Poppy let out a big sigh as her 32-year-old brother Josh said that he had tried her latest suggestion of walking in nature motivation but it hadn’t helped with his fatigue and low motivation. Josh’s big sister had been trying to buoy him up for as long as she could remember, to no effect. [...]
The Way You Love Your Child is Key to Their Mental Health The way you love your child is the most significant factor in determining his or her mental health. One-third of children between 3-17 years of age in America have at least one mental health problem. So it may be present in your [...]
How Rumination and Insecurity Become Team Players in Romantic Breakups Rumination and insecurity go hand in hand. Insecurity is a destabilizing experience. It takes the ground from under you. There is nothing to hold onto because you feel lost, wobbly and untethered. Along comes a rope to cling to – a mental strategy [...]
Substance Abuse acts as Self-Medication to Manage Loneliness, Anxiety and Depression Substance abuse acts as self-medication for millions of young people who are persistently depressed from the ages of ten to twenty four. According to the Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, (2021), chronic depression in these formative years is the [...]
Feeling Depressed? What are the Signs of Depression? Signs of depression seem obvious at first, right? – you feel low, or down; lack energy and motivation, and also ‘don’t care.’ But are these actual signs of depression or just reactions to life not going your way? How do you know whether you are just feeling [...]
Seven Ways to Say, “I love you,” and Six Ways That Fail. “I love you!” says your partner as they go off to get on with their day. “Love you” says your mom as you end a phone conversation and you say it back. Do you feel loved in that moment? Are you experiencing loving [...]
Fear of Letting People Down Makes You Let Yourself Down Fear of letting people down is immensely stressful. Fear of letting people down bathes you in conflict, eats away at your sense of right and wrong with acidic guilt eroding your soul. Fear of letting people down puts you in a no-win situation, and that [...]
Self-Defeating Behaviors Lead to Depression The term ‘Self-Defeating behaviors’ sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Why would anyone want to defeat themselves? What’s in it for someone to go against their interests? Who wants to feel like a failure by engaging in self-defeating behaviors? What could possibly be worth feeling sucked dry of energy, motivation and self-esteem [...]
Thirty-five-year-old plumber Tyler got angry with Gemma, his thirty-seven-year-old partner for inviting his brother over for the weekend pot-luck event. She knew that he didn’t get on with Roy but she kept trying to get them together. Tyler didn’t speak to Gemma unless it was absolutely necessary. He was civil in front of family and friends, but the stress was killing him. He was too tired to fight!
Working as a risk management specialist for a large medical group was getting 36-year-old Juliette down. She was exhausted and had no energy left for her husband, 38-year-old Elliot and their 5 and 6 year old children Aden and Mara. She hated having to work, but was the only breadwinner. The pressure on Juliette made her depressed. All she wanted to do was to sleep. She left the chores to her Elliot who attended to them with pride, seeing them as his contribution to the family. Even when she was awake, Juliette felt fatigued and disinterested in playing with her kids. She preferred to look on as Elliot engaged them in cycling, swimming and ball games. She was easily upset when things didn’t go right with the family, and felt useless as a mother, sister and wife. Depression had taken hold, and Juliette was steeped in a lack of self-worth. Her anger at having to be the breadwinner was buried in the depression, as was her disappointment and resentment towards her husband for not taking on that role.
