How to Deal with Teen Loneliness in an Age of Technology
Helping your teen socialize in real life. Source: Ron Lach/Pexels A growing body of research shows that young people are more likely to feel lonely than older adults. Loneliness can be especially hard for teens since it can affect them in several ways. Forty-two percent of high school students reported feelings of sadness or hopelessness […]
6 Dangers of Holding In Your Feelings
Source: Vika_Glitter/Pixabay Ask Jake what he does if his partner does something that bothers him, and he’s likely to say that he “lets it go.” Jake’s not alone—a lot of men in particular, but also many women, learned to not express their feelings nor even use them as information in a healthy way. Jake’s “letting […]
The Simple Meditation Technique That Changed My Life
“Stay in the moment. The practice of staying present will heal you. Obsessing about how the future will turn out creates anxiety. Replaying broken scenarios from the past causes anger and sadness. Stay here, in this moment.” ~Sylvester McNutt For two years, I studied and practiced meditation. I listened to podcasts, chanted mantras each morning, […]
Integrating Psychedelic Experiences Together | Psychology Today
Psychedelic drugs are gaining a lot of attention as powerful opportunities for Mental health treatment and personal growth. Psychedelic experiences can be especially powerful for making relational changes, because psychedelics like ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin help us think more flexibly, understand different perspectives, get out of old habits, and be more connected to others. One […]
Are You in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship?
Source: MAYA LAB / Shutterstock I am often asked, “how do I know if I am in an emotionally abusive relationship?” And I always respond with, “Well, how do you feel in your relationship?” This response can be frustrating for those individuals who are looking for a checklist—an itemized list of specific behaviors that they […]
Our Favorite Books of 2024
Though news of the world can seem pretty grim at times, we at Greater Good try to see beyond the headlines. We know from research that it’s important not to give in to pervasive anger or despair. Even in the worst circumstances, there are always individuals and organizations doing good work and creating a more […]
Do We Need to Love Ourselves Before We Love Others?
To be truly compassionate toward others, do we first have to be compassionate toward ourselves? Some researchers have suggested that these two types of compassion are linked, although this might not always seem intuitive. After all, we can all probably think of individuals who are selfless and giving to other people, but who have trouble […]
Personality vs. Trauma Coping: A Misunderstood Distinction
The difference between someone’s personality and their trauma coping and survival strategies is often misunderstood, leading to increasingly pernicious misjudgments about individuals’ character, intentions, or behavior. While personality refers to enduring, largely context-independent traits, trauma-coping and survival strategies and behaviors developed in response to (mostly unhealed) traumatic events. For the most part, trauma-coping and survival […]
Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Pregnancy: The Silent Struggle
“What’s my size now?” Source: Dedraw Studio/Shutterstock Pregnancy is often celebrated as a transformative and joyful journey, but for individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), it can be a deeply challenging experience. The combination of physical changes, societal expectations, and personal guilt creates struggles that are frequently misunderstood or overlooked. These challenges often leave individuals […]
Healing the Invisible Wounds of War
By Robert Koffman M.D., M.P.H. In the more than two decades of continuous combat since 9/11, more than 7,000 American service members have been killed in action. Yet death by suicide has claimed far more of America’s warriors: A staggering four times more lives have been lost to suicide than to military action. The statistics […]