Category: Self Care

Grief & Loss, Self Care, Self-Awareness1 Comment

2021 Mental & Behavioral Health Work in Review

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

Hey all! It’s been a while. Mostly because it’s been a really busy and strange year. It’s been radical shift from all completely at-home Zoom work, teaching, and meetings in addition to having a remote schooling 4th grader at home, to now teaching in-person and my son being back full-time in school. The whole family has gotten vaccinated, many of us boostered, traveled, and done a handful of super pre-COVID normal things. And I do crossfit in a mask 🙂 When I spell it out like this, it really hits me that so much has changed and that we have … Continue reading 2021 Mental & Behavioral Health Work in Review

Adulting, Grief & Loss, Musing, Parenting, Self Care

Who do you look up to?

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

As a I move further into my adult life, and am making “bigger” moves, it occurs to me that I have never had a clear picture of who I look up to. I have never even articulated or seen the one person that I most revere or emulate. Of course I have seen bits and pieces, namely in my parents. They are incredibly smart, industrious, practical, successful, and, most importantly, generous and kind people. The reality of being an immigrant family in the 70s is that we were distanced from our extended family. I never grew up with my grandparents; … Continue reading Who do you look up to?

Adolescent Health, Immune Health, Nutrition, Pediatrics, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Self Care

Happy Acupuncture Week 2019!

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

I love talking about how acupuncture has been part of my life for 16 years, even before @jp.boisvert brought it full circle to our clinic and home We have used acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, tui na, gua sha, and cupping for years to treat fevers, stave off colds, deal with whiplash and sticky shoulders, vanquish back pain and migraines, and generally manage our health for a long time It’s true that we also take care to move our bodies and sleep, but I definitely credit acupuncture and Chinese medicine with our family’s pretty rocking health. And I credit @jp.boisvert for … Continue reading Happy Acupuncture Week 2019!

Adulting, Grief & Loss, Natural Childbirth, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Self Care, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What kind of loss is harder?

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

If you have been following along for a little while, you know that one of the things I have been ruminating and writing about is loss. We all know it in some way. And we will certainly know more. To live is to love, and also to lose. It’s not uncommon for us to ‘rank’ loss. Which kind of loss is worse, changes us more deeply, is more worthy of grieving, or warrants talking about at all. Is the loss of an aging parent worthy of years of sadness? Can you be devastated by the way divorce changes your life? … Continue reading What kind of loss is harder?

Adulting, Musing, Self CareLeave a comment

One Long Night

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

As the days get shorter and the darkness much thicker, it sometimes feels like we are wading through one long night. The other day my son asked me what my favorite shade of blue was. Sidebar- I love his questions. He didn’t ask me what my favorite color was, but rather my favorite shade of blue. I just love those little moments where you can see and feel their swift minds whirring. So back to my favorite shade of blue. It’s twilight. You know that deep, resonant, silky, purply, dark blue when the sky moves from sunset to night. The … Continue reading One Long Night

Adulting, Fitness, Grief & Loss, Musing, Self CareLeave a comment

Would You Do It All Over Again?

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

This past weekend I got to spend some quality time with my Framily.  These people are my friend-family. My chosen family.  People who have literally been with me through some of the darkest days of my life thus far, and will also walk alongside me through the ones that await (cuz there’s always more). So naturally we get into some murky stuff as we wade through the years and losses we have lived together.  We wondered aloud: do you have any regrets?  Would you do everything, as it has played out, over again? We all felt like we were perfectly … Continue reading Would You Do It All Over Again?

Adulting, Musing, Parenting, Self CareLeave a comment

Doing Hard Things Could Be Easy

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

Recently, I did something that was really hard for me.  In fact, I was completely unprepared for it.  And- some might say- unqualified.  They wouldn’t be wrong.  But other people’s opinions have rarely stopped me from doing what I believe in, love, or am just plain ol’ fired up to do.  #firestarter #changeagent I realized a few things in the process: I believe that I can do hard things In fact, I believe that I should do hard things And more importantly, I believe that I should do things that make me absolutely afraid and uncomfortable I am already 15,443 days old.  … Continue reading Doing Hard Things Could Be Easy

Adulting, Grief & Loss, Musing, Parenting, Self CareLeave a comment

It Should Have Been Me…

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

Have you ever flashed back to crazy, possibly dangerous, times in your life and thought: “holy crap, I should have died!” You shudder.  Maybe you look over at your kid, your partner, your cat, or even at your own hands.  You feel your heart beating in your chest.  You feel your breath slide in and roll out of your body.  And in that swift and fantastic moment, you are so fully alive. Recently I wrote to my Muse-letter followers about being not-dead-today, and being fully alive.  Digging deep and getting a little murky, as I love to do, while contemplating … Continue reading It Should Have Been Me…

Adulting, Breastfeeding, Musing, Natural Childbirth, Parenting, Pediatrics, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Self CareLeave a comment

Why Does My Brain Feel Like it is Leaking?

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

An interesting article was published this past Summer on the very real, little-discussed changes that occur in the brain of a pregnant, postpartum, and/or caregiving person.  There are a number of rapid and monumental changes that happen to the portion of our brains that control social-emotional processes or the “ability to atttribute emotions and mental states to other people- key to raising a human.” “The more brain change the mothers experienced, the higher they scored on measures of emotional attachment to their babies, a finding that echoed past studies. And the changes in most brain regions remained two years later.” Whoa.  Two years?! … Continue reading Why Does My Brain Feel Like it is Leaking?

Adulting, Musing, Self CareLeave a comment

Identity and Being All Things

Dr. Sunita Iyer ND, LM

At times it seems like our world is hyperfocused on identity. As if we were ever just one thing.  Some days, I have more labels than I care for .   American.  Indian.  Person of Color.   Woman.  Mother.  Partner.  Daughter.  Sister.  Working parent.  Fierce friend. Heteronormative. Doctor. Midwife.  Teacher. Writer. Witch.  Outspoken.  Boss. Bitch. They are not just names, but roles and ways of showing up in the world.  Some are chosen, some assigned by others.  But ultimately ways of being seen, heard, and having an existence carved out. Inhabiting space. Those labels and roles can also feel like work.  Heavy … Continue reading Identity and Being All Things