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Here in America, we are all currently on lockdown due to COVID-19, which comes with firm guidelines from our state and federal government. Some of you may see these guidelines as a true blessing for our health and safety while others have a mix of emotions, theories, and frustrations. Regardless, we should all agree that so many of us are in a different state of mind than we could have ever imagined from just a month ago. Who has felt fear, anxiety, nervousness, sadness, disbelief and depression? To put it simply, this virus and the news that surrounds it has an overwhelming impact on our everyday emotions.

Like many of you, I have read the online self-help articles, blogs, and social media posts of how to cope during this time...

Narrative medicine, a medical approach taught by award-winning local expert, teacher, author and cancer survivor Sandra Marinella, focuses on writing to heal from illness, trauma or loss. Marinella currently teaches at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where her story-sharing and writing methods have been shown to dramatically improve moods, reduce stress, increase well-being and decrease pain...