Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health diagnosis that can arise after experiencing or seeing a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, war, accident, sexual assault, or physical abuse. It’s marked by flashbacks or nightmares; avoidance of what...
In healthy relationships of any kind, both people give and receive relatively equally and retain their own identities. But in codependent relationships, there is an unhealthy relationship with a giver and taker in which the giver relies on their taker to excessively...
Radical acceptance allows us to tolerate distress so it doesn’t cause suffering. Denial of distress can keep us focused on what we can’t change — unfairness — while “it is what it is” can prevent us from denying our situation. Staying focused on unfairness can leave...
Parenting styles can affect kids’ self-esteem, social skills, performance in school, and overall well-being. Researchers divide parenting styles into four categories: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved. The best approach may depend on the child’s...
In mental health, trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event with the potential for long-term mental and/or physical harm. Trauma impacts our sense of safety and self through such events as accidents, natural disasters, war, or the death of a loved one or...
A psychologist or psychiatrist can give a formal diagnosis of autism based on signs including difficulty understanding social cues and humor; taking comments literally; challenges in communicating, developing relationships, maintaining eye contact, and starting and...
A panic attack is an intense episode of fear and distress that can last up to 30 minutes and can include a racing heartbeat, rapid breathing, sweating, trembling, dizziness, chest pain, nausea, chills, hand tingling, and a feeling of dread. It can be caused by a...
Childhood trauma and the chronic stress associated with it can affect our brain chemistry and coping mechanisms, which can cause chronic physical health problems. Childhood trauma and chronic stress can result in such physical health problems as heart disease, stroke,...
Therapy can help you resolve emotional and mental issues. There are different types of therapy that address different needs: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)Our thoughts contribute to feelings and behaviors. When we change our thoughts, we have the potential to...
If you feel anxiety, overwhelm, distress, or panic in social situations, you may have social anxiety. When you miss opportunities to connect with people through work, friendships, or romantic relationships because of social anxiety, it can lead to depression. Social...
Perfectionism is not the same as high achievement. Perfectionism involves feeling badly about yourself when some aspects are lacking, assuming those aspects will thwart your goals, while high achievement involves going for greatness and feeling fulfilled by what you...
Before talking with your kids about mental health, keep an eye out for warning signs of potential struggles such as irritability, withdrawal, panic attacks, self-harm, aggression, appetite or sleep changes, vomiting, chronic worry, disruptive behavior, mood swings,...
Mental health is mental well-being that contributes to our quality of life. We can improve our mental health through self-care, prioritizing activities that help us increase our energy and decrease stress. Here are 23 ways to improve your mental health: 1. Exercise....
We can get frustrated with ourselves or others from stress or unmet expectations, and when the frustration lingers, it can affect our mental health. We may feel angry, anxious, irritable, overwhelmed, or annoyed. We might avoid those who frustrate us, have changes in...
How Do You Name Your Emotions? Emotional granularity refers to the ability to accurately describe one's emotions, which means having the vocabulary to name feelings. A better ability to name our emotions generally means better coping and mental health. Other words for...
Feelings of sadness and irritability, loss of energy, lack of focus, changes in sleeping, appetite, and/or hygiene, and loss of interest in what they used to enjoy can indicate depression. If these factors persist longer than two weeks and affect daily life in a...
ADHD can involve challenges with executive function: planning, organizing, staying focused, and finished tasks. As the parent, you can help your child gain these skills so you can both feel less overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, and angry and more in control....
When we first turn to an addictive substance or behavior, they may give us temporary relief from physical or emotional pain and/or stress. But once we form a habit over time, the addiction harms us. We crave the substance or behavior, which can include drugs, alcohol,...
Boundaries put a healthy wall between you and someone who shows toxic behavior. Think of healthy boundaries like a cat’s mentality. Unlike dogs, who are thirsty for affection, cats set their own rules about how they live. Our goals with boundaries are similar: we want...
Without support, school bullying can lead to lifelong struggles with self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Along with intervention, support through therapy can help kids process the pain from bullying and develop coping strategies to avoid long-term issues. There is...
The aviation field can be a thrilling and exciting experience, whether as a career or even a hobby. Despite the thrill and excitement of being in the air, over time, pilots may develop negative thoughts and feelings which could manifest as anxiety, panic, stress, and...
Homework time can be a challenge for any kid. But when staying focused presents an extra hurdle for your kid, homework can become stressful for both of you. Here are three tips to make homework time less stressful and more structured: First, pick a good homework spot....
Being adopted or adopting a child can be a truly wonderful experience. This can create a strong sense of unity for a family that is starting or for a family who is looking to expand. It can also provide the adopted child with a sense of belonging or acceptance....
If work leaves you feeling stressed, anxious, and depressed from false accusations, sabotage, exclusion, and other intimidating, threatening, and demeaning behaviors, you may experience triggering from childhood trauma as part of the workplace abuse. If you felt...
Telehealth therapy has gained acceptance since the pandemic and is a great way to make progress on your self-care and mental health during summer months when the routine changes for many of us. Telehealth therapy uses face-to-face telecommunication over the internet...
You may feel like nothing you do at work is good enough. You went from a vibrant, confident worker to feeling stressed, anxious, and depressed. False accusations, sabotage, exclusion, and other intimidating, threatening, and demeaning behaviors at work from...
Healing from trauma and grief is a process that takes time, but we now know that there are effective treatments that can decrease suffering and allow people to recover much more quickly. EMDR has gained widespread acceptance as one of these effective treatments for...
Addiction gets a bad rap but most of us fall into some type of addictive behavior over the course of our life. We can become addicted to a substance such as alcohol, marijuana, caffeine or even sugar. We can also develop what’s called a “process addiction” when we...
First responders, including police officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses and doctors, face unique challenges on the job that can cause significant job-related stress. They may be exposed to repeated critical incidents, long and non-traditional working hours, threats to...
How many of us attended the class on how to communicate well with a romantic partner? I’m guessing the answer is close to none of us. It can be extremely difficult to learn to communicate openly, honestly, and kindly with a partner. We all bring a personal history of...
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