Mental Health Campaigns Can Do More Harm Than Good
A year ago, I questioned whether we were overdoing Mental health awareness. Since then, the evidence has only strengthened: The answer is yes. To be clear, conversations about Mental health remain vital in the right context. The danger lies in how broadcast and social networks amplify this messaging in ways that frequently cause more harm […]
Why Your Emotional Bond With Nature Is Good for You
When life feels overwhelming, many people instinctively turn to nature. A walk in a park. Sitting by the ocean. Watching a sunset. Is this just a pleasant feeling, or is there something deeper at work? A multitude of studies have linked spending time in nature with different aspects of Mental health and wellness. For example, […]
Seven Guidelines for Therapists Helping Clients to…
A college student in my interpersonal forgiveness class said, “I think I am surprised that to this day, I actually haven’t had a therapist help me with the forgiveness process.” Another student said, “I am now genuinely awed by the possibility of forgiveness as an option for my clients to consider in their own healing […]
How to Improve Stress Resilience Through Metabolic Health
You’ve probably heard the advice: If you’re stressed, go for a walk. If you’re still stressed, go for another walk. While physical activity is often recommended to relieve stress, recent research highlights a fascinating connection: Your metabolic health, especially how well your mitochondria work, plays a key role in how your mind and body respond […]
Two Free Events for Less Pain and More Love
When I shared my recent sound bath experience last week, many of you responded letting me know life has been particularly challenging for you too lately. If you’re in that same boat—and especially if you’ve been feeling lonely, down on yourself, or overwhelmed—I have a feeling you’ll appreciate two free events that are coming up […]
Why Self-Care Feels Wrong When You’re a Perfectionist
Perfectionists are often more concerned with goals and accomplishments than with their own well-being. Sometimes, we’re so busy trying to please people, avoid criticism, and prove we’re “good enough” that we don’t even realize the toll it’s taking on our mental and physical health. Are You a Perfectionist? Perfectionists have impossibly high standards for themselves—and […]
When Exhaustion Becomes a Character Flaw
You wake up exhausted. You glance at the clock and realize the meeting you were supposed to be at started 15 minutes ago. Instantly, shame floods in. You imagine what your coworkers will think when you arrive late yet again, having missed something important. For many people living with narcolepsy, this is not an occasional […]
When We Move From the Therapy Room to Social Media
I’ve been creating online social media content, including posts and videos, for a long time. Because I share the same kind of information online that I do in the in-person seminars I present at conferences, I consider myself an educator and the content I share to be psychoeducation. That is, I share Mental health research, […]
What 11 TV Moms Can Teach All of Us
Every year, we at Greater Good give out the “Greater Goodies”–awards to series and movies that highlight human strengths and virtues. For this coming Mother’s Day, we zero in on 11 moms from ten TV series who exemplify traits or ideals we might all strive to embody. This is a diverse group. One of these […]
Are Dating Apps Training Us to See People as Replaceable?
Dating applications were originally promoted as technologies of connection. Platforms such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge promised to modernize romance by making attraction more efficient, accessible, and personalized. Geography became less important, social circles expanded, and millions of people gained access to potential partners they may never have encountered through traditional social environments. For many […]