There’s something inherently wrong with Snapchat—and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The use of social media is associated with increased anxiety and decreased mood. That’s no surprise: When we interact with others through apps, instead of with empathy, even (old fashioned as it is) in person, we use the app’s language and platform. It’s impossible, therefore, […]
So many of us try to live at a distance from our true emotions and our true goals. But what happens when we try to live lives dodging the truth is that it gets harder and harder to keep that truth from surfacing. We have to find ways to keep our minds from focusing on […]
Ashwaganda is an ancient medicinal herb known to fight inflammation via its high concentration of molecules called withanolides. Ashwaganda has been shown in scientific studies to reduce cortisol. Increased levels of cortisol are associated with feelings of stress and anxiety. In fact, when people in one scientific study used ashwaganda supplements, their anxiety and insomnia […]
I briefly mentioned Curcumin (the main active ingredient in the spice turmeric) in a previous blog, but it deserves its own because of how powerful it can be. Back in 2013, a randomized, double blind scientific study looked at how curcumin fared against the antidepressant Prozac in relieving symptoms of depression. Amazingly, at the end […]
Some of the most compelling stories are comeback stories. Take Steve Jobs. In 1985, he was forced to resign from Apple. He spent years and hundreds of millions of his investors’ money trying to start a computer company called NeXT. It didn’t work. Then, in 1996, Apple bought NeXT and Jobs returned to Apple, making […]
As America battles the Coronavirus pandemic, which truly is a public health emergency that merits our best efforts to contain it, there are two other pandemics sweeping America and the world that are at least as dangerous (and Coronavirus is itself very dangerous). The second pandemic (depression and anxiety) is being caused by the rush […]
“Posture” often creates a vision of standing straight. For many, posture recalls such memories as, “My mother always told me to stand up straight,” or “In ballet they made us stand with a book on our head.” A more frequent comment is, “I know my posture is bad but this is the way my aunt, […]
Coronavirus is driving us online faster than ever. We shop for groceries, order food and check for updates about the virus online. We video-chat with our coworkers and friends and family around the country. We flock to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to post updates. This acceleration of our use of the Internet was inevitable with […]
Posture Affects Mood, and Mood Affects Posture The COVID-19 pandemic is causing anxiety, stress, low mood and even clinical depression. Weeks of social and physical distancing and stay-at-home orders wear on people, to say the least. We’re not used to feeling so “out of control.” It can feel as though the rug has been pulled […]
Anyone who has experienced anxiety knows how painful it can be. One of my clients described it as feeling as though he is on hold—for hours—for a doctor who will be definitely be delivering catastrophic news. Another likened it to feeling, except for hours, the way she once had in high school after getting to […]