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When Boston-based Willow learned their company would start offering health insurance to employees in February 2020, they knew this was finally their chance to get top surgery. Willow immediately started setting up consults and scheduled an appointment for last summer with one of the best surgeons in Boston. Then, suddenly, the pandemic started in March, and mass cancellations of surgeries followed. Key Takeaways The pandemic canceled most surgeries unrelated to COVID-19, including gender-affirming options....

The idea of taking medication to treat psychiatric conditions such as depression has garnered quite a bit of controversy in comparison to other areas of medicine. Many people are vocal about whether antidepressants are good or bad on various media platforms and have strong opinions on either side of the debate, but very few are neutral. Some feel that there are too many side effects or that they don’t work or that others will judge them if they are taking antidepressants....

Digestion is defined as the body’s process of breaking foods down into components that can be absorbed and used wherever they are needed. Each step takes place in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine (colon). Several accessory organs—the pancreas, gall bladder, and liver—also play important roles. Although it may go unnoticed, the first time a newborn digests breast milk or formula is truly a landmark moment....

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders have put a strain on all of us regardless of where we live or who we live with. While there are some perks to living alone during this time—like not feeling the emotional burden of looking after young children or circumventing the interpersonal intricacies of sharing tight quarters with someone else 24/7—isolating without others presents a unique set of challenges. Key Takeaways Living alone during social isolation can be an emotional rollercoaster....

The fear of eating in front of others can wreak havoc on your social life, work prospects, and adjustment to college. Socializing usually includes some form of food and drink. Business meetings sometimes take place over lunch or dinner. College cafeterias can be crowded. If eating and drinking in front of others causes you extreme anxiety, you may either endure these situations with great discomfort or avoid them altogether. Avoidance creates a vicious cycle in that the more narrow your life becomes, the harder you will find it to eat and drink in front of others....

What Is Gratitude? Gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative and is associated with several mental and physical health benefits. When you experience gratitude, you feel grateful for something or someone in your life and respond with feelings of kindness, warmth, and other forms of generosity. The word gratitude can have a number of different meanings depending on how others use it and in what context. “In general terms, gratitude stems from the recognition that something good happened to you, accompanied by an appraisal that someone, whether another individual or an impersonal source, such as nature or a divine entity, was responsible for it,” explain researchers Lúzie Fofonka Cunha, Lucia Campos Pellanda, and Caroline Tozzi Reppold in a 2019 article published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology....

Love the skin you’re in. That’s the central message of the body positivity movement. And on the surface, it seems like a pretty solid message. After all, isn’t that what having self-confidence is all about—feeling good about who you are at the core, regardless of what the package is wrapped up in? But some experts are concerned that body positivity still keeps people—especially tweens and teens—focused on appearance. People are urged to love their bodies, but the reality of personal acceptance is much more nuanced....

What’s the best age to have a baby? It’s a question just about every person considers once they enter adulthood. The answer will not only be different for different people but may change during your life. It may be that in your twenties, having kids later felt right… but once you got to your mid-30s, never feels more acceptable. Or you may decide at 30 that now is the right time, but after encountering infertility, end up in the later category (possibly due to fertility treatment bills getting out of hand, or needing a break) or even never (as you seek closure)....

Many people have stressful responsibilities that they must take care of, to the point that having fun feels like an unnecessary luxury. However, including fun activities in life may be one of the best stress relief tips you can follow. There are many benefits of having good old fun, so read on and get inspired to play and relax today (even if just for a short time) and see how you feel....

As a child gets older and starts to leave the baby stages behind, many parents begin wondering when their preschooler should drop their nap. A new study by University of Massachusetts-Amherst sleep scientist Rebecca Spencer, PhD, and Tracy Riggins, PhD, a University of Maryland child psychologist specializing in memory development, shows us it’s not about the number, but rather the child’s brain development.“At some point, we transition out of napping,” Dr....

Content warning: Discussion of diet culture, weight loss, and disordered eating. Key Takeaways Recent articles and observations of celebrity body changes have sparked the declaration that ‘heroin chic’ bodies are back in style. This dangerous statement has reignited discussion around a focus on thinness—to the point of frailty—and equates body types to trends, a disgusting notion.This negative messaging can be especially harmful to people who have—or are recovering from—eating disorders. Aesthetic trends in design and fashion are in constant flux, with influence from past decades often coming back in vogue....

Have you ever thought, “What is wrong with me?” If so, you are not alone. Nearly everyone, from time to time, has had that thought. For some, it’s a fleeting moment of self-doubt, while for others it might be a lifelong feeling of not measuring up or not being good enough. And in some cases, it may reflect the fact that you are currently in a particular set of circumstances that has you questioning whether you can make it through....

What are your favorite family games? Have you ever thought of switching out Monopoly or Risk for something a little more active? Especially in the summer, when there’s plenty of after-dinner sunlight, try these ideas for your game night. Outdoor Classics Take your game night to the backyard or park and play some old-fashioned, traditional favorites. Bonus points if you have some “when I was a kid, we used to … " stories to go along with them....

Experiencing a parental divorce during childhood may impact adult levels of oxytocin—commonly referred to as the ‘love hormone’—and thus attachment in relationships, according to a study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology in September 2020. Key Takeaways A new study shows that people who experienced parental divorce during childhood had lower levels of oxytocin compared to those who didn’t.Lower oxytocin levels may be associated with adverse adult attachments and negatively impacted by parental divorce....

Ability grouping is the practice of placing students of similar academic ability in the same class group as opposed to placement based on age and grade level. It can be implemented in regular and special education classrooms. The groups are typically small, consisting of 10 or fewer students. How Are Students Assigned to Ability Groups? Students are usually assigned to groups based on a review of data such as their grades, results on standardized testing, and performance in class....

Social anxiety group therapy can take many forms. One of the most common forms of group therapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD) is cognitive-behavioral group therapy. You probably have lots of questions about what group therapy will involve and how it will help you with your particular symptoms. You may even be questioning how being in a group of people—what you may fear the most—will help conquer your anxiety. If you have SAD, you have probably spent much of your life avoiding the social situations that trigger your anxiety....

If You’re Experiencing a Crisis Suicide Risk The crisis counselor you connect with will ask you why you are calling or texting and assess your risk of suicide. For whatever difficult emotions you might be experiencing, we’ve got tools available at your disposal. Seek Help Now If you are having suicidal thoughts, click the number below to call 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911....

Also known as adrenaline, epinephrine is a naturally occurring hormone that’s used during the body’s stress response. During the fight-or-flight response, the adrenal gland releases epinephrine into the bloodstream, along with other hormones like cortisol, which does the following: Signals the heart to pump harder.Increases blood pressure.Opens airways in the lungs.Narrows blood vessels in the skin and intestine to increase blood flow to major muscle groups.Performs other functions to enable the body to fight or run when encountering a perceived threat....

Once your baby hits the nine month milestone, it’s tempting to start thinking about all the things they will need (or you want to buy) once they reach their first birthday. But before you start loading up on new toys, clothes, and other supplies, there are a lot of physical and mental development that happens between nine and 12 months! Thankfully, there are a lot of products designed with the almost-one age group in mind....

People often think that child abuse cases are something that happens in other families and other neighborhoods, but not close to them. But everyone should be aware that victims of child abuse come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, living situations, and races. It’s not the proverbial stranger who poses the most danger to children, but the people entrusted to care for them. And it’s not just men who harm children, 54 percent of reported abusers were women and 45 percent were men....