Mental Health Topics

No matter how hard you try or how badly you wish you could, you cannot control every single aspect of your life: the flat tire you got this morning, your unraveling relationship, the sudden mass layoffs at work. Sure, you can hope for the best, but I recommend instead preparing…

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…

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…

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…

A few years ago, I lived out the ultimate adventure: I explored Europe for three months and then taught English in Rwanda for five weeks. Every day brought a new and unfamiliar experience with it—I stood atop the beautiful Cliffs of Moher in Ireland; I gawked at the Eiffel tower…

A popular topic of conversation (at least in the world of psychology) is whether or not video games make people more aggressive. For years, the bulk of research said yes, they certainly do; even the American Psychological Association declared violent video games—such as Halo and Call of Duty—a danger to…

Simply defined, your self-esteem is how you feel about yourself and your abilities. And according to Tina Bakardzhieva, Level Two Mindfulness-based Interventions Teacher, it can have a pretty big effect on your life, whether it’s high, low, or somewhere in-between. Bakardzhieva says it’s important to understand that nobody is born…

Everybody is creative in their own way: one may utilize creative thinking to make an acceptable meal out of their very few supplies; another may display creativity in planning a fun outing with friends; and another may demonstrate their creative abilities in their drawings or writing. These tasks and those…