Have you ever had a really dreadful day, and then craved escape in a big bowl of brussels sprouts? No? Our emotions have a huge impact on our food choices – choices that often do not include healthy foods, like vegetables, but comfort foods instead. Chocolate is calming. Ice cream is comforting. And fried chicken ...
By the time you finish reading this article, four more Americans will experience sexual assault. The probability that you know someone who has experienced sexual trauma is high. Individuals who are at particularly high risk of sexual assault include children and young adolescents, elderly people — especially those with dementia — as well as individuals ...
My earliest memory is from age two. My sister and I were using a combine harvester as a jungle gym when I missed the bar and landed hard on my feet. No one noticed anything wrong at first. I was young enough that suddenly wanting to be carried around more didn’t seem odd. It wasn’t ...
Stress is a normal reaction to abnormal situations. We are now living in a new day and time in American society – an uncertain time where stress is common and can be perceived as uncontrollable. It is nearly impossible to go through one day without hearing alarming information on the news about national security concerns, ...
Tragedies happen in our world every day, and many of these tragedies can affect us deeply. The startling realities we witness through pervasive news reports on television and the internet can cause “secondary trauma.” Secondary trauma is the negative and sometimes debilitating emotional response we experience when affected by the losses of others. Exposure to ...
Summer break is in full swing and, for some parents, they’ve started the countdown to their child’s first day of school. Without the routine and structure of going to school, summer break might not feel like a break at all and can present stressful moments for both parent and child. Recent studies have found that ...
The opioid crisis is certainly at the forefront of our country’s current health agenda. On March 1, President Trump hosted the White House Opioid Summit, an event designed to discuss proposed policies in response to the opioid crisis. The increasing national spotlight on combatting the opioid epidemic is becoming clearer by the week. The continued ...
With nearly 100 deaths a day stemming from opioid use, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death of Americans – beating car crashes, gun accidents and HIV infection. According to STAT, opioids could kill nearly half a million Americans over the next decade, and if that prediction proves accurate, the death toll over the ...
May is Mental Health Month, designed to raise awareness of mental health conditions and to improve wellness for all. One in five Americans has a treatable mental illness, and we all experience stress. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports two-thirds of visits to family physicians are due to stress-related symptoms. Clearly, we must consider ...
High school students across the United States are getting excited for the 2017 prom and graduation season. All the fun things parents remember about those days still exist: dress shopping, tuxedo rental, flowers, photographs, parties. But there also remains a strong temptation to engage in underage drinking. According to a 2016 poll, alcohol use is ...
Navigating our health care system can sometimes feel like being bounced around in a bumper car. You’re bombarded by appointments, tests, suggestions and prescriptions from multiple providers in every direction. A doctor treating you on your right may not know what the one on your left is doing, while some other issue could be barreling toward you from the front. This disjointed environment can be incredibly frustrating. And if no one is taking a broad look at your total wellbeing to understand how all of your conditions, providers, medications and medical advice fit together, it also can compromise your health. ...
The suicide rate in the United States has increased 24 percent since 1999 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report details that the rate has tripled among girls 10 to 14 years old and is up 43 percent among men 45 to 64 years old. To combat these hard numbers, our ...
May is Mental Health Month. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 1 in 5 adults in America experiences mental illness each year. Further, a recent Harris Poll showed 90 percent of Americans now value mental and physical health equally. As awareness increases and stigma decreases, in the pursuit of mental wellness we should ...
You can tell if a relationship is toxic when spending time with someone drags you down, belittles you or makes you feel hurt, angry, and miserable. Some people think of a “toxic relationship” as the most dangerous kind of relationship – one that only involves abuse or addictions. These are, in fact, harmful characteristics of ...
Addiction is a complicated problem. It is diverse in its causes and its costs. If describing a person with an addiction was to be simplified, it might be “the intense desire and action of continuing certain behaviors despite the negative consequences.” An addiction controls your life, your thoughts and your choices. It is a compulsion that robs you of healthy options for coping with life challenges. ...
Are your moods unpredictable, uncontrollable or consistently disproportionate to a situation? You may be experiencing excessive emotional distress due to unmanaged moods. The many challenges of today’s society seem to provoke mood swings for many people, which can debilitate relationships, careers and even physical health. Mood swings are characterized by a drastic change in emotion ...
With over 36 million Americans older than 65, and the first of the 77 million baby boomers turning 60 this year, a surge of healthcare problems may soon face older adults. According to APA’s Resolution on the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, 20-25 percent of older adults suffer from some form of mental disorder, ...
These days everyone is really busy, but always remember there is more to life than the daily grind. You may have responsibilities to your family, your work, your children’s activities or your community. All these are competing for your valuable attention. Sometimes we let our schedule run our lives and railroad our priorities, as opposed ...
If you’re ready to get rid of your gloomy mood and pessimism, this article is for you! It’s time to let go of misery and reduce your stress. Here are five ways to stress less, not more: Don’t track your faults Keeping a full inventory of all your faults keeps your stress level high. Don’t ...
Self-care is the process of nurturing yourself. But in a fast-paced and often chaotic society, many women tend to put their own needs on the back burner. So many women constantly put everyone else first, allowing their own needs to suffer. Some women may even become resentful because their personal needs have been neglected. Self-care ...
