Life is full of minor stresses. Your son spills a glass of milk. Your daughter can’t find her shoes. The dog throws up on the carpet. The mailman delivers another bill. Your husband announces he can’t make it home to coach the soccer team. The car won’t start. You’re going to be late. You already […]
Risk Factors for Mental Health Problems
This week we’ve been talking about the activities and behaviors that make for good mental health (see our July 13 and 15, 2009 posts). Throughout our lives, many forces shape our emotional well-being, both internal and external. Particular events in our lives, genetic and biological factors, and childhood experiences impact our ability to develop and […]
Cornerstones of Good Mental Health
Two important cornerstones of good mental health are resiliency and the ability to develop supportive relationships. Even though disappointment, loss and change are normal events in life; they often cause feelings of stress, sadness and anxiety. People who lack good mental health can be overwhelmed by these feelings. Resiliency, the ability to persevere in the face […]
How to Improve Your Emotional Health
Emotional health is as essential to our well-being as physical health. Mentally healthy people are in control of their emotions and behavior. Emotional health allows us to weather the roller coaster ups and downs of life, handle daily challenges and build enduring relationships to create productive, fulfilling lives. When life hits a bump in the […]
Why We Mourn Celebrity Deaths
When the King of Pop died last week, people around the world felt Michael Jackson’s death as acutely as if a family member had died. They cried. They pilgrimaged to his family home to lay bundles of flowers and leave private messages of grief at the gate. They gathered at special church services to mourn. […]
Learning to Control Anger
Anger is one of our most basic survival instincts. We use anger to protect ourselves from threat and defend ourselves against attack. But losing control of our anger can be physically and psychologically destructive. There are three basic ways people deal with anger: Expressing angry feelings assertively but without aggression is the healthiest way to […]