“No” is a complete sentence—and often one of the very first ones that young children master. Toddlers are experts at asserting their will when they don’t like or want something, but for some people, it’s a skill that’s lost over time. Especially if you’re a people-pleaser (and a 2022 YouGov study reveals that 47% of […]

You may have heard about cortisol and its association with stress. However, did you know high cortisol levels can interfere with your overall health and mental well-being? Cortisol and Its Function Cortisol is a corticosteroid or glucocorticoid hormone vital to healthy body functions. Your adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys, produce cortisol. The […]

“Con Edison crooks–this is for you.” F.P. This note accompanied a bomb found on a first-floor window sill of the New York City Consolidated Edison plant in 1940. Rudimentary in design, the bomb consisted of a brass pipe stuffed with gunpowder. Detectives believed F.P. planned to ignite the bomb by initiating a chemical reaction within […]

For many people, conflict is something to stay away from. You may be willing to put up with some injustices to avoid rocking the boat and potentially upsetting friends, family members or coworkers. However, while compromise is a key component to healthy relationship dynamics, conflict avoidance is profoundly different than this normal give-and-take. It disrupts […]

Failure can sting regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. It’s easy to feel discouraged in the face of it or feel it’s a sign that you should give up on trying to accomplish something. For many people, it can actually become a fear, holding them in place and preventing them from growing. People who fear […]

Your mental health can change dramatically in response to the world around you. Most people know how stress and major life events can affect them, but even factors like diet or how clean their bedrooms are can have some noticeable impacts. But other elements could be influencing your mental health—without you even knowing. Mycotoxins are […]

Have you ever gone through a period when you felt unusually down? You may have been experiencing symptoms of the disorder known as “major depression” or “major depressive disorder.” It is also possible that your depressive symptoms were a form of “reactive” or “situational” depression in response to stress, trauma, or a major life event. […]

If you’ve heard the term “persistent depressive disorder,” you may’ve wondered whether it is a phenomenon from pop psychology or a real diagnosable condition. While persistent depressive disorder (PDD) may not be as debilitating as major depressive disorder, it is a legitimate psychological disorder and one that is highly treatable. Defining Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) […]

Conversations don’t always go the way we want, even if we enter them with the best intentions. Emotions can run high, we can say hurtful things, and everything can rapidly get out of hand. Often, the closer we are to the person we’re arguing with, the more intense the fallout. If one of the individuals […]