Hindsight is 2021–has everyone made that joke already?–and so we offer an illuminating review of your favorite Thriveworks content of the past year. Our readers grappled with some dark feelings in 2021, but they also searched for ways to be kinder to themselves. The Thriveworks blog has covered everything from…
When you miss someone, your body and brain go through a painful response. The grieving process may affect your appetite, ability to sleep, and even your brain chemistry, too. Whether you’re missing someone because of a divorce, loss of a friendship, or due to active military duty, there are steps…
Though the idea that each of us has a “reserve” of willpower is an attractive notion, current psychological research doesn’t put much stock in the idea. Psychologists are instead asking the question: Does willpower exist? Believing in willpower is part of ego depletion theory—the belief that without enough willpower, we…
Rare mental disorders are often depicted in horror movies in ways that are 1) inaccurate; and 2) exploitative. That being said, creative inspiration has to come from somewhere. Extraordinary mental health disorders like mass psychogenic illness and Capras syndrome might benefit from the Hollywood treatment. Just make sure you remember…
Infertility is often experienced as a crisis, and women tend to carry more of its physical and emotional burden. Some coping strategies are more compatible with fertility treatment and infertility depression than others. Though psychologists usually discourage avoidant and escapist strategies, active distraction can reduce stress. More people benefit from…
The children of depressed parents could be at an increased risk of developing depression or other mental health disorders. Our external environment, in addition to our parent’s own experience with mental health conditions, may set into motion subtle shifts in our genetics; one allele, in particular, might leave kids vulnerable…
In this post-covid era, mental health professionals are seeing a new type of anxiety disorder, post-covid stress disorder (PCSD), appear. While the social stigmas surrounding mental health topics are steadily losing steam, the covid-19 pandemic reminded us that we often put our mental wellbeing on the backburner. While the world…
According to Mental Health America (MHA), women experience depression about twice as often as men. That said, several studies and surveys have also shown that men are less likely to seek help for things like depression—which might create a false idea that women are more likely to struggle with this mental health problem. The…