Are You Emotionally Dysregulated?
Reading Time: 3 minutesImproved awareness of mental health language can help people describe experiences they once struggled to name, but reducing a clinical concept to a catch-all buzzword can strip it of its meaning. For example, “emotional dysregulation” has become a ubiquitous mental health term thanks to social media, where people use it to explain everything from losing […]
When Your Coping Mechanisms Stop Working
Reading Time: 3 minutesEveryone develops unique ways of dealing with stress. Perhaps you throw yourself into work to distract from nagging worries or take a day to focus on self-care when you feel overwhelmed. But sometimes, coping mechanisms outlive their usefulness. What began as an effective way to get through a stressful period can gradually become a source […]
Why Complex Trauma Can Be Hard to Recognize
Reading Time: 4 minutesSeptember is CPTSD Awareness Month, an opportunity to increase understanding of a condition that can be surprisingly difficult to recognize – even for people who live with its effects. Though the phrase “post-traumatic stress” may make you envision symptoms such as vivid flashbacks or avoidance, the effects of complex trauma can manifest in surprising ways, […]
When Helping Becomes Enabling
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt’s only natural to want to help someone you love when you see them struggling. In a healthy, balanced relationship, providing mutual support through difficult periods is part of being a good partner. But there is a point where helping can cross the line and become enabling. The distinction isn’t always obvious because enabling usually […]
Why Successful People Procrastinate
Reading Time: 2 minutesMany people are excellent at meeting deadlines, managing complex responsibilities, and performing under pressure, yet they still wait until the last possible moment to start significant projects or spend hours doing lower-priority busywork to avoid dealing with one unpleasant task. Better productivity habits can help, but they won’t address procrastination rooted in anxiety or emotional […]
Developing Psychological Flexibility
Reading Time: 2 minutesAs much as we like to believe our choices reflect our values, many real‑world decisions are attempts to avoid discomfort. You might postpone difficult conversations because you fear the outcome or abandon your goals when they start to feel overwhelming. Over time, these patterns shrink your world and reinforce the idea that unpleasant thoughts and […]
Split Brains: Is Your Left Hemisphere Lying to You?
Reading Time: 4 minutesThere are people walking around right now whose brains have been surgically split in half. And what researchers discovered when they studied these patients revealed something fascinating about how all of our minds work. Why Would Anyone Split a Brain? Starting in the 1940s, surgeons began performing a procedure called a corpus callosotomy on patients […]
Does the Type of Therapy Actually Matter?
Reading Time: 5 minutesIf you’ve ever searched for a therapist, you’ve probably found yourself down a rabbit hole of acronyms. CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, psychodynamic, humanistic, interpersonal. There are now over a thousand named types of psychotherapy. Choosing between them can feel like a high-stakes decision. Pick the wrong one, and you might waste months or years on […]
What Is Catastrophizing?
Reading Time: 2 minutesDo these scenarios sound familiar? Your boss invites you to a one-on-one meeting, which convinces you that you’re about to lose your job. A minor health symptom sends you down an internet rabbit hole, and before long, you assume you have a serious illness. You send a text message to check in with a friend, […]
Is Your Inner Critic Hurting You?
Reading Time: 2 minutesMost of us have an internal voice that comments on our choices, evaluates our performance, and reminds us when we’ve made a mistake. Sometimes, that voice is helpful. It encourages us to prepare for a presentation, apologize after hurting someone’s feelings, or learn from an experience. However, many people’s inner critic is overly harsh and […]