At lunch yesterday, I was discussing with a friend the increase of people struggling with anxiety — particularly anxiety attacks– in today’s culture. We were speculating as to the reasons behind this trend. Perhaps it is because we have a younger generation who is used to getting what they want, when they want and who don’t know how to respond to failure or disappointment. Perhaps…
Over the past few weeks I have been inundated with calls and meetings with people in crisis. Life is tough…there are days when we all wonder how we will persevere. In times of extreme stress, our brain releases cortisol in effort to help us regulate our stress response so that we can return to a state of homeostasis. In moderation, cortisol is a helpful hormone….
1. Exercise – Believe it or not, when you exercise, your brain releases pleasure-inducing endorphins which reduce perceptions of pain and produce a natural high (similar to a runner’s high). When you are depressed the last thing you want to do is exercise, but if you can push through it, it is a natural way to counter those blues. 2. Eat bananas – Depression can…
Putting the groceries in the backseat, I climbed into the car and left the parking lot. As I inched toward the road I heard a soft hissing sound that quickly escalated into a loud pop followed by a louder hiss. Oh no! The soda I put in the back seat had just exploded! May is Mental Health Month. If we want to be mentally healthy,…
Did you know that there are therapeutic benefits to journaling? Not only does it help you to purge negative thoughts and feelings as you write them down, but it also helps you to gain perspective. In a recent study exploring resiliency factors in women who lost their husbands to suicide, five of the six women discussed how writing in a journal or on a blog…
Far too often, I hear people talk about falling in love as if love is similar to tripping and falling into a pit. If you can fall into love then you can fall out of love. This “falling” most people talk about is based on feelings. When a couple first “falls” for each other, the brain releases dopamine which is a feel-good hormone. Your brain…