4 Ways to Support Your Mental Health While Unemployed

Losing a job — or even leaving one voluntarily — can take a huge toll on your mental health. First and foremost is the stress and worry about how you will stay afloat financially. Your daily routine also gets thrown off, and your self-esteem and identity might take a hit as well. And if you have family or a spouse to support, it can be easy to fall into the trap of guilt and shame over the inability to provide income in the short-term....

July 24, 2018 · 4 min · 715 words · Shawn Willis

4 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Mental Health While on Dating Apps

Dating in the modern era is a process that requires patience as you swipe, click, and message your way through a sea of potential significant others. To safeguard your mental health from the first day you create your profile, follow these key guidelines as you navigate dating apps. Couples Therapy OnlineStrengthen your relationship through couples therapy you can participate in together or apart, at your convenience.Learn more Couples Therapy OnlineStrengthen your relationship through couples therapy you can participate in together or apart, at your convenience....

July 23, 2018 · 3 min · 568 words · Jessica Ellis

How to Stay Balanced During Major Life Changes

If there’s one thing that’s inevitable in life, it’s change. Sometimes those changes are small, but every once in awhile they’re major — think marriage, divorce, loss of a loved one, a new job, having children, going back to school, or buying a house. These transitions often uproot our world, sometimes in ways we aren’t prepared for or don’t want to deal with. For all the pain, uncertainty, or joy these major life changes bring into our lives, there’s no doubt they can take a toll on our mental health as we try to navigate our way through uncharted territory....

July 23, 2018 · 6 min · 1123 words · Brian Kelly

How To Maintain Independence While in a Relationship

Friends and media tell us about breakups where people emerge with no sense of self. Who am I now that I’m single? Healthy relationships thrive on both partners being able to maintain a clear sense of self, especially when it comes to their most fundamental needs and desires. Even knowing this, however, it’s still easy to accidentally find yourself giving more to the relationship or your partner than is ultimately sustainable....

July 18, 2018 · 3 min · 577 words · Nicholas Cook

Is Your Relationship Balanced or Boring?

Nobody wants a relationship that consists of endless drama and fighting, but an emotionless and monotonous relationship doesn’t sound much better. Many people wonder whether their relationship has enough passion and excitement. So how can you tell if your relationship is balanced or boring? Couples Therapy OnlineStrengthen your relationship through couples therapy you can participate in together or apart, at your convenience.Learn more Couples Therapy OnlineStrengthen your relationship through couples therapy you can participate in together or apart, at your convenience....

July 17, 2018 · 3 min · 518 words · Jimmy Baird

8 Red Flags to Look Out for When Dating

We’ve probably all experienced — and ignored — red flags while dating. It’s so easy to get swept up in the novelty and excitement of seeing someone new that we’re blind to the not-so-great things going on. It’s one thing if you’re just looking for someone to casually hook up with — but if you want a real relationship, if you want things to get serious and take things to the next level, you need to be willing to take a step back, wipe the hearts out of your eyes, and get real....

July 12, 2018 · 5 min · 885 words · Catherine Robinson

Why Gossip is So Seductive (and How to Avoid It)

Gossip is like the junk food of communication. We know that it is bad and unhealthy, but it’s hard to resist its draw. It is rude and unkind, and of course it’s always terrifying to think that something you said could get back to the person you were gossiping about. Knowing all of its downsides, why is gossip still so hard to resist? The Ways Gossip Brings Us Together Gossip Creates Stronger Bonds Gossip is a Team Sport Gossip also allows people to feel that they are on the same team against a common “enemy....

July 11, 2018 · 4 min · 692 words · Tamara Santos

7 Types of Friends Who Are Bad for Your Mental Health

Lucy and Ethel. Bert and Ernie. Romy and Michele. Where would we be without our friends? Nowhere good, we’re told. A lot of thescience on friendshipsand health focuses on how good friends produce happy, mentally well-adjusted people. After all, our friendships are some of the most valuable relationships we have. We often talk to friends in confidence about things we wouldn’t discuss with our families. Our friends may annoy us, but they can also keep us going....

July 10, 2018 · 3 min · 599 words · Julie Newman

Is it Possible (or Necessary) to Get Relationship Closure?

Closure is a relationship trope that we often see play out in blockbuster movies. When a couple breaks up, we often see the partners individually (and often collectively) try to seek what they call “closure.” In many scenarios, it is depicted as light-hearted and funny, but if you’ve lived through a breakup yourself, you know the process of getting closure can be painful. We see this desire for closure play out in our own relationships when we experience a separation or break up....

July 9, 2018 · 5 min · 1062 words · Christopher Wagner

Reframing is Therapy’s Most Effective Tool, Here’s Why

It’s common for therapists to talk about “reframing” something. But what does that even mean? The therapist focus on cognitive reframing is something you’ve likely encountered if you’ve been in therapy before. If you haven’t, the concept might sound a bit strange at first, but I assure you it does make a lot of sense. Reframing Explained Therapy, at its core, is often about uncovering issues and problem solving. Of course, no one would want to attend therapy if they didn’t think that it would help them better tackle their problems, whether that means working through a problematic relationship, grieving the loss of a loved one, or finding new ways to managedepressionoranxietysymptoms....

July 6, 2018 · 4 min · 777 words · Christopher Sweeney

The Chemistry Behind Summer Flings (and How to Enjoy Them)

Sandy and Danny fromGreasearen’t the only ones who’ve experienced getting friendly down in the sand on romantic summer nights. Something about summer love makes it unlike any other type of romance we experience. There are a lot of reasons summer flings are so popular andsointense. Long walks on the beach, sharing ice cream cones, late night skinny dips, cuddling in bed with the air conditioner on full blast — what’s not to love?...

July 3, 2018 · 5 min · 869 words · Tina Martin

How to Identify an Avoidant Partner and Improve Your Relationship

Many people feel very anxious in their relationship, because their partner avoids emotional intimacy. Despite how frustrating the avoidant partner may appear, not everything can be blamed on them. Any relationship comprises a dynamic between two people, and issues within the relationship have to be examined in the context of both partners. To understand avoidance in the context of a relationship, let’s start with a list of avoidant behaviors. Couples Therapy OnlineStrengthen your relationship through couples therapy you can participate in together or apart, at your convenience....

June 25, 2018 · 4 min · 742 words · Benjamin Drake

10 Inspiring Self-Love Quotes from LGBTQ Icons

Whentrans women of colorled the way in theStonewall Riotsof 1969, Pride was born. It was a movement against police harassment and to claim space for a marginalized community. By fighting back, members of New York City’s queer community signaled they would not be pushed into the shadows anymore. LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy can help.Looking for a LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapist? Find an experienced therapistLearn more LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy can help.Looking for a LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapist?...

June 22, 2018 · 2 min · 227 words · Gerald Phillips

6 Ways to Support the Mental Health of Your LGBTQ Loved Ones

As rainbow streamers fill the air andLGBTQrepresentation fills the streets, June is a time to celebrate LGBTQ identity and the contributions of the queer movement. Pride is a joyful time for the LGBTQ community and allies alike. It’s also a time to reaffirm our commitment to creating a more equal world. That’s why thisPride, we invite allies and supporters of the LGBTQ community — which should be everyone! — to show up for the mental health and wellbeing of their LGBTQ loved ones and the community at large....

June 21, 2018 · 4 min · 688 words · Stacie Cruz

4 Ways Your Stomach’s Microbiome Might Impact Your Mental Health

Brain chemistry, self-esteem, and personal relationships all play an integral role in your mental health. Now researchers are looking beyond these well-known factors to understand how microbial activity — specifically in your gut — impacts how you feel mentally every day. TheHuman Microbiome Projectstarted in 2007 to catalog the micro-organisms living in our body. Since then, researchers have pinpointed two million unique bacterial genes found in each human microbiome. While there isn’t an direct connection between our stomachs and our brains, thestomach sends messagesto the brain, just as the brain sends messages to the rest of the body....

June 20, 2018 · 4 min · 646 words · Laura Tapia