Jenny Blocks obsession with unicorns led to her latest book, a self-help manual for love, life and personal fulfillment

Jenny Block believes in unicorns, and she doesnt care who knows it.

In fact, she wants more people to believe in unicorns. And she makes a compelling case for it in her just-published new book Be That Unicorn: Find Your Music, Live Your Truth and Share Your Shine.

I have always liked unicorns, Block, a regular columnist for Dallas Voice, admits. I feel strangely drawn to them.

Yes, because Im a girly girl, and they are sparkly and magical. But also because they have long represented what I have long wanted to be equal part sweet and powerful and alluring and special and fun, all the things that we love the most about the people we love and admire the most.

Unicorns represent a silly sort of perfection within their own unique weirdness, Block opines. That has always resonated with me. I knew I would never be that perfect girl, whatever that really means. But I knew that I could be the perfect version of me, and thats what would really make me, well, perfect.

Her preoccupation impelled Block, already an award-winning writer (she snagged a Lambda Literary Award for her advice memoir Open) to turn her concept into a self-help book. Although she first put pen to paper to write Be That Unicorn about a year ago, in many ways, Ive been writing it in my head for years. Suddenly I had the urge to start writing it down. Like, literally, one day, I just had to. Nothing Ive written has ever come so easily and naturally.

Thats how I know it had to be written, and I had to write it. Not to sound too out there, but it was almost as if I were channeling it from, well, my inner unicorn.

Which only reinforces what the message is. The book is about allowing yourself to be you, says Block. Its about standing up for yourself, being true to yourself. Its also about keeping yourself in check. Everyone has the right and the opportunity to be That Unicorn, and we owe it to ourselves and to others to commit to that pursuit. Self-care is all about giving your body, mind and spirit what they need; its not about being more special than anyone else. Its about being yourself thats whats special.

Which might just make Block the unicorn whisperer.

I like to think of myself as the little unicorn who keeps whispering to herself, I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. Not everyone has a little unicorn pre-wired in their heads. This book is for those who dont. Or for those who do but who need a jumpstart for the little guy. Or for those who have no idea what Im talking about but who know they want the happiest, fullest, unicorniest life possible. Life is full of good stuff and bad stuff and all the in between stuff, and the only way to get the most out of it all is by being That Unicorn.

With the book just now available in print and e-book formats at BeThatUnicorn.net and other booksellers, Block is preparing to embark on a promotional tour, starting in Houston on Feb. 27. Before that, she granted us exclusive permission to reprint an excerpt. Enjoy. And hook em, corns!

Arnold Wayne Jones

EXCERPT from BE THAT UNICORN by Jenny Block (Mango Publishing 2020)

Ive always wanted to be that It Girl. The one people were drawn to. The one who could garner the attention of everyone at a dinner party. The one who was so captivating that, no matter where she was or who she was talking to, everyone around her just glowed. The It Girl has some sort of magic force about her, and just being around her allowed you to become enveloped in it.

I used to think you became an It Girl through clothes or beauty or money. Maybe it was her travel or her experiences or her access to the world. The messaging from that world is confusing. Be rich. Be young. Be beautiful. Then everyone will love you, and youll have the world at your feet. But some of the most banal people I have ever met get top marks in all three of those categories. So it sent me out on a journey pondering, If that wasnt what made the girlor the guy what was it?

It wasnt until I truly listened to the words my father had been saying to me since I was a little girl that I realized what the magic quotient of the It Girl truly was: authenticity.

She feels so comfortable in her skin that she cant help but let it spring out from her like so many sparkly strands that surround and delight everyone around her.

Because she feels good about herself, she makes others feel the same way. Theres no one easier to adore than someone who reflects back to you the image of yourself that you long to see: the smart, funny, clever, enchanting, kind, calm, inviting version of yourself that knows just what to do and how to do it in every situation.

That girl (or guy) is That Unicorn.

I used to get angry when my dad would tell me to be myself. That plan had gotten me rejected in the most grandiose of ways, including when I went to Camp Louise the summer between eighth and ninth grades. Everyone else had grown up and arrived at camp with luggage packed with Bloomies underwear and magazine pages to hang in their lockers of the latest hunky movie stars. I showed up with my monkey puppet: Hi! Im Jenny and this is my monkey, Henry. It was social suicide at first sight.

But what I didnt know back then was that those girls were even more insecure than I was. It was that very desperation that pushed them to follow the crowd in every sense, to dress the same and talk the same and drool over the very same heartthrobs. I was too nave to know any better. I was just being, well, me. That summer was the beginning of me deciding that that whole be yourself thing was for the birds. All it got you was a seat at the dork table in the cafeteria and a lot of lonely Saturday nights.

But years of following the crowd did me no good, either. Not in the long run, anyway. Why? Because I wasnt being me. I was faking it and not in the fake it till you make it kind of way, just in the plain old fake it cause you dont know what the heck else to do kind of way. Thats never good. When I was faking it, I felt fake. When I was my actual self, I felt so much better. Slowly it became clear to me: Being yourself might not always be the easiest, but it is always the best.

So, when I got to college, I decided it was the perfect time to retest my dads be yourself and they will come theory. And, go figure, it worked. People liked to be around me, because I knew who I was, and I was happy and comfortable in my own skin. From then on, that was my path. Sure, I had and continue to have plenty of days plagued by insecurity. But most days are pretty prancy. I became That Unicorn by not trying to be any girl other than me.

That Unicorn is the best you. That Unicorn is a glittery, rainbow-maned metaphor for ones joyful self the kind of person we are all drawn to. That Unicorn is you. My mom has always said that people are drawn to me because I make everyone feel good about themselves. Throughout my life, people have echoed that sentiment. Its the thing I love about myself the most: Im the big sister, the BFF, the mom, the cheerleader, the coach the little unicorn that could who everyone deserves.

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The greatest love of all - Dallas Voice

A visually impaired elderly man uses his white cane to follow the tire path on the street due to ice covered sidewalks in Montreal on Dec. 7, 2019. Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette

The Low Vision Self-Help Association has been helping people with vision loss for over 30 years. It helps with practical things, like how to obtain software to help navigate a computer or to audio dictate emails. And it helps connect people with others who are dealing with vision loss and the emotional and practical challenges that come with it.

Association president John Ohberg lost his sight gradually. After being diagnosed with glaucoma, he continued to work as an engineer for decades.

One day I was getting ready to go on a road trip with a group of fellow engineers, Ohberg said. One fellow tossed me the keys and I missed. He joked about it, saying Im glad youre not on my baseball team. I hadnt told anyone about my vision problems.

Ohberg retired in 2008 and four months later, due to his vision loss, his drivers license was suspended. Then his wife Clora Delany was diagnosed with cancer and he became her full-time caregiver. Two weeks after his wife passed away, he connected with the Montreal Association for the Blind (MAB) and was given some practical tools to facilitate navigating daily life and staying connecting with the world. It was the MAB which suggested Ohberg contact the Low Vision Self-Help Association in the West Island.

The association gathers monthly at the Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Beaconsfield, to socialize, to learn about the latest in low-vision news or perhaps the latest ways to make practical adaptations to the home.

Im partially sighted, but I continue to live on my own and use public transit, Ohberg said. The Low Vision Self-Help Association provided me with community of people who also had vision loss, to varying degrees. It keeps you from becoming isolated.

Irene Lambert is a founding member of the low-vision association, which she described as a link between diagnosis and rehabilitation. She was diagnosed with degenerative vision as a child. Her vision loss was gradual and now she is completely blind.

You are told to learn to live with (vision loss), but not how to live with it, Lambert said. We say you have lost your sight not your vision. That, along with other familiar words of wisdom such as knowledge is power, change happens and live and learn help keep the groups 50 members upbeat and moving forward.

The Low Vision Self-Help Association was established by Pointe-Claire resident Ruth Williams after she was diagnosed as legally blind. Her idea was to bring in guest speakers who could lend their expertise as well as technology experts who could help people become comfortable with the latest in electronic aids. The association also organizes an annual trip planned with the low-vision community in mind such as a visit to a museum where guided tours and audio descriptions are available.

For more information about the Low Vision Self-Help Association, visit http://www.lowvisionselfhelpassociation.com.

kgreenaway@postmedia.com

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Low Vision Self-Help Association offers information and community - Montreal Gazette

MONTEREY In less than two weeks Monterey will be submitting an application for $550,000 to help local residents with a down payment for a home.

Its one of many tools the city is using in an attempt to meet a woefully inadequate housing stock. The dearth of housing, particularly affordable housing, has led the city to implement creative ideas to get more housing built.

Facing a statewide housing crisis, the California Department of Housing and Community Development issues housing construction expectations in the form of Regional Housing Needs Assessments for every jurisdiction in the state for set periods. Montereys Needs Assessment stands at 650 units before the beginning of the next cycle at the end of 2023.

The city is not on pace to hit those numbers and at the end of the current cycle, those assessments will only become greater in number.

One of the things the city is doing to try and find housing for its workforce is assisting with mortgage down payments. By Feb. 17 the city will have applied to the CalHome Program, a part of the same agency that administers the housing needs assessment, said Grant Leonard, a housing analyst for the city, who heads up the Down Payment Assistance program.

The Department of Housing and Community Development has made $57 million available for the CalHome Program. Monterey will be applying for a grant of $550,000. After $50,000 is allocated for administrative costs, a half-million dollars will be available to make loans for several elements that will help residents buy a home, Leonard said.

Homebuyers will have 15 years to repay the loan. While $500,000 may seem like a lot, with todays housing prices it could be chewed up fairly quickly. The median-priced home in Monterey County stood at $660,000 in September 2019. In the city of Monterey, that number is significantly higher.

Assuming a 20% down payment, a home buyer will need to come up with $120,000 to get into a house. The maximum amount of a down payment loan is $50,000, leaving the home buyer some $70,000 short of a full 20% down payment requirement. If every home buyer took out the maximum, there would be enough for 10 down payments.

The First Time Homebuyer Mortgage Assistance program is just one of a half-dozen programs the grant money can be used for, such as the Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Assistance and technical assistance for self-help housing projects.

The City Council passed a resolution at its Feb. 4 meeting authorizing its staff to prepare an application. Leonard said the city should hear back sometime in the spring and if the application is successful the city could begin the program at the beginning of the 2020-2021 fiscal year beginning July 1.

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Monterey to help home buyers with down payments - Monterey Herald

In 1998, at the age of 17, Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam match and it catapulted her into the spotlight.

That same year, self-help book "Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life" by the late Spencer Johnson, M.D., was published.

A teenage Williams, dealing with a huge shift in her fame and career, read the book and it had a profound effect on her.

"[The book] was very impactful in my life. It meant a lot to me," Williams tells CNBC Make It. "It's about change and I'm not good with change."

From the time Williams was a child, her life had been very regimented thanks to tennis.

"I remember in the summer, we would train from, I think it was from like 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and then 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.," Williams, now 38, told MasterClass.com. "And then on Saturdays, we would train from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and then we would have Sundays off."

So Williams, who was home-schooled along with her sister Venus to accommodate their tennis practice and tournaments, struggled at times to adapt to her new reality.

"I like a routine sometimes and do the same thing," Williams says."I like things the way they are and I don't like to change them. So ["Who Moved my Cheese"] talks about that and it was really good for me to read."

In the book, four characters are in a maze in search of cheese. The cheese is a metaphor for whatever you want to find in life, whether its a job, money or happiness. After finding a spot in the maze with abundant cheese, the characters develop routines around that cheese. But when the cheese runs out, the characters have to find new cheese. ("Who moved my cheese?" one character asks.) Those who venture out into the maze and learn to adapt along the way find new cheese, and those who are scared and angry and refuse to go further into the maze do not.

"It would be all so easy if you had a map to the Maze. If the same old routines worked. If they'd just stop moving 'The Cheese.' But things keep changing," the book says. In other words, dealing with change is inevitable, but how you handle it is up to you.

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook.

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The book that impacted Serena Williams' life: 'It's about change and I'm not good with change' - CNBC

Today is National Wear Red Day and we join millions of women across the country to raise awareness of womens heart health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for African-American women in the United States. Fortunately, we can reduce our risk by finding healthy ways to deal with stress.

Activities such as exercise, eating well-balanced meals and getting a lot of rest are a few great ways to overcome the stress factors in our lives, but my favorite way to muddle through madness is to enjoy a little self-care.

Pulling a hot bubble bath, putting on a sheet mask and letting my jade roll slide down my skin is my favorite way to relax at the end of the day. And to help you create a beauty ritual to keep stress away, I have collected five of my favorite self-care items that you should try.

01

Aceology Rose Quartz Gua Sha Facial Massager

Photo: Aceology

02

SAKUKI Premium Essential Oil Diffuser, 5 in 1 Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Fragrant Oil Humidifier Vaporizer

Photo: Amazon

03

Moroccanoil Night Body Serum

Photo: Amazon

04

LA MER La Mer The innovative body oil balm

Photo: Sephora

05

FOMI Care Hot and Cold Therapy Gel Bead Full face mask

Photo: Amazon

SUBJECTS: Beauty Beauty products & aids Health & wellness health and wellness Heart health self care Self care Sunday self care stress

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5 self-care products that help you relax and unwind - The Media Hq

Ordinary people love entertainment. Extraordinary people adore education.

It is estimated 102 million people watched Super Bowl 54 last Sunday. Now that the NFL season has ended, the winter sports drought leaves fans with extra time on their hands. While many sports enthusiasts wait for March Madness or the Major League Baseball season to start, theres an abundance of old and new content streams available.

Armin van Buuren stars in the Forbes8 Original Series Titans on the Rocks

But one may ask if theres a better way to spend that time? Can business professionals fill the void with programming that educates and entertains?

Brian Tracy, an author, entrepreneur and self-made millionaire coined the phrase EvE Ratio - the amount of time and money one spends on Entertainment vs Education. His research shows the average American spends 50 minutes on entertainment for every one minute of education... a 50:1 ratio.

That seems like a great business opportunity... and its estimated the online educational industry now exceeds $1 Billion each day! As an avid fan of self-help books and courses, Im happy to invest my money, time and energy into my growth and career. Lets face it, the world is changing quickly and most people need help staying up-to-speed.

Darren Hardy, a success coach and entrepreneur talks about the EvE Ratio in his Insane Productivity course. He does the math: if a week has 168 total hours and most people sleep for 50 hours and work for 40-50 hours, that leaves most people with 60-70 hours for everything else. His point, what one chooses to do with those hours can be the difference between ordinary and extraordinary life results.

Rachel Zoe, Entrepreneur and Writer

Forbes introduced Forbes8 last year - a streaming video service designed to help entrepreneurs become better business professionals. It engages audiences with business video programming to educate, inspire and impact its global audience.

Forbes8 is premiering new shows all through the first quarter of 2020. One show titled Titans on the Rocks from Miller/Datri Entertainment pairs entrepreneurial titans with up-and-coming talent to share stories of success, failure, advice and specific industry insights in a casual setting (over drinks). Its like being a fly on the wall as fashion mogul, blogger and social media influencer Rachel Zoe and Rocky Barnes talk biz or DJs Armin van Buuren and Estiva go deep on the business of music and entertainment. And there is also an episode with Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield discussing comedy, TV and doing business collaborations with friends. The learnings are real and transferable across industries and yes, the series is quite entertaining. The show production team includes Colby Reed Miller and James Edmund Datri (Executive Producers), Anna Marie Pitman (Series Producer) and Andres Rovira (Director).

Titans on the Rocks Series Jacket

So, if youre like many American sports fans you have some extra time now and have lots of choices. If you want to increase your wealth, be inspired, launch, grow and have impact with a new business, check out Forbes8. There is a free seven-day trial and lots of new shows.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary may be five letters... or it may be a few minutes feeding your mind with intentional activities to fuel your growth.

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Post Super Bowl, What Are You Watching And Streaming? - Forbes

BAD BLOOD: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, by John Carreyrou. (Vintage, 341 pp., $16.95.) Carreyrou, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, recounts how Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and C.E.O. of Theranos, hoodwinked investors, employees and the public into believing in the $9 billion companys faulty technology for testing blood. The book tells the story virtually to perfection, Roger Lowenstein wrote here.

LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE, by Valeria Luiselli. (Vintage, 361 pp., $16.95.) In this fourth novel by the Mexican-born Luiselli, an unhappily married couple travel to Arizona for work, bringing their two children along. There, they search for a friends young daughters, who are undocumented and have gone missing. Our reviewer, Gaiutra Bahadur, called the book a virtuosic, erudite performance.

ARISTOTLES WAY: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life, by Edith Hall. (Penguin, 254 pp., $17.) Hall, a professor of classics at Kings College London, makes the case that practicing the virtue and moderation central to the philosophy of Aristotle is the key to lasting happiness in the modern world. It sounds platitudinous enough, but it isnt, thanks to Halls tight yet modest prose, our reviewer, John Kaag, wrote.

WAYWARD LIVES, BEAUTIFUL EXPERIMENTS: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals, by Saidiya Hartman. (Norton, 441 pp., $17.95.) Hartman, a MacArthur fellow, explores the lives of young black women at the beginning of the 20th century who found new ways to live independently. The Timess Parul Sehgal called the book exhilarating social history.

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New in Paperback: Bad Blood and Lost Children Archive - The New York Times

Published 1:00pm EST, Friday, February 7, 2020

The title in the pile of book donations immediately caught my eye: A Little Look at Bottoms. Opening it up, I saw adorable pictures accompanied by humorous text: Bumblebees have buzzy bottoms. Elephants have HUGE bottoms. Snails have slimy bottoms. I laughed hard, and shared the pictures with others back in our donation room. It was a fun way to start our work day.

The thrift shop regularly receives wonderful book donations, and we have shelves upon shelves of books for our patrons to browse. Childrens books many new, or like new! are put out on low shelves so kids can look too. They are priced to sell, and we often get teachers stockpiling new selections for their classrooms every year.

Adult books are categorized by type: young adult, fiction, gardening, cooking, biographies, self-help, etc. Again, many of these books look like theyve never even been opened! We have beautiful coffee table books too: National Geographic, Martha Stewart Weddings, and an Ansel Adams photo book are just a few recent examples.

We just added a separate vintage book area, as well. These books may not be in pristine condition some of them date back to the early 1800s! but they are fascinating to look at, and fun to read. Recent acquisitions include a series of Joseph Conrad books from 1916, some of the always-popular Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, old childrens Golden Books, and a rhyming dictionary from 1936!

Follow the Ridgefield Thrift Shop on Facebook and Instagram for updates on special events!Ridge

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Ridgefield Thrift Shop offers a variety of books to browse or purchase - The Ridgefield Press

Feb. 7

Celebrate black history in Chandler

The year 2020 marks the sesquicentennial of the 15th Amendment and the right of black men to vote after the Civil War. The theme of the historical celebration this year is rooted in African Americans making their voices heard at the ballot box. The event is put on by the South Chandler Self-Help Foundation in cooperation with the city. 5 p.m. Free. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. 480-782-2680. http://www.chandlercenter.org

Feb. 8

Attend the Chandler Science Spectacular

The Chandler Science Spectacular showcases the businesses, artists, students and innovators in the community as Chandler participates in the statewide Arizona SciTech Festival. The event offers opportunities for attendees to explore the discoveries of science created in their own city. 10 a.m. Downtown Chandler, 178 E. Commonwealth Ave. 480-782-2000. http://www.chandleraz.gov/explore/special-events/chandler-scitech-festival

Feb. 8

Go to the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Luncheon

Celebrate the athletic accomplishments of seven athletes at the 16th annual Chandler Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Luncheon. 11 a.m. $15. Hamilton High School, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. https://www.chandleraz.gov/events/chandler-sports-hall-fame-induction-ceremony-and-luncheon?fbclid=IwAR0itA7xgyh_G_36VWcS-zV2agjbzIzLUGE1ygQduil5sRIAecmnC6sqRH8

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3 things to do this weekend in Chandler, Feb. 7-8 - Community Impact Newspaper

SAMMI BOAS: From the Daily Northwestern, Im Sammi Boas.

ANIKA MITTU: Im Anika Mittu.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: And Im Olivia Demetriades. Welcome to Speak Your Mind, a weekly podcast dedicated to discussing mental health and self-care on Northwesterns campus. Our goal is to facilitate a conversation about mental health that goes in-depth about what students are really experiencing and try to shatter the stigma surrounding mental health.

SAMMI BOAS: Were well into the Midwestern winter, and although the days are getting longer, we have a while to go before spring is here. Along with constant midterms and the dreary weather, some students on campus face seasonal affective disorder, or SAD for short. Though this disorder is often dismissed as the winter blues, its symptoms are comparable to those of clinical depression. SAD typically starts affecting people in the fall and continues to manifest throughout the winter.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: We spoke to sophomore transfer student Cole Sias about her personal experiences with seasonal affective disorder.

COLE SIAS: Hi, Im Cole Sias. My major is psychology and Im from Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: Can you give a little bit of background about your experiences with seasonal affective disorder?

COLE SIAS: So last year, I went to school in Maine, and it was a lot worse there because the sun set at 4 p.m. and I was like, Oh, Im straight up not having a good time. And then this year, I started seeing my counselor and shes like, yeah, that sounds like seasonal affective disorder, and its definitely hit this year too. Its been awful. I bought the HappyLight. I bought the diffuser. I bought all this stuff and it wasnt working, so now Im on drugs which are helping.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: The HappyLight is a light box that mimics daylight. Daylight stimulates hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin which improves mood and happiness. After trying these coping strategies, Sias decided to seek help from the university.

COLE SIAS: So I went to CAPS, and they recommended me to an outside therapist. Her name is Christine. Shes great. I see her every other week. The winter hit and I was like, Im feeling amotivated; I dont want to get out of bed. Shes like, well, it sounds like you have seasonal affective disorder, but I cant diagnose you. So then she sent me to my pediatrician at home, who was the one who actually gave me the drugs that I needed. It was a process, and they wont prescribe it to you here at all, but were here now. We got them. We got the refills.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: Thats good. Do you have any other specific coping mechanisms that help you when youre feeling particularly down?

COLE SIAS: I spent a lot of time working out, and I also am definitely the needy friend, a little bit. I really hate being alone. But Ive gotten really good at reaching out to people because last year I was really isolated, which made it a lot worse. So yeah, I spend a lot of time with as many people as I possibly can.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: Do you think that theres a sort of stigma surrounding seasonal affective disorder? If so, do you think its comparable to stigma surrounding other disorders?

COLE SIAS: So I feel like seasonal affective disorder is weird because it feels like fake depression. I mean as far as I know, Im not depressed year-round. And so it feels like, oh, am I just like doing this for attention? Am I just as sad as everyone else because the weathers bad? And honestly, I feel like the stigma around mental illness in general is kind of decreasing, but maybe thats because I have a lot of friends who are mentally ill, so we just talk about it a lot. Its definitely a weird thing to talk about, especially for me personally, because sometimes I feel like Im faking it which, like obviously, Im not. But like overall, its not bad. Everyone Ive told is just like, cool. Let me know if you need anything.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: Do you think that Northwestern has the proper resources available to help students deal with seasonal affective disorder?

COLE SIAS: No, because Northwestern will not prescribe you antidepressants. And I think that that would be an important thing for the school to be able to do, especially because a lot of people here are not super happy. I think that theyre doing a good job with the fun stuff. Theyre like, oh, we bring in dogs for finals week, and we have white lights, which are all good, but at some point, sometimes you just need the drugs. And if they wont give those to you, I think thats a problem.

OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: Students like Cole join the estimated 10 million Americans who suffer from SAD, according to Psychology Today.

SAMMI BOAS: Seasonal affective disorder tends to affect women more than men, as about four out of five people who have SAD are female. SAD tends to develop in people between ages 18 to 30. College students are also at a heightened risk of experiencing SAD, as they tend to wake up and go to sleep later, limiting their exposure to sunlight.

ANIKA MITTU: We also spoke to the Northwestern Recreation associate director of fitness and wellness, Nancy Tierney, about white light therapy, which is currently available in the wellness suite at SPAC. Northwestern started offering white light therapy in 2018.

NANCY TIERNEY: Early in that year, it was brought to my attention that Purdue was offering this, and it intrigued me because I know a lot of people that had benefited from lightboxes. And so I looked into it. They shared with us what their setup was. I initially just thought this would be a really great free service. All I had to purchase the boxes, and then we created the space. And you dont have to be somebody whos suffering from seasonal affective disorder. I think we can all benefit from this. I think we all know what it feels like to go several days where it might have been rainy or gloomy. And then we have a bright sunny blue sky day and everybody just feels a little better.

So we got all this in place, decided to launch it in the fall of 2018. We started in October and test-piloted. We opened it up to students, our members and our massage clients and kind of wanted to see what the demand would be. And eventually we opened it up to everyone, so its really free and available for students, faculty, staff, alumni, the public, our facility members. Its a great way to not only help people, but get people here in the door that might not have otherwise ever come to the wellness suite. As a department, weve really focused on mental health on campus, and I think this just kind of plays into everything else were doing.

ANIKA MITTU: Do you have, or interact with, any students who come here regularly?

NANCY TIERNEY: We probably serve Northwestern students the most as far as population. Theyre about two-thirds of everyone thats coming in. The rest are probably a mix of members and massage clients, maybe a few faculty and staff. We get regulars who come in two, three, four times a week. So, anyone that comes the first time, we give them the handout; we have them sign a waiver. And then each time thereafter, they just sign in, and then can come on back. We try to make this a safe place, a place where people feel very comfortable to just come and do whatever. They might be on their phone, they might be on their laptop, maybe reading a book. Its so easy, you literally sit and it enters in through your eyes. You can pretty much do anything other than close your eyes and go to sleep. So we want people to be able to come and feel that they can just come back and do whatever they want and not feel like anyones watching them. And I think people do feel very comfortable.

ANIKA MITTU: After talking to Nancy, I decided to try out white light therapy for myself. I sat on this huge beanbag chair and went through emails on my phone while the white light box shined directly in my face. The whole experience was pretty nice, and I did leave feeling a bit more energetic. I can definitely see how having time to just sit could be relaxing, in addition to the benefits of receiving white light therapy. But, even if youre busy, it may be worth it to come by and try out the therapy. You just might feel the benefits and feel glad that you came in.

NANCY TIERNEY: This morning a young man came in for the first time. And you know, he was all excited. Didnt know if he had enough time, but said he was going to come back. So he left. He was back within a few minutes. Hes like, you know what, I think Im going to try to squeeze this in before my class. He came back, sat here for 15 minutes and just said, that was amazing.

SAMMI BOAS: Though we cant control Midwestern winters, we can try to seek out support that helps make us feel a bit happier and more energetic. Thats all we have for today on Speak Your Mind. Im Sammi Boas,

ANIKA MITTU: Im Anika Mittu. OLIVIA DEMETRIADES: And Im Olivia Demetriades. Thanks for listening!

SAMMI BOAS: This episode was reported and produced by me, Sammi Boas, Olivia Demetriades, and Anika Mittu. It was edited by Kalen Luciano and Heena Srivastava. The editor in chief of The Daily Northwestern is Troy Closson.

Email: samanthaboas2023@u.northwestern.edu, anikamittu2023@u.northwestern.edu, oliviademetriades2023@u.northwestern.edu

Twitter: @boassamantha, @anika_mittu

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