This breathing cushion could ease your anxiety
Just reading the news, you might occasionally feel your anxiety rise. That’s why The Optimist Daily exists, to counter all this worry by refocusing your worldview on the good that’s going on. As we’ve shown again and again, there is a lot! We are not the only ones battling for people’s Read More...
Your gut biome could be behind your anxiety
Here at The Optimist Daily, we regularly report on new findings about our incredible microbiome. Scientists keep uncovering more and more crucial roles these tiny microorganisms living in our gut play. From memory, to warding off chemotherapy side effects, to preventing brain damage in premature Read More...
Some sober advice for dating without drinking
Dating is a nerve-wracking and anxiety driven activity. To make the sport even more stressful, many of us haven’t met new people for two years, leading to pandemic anxiety surging through our veins even confronting a cashier at the grocery store. When exercising our dating muscle again, many Read More...
New program in California helps kids manage tough emotions
It should come as no surprise that children across the US and across the globe have collectively struggled much more than usual over the past couple of years. Even before the pandemic in 2019, more than one in three US high school students reported experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or Read More...
Ease menopause by listening to music
Going through menopause can be an extremely challenging time, where the world you’ve known for most of your life is turned upside down. Not every person's experience of menopause is the same, with symptoms ranging in frequency and severity. These include depression, sexual dysfunction, joint and Read More...
How ketamine can help fight depression
Quick acting aid A recent review from the University of Exeter, has shown that the sedative drug ketamine, has therapeutic effects in regards to mental health. The study, published in BJPsych Open, analyzed 83 papers to conclude that the drug can quickly improve symptoms of depression and suicidal Read More...
This kind of exercise is most effective for alleviating anxiety
A study led by scientists at the University of Gothenburg has revealed further information about the connection between physical activity and mental health, in particular, relief from anxiety. The link between exercise and reduced risk of depression has already been established thanks to past Read More...
Study: Pandemic lockdowns offered mental health relief for some teens
The isolation of the pandemic took a toll on global mental health, but for many of us, the mandatory break had some mental health benefits as well. It gave us an opportunity to hit ‘pause,’ spend more time focusing on self-care and enjoy some much-needed rest time. Researchers from the Read More...
5 Strategies to cope with work-induced anxiety
For those who live in seasonal parts of the country, working from home may start feeling more confining as the days get colder and darker, preventing us from opening our windows or from setting up our office on our sunny balconies and backyards. This may make us more susceptible to anxiety and Read More...
5 Reasons why we wake up in the middle of the night (and what to do about it)
According to sleep expert Shelby Harris, PsyD, “everyone wakes up five to seven times per night between finishing complete sleep cycles. Each awakening is extremely brief in nature, and we fall right back asleep with amnesia for it.” However, even though this is how it’s supposed to be, Read More...