Stress is a daily part of life, for better or for worse. We all face challenges in our daily lives from figuring out how we get to our favorite coffee shop to completing daily tasks and maintaining our home. How we manage our stress levels can impact our relationships, the…
College can bring some of the most precious times, offering life-changing and beautiful opportunities. However, it can also be a stress-filled time, full of change, uncertainty, and hard work. College is unique in that you are learning to function in a new academic environment as well as learning to function…
It’s great to make an effort to improve your mental or physical health, but what about other wellness areas? There are a variety of wellness areas that contribute to our overall well-being, and it’s important to give time to each of them when we can. National Wellness Month is a…
Self-care refers to a routine of behaviors a person performs, on their own with the intention to maintain and improve their own health. Because self-care is inherently unique to a person, it is difficult to say what will work for each. For that reason, I have delineated some of the…
Everyone knows what stress feels like—but understanding all of the potential effects and triggers can be difficult. That’s why we’ve laid out some of the most important facts about stress, plain and simple. Take a closer look at what stress really is, from its biological basis to the most common…
“I’m going to take Monday off,” you tell your partner with confidence. “I’m overdue for a mental health day.” The next morning, you walk into the office and open your inbox to draft an email to your manager: Good morning! I’m writing to let you know that I’ll be taking…
Mental health advice on the Internet often boils down to a few general teachings about emotional regulation. We’re encouraged to learn coping skills and strategies for dealing with stress. We’re supposed to become more resilient in the face of adversity. We’re meant to manage our negative feelings in healthier ways….
Most people like to think of their brains and their bowels as completely separate units. Gray matter is where the higher thinking happens, where one contemplates art and one’s place in the universe. The gut is where our breakfast cereal goes. It’s a region of the body we only tend…
Do you maintain a go bag where you keep critical documents, petty cash, a flashlight, water, a can opener, family heirlooms…? Is that theoretical survival kit starting to feel a little heavy right now? Can you imagine lugging it for miles if the roads are impassable by car? Maybe you…
For every Taylor Swift flourishing artistically during the pandemic, there are millions of suffering and burnt-out people who aren’t composing songs or painting portraits or writing novels. What have they been doing instead? Well, if they’re anything like me, they’ve been drowning in domestic labor, work, anxiety, childcare, and other…
Even scientific literature has described infertility as “the most upsetting experience” of a person’s life. This seems to be more true for women than men, since their minds and bodies usually bear the greater burden of infertility treatment. It’s pretty clear how culture, biology, and identity can all align to…
This is not a parenting advice column. Most parents don’t need more parenting tips. They just need a break from taking care of their kids. I took an informal poll over the weekend, asking my parent-friends how they practice self-care. Their answers: They drink, they smoke weed, they play video…
