If you’re like many people, you make a long list of ambitious resolutions on January 1st. But by February, you’ve likely backed off of your goals, even if you haven’t outright abandoned them. Make this the year you finally stick to your new year’s resolutions by following these incredibly simple tips.
Set Reasonable, Actionable Goals
Goals aren’t achievable when they’re not specific. So ditch vague goals such as “lose weight,” “exercise more,” and “spend more time with the kids.” Instead, focus on setting very clear, specific goals. This makes it easier to implement steps to stick to your resolutions, and makes it much har...
The holidays are a time to reflect on what matters most in life. All too often, though, the convergence of stress, lots of big meals, and more than a bit of self-doubt conspire to make the holidays a challenging time for your health and well-being. Make this the year where the holidays don’t mean a food binge or a stress-related meltdown. Here are five incredibly easy ways to stay on top of your health this season.
Do What You Love
For many people, especially women, the holidays ...
For years, meditation has been the domain of the open-minded and slightly New Age. Meditation is coming into the mainstream, though, with even doctors suggesting that their patients should meditate. The research is clear: meditation offers shocking benefits, and poses no risks. You don’t have to have any special skills to meditate, and you can begin right now. Here’s what meditation can offer to you:
Better Mental Health
If you’re plagued by depression or anxiety, yo ne...
Depression is a miserable, isolating illness. Many people with depression behave cruelly toward loved ones, and a few avoid relationships altogether, either out of fear or self-loathing. Depression lies to you. It tells you that you need to shut yourself away and ignore the world. It tells you you don’t have depression, that life really is terrible. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are depressed, you need to be around other people. Here’s why:
Loved Ones Offer a Reality Check
If you’ve struggled with depression, you know that
depression destroys your self-image and undermines your ability to enjoy activities you previously loved. When
you spend time around the people who love you an...
In a world where antidepressant commercials and ads for drug trials seem to run on a permanent loop on television and online, it’s easy to believe the only way to combat depression is by taking a pill. Depression, though, is a combination of biochemical, health, genetic, and environmental factors. While therapy combined with medication remains the most effective way to treat this terrible scourge, mindfulness can help boost the effectiveness of other treatments, and is worth giving a try before you pursue therapy.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is...
There’s no doubt about it: we live in a world that can quickly turn depressing. War, violence, abuse, and the aggression of everyday relationships are all around us. Many people already struggling with depression point to the world around them and ask how anyone can be happy. This approach, known as depressive realism, claims that it’s impossible to simultaneously be happy and aware of the state of the world. But there are millions of intelligent, socially conscious people across the globe. Many of them, i...
Everyone wants to live life with a little more joy, but life has a way of beating us all down. Whether it’s the stress of caring for children, the endless responsibilities of your job, or the challenges of moving from the working world into retirement, depression and anxiety can strike just about anyone. Indeed, about 25% of Americans struggle with depression every year, and women and seniors are more likely to get depression than any other age group. But don’t let that cripple your joy! A few ...
Depression can feel like a silent monster, constantly stalking you and striking at times that should be happy. The loneliness many depressed people feel is palpable and heart-wrenching. Almost one in four suffer from depression at some point in their lifetimes, yet those struggling with depression frequently feel that they’re the only ones facing the beast of low self-esteem, chronic worry, and the inability to feel joy. Nothing could be further from the truth, and depression is a
Another Hallmark holiday all about romantic love, chocolate and roses – how lovely.
Valentine’s Day, also known as Saint Valentines Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, began as a celebration of one or more early Christian Saints named Valentine. First associated with romantic love during the middle ages, February 14 has evolved as romantic couples initially expressed their love using hand-written cards known as “Valentines.&ldqu...
So, those of you who made resolutions for the New Year, how are you doing? According to the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45% of Americans usually make resolutions. That said, how many of you actually follow through?
It can be so easy for those good intentions to get lost in everyday life – our daily routines and commitments to others. Perhaps you set your goals too high or underestimated the time involved in implementing them. Whatever, the challenge may be...
