Mental Health

That urge to reach back out after conflict, distance, or even estrangement is hard to ignore. For some of us, reconnection can be deeply healing, while for others, it can reopen old wounds. We have hovered over someone’s name in our phone, replayed old conversations in our heads, or imagined what it would be like Read more…

Armed conflict of any kind has severe public health consequences for the entire global community. In keeping with our tradition of offering practical advice to our readers and addressing mental health consequences of public health crises, we have put together a piece that we hope will help during these extraordinarily trying times. We are living Read more…

I notice I am feeling a little more down or blue at this time of the year. What should I do? It’s that time of year again when the light changes…and you start to feel just a little blue. 💧 It isn’t just you. Almost 20-40% of adults experience something called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) Read more…

The holidays are coming! The lights are up, festive music is playing loudly, and ads are full of big dinners and gift piles. But when money is tight, the holidays can sting, and joy can become lonely. Around the world, loneliness and money stress often appear together, especially when the holiday pressures tell us that Read more…

TL; DR: There are steps that all of us can take to raise awareness around suicide, to help someone who is struggling, and to intervene when there is a risk of suicide. Read on to learn more about the different levels of prevention. Content Warning: This post discusses the prevention of death from suicide. If Read more…

Love bombing can feel like genuine affection at first, but looking at pace, consistency, and respect for our boundaries can help us tell the difference. When someone shows us attention, warmth, or interest early on, it can feel very exciting and new! However, if that affection feels unusually intense or moves too fast, we may Read more…

The process of grief is different for everyone taking place over weeks, months, and often years. This post provides science on grief as well as perspective on coping with the death of a loved one with the hope of normalizing a process that is both extremely personal and universally shared. Note: This post was originally Read more…

Yes, you can be depressed in the summer. Some people actually feel depressed every summer, and they may have summer seasonal affective disorder (SAD). 😥 But WHAT is summer SAD and why does it happen? People with SAD generally have depression that happens seasonally and for at least two years in a row. You might Read more…

Is therapy speak going viral helping or hurting? Online mental health content can offer language, comfort, and connection for those curious or struggling, but remember it’s a starting point, not the whole journey. If you’ve spent time on short video platforms lately, you’ve likely come across content discussing mental health topics, like burnout and attachment Read more…

🌞Summertime and the living is easy…right? 🌞 Well not always. Even as many of us enjoy our favorite season of the year, we’re stressed by what’s going on in the world. Those Nerdy Girls often chat amongst themselves about ways to (try to!) stay calm and grounded in stressful times. We thought we’d share some Read more…

Optimism doesn’t mean ignoring what hurts — it means holding on to the hope that things can get better. And yes, that hope can make a difference by making things feel a little more manageable as we heal. When we think about healing from trauma, optimism might not be the first thing that comes to Read more…

May means you’re probably hearing more people talk about mental health awareness, and that’s a good thing. But let’s be real – mental health isn’t a once-a-year conversation. It’s something many of us navigate every single day, sometimes out loud and sometimes in silence. 🤔 Did you know? ▪️As many as 1 in 8 people Read more…

Maybe a little. It is difficult to tell if magnesium helps with mental health for most people. Why is magnesium important? Magnesium is a mineral that is present in the human body and generally taken in through food products. It is present in some medications and of course, can also be taken as a supplement. Read more…

In order to support others, it’s important to understand your own emotional state. There are several ways to do this, like checking in with yourself. When our friends and family struggle, we naturally want to step in and support them. However, sometimes life has a way of demanding more than we have to give. You Read more…

When we hear about someone experiencing grief, it is often about the loss of a pet, a loved one, or a long-term relationship. However, grief extends beyond these experiences – it can also stem from what never was. Grief is how we respond to loss. When loss doesn’t have a specific event or something that Read more…

Clinicians are humans, too, and they are prone to social pressure just like the rest of us. Let’s explore a few interesting case examples of this to get a flavor of what might be at play here. In 2016, some researchers published a paper looking at ways to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescription by clinicians in primary care Read more…

Thanks to reader Betsy for this great question! There’s “stuff” circulating on social media now about the “negative efficacy” of COVID shots. . . . I don’t believe this! But how do I respond to family who are claiming this is true? We get it! The simple answer is that we all struggle with difficult Read more…