Posts

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 Terry Crews Terry Crews is an NFL player turned actor and TV host. He has appeared on shows like “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” He’s also hosted shows like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?...

Whether your child comes down with a cough, recently had a playdate with a friend who caught COVID-19, or is planning to visit grandparents, an at-home antigen test can be a convenient, preliminary way to screen them for an infection. To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized more than 45 antigen tests, including 17 at-home options. There are a few things you should know before you start playing Dr....

Trick-or-treaters could ring your doorbell more times on Halloween night than everyone else does the entire rest of the year. How do you cope with the constant visitors if you live with social anxiety disorder (SAD)? Strategies range from not participating in becoming the best-dressed house on the block. Below are some tips to help you cope with anxiety created by trick-or-treaters at your door—ranked by the level of your social anxiety....

During pregnancy, cells in the placenta produce a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and formed the embryo that attaches to the wall of the uterus. In the first trimester of a normal pregnancy, levels of hCG increase significantly, typically doubling every two to three days over the course of the first eight to 11 weeks of gestation. When this doesn’t happen—or hCG levels actually decrease—it may mean a miscarriage is taking place....

Not all mental health professionals carry the same degrees and licenses, and this can be confusing when you are seeking professional help with stress. You may find it helpful to see a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a family therapist, an LCSW, or another professional counselor who works with mental health issues. You can also seek health from a life coach or wellness coach, although the licensing requirements are not standardized in this field, and they do not treat mental health conditions....

Exposure therapy can be extremely helpful for people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This type of therapy involves repeatedly exposing the patient to those things that trigger fear the most until their anxiety lessens. Exposure therapy takes plenty of courage and may take a good chunk of time. What Is an Exposure Hierarchy? An exposure hierarchy is a list that is used to guide your progression through exposure therapy. It details the main situations or sources of anxiety that trigger your fear, arranged in order of how severe each fear is....

Becoming a new mother can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. There is incredible happiness, joy, and elation over having a baby for the first time, combined with the uncertainty, anxiety, and worry over screwing up in some way. Add in the fact that the physical and emotional recovery from giving birth—regardless of whether it is vaginal or cesaeran—is challenging, and it should come as no surprise that many new moms struggle to navigate the fourth trimester....

Research shows that healthy and supportive relationships can reduce stress and improve your overall health and sense of well-being. Building a network of supportive friends, or even just one supportive relationship, can be vital to your mental health. Here are some key skills that can help you to build relationships with people that are truly supportive and sustaining. Meet New People It takes some work, but cultivating a circle of truly supportive friendships can make a huge difference in how you handle stress and life....

It’s the end of a long day at work and you’re coming home. You’re not hungry but craving something that will make you feel better. You stop by your favourite fast food joint and grab your go-to snack combo. You’re driving with one hand in a bag of fries and the other on your steering wheel. By the time you come home, the bag is empty and you have no idea how it happened....

Sharing the news of your pregnancy is typically a joyful moment. However, telling a friend with infertility that you’re pregnant is a bit more complicated and may end up feeling stressful for you both. You may already know how hard it can be for them to learn about other people’s pregnancies. As excited as you are, you may also be dreading sharing the news with a loved one who is dealing with fertility struggles....

When choosing to use third-party reproduction technologies, one of the decisions you need to make is what kind of donor arrangement you want: known, anonymous, semi-open, or open. This decision applies to sperm, egg, and embryo donor arrangements. The kind of arrangement you and the donor choose will have an impact not only on you, the intended parent, but also on your future child, the donor, and the donor’s children (if they have any)....

Cans and bottles of carbonated water have become ubiquitous in grocery aisles, restaurants, refrigerators, and even in the hands of children. Available in a rainbow of fruit and other flavors, many people enjoy these sparkling beverages as a calorie-free alternative to sugar-sweetened sodas. However, many parents wonder if drinking carbonated beverages is recommended for kids. Some people worry that carbonation may not be good for their kids’ teeth, digestion, or nutrition....

Lupron, a GnRH agonist, is one of the best known and most hated of IVF treatment injectable fertility drugs. This is primarily because of the unpleasant side effects: mood swings, headaches, and hot flashes. GnRH agonists like Lupron are primarily used for the treatment of endometriosis and fibroids. Less commonly, a GnRH agonist can be used to stimulate ovulation instead of the usual hCG trigger shot during an IUI cycle....

It has long been thought that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) might be related to different personality characteristics. For example, Freud thought that personality traits such as indecisiveness and orderliness played a large role in the development of OCD. Although there does not appear to be one type of personality that is vulnerable to developing OCD, recent research suggests that certain personality features may be influential. Personality Categories Although there are many ways in which we can think about or define personality, it has become popular to describe personality using distinct categories that reflect different aspects of the way we think or act....

In our society what you wear, how you speak, and even your hairstyle are just a few ways that someone may determine who they think you are. However, for Black, Indigenous, and people of color, there is constant pressure to present “correctly” in order to be accepted and treated with respect. Respectability politics, or the codes of behavior that BIPOC—and other historically marginalized groups—attempt to use to appear acceptable to the dominant culture carry an overwhelming weight....

Many parents who have struggled with their own eating disorders or disordered eating have questions about how to help their children avoid the same fate. You may have questions about how to organize meals and what foods to offer in order to raise healthier eaters in the next generation. How Parents May Help Increase Protective Factors in the Home If you have struggled with binge eating and dieting, you may be tempted to limit your children’s exposure to “fun” foods or to focus on your child being a “healthy” weight....

Introverts tend to be misunderstood in our society. They don’t dislike people, and they don’t just want to be left alone. They do, however, experience stress in certain situations that are experienced as exciting for many extroverts. While these differences aren’t absolute—they can range from barely noticeable to extreme, depending on where someone falls on the introvert-extrovert spectrum—they are important to understand for introverts and extroverts alike. Differences Between Extroverts and Introverts Extroverts tend to be confident, dominant, and have a high need for stimulation, whereas introverts are more understated, and need more “down time....

lululemon, a Vancouver-based activewear company, has garnered a loyal following thanks to its top-quality products. The company makes athletic wear that’s fashionable and functional for a range of activities, like yoga, running, weight training, and lounging. Besides leggings, lululemon is also known for quality shorts. lululemon uses innovative fabrics in shorts that perform well during workouts, look and feel good, and last a long time. This feature, paired with thoughtful and unique design features, makes many lululemon products worth the high price (and we have some tips for navigating lululemon’s “We Made Too Much” section)....

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in several processes in the body, including blood sugar control, muscle function, nerve messaging, and protein production. As with most vitamins and minerals, it is preferred to get your magnesium from food first, incorporating magnesium-rich foods like seeds, nuts, spinach, whole grains, yogurt, and legumes. However, nearly half of Americans may not be meeting their estimated average requirement of magnesium from food. If you are unable to meet your needs or if you have a health condition or a dietary restriction that may impact your magnesium status, you may benefit from a magnesium supplement....

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is commonly treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of therapy that was pioneered in the 1960s for the treatment of depression. It is now a leading treatment for many conditions, including anxiety disorders. Research has shown that CBT is an effective therapy for social anxiety disorder. CBT uses a combination of techniques that may vary depending on the disorder being treated. For example, CBT for depression will be different from CBT for SAD or other anxiety disorders....