Mental Health Topics

Ask any kid whether their parents are overprotective, and they’ll probably say yes. Whether or not their parents are actually overprotective, however, cannot likely be determined from their child’s testimony—as it’s innate for children and teens to think their parents are a little too controlling or strict. Take for example,…

Exercise is incredibly beneficial—even vital—to both our physical and mental health: it can, decrease negative feelings such as stress, improve brain health and memory, and even reduce one’s risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Still, even with these proven benefits, people aren’t prioritizing that morning run or late-night gym session—they “just…

Just this past weekend, I was playing the classic game of “Would You Rather” with a few close friends when an ever-popular question was proposed: would you rather have a low-paying job that you love or a high-paying job that you hate? Some of us declared our answers immediately, while…

When my little brother turned 10 years old, he expressed a sudden interest in playing football. This was a shock to say the least, as my siblings and I grew up living and breathing soccer, basketball, even tennis—basically every sport but football. And the unchartered territory made us nervous. Even…

There are a lot of words we throw around nonchalantly: two of those being sociopath and psychopath. Mr. Daron is a psychopath, he made us dissect frogs in class today. She never talks to anybody, she’s a complete sociopath. As you can see, it’s easy to declare someone a sociopath…

The coming of the new year elicits a wide range of emotions: excitement, anxiety, relief, apprehension, happiness, and even fear. Some of us are ready to embark on a new journey and leave the past behind, while others aren’t so sure about what lies ahead. Whatever the case, we could…

Music is an incredible force of nature. It has the power to relieve us of stress, boost our mood, and calm us down when we need it most. Furthermore, it is the backbone of an effective form of therapy: simply called music therapy. Music therapy is an established health profession,…

Everybody can benefit from some time spent alone—most even desire some peace and quiet to themselves. Too much alone time, however, can result in feelings of loneliness and negatively impact our mental health, as a healthy and happy life demands we maintain loving interpersonal relationships: with friends, old and new;…

An abundance of research has shown that spending time in nature—even just 5 minutes—can yield amazing benefits, such as: stress reduction, mood improvement, increased concentration, and a boost in overall wellbeing. And you don’t have to go to any extremes to reap said benefits either, you can simply go for…

Depression Portrait: Seasonal Affective Disorder Emily’s mood darkened. She lost touch with her closest friends. She mixed up the names of the kids she worked with. And at home, she found herself watching way too much television: not her old favorite smart dramas and Comedy Central programs, but reality shows…

Some of my favorite memories from grade school wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for P.E. class: tackling Holiday-themed obstacle courses, learning how to play my soon-to-be favorite sport (soccer), and crab-crawling across the floor in a fit of laughter alongside friends. I had a blast in gym class and looked…

When people go off to college, they’re essentially “leaving the nest.” For the last 18 years they’ve lived in arm’s length of their parents, and then suddenly… it’s time to fly solo. This rang mostly true for me: upon moving into my dorm, I embraced a newfound independence. But I…