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If you are wondering if you are a highly sensitive person, it’s quite possible that you are. Highly sensitive people process subtleties and details that most miss. They also tend to be much more emotionally attuned to those around them. They are the first ones to notice when a friend needs a hug or if someone is angry. Unfortunately, this heightened sensitivity to internal and external stimuli often translates into rumination and extra stress....

Thanks to the growth of mental health awareness, there is no shortage of influencers on social media sharing their experiences and wisdom so that you can feel good about the time you spend scrolling. And luckily, there is also no shortage of specifically LGBTQ+ influencers who are on there to enhance your mental wellness. We’ve gathered together six LGBTQ+ influencers whose content focuses on mental health. From the first trans man to star in a period advertising campaign to a Mexican-Samoan nonbinary queer person who wants to show you how to get in touch with your higher self, these influencers are helping us celebrate what it means to be ourselves and everything that makes us unique, for all the world to see....

One of the hardest parts of processing pregnancy loss, especially on your due date, is the disenfranchised grief that surrounds it. Disenfranchised grief is a natural emotional reaction following a loss that is not openly accepted by society. And although we’ve seen a small shift toward a less stigmatized view of pregnancy loss, largely in thanks to everyday people sharing their stories with friends and family and on social media, the stigma and silence surrounding pregnancy loss still remains....

There’s something about hearing your favorite song on the radio that can suddenly turn a boring commute into an exciting adventure. And it’s almost magical how listening to your playlist can turn a bad day into a good night. Music is powerful. It affects our brains, our bodies, and our social connections. And there’s no doubt that many people have relied on music to get through the pandemic. The pandemic brought most social activities to a screeching halt for over a year....

If you feed your baby formula, you may have questions about which one to choose. Does your child need a formula containing DHA and ARA? What are the possible benefits and is it safe? DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid and ARA stands for arachidonic acid. These are long-chain fatty acids. You may also be familiar with DHA as being a form of omega-3-fatty acid. The excitement that prompted adding these compounds to formula and food was the finding that these compounds—previously found only in breast milk—aid in the development of the visual and central nervous system....

Racism has real mental health impacts. A study published in the Journal of Black Psychology found that the Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma may provide a useful coping resource to address stress. The Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma is a guided meditation to support Black individuals with stress recovery. Researchers hope that it may help Black individuals to manage racial trauma well enough to make progress tackling inequities....

Teens often find themselves in difficult situations with friends, dating partners, and others where they struggle to communicate their needs or their values. Even when their gut is telling them that someone is crossing a line with them, they may struggle to articulate that the situation is making them uncomfortable. For this reason, parents need to work with their teens to establish boundaries with others. Although boundaries are different for everyone, when done correctly, they help teens set limits with others in order to protect themselves....

Most pregnant people gain an average of 25-35 pounds during pregnancy, and while some of that naturally comes off after giving birth, many of us are left with extra weight we are hoping to shed. Others of us have been wanting to lose weight for some time, and feel ready to do so after pregnancy. We know that dieting and losing weight during pregnancy is generally not a safe option, which is why many of us are eager to start losing weight after our babies arrive....

If your baby has started eating solid foods and you suddenly notice their skin is looking a little yellow or maybe even orange, you may be worried that they are jaundiced. While it’s important to confirm your baby’s condition with your doctor, there is a possibility that instead of jaundice, your baby could have a classic case of carotenemia and that there is nothing to worry about. What Is Carotenemia? First described in 1919, carotenemia occurs when an infant’s skin appears yellow, or even orange, after eating a lot of baby foods that are high in carotene....

Joining someone’s family as a result of a serious long-term relationship is not always easy. You choose your partner, not his or her family, but you are still connected to his family after marriage whether you like it or not. Your spouse will have expectations on the continued involvement of each family member which can add pressure to your relationship. This alone can trigger uncomfortable feelings for anyone, but if you have borderline personality disorder, you may have the added difficulty of struggling to relate to these new people....

Young children often get frequent upper respiratory tract infections, including colds and secondary ear infections. Getting sick a lot is expected, even if a child seems to get sick every two weeks, especially for young kids in daycare. In fact, experts estimate that the average child gets six to eight viral upper respiratory tract infections each year. It’s also very common for kids to get gastroenteritis—which can include vomiting and/or diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain....

Breakups can take a serious toll on your well-being. Not only can the end of a relationship lead to major life changes in finances and living situations, but breakups also create a great deal of emotional turmoil. Some splits are easier than others. You might be able to let go and move on fairly quickly. In other cases, you might feel angry, sad, bitter, anxious, and heartbroken. All of these emotions can be perfectly normal after a romantic breakup—but if they lead to prolonged feelings of sadness or apathy and significant impairment in areas of life functioning, this might be a sign that something more serious is going on....

Do fertility drugs cause cancer? What about IVF treatment? It is true that a few studies seemed to find a connection between fertility drug use and an increased risk of breast or uterine cancer, specifically with the drug Clomid. All medications, including fertility drugs, come with risks. But should you be concerned about an increased cancer risk? Let’s take a look. Fertility Drugs and Cancer Risk In 2005, a widely publicized study reported that Clomid use might increase the risk of uterine cancer....

A research review published in Cochrane Reviews has updated its findings and conclusions for 2020. In previous research from 2014, some evidence suggested e-cigarettes may be more effective as a tobacco cessation method than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). In the update, researchers now caution that e-cigs come with their own risks and are not a “safer smoking” option. Key Takeaways Some research supports e-cigarettes as a better quit-smoking tool than nicotine replacement, but only by a modest degree....

Picture the perfect summer, and you might envision barbecues with friends, pool parties, and sightseeing vacations. Of course, there’s always plenty to look forward to about the season of sun. But as the COVID-19 vaccine is unavailable to kids under 12, summer activities may continue to be restricted for some families. Key Takeaways Even as things begin to open up, until younger children can be vaccinated, some families maintain a cautious approach....

It may be one of the most popular tropes in storytelling: Good friends grow together and rely on each other, all the while showing little signs of romantic tension. Then one day, what the audience knows hits them: they should be together. While the friends-to-lovers plot often looks too good to be true, it turns out lots of people are out there living it. Key Takeaways A new study found that a little over two-thirds of people were friends with their partner before things turned romantic....

Thanksgiving presents us with a great opportunity to increase our feelings of gratitude for everything in our lives. This is wonderful for our stress levels as well as our relationships, our life satisfaction, and our overall health. The focus on gratitude that surrounds Thanksgiving is particularly good for us because it reminds us of how easy it is to increase our feelings of gratitude about everything we have, making it easier to feel that we have “enough” when faced with the barrage of marketing that starts before Black Friday and continues through the new year....

What Is Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (Flashbacks)? Flashbacks are common among people who use hallucinogenic drugs, and while drug-related flashbacks have a reputation for being disturbing or just the result of a “bad trip,” not everyone who experiences flashbacks finds them troubling. But sometimes, these flashbacks can be intense, unpleasant, and frequent, even if the person experiencing them is currently abstaining from drug use. Flashbacks that continue to occur after the original drug effects have worn off are a medically recognized phenomenon, which is documented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (flashbacks)....

How long ADHD medication takes to work depends on the type of medication you have been prescribed. Typically, ADHD medication falls into two categories: stimulants and non-stimulants. Stimulants become effective fairly quickly, often in less than an hour. Non-stimulants can take days or weeks until their full therapeutic effect is felt. Stimulant Medications Stimulant medications are the first line of ADHD treatment, as they are considered to be the most effective in treating symptoms....

Self-esteem refers to an individual’s overall subjective feelings of personal value and self-worth. It can have an effect on many areas of life, including substance use and recovery. Low self-esteem has been linked to the onset of drug use, and research has also shown a connection between low self-esteem and behavioral addictions including internet addiction, eating problems, and compulsive buying. While alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors can initially mask insecurities and even make people feel more confident, these feelings are short-lived....