Many new mothers experience the “baby blues” for a couple of weeks after giving birth—this often includes anxiety, crying, difficulty concentrating, irritability, mood swings, reduced appetite, sadness, and trouble sleeping. But if your symptoms are especially severe or persist for longer than two weeks, you might have what’s known as postpartum depression.Postpartum depression has numerous potential causes. With regard to...[ read more ]
Have you ever wondered whether you could possibly be autistic? Autism spectrum disorder (often referred to as “autism”) is a neurological and developmental disorder that can impact how someone learns, communicates, behaves, and interacts with others. Autism symptoms can vary from one person to another and change over time, and only a trained professional can accurately diagnose you with this...[ read more ]
You’ve probably heard of “self-care Sunday,” a recent trend that involves devoting one day a week to nourishing your mind and body. Whether you want to start practicing self-care on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays—or every day—good for you! Depending on the practices you adopt, self-care can boost your mental and emotional health, enhance your physical health, strengthen your relationships, and improve...[ read more ]
Rumination involves obsessively thinking about negative experiences and feelings. Some people replay events that occurred in the past, while others worry about situations that could potentially occur in the future.Rumination tends to have a snowball effect—certain mental health conditions (including generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder) can cause someone to ruminate, and rumination can in turn worsen the symptoms of...[ read more ]
You may have heard about the benefits of setting boundaries with family, friends, and coworkers—by communicating your needs and wants, you can boost your self-esteem, prioritize your mental and emotional health, and improve your overall well-being. In the long run, boundaries can also enhance the relationships you have with those around you since they can help you feel respected instead...[ read more ]
People often speak of grief in terms of losing a loved one, but did you know it can also result from the loss of a job? It’s true. When you lose a job—especially one that you enjoyed and planned to stay at well into the future—it can cause you to question your self-worth. Jobs provide routine and structure to our...[ read more ]
Have you recently lost a dream? Maybe you always imagined going to the college your parents attended, but you received a rejection letter after applying. Perhaps you pictured getting back together with a significant other, but you found out that they’ve gotten married to someone else. Or maybe you dreamed of having a family, but you’re dealing with infertility.Whatever the...[ read more ]
You may have heard about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but what about post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED)? PTED is a condition that produces chronic feelings of bitterness and resentment after someone experiences a negative life event (for example, being bullied, assaulted, or fired from a job).PTED may be more likely to occur if the person worked hard to achieve their goals...[ read more ]
Is shopping always on your mind, whether you’re thinking about items you plan to buy or feeling guilty about previous purchases? Do you often feel a sense of euphoria after buying something, causing you to turn to shopping whenever you feel sad or stressed? Has shopping caused you to rack up credit card debt, or do you feel compelled to...[ read more ]
You’ve likely heard of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition that can cause someone to experience anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and other symptoms after living through a traumatic event. But did you know that the mental health community commonly divides PTSD into five stages? They are:Impact – This stage occurs immediately after someone experiences a traumatic event. The person...[ read more ]
