Mental health maintenance, the daily practices that protect emotional wellbeing before crisis arrives

Mental health conditions rarely arrive without precursor signals. The shift from ordinary stress or sadness into a clinically significant condition is almost always preceded by behavioral and emotional changes that are recognizable in retrospect, and often recognizable in real time by people who know what to look for. Identifying these warning signs early, in oneself […]
Anxiety relief — the 5 nerve exercises that could quiet your mind in minutes

Anxiety affects tens of millions of Americans, yet fewer than half of those living with it ever seek formal help. While professional medical care remains the most important step for anyone managing a diagnosed condition, emerging research is shedding light on a set of simple physical exercises that may offer meaningful relief by targeting one […]
What is alexithymia? The hidden condition affecting millions

Imagine feeling your heart race or your stomach tighten and having no clear idea whether you’re excited, anxious or upset. For millions of people around the world, that uncertainty is a regular part of life. The experience is known as alexithymia, a trait that affects how people recognize, interpret and describe their emotions. Although the […]
Why therapy is finally losing its dirty little secret

Therapy used to be something people did in secret. Appointments were kept off calendars, mentioned to almost nobody, and framed, if they had to be framed at all, as something clinical rather than something chosen. That version of therapy culture is dissolving, and the group driving the most visible part of that shift is one […]
Kids who get smartphones too young face three serious health risks according to new research

A new study is adding serious scientific weight to a worry most parents already carry quietly. Researchers examining the health of more than 10,600 adolescents found that children who owned a smartphone by age 12 were meaningfully more likely to experience depression, obesity and inadequate sleep compared to peers their age who did not yet […]
Dangerous signs of high functioning depression to know

High functioning depression doesn’t always look the way people expect. There’s no obvious breakdown, no missed deadlines, no visible signs of struggle and that’s exactly what makes it so easy to overlook. People living with it often go to work, meet responsibilities and, by most appearances, seem to be doing just fine. But researchers and […]
Teenager mental health struggles look different depending on where they grow up

Teenager wellbeing is influenced by far more than what happens inside the home. Where a young person grows up, whether in a dense urban neighborhood or a quiet rural community, can shape the pressures they face, the resources available to them, and the way their mental health struggles ultimately show up. For parents trying to […]
Are these 5 work habits secretly signs of depression?

Everyone has rough days at the office. But when difficult days start feeling like the default, something deeper may be going on. Depression affects an estimated 280 million people worldwide, and while most people associate it with visible sadness or an inability to get out of bed, it frequently shows up in far less recognizable […]
Childhood abuse and its toll on adult health can be eased by something money cannot buy

The presence of a single, consistently supportive adult during childhood can meaningfully reduce the long-term physical and mental health consequences of abuse, according to new peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma. The study examined health outcomes among more than 2,100 American Indian and Alaska Native adults across the United States, […]
The health benefits of having boring conversations

Health benefit of everyday talk, most people have done it. Spotted a coworker heading toward the break room at the same time and quietly changed course, or scrolled through a phone to avoid chatting with a stranger in a waiting room. The assumption is always the same that the conversation will be tedious, awkward or […]