Spending time alone can be a blissful way to recharge our batteries when we feel our social energy levels starting to dip low. We all need some alone time every now and then—but when being alone becomes our daily default mode, the benefits of solitude disappear. And then loneliness sets…
You start feeling tired during the day, so you order a wearable device that tracks your sleep. The data indicates that you’re not spending long enough in your REM cycle, so you begin researching natural sleep aids. You discover an online community of amateur biologists who not only recommend avoiding…
Self-care is a topic that’s been riding a perpetual tidal wave of popularity across social media. Self-care accounts on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter grew swollen with followers, as many people sought refuge in anything seeming remotely wholesome during the dark ages of 2020. This has given rise to toxic self-care—where…
Self-care posts and tips often talk to us as though we’re single. But what about practicing self-care while we’re in a relationship? When we avoid prioritizing our own needs in a relationship, it can result in us feeling hurt and insecure, putting an unfair amount of pressure on our partner…
You may not remember when The Human Genome Project completed its 13-year massive undertaking in 2003. The researchers involved with the project finished mapping the entire human genome sequence, which represents the full 20,000-25,000 genes that we carry in our DNA. Every trait that can be physically expressed is contained…
You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have a strong opinion about astrology, which assigns meaning to the placement of the planets and the stars. Twenty-nine percent of Americans believe in horoscopes, and the people who say they don’t are quick to defend their reasons why. As much as…
For the seventh time this morning, I ogle at my wrist, shuffling through the features on my smartwatch until I can see my heart rate. It’s bumping along at a cool 102 bpm. I’m sweating slightly, nervously tapping my foot against the carpet. Whether it’s from this third cup of…
There are many benefits to regularly riding a bike. For many people, bicycling is a nostalgic thing. For others, bike riding may be one of the best ways to get in imperative exercise. However, one of the most commonly overlooked rewards to bicycling is its ability to help us improve…
A new study published in The Medical Journal of Australia suggests that online symptom checkers only provide accurate diagnoses 1/3 of the time. A team of researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) evaluated the accuracy of 36 different symptom checkers, inputting symptoms of 48 different “patients.” They pulled clinical information…
Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, my name is Stephanie Carlyle and I’m a Licensed Clinician at Thriveworks Silver Spring, Maryland. The question that I was asked was what can we do to stay busy during COVID-19? So when we’re stuck at home it can definitely feel…
Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training, or IMST, is exercising the muscles you use to breathe in. And according to researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder, it could improve your physical and mental health. This practice involves breathing in vigorously through a hand-held device. The team found that engaging in…
