Mental Health Topics

Daily routines can reduce stress, help us break bad habits (and create better ones), and introduce structure to our lives. However, it’s also beneficial to open ourselves to change and new opportunities as they arise—doing so reduces rigidity and increases happiness. The key is finding a healthy middle ground between…

Dogs are scientifically-proven to benefit us in a number of ways and improve our overall health (both physical and mental). For one, pet owners tend to have lower cholesterol and blood pressure because they’re more inclined to get out of the house and stay active. Owning a pet can also…

Work is a common cause of stress, for a number of reasons, including: fear of losing one’s job, gossip, and a long commute. You can take control of these stressors and ultimately improve your mental health by working for yourself. It’s important to note that self-employment doesn’t come without stress—the…

It’s important you make time for your hobbies, as partaking in your favorite activities is vital to stress management, social connection, and your overall happiness. When you engage in an activity you enjoy, you release a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which makes you feel good! Additionally, your hobbies provide you with…

You can work toward self-improvement by making small changes each day. A few actionable tips include practicing gratitude, logging out of social media, exercising, and saying some positive affirmations in the mirror. To further your self-improvement mission, set out to adopt a more positive sense of being—always look for the…

A personal mission statement simply states your purpose in life—it considers and combines all of your values into just a couple of sentences. It’s important to have a personal mission statement as it motivates you to have a positive impact on the world and helps you feel more satisfied in…

When life becomes overwhelming, it helps to consult your personal value system, which outlines your priorities and guides your actions. Your personal values also help to determine what kind of people you keep around, what purpose you seek, and how you treat others. To create a healthy personal value system,…

A lot of factors work together to breed the right job for you—these include passion, enjoyment, location, work/life balance, and workplace culture. When it comes to personal fulfillment, it’s important that you’re passionate about your job and truly enjoy what you’re doing: if you don’t find passion and enjoyment in…

A recent survey found that the majority of Americans use streaming services like Netflix and Hulu in bed, and it’s disrupting their sleep. Users often don’t know when to log out of these services, which leads them to veer from their healthy nightly routines and disrupt their circadian rhythm. Instead…

While many know that drugs and alcohol play a significant role in mental health, it isn’t as clear what that role is: can drug and alcohol use cause mental illness? Or does persistent drug/alcohol use merely signify a mental illness. As it turns out, the answer isn’t so black and…

It might already be universally understood that using alcohol and/or drugs to cope with mental illness is a bad idea, but the “whys” of it might be less clear. It’s a big topic and there’s a lot of information out there, especially with all the discussions around legalization. Coping or…

Many people who don’t experience addiction themselves struggle to understand why and how others become addicted to substances like drugs and alcohol. Some doubt or downplay the suffering that comes with this disease, and others, those who empathize with struggling addicts, just can’t fully grasp the painful, strenuous battle that…