From Loneliness To a Sense of Community
If you are experiencing loneliness, you’re not unusual. The pandemic lockdowns and the consequent surge of working remotely led many people to feel isolated, especially those living alone. The customary ways that people connected with others were changed.
“Meet Me Where I Am”: About Grief
People are often impatient for someone to finish grieving after the death of a loved one. “How long is my sister going to grieve?” they may ask, eager for the person to get over the death and get back to normal. How long does grief take?
“How long is the person going to be dead?” David Kessler, one of the experts featured in “Meet Me Where I Am” asks. “Because if they’re going to be dead for a long time, you’re going to grieve a long time.” This quote is one of many powerful ones in Grant Garry’s thoughtful documentary film about grief, “Meet Me Where I Am.”
Another expert, Ron Marasco, says, “You think that their death is the worst thing that happens. Then they stay dead.” Making sense of that is a Herculean feat.
Where to find the small pleasures of life
This post has some resources to help you find some of the small pleasures in life. The previous post discussed the importance of appreciating them.
Sweat the Small Stuff? Appreciate the Small Pleasures!
Many times the small details make all the difference. Maybe it’s a particular seemingly unimportant ingredient or mixing method in a recipe that makes the difference between a delicious dish or an inedible one
The Value of Friendship
This blog post is the second one inspired by Kerri Grote, a woman who died of brain cancer.
Running Toward Life or Away From Death?
A good friend from high school recently sent me a FaceBook post about someone, Kerri Grote, who died of brain cancer and left a note for her surviving family and friends
Aging & Depression: How to Experience One Without the Other
The aging process is quite a ride. It is a time to reflect on one’s life. It’s also a time when some disturbing new factors can affect your life. The older person has many adjustments to make.
Menopause & Depression: How to Mentally Manage Shifting Hormones
Menopause arrives at a time when a woman may be already struggling with the concept of aging in a culture that does not honor it. This is when social support but cultural and social issues matter. If aging is negative and menopause is a sign of aging, menopause can quickly become depressing.
How Early Adulthood Depression Can Impact Your Cognitive Health As You Age
Depression can trigger the release of extra cortisol. This, in turn, is and news for the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a major player when it comes to cognitive function. It is also vulnerable to the impact of cortisol. This has been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The greater and more frequent the depressive episodes, the more rapid is the cognitive decline.
How to Know Depression in Bipolar Disorder When You See It
There are some key signs to look out for when trying to discern depression in bipolar disorder.
Is Your Loved One Depressed? What to Look For
Does your loved one have depression or just a bad case of the blues?Depression is a common mental health disorder. Even so, it’s not always easy to recognize in others, particularly someone close to you.
Battling Inflammation? Signs That Your Depression is Linked
You may be surprised to learn that depression is the leading cause of disability across the globe. You may be shocked to learn too, that at least half of the people with depression are not responsive to existing treatments.
What Male Depression Looks and Sounds Like: 5 Common Signs
Male depression is often overlooked and under-discussed. The reasons for this are varied. First, this mood disorder is more common in women. In addition, men are less likely to seek a diagnosis for what they’re feeling.
Coping With the Pain of Pregnancy Loss
There are many, many forms of grief. When you experience pregnancy loss, it is no less a loss than any death in the family. However, in this case, it is also the loss of innocence, a season of life that once seemed natural and inevitable.
Is Depression Your New Norm? How You Can Embrace Life’s Little Joys
When you talk about your “new normal,” are you speaking in hopeful terms? Or is there a sense of resignation, sadness, and powerlessness that comes with thoughts about your life and future right now?
Feeling Politically Powerless? Why Action is the Antidote to Helplessness
Whatever your political persuasion, you may be feeling powerless in the run-up to the election. If so, you are far from alone. This has been an incredibly challenging year for so many pandemic-related reasons.
Try These Strategies to Keep Depression & Loneliness at Bay
Everyone knows the feeling. You hit a rough patch and just don’t feel like yourself. Others notice you’re in a funk but you put on a brave face and vow to push through it. But depression and loneliness do not work that way.
Dealing with the death of a pet
Why is dealing with the death of a pet so hard? Fluffy or Fido is just an animal, right? So what’s the big deal?
Logic: Joy Subtraction or Joy Addition?
A common concern voiced by patients starting treatment is that thinking things through, instead of living by impulse, leads to a boring life. In other words, logic is joy subtraction rather than joy addition.
Is Life a Pie or an Ocean? An Abundance Mentality.
“My best friend got engaged, and I know I should be happy for him, but I can’t even find a woman who’ll go on more than four dates with me,” said a man in his mid-thirties. “My former co-worker got promoted. I had to clap for her and listen to all the congratulations when we went out, and then I had to buy a round of drinks.