Chantal’s Nurse-Led Wellness Academy

01/21/2026

Friendly reminder 🥰

Nurses know too much… it can often feel like a curse.

Ghoster Coaster. Wonderland. Lady behind me.
Coughing.
On. My. Neck.

Most people: “Gross.”
Me, the nurse: “Ma’am, that’s a productive cough with suspicious rales, and you just gave me a front-row ticket to your bacterial biography.”

I didn’t scream on the drops…
I screamed internally while calculating my chances of needing antibiotics by Tuesday.

Friendly reminder: We may have moved on from lockdowns, but cough etiquette never expired. Cover. Your. Mouth.

Nurse out. 😷

01/20/2026

Noticing Good Things in Everyday Life

This photo popped up in my memories recently and feels very spring…which is funny, considering we’re currently deep in winter. It’s a good reminder that seasons change, and good things tend to come back around.

This is an artwork my daughter created in the spring of 2020.

Research in positive psychology shows that regularly identifying three good things that happened in a day can support overall well-being, including in children. Often referred to as “Three Good Things,” this practice is linked to improved mood, emotional awareness, and resilience over time.

It works by helping the brain notice positive experiences alongside challenges not instead of them.

Preserving moments like this artwork is one simple way of holding onto those good things. Photographing children’s creations creates a dated record of a moment that mattered, without needing to keep every physical piece.

This idea is widely discussed in the work of Martin Seligman and is used in schools and family settings as a simple, evidence-informed approach.

From a health perspective, learning to notice and remember positive moments supports emotional balance over time.

01/20/2026

A Nurse’s Perspective on Kids & Body Awareness

Children experience a lot in their bodies long before they have the language to explain it.

As a mom and a nurse, I’ve seen how helpful it is when kids are taught simple, age-appropriate ways to understand what their body is telling them without fear or overwhelm.

Body awareness isn’t about medical details.
It’s about helping children feel safe, confident, and able to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.

These are skills that support kids at home, at school, and in everyday life.

01/15/2026

How to Beat the Winter Blues – An Evidence-Based Approach

Many people notice lower energy, motivation, or mood during the winter months. This is common and often related to biological changes rather than personal weakness.

Shorter days, reduced sunlight, less physical activity, and disrupted routines can affect the brain chemicals and nutrients that help regulate mood and energy.

Serotonin (mood balance)
Serotonin helps regulate mood and sleep. Reduced daylight in winter can lower serotonin levels. Supporting serotonin includes getting daylight exposure, staying physically active, keeping a consistent sleep routine, and ensuring adequate protein intake.

Oxytocin (connection and calm)
Oxytocin supports feelings of safety, calm, and emotional connection. Isolation during winter months can reduce oxytocin. Social connection, physical touch, acts of kindness, and time with pets can help support healthy levels.

Dopamine (motivation and energy)
Dopamine plays a role in motivation, focus, and enjoyment. Low dopamine can feel like low drive or low energy. Supporting dopamine includes setting small achievable goals, completing tasks, regular movement, and adequate iron and B-vitamin intake.

Vitamins and nutrients
Certain deficiencies are more common in winter and can affect mood and energy. These include vitamin D, B-vitamins, iron, and magnesium. Whenever possible, levels should be checked before supplementing.

Whole-body wellness
Mood is closely connected to physical health. Pain, circulation, mobility, sleep quality, and activity levels all influence mental well-being, especially during the winter months.

Winter wellness is about support, not willpower. Small, consistent, evidence-based habits can make a meaningful difference.

— Chantal, RPN
Nurse-Led Wellness Carenursechantal

11/19/2025

11/19/2025

Humans and sourdough have more in common than we’d like to admit:
we both get puffy when stressed, we both deflate when ignored, and when things finally settle… we get a little bubbly again.

Me and my starter? Spiritually related.

So when someone tells you to “just breathe,” and your immediate reaction is to throw hands?
Trust me, same.
But unfortunately… they’re not wrong.

A slow exhale activates your vagus nerve, which basically sends your brain a memo saying:
“Relax. We are not being hunted.”

Heart rate drops.
Tension loosens.
Your entire nervous system stops acting like the world is on fire.

No crystals.
No chanting.
Just pure neurophysiology doing its thing.

So the next time you take a deep breath and feel ridiculous, remember:
You’re not doing “woo woo.”
You’re doing hardcore neurophysiology.

And this is my first successful sourdough loaf, which only rose so beautifully because it had time, patience, bubbles, and lots of air.

Bonus Tip: Sourdough’s natural fermentation gives it a lower glycemic index, making it one of the better bread options for diabetics and anyone watching blood sugar.

Honestly, me and this bread are healing together 💙 emotionally and metabolically.

11/17/2025

11/08/2025

The Science Behind “You’ll Catch a Cold Without a Jacket”

Myth:
“You’ll catch a cold if you go out without a jacket.”
— Every grandma, ever.

Fact:
You can’t catch a cold from being cold … you catch a cold from a virus (most commonly rhinovirus or coronavirus). These spread through droplets when someone sneezes, coughs, or touches shared surfaces.

However, cold weather can increase your risk of getting sick indirectly:
• Viral survival: Cold, dry air helps viruses stay alive and travel farther.
• Indoor crowding: We spend more time indoors in winter, making transmission easier.
• Immune suppression: When you’re cold, your body diverts energy toward maintaining core temperature. Blood flow (and immune response) in your nasal passages and airways may decrease giving viruses a better chance to take hold.

So your grandparents weren’t totally wrong …they just didn’t have the microbiology to back it up!

In short:
You don’t get sick from the cold, but the cold can make it easier for a virus to win.
Bundle up for comfort, not contagion

10/29/2025

Why Dry Air Might Be the Real Reason Everyone Gets Sick in Fall

Ever notice how coughs, colds, and flus make their grand entrance right when the furnace comes on?
It’s not just the chill… it’s the dry air inside our homes.

Here’s the nurse truth:
When the air gets too dry (below 40% humidity):
• Germs stay floating longer and travel farther 🦠
• Our noses lose their natural moisture shield
• Skin and feet dry out, leaving tiny cracks where bacteria love to hide

New research backs it up:
• Stanford University (2024): Low humidity reduces natural disinfectant compounds in indoor air, making it easier for viruses to survive.
• Science of the Total Environment (2024): Keeping humidity around 40–60% lowers how long viruses like flu and COVID can stay infectious.
• National Library of Medicine (2024): As humidity increases, SARS-CoV-2 infectivity drops meaning germs lose their power to spread.

Your fall wellness checklist:
☑️ Humidifier on
☑️ Furnace filter changed
☑️ Moisturizer out
☑️ Hydrate (tea counts!)

⚪️ Nurse Tip:
It’s hard to feel humidity, you can’t really guess it by comfort alone.
That’s why I grabbed a small digital reader (a hygrometer) off Amazon.
It quietly tells me when my home is dropping below 40%, and it gives me serious peace of mind that the air my family breathes is healthy.

Because real wellness isn’t just vitamins it’s also healthy air 😊
nursechantal

10/28/2025

Wellness Insight

Alcohol affects both physical and mental health more than most people realize. Even small amounts can influence mood, sleep, hormones, and long-term wellness. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s awareness and moderation.

When we understand the evidence, we can make choices that support a clearer mind, better energy, and healthier aging.

True wellness isn’t just what we do, it’s what we choose not to overdo.
nursechantal

Evidence-Based References:
• World Health Organization (2023). No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health
• National Cancer Institute (2024). Alcohol and Cancer Risk Fact Sheet. cancer.gov
• Zhao J., Stockwell T., Naimi T., et al. (2023). Association between daily alcohol intake and risk of all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 6(8), e2239952. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.39952
• The Lancet (2018). Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: Combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599,912 current drinkers. thelancet.com

All references are from reputable global health sources and peer-reviewed medical journals. Shared for educational purposes only.

10/28/2025

Did you know that even moderate drinking can increase the risk of several cancers and that it can seriously affect your mood and emotional stability over time?

This Globe and Mail article by Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe really highlights how much alcohol can impact overall health and mental wellness. It’s an eye-opening reminder that true wellness isn’t just what we do, it’s what we choose not to do.

Read more here
🔗 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/article-health-alcohol-doctor-sheila-wijayasinghe/
nursechantal

10/28/2025

This article by Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe really caught my attention…especially around the hidden ways alcohol impacts our health and emotional balance.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/article-health-alcohol-doctor-sheila-wijayasinghe/?utm_source=offsite&utm_medium=FacebookAd&utm_campaign=Consideration&utm_term=Twodrinks&utm_id=1&fbclid=IwZnRzaANtOZlleHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQBqy7XsOunrAEe1nIJq44D9Ep3CUaCeVgvQajyoVTjoQHa8QGNTJsTBAzdDzgS8JMNayewlKI_aem_V8QR-DsdUwlNLDKxdUo7oQ&utm_content=120239745633620348

It’s surprising (and honestly a bit sobering) to see how even moderate drinking can increase the risk of several cancers and affect mood, energy, and overall stability more than most people realize.

As a nurse, and as someone on my own health journey…I see this as another reminder that what we consume daily shapes how our body and mind show up for us. It’s not about perfection or judgment, it’s about awareness and choice.

🩵 Small steps, mindful habits, long-term wellness.

— .nursechantal