Mental Health Topics

I used to think that adults who play video games regularly were people who couldn’t face reality; man-child troglodytes who retreat into their sweaty lair in order to avoid the sun and going on dates. I’d long shoved video games into a corner of my head, adding to a mental…

A new Australian study indicates that adolescents can benefit from daily screen time, but only in limited doses: under 75 minutes for girls and under 105 minutes for boys. The researcher attributes the gender divide to a lower “active contribution” from girls during media use. Boys tend to play more…

My dad is a psychologist—growing up, I remember him helping all types of people, from inmates prepping for parole to other children and teens who were having behavioral issues. As someone from a poor family and a rough area of Chicago, his life lessons were always insightful, if a little…

For the seventh time this morning, I ogle at my wrist, shuffling through the features on my smartwatch until I can see my heart rate. It’s bumping along at a cool 102 bpm. I’m sweating slightly, nervously tapping my foot against the carpet. Whether it’s from this third cup of…

It wouldn’t surprise me if cavepeople worried about getting canceled. Steal someone’s share of the weekly mammoth meat and you’d probably be ostracized by the clan, forced to make your own fire in a lesser, lonelier cave. Until your people forgave your transgression and invited you back into the fold,…

You may be considering a career change by personal choice or due to forced circumstances or a mixture of both. It is natural to feel both excited and anxious about switching your occupations. You might be concerned that you haven’t got the relevant experience, skills, and knowledge to make the…

Humanity is (mostly) made up of moral, sensitive, and compassionate beings. We love big-eyed baby animals. We love gazing at waterfalls. We hate global pandemics that keep us from hanging out with our friends. And, of course, we hate reading again and again about the imminent destruction of our homes…

Starting in the mid-20th century, father figures in pop culture, especially those portrayed on TV, have been characterized with negative attributes. Don’t be mistaken; there’s comedic gold to be mined from the blunders of characters like Bernie McCullough in “The Bernie Mac Show,” Hank Hill in “King of The Hill,”…

Weddings came back with a vengeance this summer, and let’s be honest: It had been kind of nice to see people elope for a while. So cheap. So quiet. So little pressure on friends and family. You could just send a gift instead of making small talk with strangers and…

Does everyone in your workplace get along well… or is there an undercurrent of negativity—or even jealousy? Jealousy can be a difficult and destructive emotion – and it can wreak havoc in the workplace. It’s technically distinct from envy: Jealousy usually involves feeling like a rival to someone else, but…

I’m stuck in four lanes of traffic for the next two miles. It’s late July in Texas, and not a single car is moving. It’s 93 degrees outside, plus 70% humidity to top things off. Sweating, frustrated,  and frankly quite angry, I lean into my car horn, uttering a few…

I can specifically recall eating shrimp-fried rice for the first time (it’s still my favorite food) at seven years old. I was blown away by the fact that food could taste that amazing. On the other end of the spectrum, I can remember my first solo camping trip in Bridger…