Resources
We all need help at times. Here are some useful articles that might speak to what is going on for you.
Take Action for Mental Health
The state of California is urging people to Take Action for friends and family struggling with the mental health. They have collected the following information to help people understand mental health issues, find resources, and help those they care about. For more information see the TakeAction website
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The warning signs of suicide aren’t always obvious, but most suicidal people show some signs that they are thinking about suicide. The signs may appear in conversations, through their actions, or in social media posts. Knowing what to look for is the first step toward being there for a friend or family member in need.
More information about sign of suicide and how to talk about it here
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Checking in with the people in your life is a helpful way to take action for mental health. Many people want to support their family and friends, but aren’t sure how to bring up the subject of mental health. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be hard!
More information about how to check-in with people here
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You are not alone. If you are experiencing a suicidal or mental health crisis, or concerned for someone else, there are resources to support you.
More information on how to find help here
Getting Help
Need Some Mental Health Support? Start Here
Extreme grief and isolation are extremely real threats to your health. Experts worry the next pandemic will be a mental health one. If you or someone you know needs help or someone to talk to, please reach out to the organizations and professionals in this organization until you find some relief.
HOW AND WHY THE 5 STEPS CAN HELP
The five action steps for communicating with someone who may be suicidal are supported by evidence in the field of suicide prevention.
988: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States.
Relationships
No Joke, These 5 Marriage Tips Have Kept Us Out of Divorce Court Over the Last 10 Years
PureWow. September 15, 2020. To the perfect couple who claims their relationship is easy, we counter with: lies! All lies! Relationships take work. For some, that effort might come a bit more naturally, making it seem easy. But for the majority of us, the game of maintaining happiness in a long-term union is no simple feat, which is why over the last ten years of PureWow (yep, it's our ten-year anni!), we've been covering helpful marriage advice from all the experts and real-life experiences we can get our hands on. Here are five tips that have literally kept our marriages alive the last decade.
Intense Sexual Chemistry Part 1
Psychology Today. September 1, 2009. You're single and content and suddenly ambushed by an intense, intoxicating connection with someone you've just met. Intense sexual "chemistry" is a high like no other. But it can also make you do ridiculous things. When does intense chemistry lead to the mother lode and when does it become a death spiral? Today's post deals with the simplest kind of chemistry and why it can be misleading.
What Defines Domestic Abuse? Survivors Say It’s More Than Assault
The New York Times. January 22, 2021. The Congresswoman Cori Bush and the musician FKA twigs describe how manipulative, isolating conduct known as “coercive control” helped trap them in abusive relationships. Lawmakers are starting to listen.
Intense Sexual Chemistry: Part 2
Psychology Today. September 1, 2009. Actress Sarah Kabanuck and Il Divo singer David Miller recalled their first meeting. She said, "There was a moment of connection, but it was so intense that we couldn't be friends". David said, "I was out of place and out of time." "I had all the emotional upheaval of a teenager in love." Sarah was already married at the time and David "had a reputation as a womanizer". This story perfectly captures the topic of today's post on intense chemistry.
If Intelligence Turns You On, You Could Be a Sapiosexual
Psychology Today. June 9, 2021. For the sapiosexual, intelligence itself is the genuine "switch." Their ideal life partner would be an intellectual equal. This is a preference or orientation; it is not up to an individual who they are attracted to. Sapiosexuals deserve love and happiness as much as anyone else, though it may be somewhat harder to find.
Why Am I Attracting So Many Narcissists?
Psychology Today. November 7, 2017. Many people feel as if they are “narcissist magnets.” If there is a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder within 100 feet, they believe that somehow that person will be attracted to them. They often ask me: “Why am I attracting more narcissists than anyone else around me? What can I do to stop this?”
Life
This Is How To Become A Morning Person, According To This Japanese Self-Care Concept
Bustle. June 9, 2018. If you're not a morning person, going to bed with a mental checklist of all of the things you have to do the next day certainly doesn't make getting up earlier any easier. However, there is something that can help.
This Is How Reading Rewires Your Brain, According to Neuroscience
Inc.com. February 22, 2021. We all know reading can teach you facts, and knowing the right thing at the right time helps you be more successful. But is that the entire reason just about every smart, accomplished person you can think of, from Bill Gates to Barack Obama, credits much of their success to their obsessive reading?
Not according to neuroscience. Reading, science shows, doesn't just fill your brain with information; it actually changes the way your brain works for the better as well.
‘A career change saved my life’: the people who built better lives after burnout
The Guardian. June 8, 2021. Chronic stress at work can lead to listlessness, fatigue – and a much higher risk of stroke and heart disease. But there are ways to save yourself before it’s too late.
Children and Youth
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Classroom Wise
Psychologists are also building training programs to help teachers and other school staff create supportive classrooms and aid students who are in distress. Classroom WISE (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network and the University of Maryland’s National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), is a free, flexible online course and resource library that draws on psychological research on social-emotional learning, behavioral regulation, mental health literacy, trauma, and more
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TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE WITH FRIENDS AND PEERS
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) created conversation cards to equip kids with basic skills for talking about suicide. The advice, available in English and Spanish, includes how to ask about suicidal thoughts, how to listen without judgment, and when to seek guidance from an adult
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The risks of earlier puberty
Children who hit puberty before their peers are more likely to have mental health problems, research finds. Enhancing their coping skills may help.
Stress and Anxiety
The new tool helping to trick your brain into calmness
Yahoo Finance. March 4, 2021. Have you ever been so stressed you feel like you might pass out? For Sydney health and high-performance expert Edwina Griffin, this actually happened to her at work one day. She was under so much pressure that she simply collapsed. Here is what she found to help.
15 Anxiety Journals to Reduce Stress and Help You Feel a Little Calmer Right Now
Parade. March 14, 2021. What’s your go-to coping strategy when life becomes stressful? Maybe this past year helped you figure that out, or maybe you’re still searching for it. Some people find inner peace through meditation or running, while others seek solace by chatting on the phone with a friend. When it comes to managing anxiety.and overall mental health, one thing’s for sure: it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.
How to take the perfect breath: why learning to breathe properly could change your life
The Guardian. August 6, 2020. It is claimed that ‘breathwork’ can help improve our sleep, digestion, immune and respiratory functions, while reducing our blood pressure and anxiety. All of which, in the midst of a pandemic, sounds more appealing than ever
The Body
Newly detailed nerve links between brain and other organs shape thoughts, memories, and feelings
ScienceMag.org. June 10, 2021. New techniques for mapping the vagus nerve’s connections and identifying its components have revealed a wealth of cell types including at least 37 types of sensory neuron, which detect stimuli including stretch, pressure, toxins, and nutrients. Signals from those cells may shape mood and memory.
Polyvagal Theory: 7 Techniques to Override Anxiety & Phobias
Learning-Mind.com. March 19, 2021. Picture the scene; you are in a bank when armed robbers storm the building. All the customers are forced to the floor and the doors are locked. You have never been so frightened in your life. The panic and fear are rising and you think you will die.
You desperately scan the frightened faces of your fellow hostages and you spot your best friend. The relief is instant. You begin to slowly calm down and focus on staying safe. You have just seen polyvagal theory in action.
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Maps of subjective feelings
Why do we experience anything at all? Data suggest that we feel bodily events that are potentially good or bad to us.Subjective feelings are categorical, emotionally valenced, and embodied, and valence and mental involvement are the most important dimensions of the subjective feelings.
This article maps 100 core feelings that ranged from cognitive and affective processes to somatic sensations and common illnesses. The findings reveal a map of subjective feelings thatare categorical, emotional, and embodied.
Of Interest
A Japanese Novelist’s Tale of Bullying and Nietzsche
The New Yorker. May 31, 2021. In Mieko Kawakami’s “Heaven,” everyday dilemmas provide a forum for examining fundamental questions of power and morality.
How to deal with unpleasant feelings
Dr Joan Rosenberg explains in a Ted talk how to deal with difficult emotions (sadness, shame, helplessness, anger, vulnerability, embarrassment, disappointment and frustration). For more information, see Dr. Rosenberg’s book here: 90 Seconds to a Life You Love
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Learning more about psychology.
The Shift Network.
We Are Awakening Individuals to Achieve Their Full Potential. Our Vision is to empower a global network of evolutionary change agents through media, education, and resources featuring leading wisdom keepers and visionaries. We empower people on a journey of personal growth over time, and provide a platform for an emerging culture to connect, collaborate, and co-create. We aim to accelerate the shift to a world where each and every one of us has the opportunity to liberate our full creative potential.
The Center for Story and Symbol
The Center offers continuing education seminars and workshops on the psychology of fairy tales, mythic stories, creativity, movies as mythic imagination, and law and ethics for psychotherapists. CE hours are available for psychologists, marriage & family therapists, teachers, social workers, nurses, and other mental health professionals. Our courses meet requirements in most states.
Esalen
Esalen is more than a retreat center or an educational institute. Anchored by the inspiring beauty of Big Sur and an incomparable intellectual history, Esalen is a worldwide network of seekers who look beyond dogma to explore deeper spiritual possibilities, forge new understandings of self and society, and pioneer new paths for change.
