The holiday season, with its traditions and celebrations, often involves gatherings with family and loved ones. While these moments can be heartwarming and full of joy, they can also be challenging for many, stirring up stress and anxiety. In this blog post, we'll explore strategies to protect your peace during family gatherings, ensuring you can enjoy the season to the fullest.

The holiday season is often filled with joy, laughter, and delicious meals. However, for individuals struggling with eating disorders, this time of year can be particularly challenging. The pressure to indulge in festive treats and the emphasis on food-centered gatherings can lead to increased stress and anxiety.

Here, we will explore effective strategies for managing eating disorders during the holiday season, helping individuals navigate this potentially triggering time with confidence. Learn practical techniques to cope with social situations and manage stress effectively so you can navigate the holiday season.

Marijuana use has become increasingly common across the United States as more states legalize the drug for medical and recreational purposes. However, its impact on anxiety levels is a topic of much debate and controversy. While many individuals claim that marijuana helps alleviate anxiety symptoms, research suggests that long-term use could lead to an increased risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Here we can delve into the relationship between marijuana use and anxiety to help you better understand the potential effects

Do you want to break free from the shackles of body image issues and embrace a sense of empowerment? Look no further! In this guide, we will explore practical strategies and empowering mindset shifts that will help you overcome your insecurities and embrace yourself. From debunking societal beauty standards to nurturing self-love and acceptance, we will dive deep into the root causes of body image issues and provide you with actionable steps to reclaim your confidence. Whether you're struggling with scars, negative body thoughts or any other perceived imperfections, get ready to leave behind your insecurities and step into a new chapter of empowerment body confidence.

Setting boundaries is a powerful act of self-care and self-respect. It empowers us to define what is acceptable and what is not in our lives, guiding us to live authentically and in alignment with our values. Without boundaries, we can easily become overwhelmed and lose sight of our own needs and desires. In this guide, we will explore the importance of setting boundaries and how they contribute to empowerment and balance in life.

As with so many other diseases, addiction impacts far more than the individual with the diagnosis. Sure, on the surface, it appears as if one person is causing the problems and carrying the burden. But if that person is part of any kind of family unit, the problems and burdens multiply. When addiction begins to break down someone’s life, there is so much collateral damage.

There seems to be an easy way to answer this question. List the events, people, places, and more that stress you out. All of that causes anxiety in your brain, right? On a surface level, yes. But the deeper analysis is not about how specific issues upset specific people. What we’re talking about here is the design of your brain.

For many people, disordered eating is something that happens to girls and women. This perception holds up when you consider that 90 percent of those with anorexia and bulimia are female. However, Binge Eating Disorder (BED) strikes both sexes almost equally. At least 40 percent of those with BED are male. The number is likely higher because men are both less likely to recognize the condition or report it.

Anxiety and stress are two words that, well, can cause anxiety and stress. We all want to be mellow and feel relaxed. It’s inevitable that life, at times, will not cooperate with this desire. This is normal and nothing to feel shame about. However, when either or both of these two normal responses — anxiety and stress — become overwhelming, there can be dire circumstances.

In a recent post, I discussed some of the possible causes of codependency. Codependency is an interpersonal dynamic in which one person constantly plays the role of giver. This promotes an unhealthy form of reliance on the other person. As a result, both people are stuck in a repetitive loop of behaviors.

Codependency is a term used to describe a particular type of unhealthy relationship. The concept was originally introduced to describe partners and families of addicts. Over time, however, it’s become more commonly used in the treatment of those who engage in dysfunctional people-pleasing. This scenario is often highlighted by a lack of self-awareness and/or a need to control.

Eating disorders are not just about food. Conditions like Binge Eating Disorder (BED) typically arise as a dysfunctional coping method for an underlying issue. At least two percent of the world’s population is struggling with Binge Eating Disorder. Put simply; they engage in the uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food and drink—even when they’re not hungry. This “binging” occurs over a short period of time and usually results in emotions like shame and guilt.

Scroll your newsfeed, and you will find no shortage of inspirational quotes and motivational memes. These messages might be effectively summed up as an appeal to raise one’s standards. But hey, that’s how excellence happens, right? What could possibly be wrong with expecting the best from yourself? Short answer: Perfectionism.

Facebook is less than two decades old, but it feels like it’s been around forever. In roughly 15 years or so, social media has deeply embedded itself into our lives—for better and for worse. At least 80 percent of Americans use social media on a daily basis. This reality can severely impact our collective mental and physical well-being.

If you experience depression from late October to early January, it doesn’t automatically mean the holidays are to blame. However, there is an excellent chance that they are playing a role. Yes, it can be a time of joyous celebration and giving. But that can’t always balance out family drama, financial stress, and having all your routines uprooted.

Whenever possible, we eat when we experience physical hunger. But, of course, there are other types of hunger. For the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on emotional hunger and, thus, emotional eating. When you experience physical hunger, it can be quenched by a wide variety of foods—including healthy choices. It doesn’t have to be immediately dealt with, and you’ll probably stop eating when you feel full.

When someone you know is struggling with addiction, you’ll quickly realize it impacts every aspect of their life. In turn, their loved ones are also affected in a major way. Identifying how to help in such a situation is easier said than done. For starters, it’s critical to recognize and accept that addiction is a disease. You may want to blame the person, but this will not help them recover.

Addiction has never had a positive impact on anyone. This includes the people in the addict’s life—partners, children, siblings, parents, etc. Just when you need your loved ones the most, an unhealthy substance abuse lifestyle may shatter the trust between you. You become a different person, changing in so many ways.

New relationships are commonly associated with hopeful butterflies, childish excitement, and slightly nervous laughter. But for some, what seems like the beginning of a wonderful companionship leads to sweaty palms, worrisome doubts, catastrophizing ruminations, and overwhelming anxiety.