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Meditation has many wonderful benefits for stress management. One of the most valuable aspects of meditation is that it can build resilience over time, but it can also help one feel less stressed in minutes if used as a tool to simply relax your body and mind. It can also help you to get into the practice of responding to the challenges in your life from a more relaxed, mindful place rather than reacting to life’s challenges out of fear, and it can help you to get in the practice of letting go of grudges and redirecting yourself away from rumination....

Epigenetics is the study of how behaviors and environment can change the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, which are permanent, epigenetic changes don’t change your DNA sequence, meaning they can be reversed. For instance, smoking can result in epigenetic changes that can be reversed after quitting. Key Takeaways Nearly a quarter of pregnant women report being around secondhand smoke—whether that’s at home, at work, or when spending time with a friend or relative....

You’ve survived pregnancy with multiples, and you’ve survived a challenging first year with baby twins, triplets, or more. Now, the fun really begins! Just when you thought things might get a little easier, you have a set of toddlers on your hands. Some call it “the Terrible Twos” but many parents of multiples find toddlerhood to be an enjoyable, if active, period of parenting. With a same-age sibling for entertainment, many twin or multiple toddlers are easier on their parents in some respects than their singleton counterparts....

Medication might still be the first line of treatment for severe mental illnesses, like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, but the future for people managing these conditions could include a digital component. Key Takeaways Researchers tested a new smartphone app for severe mental illness on 315 people across 45 states.They found that symptoms of anxiety and depression were reduced after using the app for 30 days.Additionally, participants reported increased self-esteem and positive perceptions relating to their own recovery....

What Is Strategic Family Therapy? Strategic family therapy (SFT) is a short-term family therapy treatment that is often used for families with children or adolescents who are dealing with behavioral issues. In a safe therapeutic setting, a therapist designs interventions with the family to replicate family interactions and conversations in order to resolve problems specific to the family’s structure and create behavioral change. SFT is an active form of therapy. It is designed to be brief, directive, and task-oriented....

Fatigued arches or painful blisters are often expected when hiking. But adding insoles to your boots or shoes is an easy, budget-friendly way to keep you feeling light on your feet. Insoles can also help reduce foot pain and promote proper foot alignment—helping you hike comfortably for longer. “Wearing insoles while hiking helps to customize the shoe to your individual foot,” says podiatrist Gretchen A. Lawrence, DPM. When choosing insoles, you’ll want to consider your foot shape and gait to determine how much cushioning or support you need....

Walking is a great form of exercise with lots of health benefits, but wearing the right shoes is key to staying comfortable and injury-free. Whether you walk for fitness or simply spend a significant amount of time on your feet, you need shoes that offer quality all-around cushioning and support to prevent fatigue and soreness. A good walking shoe should fit well right away without having to break it in. “You shouldn’t be feeling any pinching or trouble moving your toes,” Ami A....

Baby wipes in dozens of brands and styles are available these days. You’ll find different scents, no scent at all, extra thick, all natural, refill packs, flip top packs, and more. You can even make your own. How are you supposed to choose the ones that will work best for your baby? Of course, any type of wipes will do the job eventually, but some are better or faster at it....

Little is understood about why certain people miscarry and others have successful pregnancies despite multiple risk factors. In some cases, a person experiences a miscarriage or even repeated miscarriages without having any risk factors at all. Individual outcomes seem to be primarily determined by chance and genetic luck. However, one factor that does increase the likelihood of miscarriage is regular exposure to factors classified as teratogens, or agents that have been found to cause disruption in fetal development....

Disturbed sleep is common in people who have bipolar disorder. Many experience nightmares and even night terrors, coupled with either insomnia or too much sleep, depending on whether they’re experiencing a manic or depressive episode. Vivid Dreams and Nightmares Nightmares are disturbing, well-remembered dreams that usually incite anxiety and fear. They typically occur later in the evening during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and cause a person to wake up abruptly....

A vivid dream is one that feels so real that you can recall it very clearly when you wake up. This article discusses what vivid dreams are, what causes them, some of the potential negative consequences and how to avoid them if they are adversely affecting your quality of life. What Is a Vivid Dream? Researchers aren’t completely certain why we dream but they’ve figured out that it’s something to do with how we store our memories....

What Is Experiential Avoidance? Experiential avoidance is an attempt or desire to suppress unwanted internal experiences, such as emotions, thoughts, memories and bodily sensations. This unwillingness to stay in contact with internal experiences. It is sometimes referred to as emotional avoidance, emotional unwillingness, thought suppression, and unwillingness. This is thought to underlie many unhealthy “escape” behaviors, such as substance use, risky sexual behavior, and deliberate self-harm. It may also increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people who have experienced severe trauma....

From the moment you bring your newborn home, your primary concern is likely whether they are getting enough nourishment to grow strong and healthy. But regardless of whether your baby is drinking breast milk, formula, or a combination of the two, it’s natural and normal for them to spit up after and between feedings. “The vast majority of babies will spit up regularly, especially in the first few months of life,” says Rebekah Diamond, MD, a pediatric hospitalist in New York City and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University....

If you have a daughter, you may notice social exclusion going on among the girls in her school. You may also discover that, despite you teaching otherwise, they continue to socially exclude others. Why do girls engage in this “mean girl” behavior? Social Exclusion As Bullying Social exclusion is one form of relational aggression, a subtle and indirect type of bullying that is often used by girls against other girls. Social exclusion is the act of rejecting someone from interpersonal interactions....

Kindergarten readiness isn’t a matter of having one specific skill set, it’s a combination of many different skills in many domains, including physical, academic and social/emotional. While many of these skills are acquired as a child is developmentally ready to achieve them, you can boost the skills he already has. By exploring your everyday activities more in-depth and from a different perspective you can help get your child ready for kindergarten....

COVID-19 presents unique challenges for all of us. One group, in particular, is finding that being at home, with little to no access to in-person services, is creating hardships and challenges they were not expecting. Key Takeaways The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for addiction rehab facilities, group meetings, and treatment centers.Stressors such as unemployment and social isolation can increase the risk of relapse. Technology plays an important role in helping people access the care they need....

Anxiety is a pretty common symptom both in celiac disease and in non-celiac gluten sensitivity—plenty of newly diagnosed people (and more than a few who’ve been diagnosed for some time) report feelings of both anxiety and depression. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that causes people to have an immune reaction in the small intestine when they consume gluten. It’s not clear whether or not gluten in the diet actually causes anxiety, or whether the anxiety is related to something else....

Diarrhea is one of the most common childhood issues in the United States and around the world. It can be scary and dangerous. But, when you have a newborn or young infant, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between normal poop and diarrhea. Here’s how to tell if your baby has diarrhea, along with information about the causes, treatments, and dangers of diarrhea in newborns and infants. Identifying Diarrhea Normal baby poop can be a variety of colors and consistencies....

The big day is finally here — the day you’re going to share your pregnancy announcement with the world. You are probably feeling a bit nervous, anxious and excited all rolled up into one big bundle of nerves. Your mind is probably racing. You might have planned the conversation out in your mind from how you tell these people that you are pregnant to how they respond. While it’s true that you can control what you say and how you say it when you make your pregnancy announcement, the one thing you can’t control is how someone else takes your pregnancy news....

Being in a relationship with someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be overwhelming and frustrating. Every relationship has its ups and downs, but BPD symptoms can make typical relationship problems such as cheating and accusations of infidelity worse. Nevertheless, many people have strong relationships with someone who has BPD. BPD Features and Cheating Some people believe BPD is associated with infidelity. Research has yet to show a direct connection between BPD and an increased likelihood of cheating....