May 5, 2014
by Christie Hunter
Everyone wants to live in a world with limitless vacation days. In reality, only one segment of the population achieves such a lifestyle: retirees. Once the threshold of retirement is crossed, 40 years of full-time employment seems worth the hard work. However, the romanticism that surrounds this milestone is tempered by physical aches, pains and other conditions that come with age.
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What is Body Image? Body image is how you view, feel about and experience your body. It refers to whether you like (positive body image) or dislike (negative body image) your looks, height, weight, shape and abilities. Body image also encompasses how you feel inside your skin, the way you move and manage your body.
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MS (multiple sclerosis) is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. In MS patients, the immune system creates an enzyme that destroys the myelin (protective sheath the covers nerve fibers and axons) causing neurological damage due to lesions. Most people conjure a mental picture of people in wheelchairs when they think about MS, but that image is not accurate. In fact, only about one third of people with MS use wheelchairs twenty years after diagnosis, though some may use a cane or other mobility assistance.
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In all intimate relationships—whether with family members, partners or spouses—we do know how to push one another buttons, because these are the people we’ve been around the most. Consciously or not, we’ve learned how to get under their skin: Maybe it’s bringing up issues we know are sensitive to them (usually in an insensitive way), or reminding them of a past mistake that should be relegated by now to the “done that, talked about it, moved on” column. Maybe it’s comparing them to a family member in an unflattering way, like saying, “You’re just like your (notoriously thrifty) mom!” at moments when he or she disagrees with you about a big financial decision .If you’ve been guilty of doing this—hitting your partner where it hurts (often because you’re angry, and you want to hurt them)—the first step is to recognize the habit for what it is: a form of passive-aggressive behavior.
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In honor of mental health awareness month, Mental Health America has identified several ways to promote good mental health by practicing a healthy lifestyle. Coping effectively with problems and stress is one way to experience better health and mental health outcomes. What is Stress? Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from multiple, conflicting or difficult circumstances.
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April 30, 2014
by Casey Truffo, LMFT
It’s a basic truism of coupledom. You get to pick your partner or spouse, but you can’t pick his or her friends. In fact, a lot of these friends probably precede you; they were part of the package when you met. So what do you do when it turns out that you and your partner’s best buds are far from a match made in heaven—or worse, their friends become recurring source of conflict in your relationship?
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April 29, 2014
by Casey Truffo, LMFT
This blog began in starts and fits. I wanted to lighten things up a bit by extracting some wisdom from couples on popular television shows—and, as it turns out, you can learn quite a bit from them. But it seems it’s a lot easier to learn what doesn’t work than what does, with contemporary television basically obsessed with dysfunction.Nevertheless, here are five who stand out as those from whom we can glean a bit of relationship wisdom.
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April 28, 2014
by Christie Hunter
According to Worthington et al. (1999), unforgiveness can be defined psychologically as the emotional imbalance due to delayed response towards a transgressor. However, the expression (anger, hatred, frustration or violence) depends on the mental state of a person. Worthington and Scherer (2004) in the research study concluded that as unforgiveness is a type of stress response, it has a direct impact on the mental health and psychology of a person. The study also suggests that unforgiveness can be viewed as a state which a person is confined in a stressful state of mind.
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April 27, 2014
by Christie Hunter
Long-term happiness refers to the state in which a person starts finding satisfaction in ordinary things, as a result of the pleasant impact of some prior incident. However, the impact of any pleasant or unpleasant incident depends on the psychological state of a person. If the person is already depressed then he/she might envision the life in a different way than a person who is not going through any mental trauma. This does not mean that a depressed person cannot seek happiness from a pleasant incident, but for obvious reasons the level of happiness will be lesser than the person who is not depressed.
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April 26, 2014
by Christie Hunter
The “buy now and pay later” culture has left millions of people homeless. The culture of consumerism has impacted global economy in an unprecedented manner and according to capitalists has a culture can be considered as one of the biggest factors for ever worsening financial crisis. Not only it has impacted world’s market, but has also given rise to financial stress. People are getting into a habit of buying more than they need which ultimately leads to financial crisis.
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