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Subscribe 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 Thomas Brag Thomas Brag is one of the founders of Yes Theory, a group that challenges people to step outside their comfort zones. Yes Theory has garnered a massive following, including more than six million YouTube subscribers who are interested in seeing Thomas and his co-hosts perform dangerous stunts or hazardous pranks....

It’s an exciting time when your baby starts solid foods. It’s fun to discover how your baby will react to their first taste of food and how feeding them will change the family dynamic at mealtime. Some babies are enthusiastic eaters, while others are less eager to try new foods. What’s pretty universal is that getting the hang of eating solid food can be messy. You’ll know your baby is ready for solid foods when they can hold up their head, can sit unassisted, and have doubled their birth weight (or are around 13 pounds or more)....

What Is Haphephobia? Haphephobia involves a fear of touch. While uncommon, it is often a devastating phobia. It is in the class of phobias known as specific phobias, which are fears of a specific object or situation. If you have haphephobia, you fear being touched by anyone, although some people are only afraid of being touched by those of a different gender. An irrational fear of someone touching you is unusual in that it is not particularly linked to other anxiety-related conditions such as social phobia (social anxiety disorder) or a fear of vulnerability or intimacy....

Child development experts consider functional play to be the most simple type of play in which small children engage. Such experts often refer to functional play as “first play” precisely because it characterizes how young children first begin to use playthings to entertain themselves. This stage of play starts in infancy and usually continues through toddlerhood until around age 2. Why Little Kids Love a Box Before your child begins to invent pretend worlds and imaginary friends, she will usually love a toy for being exactly what it is....

Amphetamine stays in your system anywhere from two to 90 days, depending on a variety of factors such as the dosage of the drug (how much you’ve taken) and your metabolic rate (how fast your body processes it). Amphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that increases alertness, self-confidence, and concentration while creating a feeling of increased energy and decreased appetite. Amphetamine is available by prescription but is also used illicitly as a recreational drug....

If you have trouble sleeping during pregnancy, you’re not alone. Research shows that between 20% and 60% of pregnant women experience insomnia at some point during their pregnancy. Insomnia comes in a few different forms. You can have trouble falling asleep when you try to go to bed or wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep. Between the various physical discomforts of pregnancy and the worries of bringing a child into the world, there may be plenty to keep you up at night....

Loving kindness meditation (LKM) is a popular self-care technique that can be used to boost well-being and reduce stress. Those who regularly practice loving kindness meditation are able to increase their capacity for forgiveness, connection to others, self-acceptance, and more. This technique is not easy as you are asking yourself to send kindness your way or to others. It often takes practice to allow yourself to receive your own love or to send it....

It’s normal to worry from time to time. Given life’s many unknowns and challenges, worry is a natural response to many situations. However, chronic and all-consuming worry can be troublesome and interfere with our ability to function freely and calmly in our daily lives. Here are some helpful tips to reduce your worrisome and negative thoughts. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Press Play for Advice On Reducing Worry...

Trauma-focused psychotherapy is widely accepted as the best treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but due to a lack of data, it’s not entirely clear how it changes the brain to aid the recovery process. Key Takeaways Someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may benefit from trauma-focused psychotherapy, such as exposure therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).New research suggests that this type of therapy is successful because it restructures communication pathways within the brain....

If your baby has a stuffy nose, you’re probably wondering what you should do—and if you should be concerned. Rest assured that it’s very common for babies to have nasal congestion from time to time, especially when they are a newborn. In fact, typically, newborn congestion is nothing to worry about and can easily be treated with home remedies. Keep in mind that newborn noses are small with tiny nasal passages....

One of the most difficult relationship decisions you hope to never have to make is whether or not to give a cheating partner a second chance. This decision is especially difficult if your partner lied to you, manipulated you, made a fool out of you, or tried to cover up the affair. But, what if your partner is usually reliable and dependable? What if they regret cheating and promise to be faithful?...

Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Every Friday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, shares the “Friday Fix”—a short episode featuring a quick, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or concern. Friday Fix: Episode 173 Whether you want to lose weight or you want to get out of debt, change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process–and much of that process happens long before we even begin to create change....

Gluten-free cookbooks are an excellent tool to find inspiration when you’re following a gluten-free diet. There is a wide range of excellent options on the shelves for all your gluten-free needs—whether you’re baking, cooking on a budget, and preparing meals for the whole family. The best gluten-free cookbooks contain common, whole-food ingredients, educational content, and will line up with any other dietary allergies you may have. Which gluten-free cookbook you choose will largely depend on your taste preferences and cooking level....

Your period can differ from cycle to cycle for all sorts of reasons, from stress or illness (like the flu) to a chronic medical condition, a change in diet, extreme weight loss or weight gain, or fluctuations in hormones. Any of these can result in a flow that’s heavier or lighter than usual, that lasts longer or for a shorter amount of time, and so forth. If you experience heavy bleeding around the time of your period soon after receiving a positive pregnancy test result, it’s possible you’ve experienced a miscarriage....

What Is a Sex Therapist? Sex therapists are typically healthcare professionals and have to be licensed to qualify as a sex therapist. A sex therapist might be a social worker, physician, or psychologist. They must have, however, be specialized in sexual health and sexual problems. Sex Therapist A sex therapist is a certified professional who assists people with sexual difficulties. When you have a sexual concern that’s not caused by a physical problem or an underlying medical condition, trying to find help for it might seem daunting....

If you have bipolar disorder, someone has likely said at least one of these things to you. If you know someone who lives with this condition, you may be guilty of saying one or more of them. You may have good intentions but not realize how these words can be received. Hearing these comments can be painful, infuriating, depressing—even destructive—to someone living with bipolar disorder. Saying them is not going to be helpful....

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious condition that sometimes requires intensive inpatient treatment at a psychiatric hospital. The idea of being hospitalized is very frightening for most people, but knowing what to expect can reduce your anxiety. Duration of Inpatient Hospitalization for BPD Most inpatient hospitalizations occur due to concern that the patient may be at risk of harming herself or someone else, and the patient is discharged once that risk has passed....

With various news sources competing for ratings in a rabid election year, conflicting views are quite common across TV news networks. As the threat of COVID-19 grew earlier this year, those conflicts even extended to the realm of public health, to the point that a person’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic may have depended on their favorite source for news. Key Takeaways The news you consume may have a direct impact on your views of the COVID-19 pandemic....

Although all kids can be strong-willed sometimes, some children exhibit certain characteristics consistently. Also referred to as “spirited children,” these kids’ temperaments are often evident from a very early age. Being strong-willed isn’t the same as being a “bad kid.” Strong-willed kids are simply determined to do things according to their own terms. While their sheer stubbornness can be admirable at times, it can also be downright frustrating for parents and teachers....

As the holiday season approaches, there is a lot for Americans to be excited about. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for kids aged 5 through 11. Booster shots are shoring up the immune defenses of vaccinated adults. The Delta wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has fallen from its late-summer highs. Sporting events are reaching full capacity. Marvel movies are coming out again. In short, things are starting to feel a bit more comfortable, if not entirely normal....