For loners, recluses, and other solitary types such as myself, sheltering-in-place feels natural and normal. However scary other aspects of this pandemic might be, for us, this aspect isn’t. Working from home? Making our own meals? Amusing ourselves? Contactlessness? Not a problem. Not boring. Not weird. With stay-home orders issued worldwide and offenders arrested for attending funerals and weddings, it’s...[ read more ]
The prolonged health and safety stressors of COVID-19 has many parents reaching out to mental health professionals with concern over their teenagers’ increased levels of anxiety. In the United States, teenagers already experience higher rates of anxiety disorders than any previous generation in history. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the prevalence of anxiety disorders among adolescents aged...[ read more ]
The kind of trauma doctors, nurses, and others in direct contact with COVID-19 patients have endured for months now — with an uncertain future posing a threat of many more months of horror in the hardest-hit areas — is the kind of exhausting and overwhelming stress that impacts the brain and the rest of the body in the worst ways....[ read more ]
Have you noticed how good relationship skills tend to apply across the board? Spouses who communicate well in their marriage probably also relate well to other people. As for those whose interactions with their partners are troubled, they may be experiencing similar difficulties when interacting with family members, friends, coworkers, and others. For example, spouses who don’t yet know another...[ read more ]
As the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects spread, concerns about mental health impacts continue to grow. For example, we worry for health and human services professionals whose duties involve higher risk for trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress. Reports of global increases in family violence also suggest that there will be many violence victims and witnesses in need of mental...[ read more ]
The coronavirus is forcing us to deal with a crisis that was difficult for many of us to imagine, although scientists and others such as Bill Gates have been sounding the alarm for many years. Everyday we hear about mounting death rates, including among the most vulnerable. Unprecedented unemployment and under-employment have many of us wondering how we’ll manage our...[ read more ]
What if a divorced couple decided to make a podcast about mental health? What would it be like? Well, wonder no more, because here it is. Grab a cup of hot tea and tune in to the first episode of the totally revamped Not Crazy Podcast with Gabe and Lisa, a couple of divorcees who didn’t like each other’s...[ read more ]
Millions of people all around the world are spending more time at home for the best possible reason — together, we are saving lives. But there are so many things we miss. We miss the people we no longer get to see in person, the people we can’t hug anymore. We miss sports and shopping and traveling. Many who used...[ read more ]
I woke up a few days ago and forgave myself. For everything. It was ok to be me and every decision I had made, good or bad, was part of my upbringing, environment and genetic make-up. It’s ok that I am anxious and battle addictions. The stay at home order has enabled me to think, to analyze and to let...[ read more ]
From the benefits of living a joyful life alongside sadness and tips to practice letting go of unhelpful ideals to how employers can better support workers during COVID-19 and the struggles of job hunting during a pandemic, this week’s Psychology Around the Net packs a little something for everyone. Stay well, friends! Should You Immerse Yourself in Bad News These...[ read more ]