Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, my name is Emily Simonian and I’m a Licensed Clinician at Thriveworks in Washington, DC. The question that was asked was, “How do you fight food cravings during COVID-19?” Using food to self-soothe is really common and can be so instinctive that we…
Amid COVID-19, many of us are experiencing feelings of loneliness, as we’re spending significantly less time with our friends, family, and others—and video chat only goes so far. Overcoming these lonely feelings is crucial to the state of your mental health, but doing so during social distancing is tough; this…
Have you thought about your New Year’s resolutions yet? Maybe you want to stop eating out for every meal. Maybe you’ve got your sights set on joining a gym. Or, maybe you’re determined to finish writing that book you started a few years back. It’s great to have goals, and…
Many people have ideas about what the holidays spent with your family “should” be like. You’d expect your family members to love each other and be thankful for the time they get to spend together. Sadly, the reality for some families is much more complex. The truth is that many…
Positive psychology is centered around research on intentional activities. People are becoming more and more successful at transforming their lives for the better thanks to deliberate positive interventions. Focused, mindful acts—for example practicing acts of kindness, expressing gratitude, and reviewing the good things that happened in your life today—have an…
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 9 US adults 45 years and older report memory issues. And 40% of US adults 65 years and older have age-associated memory impairment. As we age, certain cognitive functions naturally decline, like our memory. This means that we can’t always prevent…
“Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty,” is a statement that has become extremely recognizable over the past several decades. It was first marked by Anne Herbert on a placemat in Sausalito, California in 1982 and evolved as a response to the phrase “random acts of violence…
I spend a lot of my time writing and utilizing my imagination. I can create a writing prompt out of almost anything. When I daydream, my creativity goes wild. I live in my fantasy land, conjuring up ideas for my next article or blog post. As I daydream, I attempt…
Not too long ago, I was in a New York City restaurant when I heard two young women chatting. One of the women was confiding in her friend, telling her about some anxiety she felt about school and her job. She told her that she worries about not doing well…
Adam Grant, author of the book Give and Take, focuses on the simplicity of the act of giving. He states that there are three types of people: givers, takers, and matchers: The Givers: The best givers give in ways that are thoughtful and courteous and they aren’t worried about receiving…
New research suggests that handgun purchasers with a previous DUI conviction are more likely to commit violence crimes than handgun purchasers without a DUI record. Researchers identified every individual between 21 and 49 years old who legally purchased a handgun in California in 2001; researchers then identified any violent crime…
Today, social conscience is an extremely valued asset. How we act is typically dependent on the people we interact with in personal and professional settings. Some struggle evaluating situations and utilizing social conscience, and it shows when mishaps and faux pas occur. How we react to our oops moments places…
