I read a poem every morning and frequently encourage clients to include poetry as part of their self-care/healing routines. Poetry has an emotional force that evokes basic human empathy. In a few essential words, it can express grief, longing, resolve, hope, and anger. Poetry can provide comfort and boost mood during periods of stress, trauma,…
General
People may feel numb, bewildered, or helpless. It’s a familiar and understandable human feeling in the face of terrible catastrophe or fear. Six things you can do to help: Educate: as a family or individual, learn the data about what’s happening. Empathize: as of January 2022, the world health organization (WHO) statistics on world depression…
General
Schadenfreude, the experience of pleasure at the misfortune of others, is a very common emotion. It may seem mean-spirited, vindictive even, but Schadenfreude is the result of several deeply-ingrained processes that the human brain spent millions of years evolving. Schadenfreude is a German term that translates to “damage” (schaden) “joy” (freude). Research in neural science…
General
Psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos teaches about happiness at Yale. Her research lab has summarized the voluminous data on what actually makes us happy. The main themes: developing a sense of meaning or purpose connection with other people meditation and reflection taking time off/resting if you are overwhelmed (avoiding burnout) sense of belonging overcoming impulses in…
General
Olivia Hooker, PhD (1915-2018) As a child, Dr. Hooker survived the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. She and her siblings hid behind a kitchen table while watching the destruction. She described the trauma as life-long, but it didn’t hold her back. Dr. Hooker was the first Black woman to enlist for active duty (Coast Guard)…
Generalrace and mental health
Many of us are wearing red today to raise awareness about women, cardiovascular disease, and I’m going to add mental health. Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression. Depression is a risk factor for heart disease. While the exact relationship between depression and heart disease is still being studied, enough is known…
General
Recently, I’ve been frequently sipping turmeric tea also known as golden milk. In Urdu/Hindi, it is known as haldi dood. I like to call it healthy dude because I’m like that. In colder temperatures, it’s especially soothing to have a warm and delicious beverage. Turmeric, especially when combined with saffron and cardamom has significant antidepressant…
Uncategorized
For many of us in psychology/mental health, when the phone rings or a text pings late night, there is an immediate frisson of worry and concern. It’s a cold shiver in your spine. Bad news is going down. I work with a lot of young people, teens through 30s, and I am readily accessible most…
anxietydepressionsuicide awareness
Pandemic fatigue Difficulty with focused and sustained attention Feeling irritable or more easily frustrated Lack of energy; easily tired Pit or knot in stomach Not keeping up with regular tasks and chores Not listening when people are talking to you Feeling blah: as one client said, not up not down, just blah Running late for…
Covid-19 Crisisstrategies for self-care
*Wins can be: Meal prepping something delicious for the next couple of days. Organizing and updating your planner or calendar. Cleaning a closet you’ve been wanting to get to. Catching up with emails. Getting some movement at the start of a day. Meditating. Remembering to take vitamins/supplements. *Wins can also be: Remembering to hydrate. And…
strategies for self-care
Combined with psychoeducational testing, it helps provide comprehensive information and recommendations to help children and teens six and up.
