with a counsellor about difficulties with love of any type.

Brain-imaging techniques have revealed the brain’s plasticity and have identified networks that music activates. The brain areas activated by music are not unique to music. These networks also process other functions. Musical and non-musical functions share systems. For example, motor control and executive control share circuits with music. Music can activate and drive complex patterns of interaction between the other two, so that a stroke patient and someone with Parkinson’s increases movement, and someone with traumatic brain injury increases cognitive functioning, such as problem solving or decision making.

Strength training is good for balance, immune function, cardiovascular health, bone health, and more, and it’s never too late to start building muscle. Sedentary adults over the age of 50 lose an average of .4 pounds of muscle mass a year, which adds up over time. For seniors, establishing a new strength-training program should be done under the care of an experienced trainer who understands the issues people face as they age, including loss of balance, and can make modifications during weight lifting sessions. In general, seniors should train about three days per week and add more weight when it’s no longer hard to lift the weight they’ve been using.

Here are some important resolutions to protect your skin in the new year!
1. Examine your skin for irregularities monthly, with some help from a trusted friend or family member for those hard-to-see spots.
2. Choose wisely what time of day you go out in the sun. Be sure to wear adequate protection such as a large-brimmed hat and sunscreen with a CDA logo on the label that offers both UVB/UVA protection (SPF 50 for summer, SPF 30 year-round).
3. See a board-certified dermatologist once a year for a medical assessment of moles and skin cancer risk, as well as to learn about options for improving your skin’s appearance.

Painful feelings command our attention – they can be so uncomfortable, and incredibly inconvenient. But what are they telling us? Is it that something is missing in your life? Are the feelings a signal for change, say in a job or a relationship? Are you healing from a loss? And what do you do about these painful feelings? Is there anyone you can share them with? Counselling is a safe, supportive, unbiased place to consider your full experience, and to develop a plan for yourself.

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