Podcast: Reduce Daily Worry by Navigating the Noise
What could possibly go wrong? Well, pretty much everything — says your brain. In today’s Psych Central Podcast, Gabe talks with Kevin Stacey, an effectiveness expert, author and former brain imaging specialist. Kevin explains how and why your brain often acts as your worst enemy, giving you a constant flow of fake news.  What can we do about it? Can we make our brain a more positive ally? Tune in for a great discussion on reigning in your inner critic. SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW Guest information for ‘Kevin Stacey- Reduce Daily Worry’ Podcast Episode Kevin Stacey, MBA, is an effectiveness expert, author, and ...
Source: World of Psychology - June 11, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: The Psych Central Podcast Tags: Anxiety and Panic Brain and Behavior General Habits Interview LifeHelper Mental Health and Wellness Podcast Self-Help The Psych Central Show Source Type: blogs

We Can Teach Children Not to Hate
“You’ve got to be taught… Before you are six Or seven Or eight To hate all the people Your relatives hate You’ve got to be Carefully Taught” These words are from a song in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, written in 1949. In 1952, Oscar Hammerstein introduced the song during The National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood Week. Here’s a clip from CriticalPast, an archive of historic footage. That was 70 years ago!  They were right then. Their words are right now. Children are not born hating other children. Toddlers on a playground approach any other toddler is a potential frie...
Source: World of Psychology - June 10, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D. Tags: Parenting Racism anti-racism Prejudice racial bias racial justice Stereotype Source Type: blogs

How Do Couples Stay Together When They Have the Same Issues of Couples That Divorce?
Marital discord is well researched and has a significant amount of literature that addresses many areas of a relationship. These studies include the issues of parenting, finances, diversity issues and the acceptance of each other through clinical intervention. However, there is very little research on what makes a couple stay together when they have the same issues as couples that divorce. Using a phenomenological study, I addressed this question. The criteria for the study included couples needing to score above 60 on the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) Questionnaire,  a 16-item questionnaire that asked the couple membe...
Source: World of Psychology - June 10, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Dr. Dorothy O’Neill Tags: Marriage and Divorce Relationships Research Source Type: blogs

Restorative Steps for Healing through Racial Trauma, Systemic Mis-attunement, and Grief
The past few weeks have given the world a glimpse inside the continuous reality of the existence of Black women and men in this country. It has allowed other groups to fathom racism’s impact on the minds and nervous systems of strangers, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members who reside in Black bodies. By default, it can be said that when Black, the nervous system remains in a constant sympathetic state of fight or flight. To remain in existence while Black, one must constantly pick up on triggering environmental cues and somatic signals that help guide us along routes focused solely on survival. Yet for B...
Source: World of Psychology - June 10, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Carmelle Ellison, LCSW Tags: Racism Self-Help Stress Trauma George Floyd Prejudice racial justice racial trauma Source Type: blogs

5 Role Models to Help Us Cope with the Pandemic
How do you dig deep to withstand the ongoing stress and requirements of life during a pandemic? Look to the role models: seniors. Seniors have a depth of experience confronting crises and using creative problem-solving skills that summon the higher instincts of the human spirit. They have experience showing up. They reached within to draw on character and integrity, and learned what it means to come through a recovery. From the Great Depression to World War II to 9/11, they did what was needed. Right now, they can be a fountain of hope.  There are countless examples of people who had to switch to plan B and not only survi...
Source: World of Psychology - June 9, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BJ Kittredge Tags: Aging Self-Help coronavirus COVID-19 Elderly seniors Source Type: blogs

Agoraphobia Relapse Fears
I am familiar with agoraphobia, not just as a mental health crisis responder but because my own mental illness has manifested into periods of debilitating anxiety. What I now refer to as the breakdown of 2007, was a period of my life where I was struggling with many issues and my mental health suffered greatly as a result. I found it difficult to leave my house and the comfort zone of my home. Staying home as much as possible was the only way I could maintain some sense of sanity, when I was feeling anything but sane. I lived in this state of chronic agoraphobia for many days. This turned into many months and eventually it...
Source: World of Psychology - June 9, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Sue Morton Tags: Anxiety and Panic Agoraphobia coronavirus COVID-19 social distancing Source Type: blogs

Podcast: Joking About Suicide: Is It Ever Okay?
Is it ever OK to joke about mental illness or suicide? In today’s Not Crazy podcast, Gabe and Lisa welcome Frank King, a comedian who’s turned his struggles with major depression and suicidal thinking into comedic material. What do you think? Is joking about suicide too heavy? Or is humor a good coping mechanism? Join us for an in-depth discussion on gallows humor. (Transcript Available Below) Subscribe to Our Show! And Please Remember to Rate & Review Us!   Guest Information for ‘Frank King — Joking and Suicide’ Podcast Episode Frank King, Suicide Prevention speaker and Trainer was a wr...
Source: World of Psychology - June 9, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Not Crazy Podcast Tags: Depression Disorders General Inspiration & Hope Interview Mental Health and Wellness Not Crazy Podcast Suicide Source Type: blogs

Five Steps White People (Myself Included) Can Take in Response to Systemic Racism
Here are some things that I am trying to do:  Understand that Black Lives Matter. Some people are inclined to say that “all lives matter,” and of course all lives do matter. But as John and Ocean Robbins shared in a recent post (and I paraphrase): If a house is burning down, you don’t call the fire department and say “all houses matter”; instead you focus on and send help to the specific house that is burning. Black people have endured unspeakable individual and collective traumas of a nature that I/we (the privileged white) can never truly understand. This trauma has occurred in their past, AND it is a part of...
Source: World of Psychology - June 8, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Beth Kurland, Ph.D. Tags: Self-Help Violence and Aggression Black Lives Matter George Floyd microaggression Police brutality Prejudice Racism Source Type: blogs

Fears About Reentering Our Lives (FAROL): A Psychotherapist Takes You Behind the Scenes
The cicada, an insect with large clear wings, hibernates underground for 17 years. It takes almost two decades for this insect to slowly crawl out of the earth, to live, to breathe, to mate. As the United States slowly lifts quarantine and lockdowns, we find ourselves burrowing out of our own cocoons in which we have hunkered down to once again emerge to the light of day. We identify with the cicada in that this quarantine has surely felt like a full 17 years! And — coincidentally — it is this very year of 2020 that the broods of cicadas are emerging in droves. We emerge gradually, with trepidation, masks still...
Source: World of Psychology - June 8, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Mary Anne Cohen, LCSW Tags: Anxiety and Panic General Habits Happiness Alcohol Use Authenticity Career Change coronavirus COVID-19 Habit Change Marriage Personal Growth social distancing teletherapy Source Type: blogs

Wilderness Therapy: The Self Concept Model
Any life is left empty without good memories. Our past successes stay with us as well as our happiest times. Sadness clings to our minds, trapping us with emotional unpredictability and uncertainty. However, the good news is that life goes on, and we can always reshape our existence and state of mind by shifting the balance of our memories from negative to positive. Our memories in many ways are our strength, and while we have little control of our experiences while we are young, our adolescent lives present many unique and interesting opportunities. Therefore, the question becomes: what do I like to do, and how does it ma...
Source: World of Psychology - June 7, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: David Stant Tags: Children and Teens Memory and Perception Self-Esteem Treatment Adolescence Character Strengths Child Development Confidence Coping Skills Personal Growth Resilience self concept model Self Reliance wilderness therapy Source Type: blogs

How Your Body Can Lead You Through Grief
  I remember every detail of that Saturday morning in 2016. It was June 18, and my husband, Bill, and I shared a beautiful snuggle before getting out of bed. I got ready for a ride with my cycling group as he prepared to participate in a sailing regatta. We kissed goodbye knowing we would reunite later in the day for dinner with his son and new daughter-in-law. The rest of the day, however, is a blur—it was the day my life forever changed. My husband did not make it to the regatta. He was found unresponsive on our bathroom floor, and at age 48, in a flash, I became a widow. But what came next surprised me. It’s c...
Source: World of Psychology - June 7, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Guest Author Tags: Grief and Loss Publishers Spirituality & Health death Somatic Experiencing Trauma Source Type: blogs

Here ’ s How You Can Define ‘ Being Nice ’ on Your Own Terms
“Don’t trade your authenticity for approval.” ~ Unknown As a nice person, I am often conflicted because sometimes I don’t enjoy being nice. Sometimes I act nice out of moral obligation or because I’m trying to be consistent with my perceived identity. Do you view yourself as “nice”? Do others describe you as “nice”? Do you always enjoy being “nice”? If you are unsure how you are perceived by others, ask friends and family to describe you. I’ve been told how nice I am all my life, by family, friends, coworkers, and even bosses. It was a huge part of my personal identity. When you have a perc...
Source: World of Psychology - June 6, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Psych Central Guest Author Tags: Personal Personality Publishers Self-Help Tiny Buddha Authenticity Being nice people pleaser personal identity Source Type: blogs

Psychology Around the Net: June 6, 2020
Do we really want to cancel 2020? Earlier this week, a friend of mine shared an Instagram post with me. It wasn’t the usual cheeky meme about quarantine-inspired day drinking or how dogs are the best things ever. It was a post written by Leslie David, a writer and designer and the co-founder of Strand Social, a digital marketing and design agency based in California. I’m not going to wax poetic on how this was just the message I needed to read. I’m just going to leave it here in case it’s just the message you need, too. What if 2020 isn’t cancelled?⁣ What if 2020 is the year we’ve been wai...
Source: World of Psychology - June 6, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Alicia Sparks Tags: Psychology Around the Net black community coronavirus Gaming military quarantine self-compassion toxic childhood Source Type: blogs

Blessings: How a Two-Time Cancer Survivor Copes During COVID-19
I, for one, am taking social distancing seriously. My husband and I haven’t had sex since the quarantine began. We’ve only hugged each other three times. A two-time cancer survivor, I’m afraid I’ll catch COVID-19. I’ve been working at home, but he’s been going in, and I think he’s afraid he’ll spread the disease. Not that he has it. We’re quite a pair. We always stand six feet apart. This pandemic is hard on me because I have no frame of reference for it. All I know is that danger is all around me. My mother taught me about danger when I was two and a half. We lived along the Cuyahoga River, and she’d w...
Source: World of Psychology - June 5, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Laura Yeager Tags: Personal Trauma Cancer Survivor coronavirus COVID-19 Rape Sexual Assault social distancing Source Type: blogs

What the Long-Married Have in Common
I have been fortunate to know many couples who have been married 40 years or more. In some couples, the two are like the proverbial two peas in a pod. Sometimes the two are so different, it makes other people marvel that they have been together for decades. Over the last year, I’ve been talking to 7 married couples who are happily together after many, many years to see if there are any identifiable commonalities among them.  There are. Straight or gay, regardless of background, the people in each couple have shared ideas of what they expect from themselves and each other. It may sound unromantic, but early on they made ...
Source: World of Psychology - June 5, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D. Tags: Marriage and Divorce Source Type: blogs