Mental Health Topics

We define and we dissect the grieving process: first, the grieving individual will experience denial, followed by anger; then bargaining and a bout of depression; and lastly, acceptance. Once they’ve progressed through these five stages they’ll be A-Okay, good to go—right? Wrong. Grief can’t be so simply defined or explained…

Depression is a crippling mental illness, which leaves many of its sufferers feeling lonely, unmotivated, empty, and generally unhappy. Fortunately, these individuals can combat this disorder and its harrowing effects by undergoing therapy and/or taking medication… but what about their loved ones? Depression doesn’t just hurt those who are diagnosed…

Two of the most important people in my life are diagnosed with depression. Some days they’re happy and a joy to be around—others, they’re miserable and can’t be bothered. While I understand it’s the depression talking, I’m still human, and sometimes can’t help but wonder: Why are they being so…

My brother is undoubtedly an intelligent individual—but he believes in some questionable things. Take, for example, his loyalty to two “psychic” twins on YouTube. These twins have hundreds of thousands of followers and fans who tune in to hear their predictions for the future. And while it’s unclear whether my…

My best friend suffered from debilitating anxiety and depression after her boyfriend of four years broke up with her. She knew she needed help—in fact, she was desperate for help—but she was also nervous and reluctant to take that leap of faith. The months following her breakup became increasingly tough;…

I used to be really good at not talking about my feelings. I kept everything bottled up until I near exploded. Why? Well, if I opened up about my feelings then they became real; and, more importantly, I didn’t like to burden anyone else with my feelings. Fortunately, I’ve since…

When I was a junior in college, I studied abroad and taught English to hundreds of kids in Rwanda for five weeks. Those five weeks were the most exciting and influential weeks of my life—but they came with a fair amount of difficulties. Among those difficulties: learning to communicate with…

Oftentimes, we allow stress and anxiety to completely overtake us. We surrender to it and suffer from it—without even putting up a fight—because we’ve convinced ourselves that there’s no other option. But that just couldn’t be farther from the truth. In addition to counseling, there are a multitude of simple…

When I’m overridden with anxiety, my instinct is to curl up into a ball and rock until my mind is relieved of the static. This, however, isn’t too effective—so I ignore my instinct and implement a different strategy instead. I force my feet into my shoes and then out the…

Raising a teen isn’t easy—I know this not because I have one, but because I remember all too well what it was like to be one. I was a relatively well-behaved teen and didn’t cause many issues for my parents… but those years were markedly more difficult than the years…

Stress is an unequivocal part of life—there’s really no way to ensure we’re calm and happy and peaceful at all times. That would be too easy. However, there is a way to better manage the stress and anxiety we experience. In fact, there are multiple ways: spending time outside, engaging…

Imagine a stress-free life: no worrying about what others think of you, how late you’re running to work, or how anxious you feel today. The perfect fantasy, huh? While I can’t promise to make this fantasy world a reality, I can help you live a more stress-free life—simply visit the…