Old article, good idea–volunteering in order to feel better. It’s generally understood that helping out others makes a person feel nice, but that experience goes beyond just the feel-good glow of altruism. Studies have found that helping others has tangible benefits, both mental and physical, from lowering your blood pressure to reducing feelings of depression. And research hasn’t […]
Volunteering & Mental Health Read More »
Another day, another stressful election. And they’ll keep on coming. Here’s an NYT roundup of therapist advice about just how exactly to cope. [T]herapists report that many of their patients are even more upset as they struggle to make sense of the direction in which the country is heading. And many can’t tear themselves away
Therapists v. Post-Election Stress Read More »
With all the uncertainty following the November election, anxiety is spiking. Worry and fear can show up for different people in vastly different ways. Here’s an article that sums up some of the possibilities. If you’ve been anxious lately, something here is likely look familiar. Also, up top in the article, some simple suggestions: Make
Anxious in Los Angeles Read More »
Los Feliz is a deep blue neighborhood in a deep blue state. Right now, a lot of people are experiencing an unpleasant combination of lingering shock and continued anxiety. From How to Cope with Post-Election Stress (The Atlantic), come some suggestions. First, there’s basic self-care. Then: At an individual level, people can check in on their
Post-Election Anxiety Read More »
Experiencing a spike in anxiety connected with the election? You’re not alone. The American Psychological Association says that 52 percent of American adults are coping with high levels of stress brought on by the election, according to national Harris Poll survey data released last week. Therapists around the country said in interviews that patients are
More help via mindfulness, this time for elementary school kids in Watts: Mindfulness has been found beneficial for stress reduction, anxiety and depression, dietary challenges, addiction recovery, and many other conditions. Now it has found its way into a classroom where children as young as three are using its techniques to manage emotions and stay calm. Using
From the Recommended Reading page, a couple of titles worth highlighting: The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety and The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression, a matching pair of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workbooks. Instead of trying to take on and eliminate difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT encourages accepting them and getting on with what’s most
ACT Anxiety and Depression Workbooks Read More »
A history, from Scientific American: [Season’s of a Man’s Life author] Levinson felt that midlife crises were actually more common than not and appeared like clockwork between the ages of 40 to 45. For Levinson, such crises were characterized primarily by a stark, painful “de-illusionment” process stemming from the individual’s unavoidable comparison between his youthful
From Slate: Girls don’t start out more anxious than boys, but they usually end up that way. When it comes to our preconceived notions about women and anxiety, women are unfairly being dragged through the mud. While women are indeed more fretful than men on average right now, this difference is mostly the result of a
Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges (NYT): [R]esearch suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that
For Self-Compassion Read More »