You may catch yourself feeling a pang of jealousy when viewing an ad for diamonds, or feel you haven’t reached your maximum level of worth at work. Shrouding ourselves in the feeling maybe we’d be happier if we could just achieve or earn more keeps our minds fixated on the superficial aspects of happiness. How exactly do you find a sense of peace and satisfaction at the current stage of your life?...

Updated on 9/14/2022 Everyone knows what bullying is, but many people don’t consider that there are differenttypesof bullying. Bullying takes many forms. We commonly think about its impact on children, but adult bullying is just as prevalent. From physical and verbal bullying to social and cyberbullying, a bully’s unwanted, aggressive, abusive behavior can sometimes be glaringly obvious to spot or it might be more subtle.At the most basic level, all types of bullying intentionally and repeatedly cause discomfort or harm to another individual....

Do you keep secrets from your family? If you’re mentally rifling through all the skeletons in your family closet, you’re definitely not alone. Even those who pride themselves on openness probably have a secret or two that they’re not willing to share — even with the people they hold most dear. From issues as traumatic as sexual violence, to those as relatively mild (but still potentially contentious) as who we vote for, most of us have secrets we’d rather not share with our families....

Hollywood loves to depict group therapy a certain way: always held in a large, sunny, open room, like a church or a community center, with a ring of folding chairs. There’s always coffee. Someone will come in late, and be warmly welcomed — and then immediately lay all of their worries bare. If that’s what you expect going into your first group therapy session, you might be surprised. The Hollywood version more closely resembles an ultra-glam support group....

Updated on 4/28/21 Video games can provide a reprieve from our stressful day-to-day life. They allow us to escape into a fantastical, post-apocalyptic landscape in theFalloutseries, or slay dragons and romance warriors inElder Scrolls: Skyrim. We can play with our peers or even make new friendships in massive multiplayer online games likeFortniteandAmong Us. Video games offer a variety of virtual experiences, all designed to glue us to the screen in awe and admiration....

You’re bound to get into an argument every once in a while — whether it’s with your partner a family member, a friend, or a complete stranger. We all possess strong thoughts, aspirations, and opinions that sometimes transform everyday conversations into disputes. But while our tendency to disagree may be shared, did you know that everyone has a different “fighting style” that provides a glimpse into their mental health, too?...

You probably think you’re a team player. At least, you’ve white-lied that you are in job interviews. But even the most community-minded of us dig our heels in once in a while (because we’re right, darn it!). From our intimate relationships to our political process, why is it so hard to compromise? Fromsocial psychologyto neurobiology, researchers have found that social cooperation is a deeply-ingrained aspect of human behavior — so deep, in fact, that it’s wired into the structure of our brains....

Nobody is immune to rejection. Even the most beautiful and talented people have been rejected in one way or another. When you take risks in life, you face the possibility that you might be shut down or might not make the cut. Different phases of life bring different opportunities and situations where we’ve got to put ourselves out there and be vulnerable.Dating, high school sports tryouts, college applications, and job interviews are a few prime examples....

If you have taken the time to search for “therapist near me” — as many of us mental health warriors have at one time or another — you deserve a high five. Deciding to seek therapy can be scary and stressful at first, so taking that first step is commendable. Go, you! However, after you’ve plugged the search term into your browser and received your “therapist near me” results, you are likely to be inundated with an overwhelming amount of data and therapist choices....

Almost all of us have had experiences so uncomfortable or traumatizing that we do everything in our power to push the memories or feelings aside. Or maybe there is an everyday reality we live with that feels too impossible to cope with, so we pretend it doesn’t exist, and that dealing with it is not our responsibility.That is denial. The state of denial usually feels much more comfortable than confronting difficult feelings or circumstances....

So many times, we feel like we are stuck in a rut with no clear direction forward. This can happen in a range of areas, including relationships, friendships, work, self-development, or education. Often, when you have been traveling down the same path for months or even years, it starts to feel like there is only one way to do things. Even if that path makes you unhappy, it feels to you like there is no other option....

Feeling “stuck” is an awful feeling. Stuck can quickly turn to feeling hopeless and helpless. When you can’t achieve the things that you want, the internal dialogue can quickly turn to criticism and self-blame. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re looking to make some important changes in your life, here are some thoughts to get you unstuck. It All Starts With Self-Reflection Getting your life unstuck can be a big challenge, and it always starts with a bit of self-reflection and exploration....

If a friend suffers from mental illness, wanting to help or offer supportive words is understandable. Seeing someone you love in pain hurts your heart, too. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out about a friend’s mental health — but respect and delicacy is paramount. A callous or poorly thought-out comment can cause a spiral or depressive episode for someone with mental health challenges. “Someone else has it worse off than you....

Effects of Parental Mental Illness on Kids Growing up with a parent who is mentally ill “can lead to a child feeling uncertain, anxious, and neglected,” says Talkspace therapist Kimberly Leitch, LCSW-R. Life can be unstable and unpredictable, and children may not learn proper coping skills. “Instead of adapting healthy coping skills they can learn early on negative coping skills through observation,” Leitch explains. What’s more, many parents who are mentally ill self-medicate — perhapsturning to drugs or alcoholto quell their symptoms....

When you’re feeling down in the doldrums, chances are good you’ll respond one of two ways. You might barricade yourself inside your home, not wanting to speak to anyone. Or you may reach out to friends, unloading your worries on their listening ears. Neither approach is wrong. Here’s why you might be inclined to reach out or retreat — and advice on helping others who do the opposite. Reaching Out Talking through your fragile feelings with a trusted friend or loved oneworks much like talk therapy....