Research Backs These Methods for Reducing Depression and Anxiety

Looking for relief from garden-variety stressors? Feeling mired in one of life’s larger challenges? Weary of sweating the small stuff? The recently published results of a five-year study show that people who learn stress-intervention skills — and then … Continue reading

The Surprising Way Older Adults Describe Their Health

(This article appeared previously in Kaiser Health News.) A common myth about aging is that older adults are burdened by illness and feel lousy much of the time. In fact, the opposite is usually true. In fact, most report feeling distinctly positive ab… Continue reading

How to Manage Stress When It’s Affecting Your Health

Diana Zwinak, 53, was a teacher in a rural district outside Chicago when she developed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder where antibodies chronically attack the thyroid. “Basically, my thyroid stopped functioning,” says Zwinak. Her doctor… Continue reading

Does Getting Older Make You Less Stressed?

A recently released Gallup Global Emotions poll suggests that as people age, they tend to experience less overall stress in their lives. The poll asked respondents from over 140 countries questions about positive and negative experiences they had yeste… Continue reading

How Religious Belief Can Affect Health

Adhering to a well-balanced diet and incorporating exercise into your routine are two well-known ways to improve health. What about religious involvement? Can that also have a positive effect on health and well-being? There’s a growing field of study t… Continue reading

When Should You Seek Help for Anxiety?

Like many working Americans, I’ve always had a full plate. When I was 30, I quit my job as an attorney to write full-time, working 50-hour weeks to get my business off of the ground. By the time I was in my early 40s, with two little kids, I was juggli… Continue reading

Stopping Antidepressants: How to Reduce Chances of Withdrawal Symptoms

The struggle some people experience when they try to go off antidepressant medications has been the focus of several news stories during the past two years. People have described withdrawal symptoms including nausea, anxiety, vertigo, trouble sleeping … Continue reading

The Lesser-Known Symptoms of Depression

From the moment Nita Sweeney, 57, of Columbus, Ohio, wakes up, her struggle is on. Her first thoughts are often dark: Her husband, sister and dog have died. Loved ones are stranded in a foreign country. She has a general feeling of dread and anxiety, a… Continue reading

How to Get Through the Fog of Grief

When my 57-year-old husband, Dale, suddenly died of a massive heart attack on Nov. 20, 2018, two days before Thanksgiving, to say I was in shock was an understatement. More than a month later, I realized just how much my mental capacity was affected by… Continue reading

How an Autism Diagnosis as an Adult Can Change Everything

Relief. That’s a common reaction among people who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when they are adults. Assessed in her late 40s, graphic artist Barbara Moran, of Topeka, Kansas, says her diagnosis finally explained why her life had a… Continue reading