Mental Health Topics

PTSD and anxiety: Does one cause the other? This question popped up recently when I was speaking with someone who has severe panic attacks, which are “debilitating” and require inpatient care.  As this individual was sharing about their experiences, they told me that when they think about how much time…

Do you want to be the most approachable person in the room? Follow these four tips. One, keep an open body position. Your arms should be loose, your head and eyes level with the room. This will communicate confidence and invite people to talk to you right off the bat….

We all have those days when we get infuriated by trivial things: traffic, slow internet, a lost remote. I’m getting annoyed just thinking about it! Still, here are 3 tips that can help conquer anger: One, take a deep breath. when you feel anger bubbling up inside try this: Breathe…

Imagine this: you get home from work, and your spouse looks up at you from the kitchen table, clearly concerned. You demand simultaneously, “Where are the kids?”  You both thought it was the other person’s turn to pick the kids up from soccer practice, which has the potential to spark…

After working for many decades of your life, most people are ready for a relaxing and peaceful retirement. They look forward to getting to do what they want, when they want, without having to answer to bosses or deal with any more work-related stress. But unfortunately, for many people, retirement…

New research suggests certain positions and longer careers increase an NFL player’s risk of developing cognitive and mental health issues.  Researchers analyzed career length, position history, head and neck injuries, concussion symptoms, depression and anxiety symptoms. They found that players with the longest careers were twice as likely to report…

The perfect relationship doesn’t exist, but we can get pretty close to it: the relationship we develop with our dog is mutually beneficial and rarely contains conflict. Dogs offer their owners unconditional love and positive regard; in other words, they love them and think highly of them no matter what. …

Pets can bring an overwhelming amount of fun, joy, and love to our lives—additionally, they can help to soothe any feelings of loneliness. Dogs, cats, and other pets love their owners unconditionally and in showing this love are able to help us feel happy again. The positive impact doesn’t stop…

Adopting a dog can have positive effects on your health: it can reduce the risk of developing certain ailments and help with your self-image. First, dogs (and other pets) can have a positive influence on heart health; researchers say this is mostly due to the physical activity necessary to taking…

I have been sober for over four years. I am in amazement as I type that, but I also reflect on the terribly long and hard road it took me to get to where I am today. I used to be known as a “chronic relapser.” In other words, I…

Your phone activity might reveal important personality traits. This, from researchers at RMIT University. The research team looked at phone call and messaging activity logs from college students, as well as accelerometer data, which tracks phone movement. They found that an individual’s interactions with their phone predicted specific personality traits….

Life has its ups and downs, and it takes quite some practice to be able to handle it well. A really good foundational theory to help make sense of the world and your reaction to it is the idea of self-concept. It’s a powerful idea that when understood can be…