Doctors will commonly advise you to avoid alcohol while taking certain medications, particularly those used to treat mental health disorders. While it would be fair to assume that drowsiness is the main concern, there may be other, more serious consequences of mixing alcohol with bipolar drugs. Whether you are a heavy or occasional drinker, alcohol can undermine your therapy and increase your risk of drug toxicity, side effects, and even suicide....
Pregnancy can be quite an exciting time—you are, after all, growing a little human inside you! And while there are many great aspects of pregnancy, there are some downsides. One such downside is that there are some foods you have to give up during the pregnancy. Ceviche, which is made from raw fish and vegetables with a splash of citrus, is a food that should be added to your no-go list....
Do you dig through piles of clothes to find the shirt you want to wear for the day? When you leave the house, do you struggle to find your keys and your wallet among all the items on your kitchen table? Maybe you can’t open the garage door all the way because there are so many boxes of knick-knacks in there. You might tell yourself, I’ll declutter eventually. But time keeps passing, and your home, office, or car is still filled to the brim with stuff....
If you’ve decided to go to psychotherapy for panic disorder, you may be wondering what your therapeutic treatment options are. Numerous types of therapy are available, depending on your therapist’s approach and training background. Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP) is one such option that’s been shown to be effective in treating panic disorder; another effective psychotherapy—often considered to be the most popular type of therapy for anxiety disorders—is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)....
Aching feet, swollen ankles, and even varicose veins are common discomforts many pregnant people experience. Most of the time, this swelling—often called edema—starts showing up toward the end of pregnancy and is a common complaint. In fact, research shows edema impacts about three-quarters of pregnant people, usually between weeks 22 and 27 of pregnancy. To combat this common issue, many healthcare professionals recommend wearing compression socks. “Compression socks give extra support to a limb to help decrease swelling or edema from building up in the area,” says Kelly Sturm, DPT, CLT-LANA, a physical therapist and certified lymphedema therapist....
Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Every Monday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, interviews authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. Meet Dr. Corey Yeager Dr. Yeager is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Much of his work focuses on facilitating the advancement of meaningful dialogue surrounding the subject of race and racism....
Collective trauma refers to a traumatic event that is shared by a group of people. It may involve a small group, like a family, or it may involve an entire society. Traumatic events that affect groups may include plane crashes, natural disasters, mass shootings, famine, war, or pandemics. Well-known collective traumas include American slavery, the Holocaust, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic....
Fertility health quizzes can help you think about possible symptoms you may be experiencing. Some symptoms may give you hope—maybe you’re pregnant! Other kinds of symptoms may bring on worry, maybe something is wrong. And sometimes, you may not have even realized you should be worried until you’ve been asked about a specific problem. Your “normal” may not be truly normal. These quizzes cannot diagnose infertility or any disease, and they should be used for educational purposes only....
If you were consuming alcohol in the weeks before you learned that you were pregnant, you might be worried about the possible consequences. The early weeks of pregnancy are critical to embryo development but the research on the effect of drinking alcohol during this period is conflicting. Research on Alcohol in Early Pregnancy Some studies have suggested that consuming alcohol during the first few weeks of pregnancy can harm the development of the fetus....
When it comes to ADHD, it’s important to develop habits that help manage symptoms. These habits may include healthy lifestyle practices like diet, physical activity, and good sleep hygiene. Individuals with ADHD have a more difficult time forming healthy lifestyle habits. Since those with ADHD have trouble with memory and remaining focused, it can be even more challenging for them to “organize daily tasks and routines”. “The term lifestyle change inherently means that changes are made such that they can be followed for the lifetime of an individual....
I’ve never been much of the “decorator” type. As much as I try, my house consistently maintains an “organized chaos” vibe. It’s somewhat put together, but a few decorative pillows or chic picture frames aren’t going to distract from the chocolate milk stains on the carpet or the windows coated in tiny handprints. I completely envy the moms who have it all together. I have friends whose homes look like they’re torn straight out of a Joanna Gaines design book — that cozy, modern farmhouse style with rustic accents that I wish I could replicate....
A handshake is a type of greeting that involves grasping hands followed by a brief up and down movement. Handshakes are used as both a greeting and parting gesture throughout the world. Handshakes can be an important part of making a first impression. Although it is possible to overcome a poor first impression, it is easier to learn how to avoid some of the typical mistakes that people make when shaking hands....
Children in the foster care system are usually in the state’s custody for reasons beyond their control—often, abuse and neglect. Experiencing abuse or neglect has an impact on a child’s behavior as well as on their mental state. Challenging Behaviors Foster children in your care may display behaviors that are difficult to manage. Know that the following can be brought into your foster home and be prepared to address these behaviors and issues in your home and around your children....
Reading fluency refers to the ability to read quickly, smoothly, easily, and with expression. To read fluently, a reader must understand how the symbols on the page (the letters) are related to the sounds of the language, how those sounds are blended together to form words, what the words mean, and what the words together in a sentence mean. Stages of Reading Fluency In the initial stages of learning to read, a reader is so focused on decoding the words on the page that they don’t have much mental energy left to spend on meaning....
Aggressive communication is a method of expressing needs and desires that does not take in to account the welfare of others. A harmful communication style, aggressive communication can end up worsening social anxiety by making others view you more harshly. In turn, this can lower your self-esteem as you worry you are being judged negatively by those around you. What Is Aggressive Communication? During aggressive communication, you stand up for yourself in a way that is inappropriate and may violate the rights of others....
Mothers-in-law have been the butt of millions of jokes. In fact, stereotypes dating back as far as 50 years portray the mother-in-law as the most problematic relationship in the family. Yet, it’s no joke when it comes to being a good mother-in-law. This role is not only challenging but requires considerable effort. Being a good mother-in-law is one of the most important roles in healthy family dynamics. In order to someday be a good grandmother, you should first study how to be a good mother-in-law, as this relationship can set the tone for your role as grandmother....
With the holiday season approaching, large family gatherings can mean bringing together a mix of political and religious beliefs that don’t always blend well. For some, it might also bring an onslaught of questions about your personal life from distant relatives that you just don’t want to answer. Family reunions like this can be a great opportunity to reconnect with relatives you don’t get to see often—but it can also be difficult....
While art therapy is its own field, you can also use self-directed art to express your creative side, reduce stress, and get in touch with your feelings. Most of us understood the power of art instinctively as kids: Virtually all children know the joys of sculpting something with play-dough, painting something with fingers, or drawing with crayons and other materials. Other than making random doodles in the margins of a page, if you’re like most adults, you probably don’t express yourself with art as you did when you were a kid....
Although it’s distressing for parents, head banging at bedtime or in the middle of the night is usually normal for young children. What Is Head Banging? Head banging is usually thought to be a parasomnia (also known as a sleep disorder), like sleepwalking or night terrors. Head banging is also sometimes classified as a rhythmic movement disorder, a neurological disorder that involves moving large muscle groups repetitively and involuntarily just before and in the middle of sleep....
Separated parents may find themselves in a custody battle striving to win joint custody. In a joint custody arrangement, parents share custody of their child, as opposed to sole custody, where one parent has full custody. However, there are two different kinds of joint custody: joint legal custody and joint physical custody. Parents may also request a combination of both joint physical and joint legal custody. Parents should consider each option carefully as they prepare for child custody proceedings....
