It’s been said that there are two kinds of people in the world: the ones with peace of mind and the ones who feel like they’re losing their minds.

The majority of us probably relate most with the “losing their minds” group. There’s no shame in that. Life is stressful. It’s like watching a toddler eat a big bowl of ice cream, super messy. Even with all the chaos and endless to-do lists, it’s important that we take care of ourselves, and remember to stop and enjoy the big, messy bowl of ice cream that is life.

“Wellness has become a total awareness of mind, body and spirit,” says Claire Kantrow, clinical director at Elevate Wellness Studio. “Everything plays into how you feel on a daily basis.”

Fulfilling her passion for community outreach, Kantrow created Elevate’s Wellness Wednesdays.

Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, Elevate offers a free, hour-long presentation and demonstration. These informal classes cover a wide range of health and wellness topics. The goal of the series is to create an open, educational setting where community members are free to ask questions and learn how to improve their lifestyles with the help of healthcare professionals.

“When we walk into a physician’s office, we have maybe five to ten minutes to try to quickly ask all our questions,” she says. “Here, you have a health and wellness expert standing in front of you for up to an hour and you can ask them all kinds of questions.”

According to Kantrow, some of the most popular topics covered have been, “Healthy Cooking at Home” with a cooking demo with Kirk Vidrine from V-Well Solutions, “Surviving Traumatic Loss” with social worker Sherry Smelley, and “Declutter Your Way to Peace” with Amy Bourg from AB Organizing.

“What’s cool with the topics that everyone presents is that you walk away with a bit of information and tips on how you can start changing something right away,” she says.

What’s better than learning about healthy eating while making chicken tacos with a dietitian? Or learning how to change the stress in your environment with 10 simple tips?

By bringing awareness to our bodies and minds, we will have a much better understanding of what are needs are and where our stressors lie, Kantrow says. By becoming more mindful of the little things, like how we breathe and sit, we become better connected with our systems and how to improve them, she adds.

“Those stressors in our lives that can be eliminated, eliminate them,” she says.

Aside from learning from and talking to healthcare experts, Wellness Wednesdays are rooted in connecting with and building a community. Though people come to the classes to learn about maximizing their lives, a bonus benefit of the series is that it brings people together. The most recent Wellness Wednesdays topic was focused on “blue zones.” These are five locations throughout the world that host the longest living and healthiest populations. The secret behind their healthy lifestyles and mental health is community. When we come together, we start to care about bettering ourselves and each other.

“We’re so disconnected in terms of being in person with people, but we’re so connected in this social media world, behind a screen,” she says. “It’s a bizarre place that we’re living in, and we’re just trying to re-ground everybody and bring people together.”

To learn more about Elevate Wellness Studio and upcoming Wellness Wednesdays, visit brelevate.com.