According to psychiatrist Dan Siegel (2012), we each have a “window of tolerance.” Siegel coined the term to describe normal brain/body reactions, especially following adversity. The idea is that human beings have…
Is Adolescent Digital Media Use Linked to Anxiety?
Steinar Engeland/unsplash By guest author Sarah Myruski. Adolescents’ social world is a critical context for development. Across generations, interactions with peers drive exploration of the key tasks of adolescence, including identity formation,…
Why Chronic Pain Scares Us
Not having an answer can be not only frustrating, but also frightening, particularly when it comes to our physical health. It is human nature to understand, to locate origin sources, and to…
The Middle School Dilemma: Changing Friendships
Source: BearFotos/Shutterstock Many of my patients become unhappy at the age of 12 or 13, frequently because some or most of their friends seem to gravitate away from them. When this occurs,…
Understanding and Managing Compulsive Reassurance-Seeking
Source: 443755546 / Shutterstock Compulsive reassurance-seeking is a safety behavior designed to reduce distress. This coping strategy has a variety of emotional motives. It may be used to gain a sense of…
Three Easy Ways to Tackle Anxiety
Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash A 25-year-old graduate student, I’ll call Alara, sought therapy with me for severe panic and anxiety symptoms. She often awakened in terror. With a racing heart…
The Need for Universal Postpartum Depression Screening
Source: Sarah Chai / Pexels Recently, I was looking at photos from when my girls were newborns. In all the photos, I am smiling and looking elated, and on so many levels,…
How Physical Activity Sharpens the Mind
The brain evolved to control movement, but movement also shapes our thinking. This truth cuts across neuroscience, clinical psychology, exercise physiology, and the psychology of aging. Brain Cells and Problem-Solving The ancient…
How Autistic Individuals Adapt to a Neurotypical World
Imagine living in a world in which your natural way of being is constantly at odds with societal norms. This is a daily reality for many autistic individuals, some of whom use…
What Does Your Gut Have to Do With Your Mood?
We’ve seen a dramatic rise in stress, anxiety, and depression in recent years (World Health Organization, 2023). Although the authoritative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) lists…