We often practice receiving constructive criticism appropriately, but many people don’t learn how to give feedback to others. Feedback makes our romantic and working relationships stronger, so giving that constructive criticism can truly change our lives for the better. 

Have you ever been really tired during the day and had no idea why? Maybe you got eight hours of sleep, but woke up still feeling groggy. Perhaps you or someone you know slept several hours during the day, which caused you to miss important events. If you have a mood disorder, it can be easy to blame anxiety or depression on daytime tiredness. But you could also have a sleep disorder called Hypersomnia. To learn about Hypersomnia and how it could affect your mental health, read this article.

Caregiver mental health is important. The last couple of weeks were quite a struggle for me. Maybe this was related to the constant speed of life or the change in seasons. I'm not sure, but as a spouse to someone with mental illness, I take on extra responsibilities and my mental health as a caregiver comes into play.

What are the effects of anxiety? Many people are familiar with anxiety; indeed, "anxiety" has become a common household word, and for good reason. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2015 that almost 265 million people worldwide lived with an anxiety disorder. This figure doesn't include all the people who experience anxiety but not as a diagnosable disorder. Yet despite its prevalence, anxiety can be hard to describe and can leave people wondering if what they're feeling is anxiety or something else. Anxiety is a mental health condition with many effects. Here's a look at what anxiety is based on its effects. 

Volunteering helps depression, even though that may seem counterintuitive at first. You may feel overwhelmed at the thought of helping others when you can barely help yourself. However, volunteering can be a good and helpful way to cope with your own depression. Turning your focus outward brings a new perspective into your life, and this perspective of volunteering can help your depression.

Low self-esteem affects your social life, among other things. When you have a low opinion of yourself, you can become painfully self-conscious, feeling worried that others will also judge you. For this reason, many people with low self-esteem will go to efforts to distance themselves from social situations, which –- in the long run –- can worsen low self-esteem. Here’s how having low self-esteem can get in the way of socializing and what you can do about it.

Treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can feel like having a full-time job. In fact, I find it difficult to navigate a “regular” job while also figuring out how best to treat my ADHD. If being a parent to the child with the condition feels like a full-time job and then some, it’s safe to say that having ADHD as an adult can also feel overwhelming.

One of the symptoms of anxiety is trouble focusing, and I’m going through that right now. I always find it fascinating when I consider the fact that so many of my anxiety symptoms manifest at the most random times. I haven’t had to deal with lack of focus and anxiety for a while, but now, it seems as though I haven’t been able to focus on anything for several days.

Some men play a role in causing eating disorders in women. When I first began to experiment with the behaviors that would morph into a severe battle with anorexia, my 15-year-old self had no idea I was about to be complicit in a systemic intersection between eating disorders and the patriarchy. Even as a teenager, I admired the ethos of feminism—I was drawn to independent, fierce, opinionated women, and I sought to become one myself. But I also harbored a secret, a paradox that challenged the same feminism I tried to be part of. I was determined to curate a body that mirrored cultural standards of beauty which had been impressed on females like me from the time I could remember. So with each calorie I restricted or meal I avoided, I reaffirmed the subtle power of gender inequality. I was not aware of this back then, but since I am now, I want to explore that men can play a role in causing eating disorders in women.

Can we rewire our brains to think more positively and reduce self-criticism? There is fascinating research out there that says yes. You may have heard of neuroplasticity, which is the brain's amazing ability to create new neural connections that change the way it functions. For those who struggle with anxiety, depression, or low self-worth, we can harness the power of neuroplasticity to rewire our brain.