During a regular fall and winter season, approximately up to 10% of the US population is impacted by seasonal depression, also known as the seasonal blues, winter depression, or more officially as Seasonal Affective Disorder. This winter season will be far from regular, as our lives have been significantly impacted...
COVID-19 drastically uprooted our lives, and continues to impact it in significant ways. Although the virus is still active without access to official therapeutics or vaccines, we have more or less learned to live with it. Wearing masks and social distancing has become the norm, and we have learned to regularly...
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to help raise awareness and understanding of mental health and suicide in efforts to help alleviate stigma, help those suffering with suicidal thoughts, educate individuals about warning signs of suicide, and make efforts in...
September is National Recovery Month, a time to help raise awareness and understanding of mental health and substance use disorders and to celebrate those in recovery from addiction. Approximately 22 million Americans struggle with addiction to alcohol and drugs on a daily basis, and another 100 million family members and...
What are a few ways alcoholism and addiction affects family members, loved ones and spouses? Alcoholism and addiction causes significant distress to all individuals who care for the addicted individual. Due to the impact of addiction on family relationships and dynamics, addiction is often called a “family disease” by...
Unfortunately relapse rates for individuals who enter recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction are quite high. Studies reflect that about 40-60% of individuals relapse within 30 days of leaving an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center, and up to 85% relapse within the first year. It is important for...
When an individual is struggling with a substance use addiction it is extremely challenging for the entire family. There is often guilt, shame, sadness, anger, anxiety, among a host of other negative emotions. When the addicted individual is ready and willing to receive help it can be confusing and overwhelming. ...
Wealthy individuals have a unique set of challenges when it comes to mental health and addiction. Emotional and behavioral issues can linger much longer for wealthy individuals before one is willing to receive psychological help for a variety of reasons. High-net-worth individuals also are faced with a variety of barriers...
Suffering from depression, anxiety, alcoholism or drug addiction, and other mental health issues can feel like being stuck in a giant deep hole that is impossible to climb out of. This is in part because mental health issues and addiction are often cyclical in nature, meaning that the symptoms of...
We frequently hear about the opioid epidemic, but rarely do we hear about the alcohol epidemic. While alcohol is legal and socially acceptable, and while most individuals can drink alcohol privately or socially without consequence, alcohol leads to millions of individuals abusing it, becoming dependent to it, having medical issues...
As the world continues to navigate through COVID-19 and what may lie ahead, businesses across industries, large and small, are going through a crisis of their own. In addition to surviving this economic downturn, strategizing a new way of business, and reinventing themselves, businesses of all sorts have their work...
This past week, a research study conducted by the Well Being Trust, a national foundation with a mission to advance mental health in America, has estimated that as many as 75,000 Americans could die from mental health related issues that stem from the coronavirus pandemic. The research study used projected...
COVID-19 is causing significant problems and disruption to virtually all areas of our lives. It is impacting our physical health, our financial health, our relational health, our spiritual health, our mental health and every which way in-between. As the majority of the world is currently enduring social distancing, telemedicine (or...
On a normal day, we spend a substantial amount of time in our homes. From getting ready in the morning to relaxing after a long day of work, our home is a safe place. With the recent quarantines, we are now confined to this space. For those dealing with...
COVID-19 has led to significant problems all across the globe and is impacting our lives in many different ways. While most people are currently focused on fighting this global health pandemic and are concerned with their physical hygiene, it is also important to focus on one’s mental hygiene. If we...
High-functioning alcoholics are individuals who are able to maintain their careers, relationships, and other obligations while displaying signs of alcoholism. The same is true of high-functioning addicts or individuals who may suffer from high-functioning depression, anxiety or other mental health issues. Such individuals are able to maintain their day-to-day lives,...
The Corona Virus Disease pandemic (COVID-19) is causing unwanted and unneeded stress, grief and anxiety for many people. Individuals around the world are concerned about their own physical health and the health of their loved ones, navigating life isolated at home, homeschooling, financial concerns, and much more. This worry has...
As many of us are increasingly isolated from others and separated from the world outside of our apartments or homes due to the Coronoa Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, our mental health may suffer. Many are facing growing worry, stress, sadness, and loneliness all due to fears of becoming ill...
The entire world is facing new challenges as we battle the Coronoa Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, relationally, and every which way in-between. From a psychological standpoint, this pandemic has contributed to mental health stressors for many individuals such as worry, stress, sadness, and substance abuse...
Opioids, especially the misuse of opioids – including prescription pain killers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl – has caused an epidemic in the United States. Every day there are approximately 128 opioid deaths due to overdose in the US - every single day. Unfortunately, newfound studies have found...
Sobriety can undoubtedly help your health, but can it help you in business? Business is often about relationships, relationships are often about socializing, and socializing is often about drinking alcohol. Skipping social aspects of business that involve alcohol or being the sober person at business functions can mean missing out...
eSports, also known as ‘electronic sports,’ is the world of organized competitive video gaming. While many who are unfamiliar with eSports may conjure up an image of middle- or high-school children playing video games on their parent’s couch, eSports has become a 17 billion-dollar industry with professional leagues and professional...
Whether traveling for business or for pleasure, maintaining wellness while traveling can be challenging, especially for those in recovery from a mental health issue or an addiction related issue. Whether new to recovery or not, being out of one’s comfort zone while traveling comes with its own host of triggers...
The stock market and our moods are interconnected in an interesting way. The stock market affects how investors feel, and in turn their feelings affect the markets. In this way, the relationship between our mood and the stock market are a bidirectional one. In fact, money and mood, and subsequently...
Therapeutic Coaching is a unique and innovative method of helping individuals recover from a variety of issues including mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders; substance addictions such as to alcohol, opiates, Adderall or other drugs as well as to food; behavioral addictions such as to...
Executives and other such high-ranking business and political leaders face a unique set of challenges when it comes to addressing their own mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other such mental illness, as well as substance abuse and other addictions. When untreated, such individuals can not...
Just eighteen days ago many of us made New Year’s resolutions for 2020, and some of us even made long-term resolutions for the decade ahead of us. Unfortunately, various statistics reflect that less than 25% of people stay committed to their resolutions past the end of January, and only about...
Mental health and addiction related issues are often accompanied by a sense of hopelessness. Hopelessness ensues when the individual feels stuck in the state they are in, especially after failed attempts to get well. Individuals in such a state of mind feel stuck in a deep and dark hole that...
Feeling depressed, or down, or sad, or having a case of the blues is a normal part of life that everyone goes through. It could be situational due to death of a loved one or ending a relationship, or it could be emotional due to letting yourself down, others letting...
An average individual will spend 1/3 of their life working. For executives, entrepreneurs and other such individuals who do not work a standard 9 to 5, the amount of time spent on business related tasks is often much, much more. As a result of living in a society that values...
Children bring a lot of joy to our lives, but being a parent also comes with its own set of added stress to an already stressful world. Due to the obligations, love, and commitment that we have as parents it is easy to put our children first while our own...
Physical activity triggers a biological cascade of occurrences that results in many physical and mental health benefits. Research suggests that exercise is an effective treatment for mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, and can serve as a fundamental component to one’s recovery from addiction. Studies show that individuals...
Addictions (Substance Use Disorders) are extremely powerful. So much so that even after years or decades of abstinence and recovery, an individual can still experience strong cravings, and be vulnerable to relapse. Neuroimaging has allowed researches to investigate the acute and long-term effects of addiction on the brain. The majority...
People often ask how to tell if they or a loved one has a problem with alcohol. Well, for starters, if one is asking this question, there is probably a problem. Your average social drinker or your average “I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner” drinker usually does not...
Studies show that 20-57% of individuals do not return to therapy after their initial appointment. There are various reasons for this, and for premature dropout rate in general. Sometimes dropping out of therapy is a reflection of the therapist, other times it is due to the individual receiving therapy, and...
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? There is nothing wrong with being either. One of the key differences between introverts and extroverts is that introverts become tired when they are around other people and are able to regain energy when they are alone. Extroverts, on the other hand, become...
People enter therapy for a variety of reasons, be it a mental health issue such as depression or anxiety, a behavioral issue such as alcoholism or overeating, or a general life issue such as marriage problems or feeling stuck. For most people, therapy is not a first-choice solution when problems...
When most people think of nutrition they think in terms of their physical health, but nutrition is also a fundamental component of one’s mental health as well. A healthy mind and body are essential elements in coping with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, as well as with...