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9 new approaches to emotional wellness

The articles focus on new methods for emotional wellness. They highlight empathy, stress, lifestyle changes, and community support. Each approach seeks to address mental health in practical ways.

A South Florida resort combines nutrition, sleep, fitness and mindfulness to set a wellness standard. An Ohio psychiatrist describes how toxic stress links to poor health, and notes that changing daily habits can retrain the stress response. In Sacramento, a gym creates a safe environment for LGBTQ+ people to support their emotional and physical wellness. Healthcare workers discuss empathy training to help staff prepare for loss and grief.

These examples show how spaces, routines, and new approaches help people manage emotional health. They use support groups, wellness plans, empathy practice, and inclusive infrastructures. These efforts give people ways to address their mental and emotional well-being in daily life.

Hayden Glenn, co-founder and primary trainer at Queers and Allies Fitness, is photographed July 7, 2023, in the East Sacramento gym. “Long story short, I had experienced some discrimination in the gym after I’d been outed,” he said about working in a gym in far Northern California, “and that’s sort of the beginning of this.” He added, “I realized this would have been an awesome resource for me to have, and I decided I want to be part of that journey for other people.”

NO. 1: THIS SACRAMENTO GYM CREATES A SAFE SPACE FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND ALLIES TO WORK OUT

For more than half of the gym’s patrons, Queers and Allies Fitness is the first gym they’ve ever joined. | Published August 4, 2023 | Read Full Story by Maya Miller

Chris Calkins

NO. 2: LEARNING TO LIVE: PRACTICING EMPATHY PREPARES US FOR THE INEVITABILITIES OF LIFE

“I believe that our most powerful emotion is not sorrow, grief or even love. It is empathy, to feel with the other.” | Published September 24, 2023 | Read Full Story by Chris Calkins

Attendees participated in an early morning cathartic workout experience and a wellness walk early Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 ahead of the Global Wellness Summit 2023 in Miami, Florida.

NO. 3: WOULD YOU TAKE HEALTH ADVICE FROM A ROBOT? ‘WELLNESS COMPANION’ COULD EVEN HELP SEX LIFE

“Your every movement, every emotion, every breath, I sense. | Published November 11, 2023 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Toxic stress increases the risks for obesity, diabetes, depression and other illnesses. By Adobe Stock

NO. 4: OHIO PSYCHIATRIST EXPLAINS LINKS BETWEEN TOXIC STRESS, POOR HEALTH

The earliest effects of toxic stress are often persistent symptoms such as headache, fatigue or abdominal pain. | Published April 10, 2024 | Read Full Story by Nadia Ramlagan

(L) Jessica Dorregaray, Estés Lauder Education Manager , does (R) Myra Camino’s make up during the grand opening of Memorial Cancer Institute’s Center for Mind, Body & Spirit that offers a variety of spa services to cancer patients including personalized wig fittings, head coverings, lymphedema services and skincare services in Pembroke Pines, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.

NO. 5: HOW A NEW SOUTH FLORIDA CANCER SALON HELPS PEOPLE HEAL AND GET ‘BACK TO THEIR LIVES’

What to know about the salon. | Published June 1, 2024 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Junior Suite/Ocean View at Amrit Ocean Resort

NO. 6: HOW THIS NEW RESORT IN SOUTH FLORIDA IS GIVING GUESTS A DIFFERENT VIBE. TAKE A LOOK

Come with us for an inside tour at a place that blends cultures. | Published June 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha

A caretaker, center, offers cafecito to Asustina Valdes Cabrera, left, while she is tested by UHealth medical researcher Dr. Katrina Celis, right, as part of an Alzheimer study during a community outreach event for the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics where UM researchers performed tests, enrolled new participants and took blood samples to a new Biorespository opening at UHealth’s campus, at Hora Feliz Adult Day Care on Thursday, January 16, 2025, in Hialeah, Fla. By D.A. Varela

NO. 7: HOW A UM LAB IS UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF THE BRAIN. IT STARTS WITH A PERSONAL MESSAGE

What to know about the visits. | Published January 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Learn how to protect your heart naturally.

NO. 8: ASK A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL: WHAT EVERYDAY HABITS NATURALLY SUPPORT HEART HEALTH?

Want to support your heart naturally? Discover how diet, exercise, and even sauna sessions can work together to keep your heart strong and healthy. | Published February 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kailey Asetov

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, testifies in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025.

NO. 9: ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ ECHOES UGLY 20TH CENTURY EUGENICS | OPINION

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reviving the spirit of a movement that decided who gets to count as fully human. | Opinion | Published May 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Sarah Grindstaff

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.