Many lying in bed awake with insomnia with glasses beside him, as if he was just using them.

Do I Have Insomnia?

Definition of Insomnia The definition of Insomnia, for a particular person, has many facets and requires a close look at their sleep schedule over the short-term and long-term, as well as any stressful or traumatic events that may have triggered the disruption in their normal sleep patterns. Many of us have asked ourselves the question: “Do I Have Insomnia?”. Maybe …

How Gratitude Benefits Mental Health and 4 Tips for Cultivating It

Gratitude… Thankfulness. Gratefulness. Appreciation. Many words express the sentiment of gratitude. One dictionary labels it a feeling. Some may prefer to think of it as a state of mind.  However you think about gratitude, one thing is certain. More and more evidence is proving a connection exists between gratefulness and mental well-being.  In this post, we’ll dive a little deeper …

Looking for Ways to Help Depression Holistically? 4 Natural Ways to Fight It

Have you ever known a friend or family member to struggle with sadness they couldn’t seem to shake? Maybe you’ve struggled that way and wondered if what you were feeling was just sadness or if you were wrestling with depression symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, depression affected nearly 5% of the US adult population in …

Coping Skills for Addiction – What To Do When Your Loved One Is Addicted

Addiction to drugs or alcohol often starts with recreational use that becomes more and more frequent until users don’t want to be without their drug of choice. Watching a loved one sink into addiction is a painful process, and the emotions that accompany the journey can feel like a roller coaster ride.  A loved one’s addiction is not something you …

How Do You Live With a Loved One with Mental Illness?

Mental illness is getting a lot more media coverage as of late. A quick online search brings up stories about a Colorado representative fighting against the stigma of mental illness, a New Jersey school providing more mental health therapy resources for its students, and the latest Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report on the state of teenagers’ mental health in …

Acute Stress Disorder – If You Have It, What Can You Do About It?

Car accidents. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Things that are out of our control take us by surprise, leaving us shell-shocked for days, weeks, or longer. These traumatic events and others like them cause significant stress and stir up feelings of helplessness, fear, and prolonged anxiety.  In the early 1990s, experts labeled those reactions “acute stress disorder” and put a time frame on …

Childhood Trauma

Trauma and Your Brain

The pandemic. Social unrest, natural disasters, war. You don’t have to look very far to see traumatic events that affect large numbers of people. More personal crises include divorce, death, abuse, violence, sexual assault and accidents. A traumatic event is any experience frightening, shocking or dangerous enough to affect someone physically and emotionally, whether they are part of the event …

Athletes and Mental Health

Participating in sports offers many benefits: exercise, feel-good endorphins, camaraderie and a chance to build skills and self-esteem. This is true across all age groups, including teens in their “difficult” years. The American College of Sports Medicine points out, “Adolescent participation… is positively correlated with multiple indicators of physical health, decreased anger, positive developmental outcomes, increased sleep, and a more …