It seems the older we get, the tighter our inner circle becomes. When life has you down, some of those you thought had your back run, others . . . sometimes strangers surprise you and fill that empty space up. Oh, but life has a great balancing act and when that axle turns and you are right side up again . . . you will definitely not be looking for any long, lost "friends" because your inner circle is battle-tested to win! ~ Sanjo Jendayi Forging a Healthy Inner-self Are your energy levels high? Do you attend to your physical fitness? Do you feel self-assured? Are you confident? Forging a healthy inner-self does not happen overnight. It is a life-long journey of discovery. Because life can be a zany ride, it has a tendency to leave you vulnerable to negativity and self-doubt. And, if you allow it, it begins to erode your mental and physical strength, inner power of trust, reliability and confidence in your ability to accomplish things in your daily life. Believing in and feeling good about yourself is paramount to forming a healthy inner-self.

A group of us at work recently held an event focusing on ways to help de-stress the frazzled minds of mothers. Even though I may not yet be a parent, I know that parents carry a lot of anxiety on their shoulders. They must be happy and confident for their children while also focusing on their own needs. Sometimes, we too act a certain way to look happy on the outside when we are really struggling on the inside.

The end of the school year is notoriously stressful. Finishing up projects, studying for finals and trying not to freak out about exams can be extremely difficult. It's hard to maintain confidence when everyone around you is stressing and the pressure is at an all time high. The past two weeks I have spent the better half of my time helping my clients who are students feel mentally prepared for success during these trying times.  

Making the decision to send a child to a residential treatment center for mental health or addiction problems can be extremely difficult. The process of getting a child proper treatment creates a large amount of anxiety. Some of the most common concerns that parents have encountered when facing this difficult decision include: How do I know which residential treatment program is right for my child? Is my child going to be safe in a residential treatment program? What will happen when it is time for my child to integrate back into the home?

I've learned a lot of things from over a decade of treatment for depression. In the long list of recovery tips I could share with you, the most important thing I've learned is that you can't hate yourself out of being depressed. It can really stand between you and your recovery. Hating yourself is no way to accomplish anything, especially when it comes to recovering from depression.

Perfectionism. It’s a common term in our society. We accuse people of (or, depending on one’s opinion of perfectionism, applaud people for) being perfectionists. Is perfectionism a desire to succeed and excel in one’s field? I’d call that ambition, but not necessarily perfectionism. Perfectionism includes this desire for success, yes, but it goes beyond a desire to succeed. Perfectionism is not just a desire to do well; it’s a need to do the perfect job or be the perfect person to the detriment of your wellbeing. And perfectionism contributes greatly to anxiety.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a problem not just for veterans, but also for people who have experienced other types of trauma such as a natural disaster or an assault. Because of this, many types of therapy have been tried to treat PTSD including alternative therapies. One such alternative therapy for PTSD is acupuncture. While many consider sticking pins (not technically a needle as it is not typically hollow) in various locations throughout the body to be a fringe practice, there have actually been four randomized controlled trials and two uncontrolled trials on this practice and their results are promising.

Recent Study Shows Male Seniors Drink Eight Times as Much as Women The baby boomer generation is known for being the 1960s “wild child” generation that redefined American culture with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. As 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 each day, they are collectively changing the landscape of what it means to be a senior citizen. Baby boomers experimented more with alcohol than any other previous generation, and we can expect prevalence of binge drinking, at-risk drinking, problem-drinking and related alcohol problems to worsen.

When I was working at a residence for youth with mental illness, every day was a struggle. Not only were the youth struggling to stop their negative behaviors, but I, too, was learning to push away my past and work on helping the future of others by using past experience. We would often focus on coping skills that were necessary to move past these urges. Yes, I know I talk about coping skills like a broken record, but once you know the positive ways to redirect yourself, it becomes a little easier to sway away from the sharp objects around you. We always hear about the common coping skills: listening to music, going for a walk or writing in a journal. However, one coping skill that has always stuck out in my mind is self-talk.

I am a strong person, physically. At six-foot-three inches tall and 250 pounds, most people wouldn't waste their breath arguing that assertion. And, whether because of, or in spite of, my bipolar and anxiety diagnoses, I consider myself to be strong mentally, as well. I am intelligent, accomplished, likeable, and successful. Despite the mountains of evidence of this, my brain works diligently to convince me that every interaction I have with another person is a misstep. If I text someone and they don’t reply back, it is obvious they are mad at me. If someone doesn't answer the phone when I call, say hello when they pass by, or reply to my email, then my mind goes into what can only be described as an emotional roller coaster.