Fortunately, there are healthy ways to cope with a crisis and get through to the other side. This article offers some guidelines to keep in mind when coping with a crisis. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Focus on What’s Important When dealing with the aftermath of a crisis, it’s important to focus your resources. Just getting through the day is an accomplishment, so paring down your responsibilities in order to just do that should be key....

Did you know that there are psychologists who study how people work and interact with the tools in their environment? Or that some psychologists come up with ways to help slow global warming? Below is a list of some of the specialty areas and related tasks they include. Aviation Psychologists These psychologists study the behavior of pilots and other flight crew members. Aviation psychologists also perform research on airline safety, develop new training equipment, and help select suitable employees....

Friday Fix: Episode 130 When you struggle to reach your goals, you might be tempted to blame it on a lack of self-discipline or too many obstacles that stood in your way. But, there’s a chance the problem wasn’t a character flaw or even an environmental issue. Instead, the problem might have been the goal itself. Most of us weren’t ever taught how to set goals. In fact, we were likely pressured to set an annual resolution but weren’t taught how to create short-term goals for ourselves....

If you are looking for a fresh start, why not begin by doing a little spring cleaning on your mind? Research has shown that sleep-deprived people handle stress less effectively and that chronic lack of sleep might even contribute to obesity. One study even found that sleep deprivation might even result in serious and lasting brain damage, killing off cells in important regions of the brain. So, if you are trying to refresh your brain, start by getting a good night’s rest....

Get sufficient sleep regularly.Listen to music.Eat healthfully.Exercise.Practice mindfulness through meditation, deep breathing, etc.Limit your intake of processed foods.Try to minimize stress. Dopamine, a chemical messenger in your brain that governs motivation, movement, memory, mood, sleep, and behavior regulation, is central to the brain’s reward system. It rewards you whenever you engage in a beneficial behavior and motivates you to repeat the behavior. Every time we do something enjoyable, like eating a nice meal, having sex, or going for a run, a little bit of dopamine is released in our brain....

If you’ve spent any time perusing a dating app, you’ve likely noticed how diverse the dating pool is: some people list everything possible about themselves in their profiles, while others don’t share a single word. Connecting with prospective dates can be shaky. Some people might be great conversationalists and others may leave you to do all the work. If you have wanted to use dating apps but they seem intimidating, knowing how varied others’ behaviors are may make the thought of joining a dating app even more daunting....

Friday Fix: Episode 158 We’ve all wrestled with tough decisions before. Should I move to a new city? Should I find a different job? Should I end this relationship? It’s not always those big decisions that are tough. Some smaller decisions are tough too. Should I call the teacher to tell her that my child is being bullied even though my child asked me not to? Should I call my friend and tell them they hurt my feelings?...

Some stress simply must be managed, and it can be life-changing when you find strategies that help you deal with stress in a way that minimizes its negative effects. One of these tools, which is becoming more popular, is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This is a form of counseling that is similar to cognitive-behavior therapy, which has been shown by many studies to be effective with stress management....

Teens can be diagnosed as having panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder hallmarked by the fear of having a panic attack. Although not as common, it’s also possible to be diagnosed with agoraphobia without panic disorder. The following provides information on the diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia in teenagers. The Symptoms of Panic Disorder Panic disorder is characterized by heightened anxiety and panic attacks. Marked by fear and apprehension, panic attacks involve a wide range of mental, emotional, and physical symptoms....

Researchers believe the difference between those with greater risk and those with lower risk may involve how the body metabolizes, or breaks down and eliminates alcohol, which can vary widely from individual to individual. How Fast Is Alcohol Metabolized? No matter how much alcohol you consume, your body can only metabolize a certain amount every hour. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it can take a fasting adult male between two to seven hours to return to a zero blood-alcohol content (BAC), or blood alcohol concentration, level after rapidly consuming one to four standard drinks....

Do you suspect that you’ve had periods of bipolar mania? Do you think you might be manic now? If you are wondering if you might have bipolar disorder, a symptom quiz can be a useful way to check for manic or depressive symptoms. Use the checklist below to see how many symptoms of mania you have and check your score at the end. The test is written as if you are currently experiencing symptoms....

Off-premise alcohol sales were up 55% in the third week of March 2020 compared to last year, according to data reported by Nielsen, an international measurement and data analytics company. Leading the way in sales were tequila, gin, and pre-mixed cocktails, with sales jumping 75% compared to last year. Meanwhile, wine sales were up 66% and beer sales increased by 42%. What’s more: Online alcohol sales jumped 243%. And although a large portion of this initial increase may have been due to people stocking up—and the fact that bars and restaurants were closed to in-person patronage—it also could be a marker for a dangerous trend, especially since direct-to-consumer alcohol sales are continuing to trend higher than this time last year....

To explain your decision to stay home to your family, you might start by just being direct and honest and say what you said in your question. It sounds likely that your family isn’t going to simply accept that answer, however. They may pour on the guilt when you decline to attend. So it is important to have a canned response that will help you know what to say when they try to get you to change your mind....

Alone Time Is Essential Everyone needs a certain amount of alone time to function at their best (even extroverts). A little solitude is necessary to review your life, get comfortable with yourself, and plan for the future. It sounds like you require more solitude than your husband. And the pandemic has likely caused your need to be more evident as you have to work harder to get time by yourself. So it’s important to ask for what you need....

Current research estimates that 50% to 70% of people with autism spectrum disorder also have ADHD. While both conditions are neurodevelopmental disorders, they are distinct conditions. In this article, you’ll learn more about the differences between autism and ADHD and why knowing the difference in their symptoms and diagnosis is essential. Symptoms There are several symptoms of autism and ADHD that overlap. Symptoms such as impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity are sometimes present in both conditions....

The disorder is characterized by repeated episodes of binge eating without the compensatory behaviors (such as purging) found in bulimia nervosa. Binge eating disorder was only recently (in 2013 with the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition; DSM-5) classified as an official diagnosis. As such, knowledge about it lags behind that of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. This article discusses some of the treatments for binge eating disorder including cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and medication....

Black Box Warning In October 2004, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) issued what is known as a “black-box” warning stating that certain antidepressants, when used in young people 24 years old and under, could increase their risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The FDA noted that there was no association found between antidepressant use and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adults over the age of 24. This black box warning, which is the most serious type of warning that can be issued regarding a prescription medication, was ordered following a thorough review of all available clinical trials, including unpublished ones, regarding the use of antidepressants in children and adolescents....

The good news is, depression is highly treatable, with reports of 80% to 90% of people eventually responding well to treatment. One of the reasons depression responds so well to treatment is that improvements can be found in medications, psychotherapy, or the combination of both. Finding the right psychotherapist who can help you understand and work through the underlying causes of depression as well as develop coping strategies to deal with the symptoms is often the first step to feeling better....