Are you dreading spending the holidays alone? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We promise,spending the holidays alone doesn’t have to be miserable. In fact, it’s totally possible to do the holidays alone in style and have a great time. How to Celebrate the Holidays Alone Just because you’re going to be alone, it doesn’t mean you have to spend the holidays moping around. There are plenty of things that you can do to bring some of that holiday cheer into your life, even without your loved ones physically present....

With 2021 on the horizon, many people are starting to think about how they’d like to better themselves and their lives in the new year. The classic New Year’s resolutions we hear every January include things like working out more and eating healthier, and while these are great goals, there are plenty of other ways to improve your well-being in 2021. Your New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be flashy — in fact, they might be totally invisible to others....

Updated on 3/3/2022 It’s always smart to research a drug before you begin to take it. While there should be no stigma attached to medical treatment for depression, more knowledge of safety precautions and potential side effects will make you that much more confident about beginning your journey toward feeling better. Psychiatry and prescriptions onlineReceive an evaluation and prescription for mental health medication (if needed) from a psychiatry-trained medical provider.Get started...

Updated 1/18/2023Denial can be used as a defense mechanism similarly to the othertypes of defense mechanismssuch as projection, rationalization, and displacement defense mechanisms. When someone engages in denial, they ignore or refuse to accept reality. The denial defense mechanism can be an attempt to avoid uncomfortable realities (such as grief), anxiety, or truths or a means of coping with distressing or painful situations, unpleasant feelings, or traumatic events.While being in denial can give you time to adjust to sudden life changes, this defense mechanism can also prevent you from acknowledging and addressing issues in your life....

Scroll through almost any social media feed and it won’t take long to come across a familiar post — a digestible, sentence-long affirmation meant to uplift, inspire and open your mind. Sometimes these posts are laid out with fancy fonts, bright colors and compelling illustrations. Other times they’re simple, with black type against a white page. The tone, however, is usually the same: authoritative and encouraging. Often, these motivational memes might come at exactly the right moment so that you feel like they’re speaking directly to you — an uplifting pat on the back, straight from the internet to your heart....

Most of us, thankfully, don’t encounter people who exhibit sociopathic tendencies on a daily basis. Yet every so often in life (or in the media, or in fiction!) we encounter someone who seems to meet the definition. They have so little regard for those around them, or seem to harm others regularly without remorse, that we find ourselves asking if they might be a sociopath. We might be wondering if there is a way to evaluate their sociopathic tendencies — a sociopath test, of sorts....

The mental health day — that mysterious, elusive balm that helps surmount all challenges and overcome all struggles. Often, a mental health day is just that. It’s one day, and it’s a very temporary solution. What should you do if it’s not enough, what if you need more? Signs That a Mental Health Day May Not Be Enough For some, taking a mental health day reallyisenough. These lucky folks may come back to work feeling rejuvenated and motivated....

Willpower is something we all need yet never seem to have enough of. Temptations abound as we strive to complete all we set out to accomplish in our lives. A Netflix marathon can sound much more appealing than doing laundry, but we have to do laundry eventually. We use willpower to achieve goals large and small. Levels of willpower look different for everyone. You may feel like you don’t currently have enough self-control and want to become more disciplined....

Every successful relationship requires some vulnerability — there’s no way around it. But it can be hard to open up to someone you just started seeing if you’re afraid they’re going to judge you. If you have a history of self-harm, you may shy away from dating to avoid talking about your injuries or scars, or because you want to shield yourself from the pain of a potential breakup. By closing yourself off to potential suitors, however, you may be judging others the way you assume you’ll be judged....

You are someone who likes to help people. You’ve been called a good listener. A lot. People in your life may have even suggested that you would make a great therapist. Now you are wondering if you might be able to translate those skills into a profession. Wouldbecoming a therapistbe the right career for you? And if so, how do you become a licensed therapist? Do you need a master’s degree?...

The spending season is upon us but with a deadly pandemic in full effect, cash registers aren’t ringing like they once did. For people struggling with mental health conditions, such as compulsive buying disorder, the new shopping restrictions may not be such a bad thing. It’s especially important to remember that we don’tneedto spend money even on days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which aggressively promote bargains and encourage overconsumption....

You’ve probably heard a thing or two about dopamine before — it’s one of the most well-known neurotransmitters. You may have read that this all-important hormone is released when you engage in pleasurable activities, like taking a bite of your favorite food, ticking off every item on your to-do list, posting a photo that gets plenty of likes, or having an enjoyable social interaction with friends. Dopamine is released to reward us for beneficial behaviors, so as to incentivize and motivate us to repeat them....

Updated 02/17/2023 It’s natural to feel strong unwanted impulses every so often, but what you do with those feelings sometimes needs to be addressed. For example, acting on certain impulses can be socially unacceptable in certain situations. Sometimes we — maybe even unconsciously — begin to channel those urges into something we believe is more acceptable.In psychology, the concept of a sublimation defense mechanism is based on the idea that we unknowingly transform unwanted impulses and aggressive urges into new, harmless, and more appropriate outlets....

Updated on 10/4/2021 While it’s a completely normal reaction, anger can become a problem when left uncontrolled. Admitting that you may have anger issues is often difficult, especially when you can’t identify the problem yourself — often a difficult task. So, how can you tell if you have anger issues? If you feel like you experience frustration, stress, or irritability on a regular basis, an underlying anger problem may be the culprit....

Every year there are over 100,000 adoptions in the United States alone. While this is clearly a common way that families grow, there are a lot of misconceptions and assumptions about the experience of adoptees. As a way to celebrate National Adoption Month, and as an adoptee myself, I want to clear some of those up. Online therapy for parentsBeing a parent is hard. Talk to an experienced, licensed Talkspace therapist today....