The world we live in is obsessed with success and what it means to be successful and the stigma of medication. It is easy to see why some people view a setback or a mistake as a failure. It can be a blow to an individual's ego and self-esteem if they think this way and [...]
Jealousy is a negative emotion that can interfere with personal relationships and self-esteem. Learning how to constructively cope with feelings of jealousy can help one feel valued and worthwhile, beyond a showdown of a doubt, with or without love from your partner. Twenty-first century culture depicts jealously as an expression of love mixed with paranoia; [...]
Most of us carry around messages we received in childhood about the world, about others, and about ourselves. We receive messages from the outside world--our family members, friends, teachers--all throughout our lives. The messages we receive about ourselves can be positive or negative. The negative messages we receive, even at an early age, can lead [...]
There are many books with metaphors from various sports giving advice about how to live a better life. One such book with valuable lessons is Learning to Climb Indoors by Eric Hörst. This is a book for those interested in this sport of ever-increasing popularity. (You get that ‘o’ with the two dots over it [...]
Mindfulness has become almost a buzzword in our culture. Mindfulness is being aware of the present moment without judgment. Current research has found that there are practical applications for mindfulness in therapy. Karen Hooker and Iris Fodor's 2008 article on mindfulness and children provides practical examples for how to teach children mindfulness skills. Children and [...]
Why are there so many myths and misinformation when it comes to eating disorders? It has been a mental health illness that has plagued women and men throughout history and yet we still have so much stigma and bias towards eating disorders. Let’s understand why and disprove some myths. It probably won’t come as a [...]
Most days I start my morning by rolling out my yoga mat. Most yoga classes follow a similar structure; starting with an intention and moment of meditation. As you begin, your yoga teacher might help remind you to practice “non-attachment.” Non-attachment is the idea of not feeling attached to the results of the class or [...]
We often get stuck trying to achieve our goals. We set off with noble intentions. We’ll decide that we’re going to start working out, eating healthy, go back to school, move out, obtain financial security or even just simply learn a new hobby. We see other people toting their successes and achievements and yet somewhere, [...]
I was speaking with a friend recently about phones and texting, and he used the term 'phubbing'. While I agree that texting is a viable form of communication, as a mental health professional, I'm concerned that too many teens and adults attempt to carry on a conversation through texting while they ignore the person standing in front of [...]
Don't munch on feelings. Often we munch on feelings when we don't have useful tools to cope with distressful feelings. If you’ve identified yourself as someone who uses food to avoid and soothe a distressful emotion, then you may lack the necessary, non-food-related, tools to cope. Making this change is challenging as food is a [...]
