Category: Mental Health Articles

Social connectedness is defined as positive help provided by family, friends, groups, and/or communities. Emotional support that is gained from social connectedness includes listening to one’s problems, validating one’s feelings, and showing empathy to someone. Connecting with others and getting emotional support from a trusted family member, friend or social group can help to ward off feelings of isolation and loneliness. Understanding how to establish or expand our social support will be helpful for our emotional well-being. How do we build social support? One way is to attend to the important existing relationships in any small way to let our …

“Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.” – Eckard Tolle Anger has a terrible reputation. When we picture an angry person, we see someone who is aggressive or uncontrollable; they’re likely to hurt others with their explosive actions and words. The angry person themselves is likely to feel hurt, too, with overwhelming guilt and shame as a result of their actions. When something like anger is responsible for so much pain, it makes sense why it’s looked down upon so much.  However, feeling angry isn’t a flaw. Anger is inherent to the human experience. This means that it’s impossible …

Journaling is a way to process feelings and thoughts in a healthy way. Journaling is not only for creative types, it does not take a long time, it is not keeping a daily diary, and it does not have to be shared with others. Writing is a way to unlock your creative voice and energy. It is a way of communicating with yourself. It can serve as a way to mend and heal that can be insightful, passionate and revealing. Writing offers a time to reflect, increase awareness and insight, and a place to let go. Journaling is an invitation …

Mental health is just as important as physical health, but sometimes we allow stress, anxiety, and depression to go unchecked. To ensure you are making holistic self-care a priority, you need to set aside time to focus on your overall well-being, and this can start with eating right and prioritizing physical activity. Courtesy of Northeast Psychological Wellness, here are 6 tips for doing just that. Exercise To Improve Well-Being The mental health benefits of exercise are well-established. Getting your body moving releases chemicals in your brain that can increase your sense of well-being, make you feel energized, and even create a …

Celebrating the holiday season can be difficult for those who have lost loved ones, particularly if the loss happened shortly before the holidays. But there are ways to manage the mourning process and nurture your own mental well-being during this difficult time of year. Here are a few suggestions to help handle grief and, hopefully, spend some time commemorating the lives and memories of absent loved ones during the holiday season. Don’t try to get away from grief or happiness Grief is a natural part of healing, according to a piece in Inc. magazine. Trying to avoid it entirely during …

While formal stay-at-home orders are largely in the rearview mirror, many reopening processes have been slow-moving. Mask mandates have returned in some areas, making some people anxious about heading to stores or workplaces. Additionally, the lack of social connection during quarantine has many people feeling uncertain as they reengage with people in their community. For many, it seems like re-entering the world is going to be challenging. However, by using the right strategies, you can boost your confidence, allowing you to relaunch your life with greater ease. If you aren’t sure where to begin, Northeast Psychological Wellness offers some tips. Commit to …

The coronavirus global pandemic has generated additional stress on our bodies, making it difficult for us to manage daily life tasks. Our bodies have become storehouses for unresolved and dysregulated emotions. The psychological and emotional weight of loneliness, anxiety, depression, grief and loss continue to threaten our body’s healthy biological and behavioral processes. When left unaddressed, these emotions can become toxic to both our physical and emotional health.  During these difficult times, it is essential to remember that our emotions matter, and we are not alone. The following coping strategies provide practical steps to lessen the stress and emotional weights we have …

The term body image refers to the mental picture an individual creates of their own body. Body image is not about how a person looks. It has to do with how a person feels about their appearance. For some of us, that mental picture may or may not align with the reality of our appearance. Thus, any misalignments in perception is called a distortion. Body image distortions occur based on several external and internal factors. External factors include: culture, our friends and families’ opinions, verbal, and non-verbal expressions about our physical appearance, and media’s portrayal of the perfect body. In addition, …

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functioning and activities within our daily lives. This is especially true for children who have had to quickly transition to remote learning. With social distancing, remote learning, and homeschooling, those in quarantine have reported experiencing irritability, anxiety, fear, frustration, boredom, confusion, anger, loneliness, helplessness, and insomnia. Since children and teens are also adjusting to the new reality of spending more time at home and engaging in fewer social interactions with their peers, the stress of these changes could impact their relationships, academic performance, communication skills, and overall well-being. Parents/guardians may notice changes in …

What is teletherapy? Teletherapy (also known as virtual therapy, video therapy, telehealth, e-therapy, web therapy, distance therapy, online therapy, or e-counseling) has not always been the norm. However, our world changed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are multiple benefits of teletherapy. For example, accessing mental health services is much easier. In fact, one can do so within the comfort of their own home using an electronic device such as a laptop or smartphone. After all, if we’re able to pay bills and take classes online, why not get therapy online? Imagine how drastically your life …