Mental Health Topics

Q: What is more important? Following your heart, mind, body, and soul, even if it means hurting others’ feelings and emotions, or continuing to live in denial to make your dying spouse, special needs child, and others happy? A: Thank you for reaching out. I really feel for you and…

Urban myths and popular fiction have nourished the idea that our final moments offer us a rapid-fire series of flashbacks, featuring each moment we’ve ever lived through. Whether life actually flashes before our eyes has never been confirmed, but many people who have survived near-death experiences have reported the phenomenon….

If you ever doubted the mental health benefits of being close to nature, you need look no further than recent research on green spaces and the Covid-19 pandemic. Population studies show that people who lived near green spaces during the pandemic fared better mentally than people with limited access to…

You may wonder why handwriting still matters in an era when we’re all typing on smartphones and computer keyboards. Americans aren’t especially known for their great penmanship. In fact, in 1955 the Saturday Evening Post called the US a “nation of scrawlers.”  But we do still write: at school, on…

I’m guessing you have at least two people at your current workplace with whom you’re close. Okay, maybe not close enough to ask them to cat-sit this weekend but close enough that you feel comfortable sharing some details of your life outside of work. They might know your favorite sports…

Most people like to think of their brains and their bowels as completely separate units. Gray matter is where the higher thinking happens, where one contemplates art and one’s place in the universe. The gut is where our breakfast cereal goes. It’s a region of the body we only tend…

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…

Have you ever walked into a crowded room and sensed negative energy? Do you feel uncomfortable being around someone in a bad mood? Do you avoid certain people because they emit weird vibes? Do you ever cancel plans with friends because “the vibes are off”? What exactly are you picking…

Q: I am feeling super overwhelmed and alone. What are some things that I can do to calm down? A: We’re so sorry to hear that you’re feeling overwhelmed and alone. Those feelings are really difficult and we understand that it can be hard to find ways to calm and…

168 hours. That is how many hours are in each week. Did you know that? I certainly did not; I never thought to do the math. Someone recently recommended the book, “I Know How She Does It” by Laura Vanderkam. Truthfully, it is written for a specific group of people…

Child therapists know that children grieve differently from adults, and they also understand how a child’s unique grieving process might be overlooked in the midst of significant loss. Children who experience the death of someone close to them are often surrounded by adult suffering. They might not want to burden…

Few scandals are able to hurt a romantic partner more than infidelity. In most relationships, monogamy is not only an unspoken rule, it’s a requirement; without it, monogamous relationships just couldn’t exist. For some, this means forgoing monogamy, while some remain faithfully committed to the sole person of their choice….