Mental Health
Precocious Puberty in Children and How it Impacts the Mental Health of Young Girls
Early puberty, also called precocious puberty, refers to the premature onset of puberty in children. The stages of puberty include body and hormone changes that allow the body to reproduce. Early onset puberty can have negative effects on the mental health of children.
Navigating Mother’s Day Celebrations When It’s Hard
Have self-compassion and don’t feel like you need to enjoy or recognize Mother's Day. Allow yourself to feel the emotions you have rather than pressuring yourself to feel happy or joyful.
What are Awe Walks?
An awe walk is a hike or walk focused on enjoying and taking part in the natural world around you. To take part in awe walking, all that is needed is to focus on the world around you and awe-inspiring aspects of nature while you walk.
Tips for Coping with Social Anxiety
15 million Americans struggle with social anxiety disorder specifically, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. This can be an obstacle to regular life and comfort, with most adults with social anxiety reporting moderate impairment from their symptoms or anxiety.
Benefits of Healing Gardens
It is common sense that being around nature, fresh air, and pleasant images or aromas from plants can be soothing. But are there actual healing benefits to healing gardens?
How Long Does It Take the Body to Recover from Drinking
The long-term effects of alcohol use do not go away as soon as you stop drinking or alter your drinking habits. Some noticeable changes and markers of recovery may show up as soon as days or weeks after beginning abstinence from alcohol.
How to Stop a Panic Attack
When a panic attack hits, one can feel out of control or in extreme danger. Anxiety over the panic attack or attempts to avoid or prevent an oncoming panic attack can add to the feelings of urgency and panic.
What is Silent Walking?
Silent walking is the idea of a focused, silent walk without listening to music, podcasts, conversation, or other activities often used during runs or walks. The goal of silent walking is to focus your mind and body on the walk, on the world around you, and to use the walk as a meditative experience.
How Taking a Break from Alcohol Benefits Your Health
Alcohol negatively affects physical and mental health in many ways, especially if consumed in excess, routinely or habitually. The reverse is also true, however – sobriety or cutting alcohol out of a lifestyle can have significant, positive effects on overall health and wellness.
The Link Between Stress and Nutrition
The link between stress and nutrition is bi-directional, meaning they both affect each other. Stress can affect our eating habits, especially the chances of unhealthy choices or overeating. Additionally, poor nutrition and diet choices can exacerbate or increase levels of stress.
Foods That Help with Stress Relief
What you eat can have a significant effect on your stress levels and risk of chronic stress. Proper nutrition is an important element to handling stress and anxiety. Learn more about foods that can help manage stress and anxiety.
Why Indoor Plants Are Good for Your Mental Health
Ready to lower your blood pressure and feel more relaxed? Indoor plants might be a worthy investment. Let’s look at how they can make you feel better – and why.
Is Coloring a Good Way for Adults to Relieve Stress?
Coloring has been found to be a therapeutic or meditative activity for many and can have multifold benefits, especially for adults with high levels of stress or anxiety.
How Seasonal Changes, Even in the Spring, Affect My Anxiety
I’ve noticed something about my anxiety over the years – that almost every year it feels like my anxiety heightens around mid-March/early-April. Each year, it comes as a surprise to me. Learn more about springtime seasonal mood changes.
5 Ways Alcohol Can Affect Your Health and Fitness Progress
The use and overuse of alcohol limits and inhibits your overall level of health and fitness. Alcohol suppresses many of your body’s main functions to different extents and can affect your ability to recover from illness and injury.
Brain-Sharpening Exercises and Activities
Just like our bodies, our brains change as we age. But there are exercises and activities that can slow or even prevent some of that decline.
How to Stay Healthy During Spring Break
Make the most of the wonderful weather by getting your body up and moving. Springtime outdoor workouts can reinvigorate you after a long cold winter. Make sure you are staying healthy and moving this spring.
Signs of Feeding and Eating Disorders in Children
Feeding and eating disorders are considered mental health disorders and medical illnesses. Understanding the types, signs and symptoms is important, regardless of an individual’s age and gender.
5 Ways to Get Moving with Meditation
Who says meditation has to be solitary, still and boring? Get active in your practice with these five moves. Meditation takes many forms, and these five can be a boon for your physical and mental health.
What’s the Let-Down Effect? Here’s How I Dealt With It
Mental health advocate and contributor Monica Drake shares her experience with the let-down effect after planning and celebrating her wedding, and how she dealt with the feelings of listlessness after the big day.
Why Tanning Beds Don’t Help with Seasonal Depression
Thinking about popping into a tanning bed to ward off the winter blues? Not so fast.
Melting Away Winter Health Myths
Not everything you hear about how the winter affects your health is true. As the dead of winter approaches, it's important to be as informed as possible.
Ways to Combat Winter Restlessness
Did you know emotions associated with the “winter blues” can affect 10% to 20% of people this time of year? These tips can help you combat those emotions.
Benefits of Owning a Dog
Most dogs are naturally happy and even excited to see their owners. They wag their tails, lean against their owner, stick close for a head scratch or a friendly greeting. It’s a welcome-home reaction that’s pretty hard to beat. It speaks to the bond most people have with their pets, and this relationship has lots of perks for the owners, too. Four-legged friends bring their owners both mental and physical benefits as part of their relationships.
The Calming Effect of Decluttering
Here are six tips on tackling clutter and organizing. If you’re dealing with items inherited from parents and items your grown children have left behind, these pointers are especially helpful.
Decluttering for the New Year
Clutter doesn't always refer to physical items. If your house and your life feel a little messy, it’s time to declutter for the New Year. Here are some tips.
How I Am Managing the Holidays While Grieving
Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about how she is managing the holiday season while grieving a recent loss in her family.
3 Tips to Ease Travel Anxiety
If stress has become an uninvited guest on your vacations or work trips, you may have travel anxiety.
Social Media Can Put a Damper on Your Holiday Spirit
If scrolling and swiping makes you feel less than festive, don’t let social media put a damper on your holiday celebrations.
5 Meditations to Try
Ready to add a little more zen to your life? Try these 5 kinds of meditations.
How I Learned to Manage Impulsive and Intrusive Thoughts
Mental health advocate and contributor Monica Drake shares how she learned the difference between impulsive and intrusive thoughts -- and how they affect her mental health.
Overcoming Post-Vacation Blues
If getting back from a trip gives you the blues, here’s how to overcome post-vacation depression.
Advice for Coping with Holiday Blues
Contributor Monica Drake shares what you can do if the holidays aren’t feeling so joyful right now.
8 Ways to Stop Holiday Stress Before It Starts
The holidays are as stressful as they are joyous. When it comes to shopping, traveling, decorating and family time, here are ways to mitigate the stress.
Detroit Native Builds ‘Slow AF Run Club’ Community to Bust Stereotypes
Detroit native Martinus Evans started running at 300 pounds 10 years ago, and has gone on to run eight marathons and founded a 25,000-member online running community called the “Slow AF Run Club.” The community is inclusive, and empowers people to run “in the body they have right now.”
How Change – Even Good Change – Affects My Anxiety
Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about one of the biggest triggers for her anxiety -- change -- as she prepared to get married.
What are the Seven Principles of Mindfulness?
Taking time to clear your mind of thoughts, judgments and opinions can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. This practice is known as mindfulness.
How Does Alcohol Affect My Sleep?
Booze before bed may seem like an OK way to help you doze off quickly. But the tradeoff is usually fragmented sleep, wakefulness and a very groggy day after.
This Suicide Prevention Month, I Remember.
Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about what Suicide Prevention Month means to her and why.
Know this Acronym to Help Prevent Suicide
Learn about WAIT, which offers simple suicide prevention advice.
The Power of a Routine in College
Having trouble staying organized at school? Adding structure to our lives can bring out the best versions of ourselves. Here's what a routine-oriented approach can offer.
How I Protected My Mental Health While Dating
Since the unknown is one of the biggest triggers for my anxiety, it’s no wonder that dating had such an effect on me.
The Health Benefits of Grounding
Swim in a lake, walk in the grass or lay on the sand and you might get the benefits from grounding.
How My Workout Became a Part of My Social Life
Working out with friends has its benefits. Added motivation is usually one of them. That was the experience for Maria Cassel, who details her health journey in this first-person writing.
How Breastfeeding Affects Mental Health
When facing problems with breastfeeding, women may experience feelings of depression or symptoms similar to post traumatic stress syndrome.