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...
Students in Illinois will soon be able to take up to 5 mental health days
Even before the pandemic, instances of mental health crises among teens were on the rise, making classrooms a focal point for addressing mental health challenges. That’s why Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill this summer that allows students to take up to five excused mental health Read More...
Study sheds new light on the effect of screens on kids’ health and wellbeing
These days it can feel like everything we do involves screens. Work, school, and even booking a doctor’s appointment is done online, but many of us, especially those with young children, worry about the effects of extensive screen time on developing brains. A new study from the University of Read More...
Kiss your worries goodbye with these two quick exercises
These past 18 months have been unpredictable, chaotic, destabilizing… the list goes on. So, naturally, many of us are harboring a lot of worries right now. But what does worrying really do to change our situation? Nothing. Worrying simply makes us feel helpless by keeping us in a cycle of Read More...
4 ways teachers can combat back-to-school anxieties
Back-to-school season was a stressful time for teachers, even before the pandemic. Now, facing another Covid-19 surge, teachers are faced with the difficult task of stocking classrooms, imparting knowledge, and keeping children healthy and emotionally supported. If you’re a teacher, going back to Read More...
How to avoid awkward intimate interactions, according to an expert
Have you ever wondered how films achieve an air of natural intimacy when producing scenes that involve nudity or simulated sex, especially while working with actors that may not know each other well or at all? Enter the intimacy coordinator, a hired professional that works with actors and directors Read More...
Try these two simple, science-backed tricks to stop procrastinating
While many may think otherwise, procrastination is not a behavior rooted in laziness. Rather, people engage in procrastination in a bid to avoid the “negative feelings associated” with that task, explains Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Canada’s Carleton University and a Read More...
5 research-backed reasons why it’s important to have fun
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Everyone has a slightly different definition for fun, but whether you love hitting the town with friends or going for a long hike, research shows that having fun is good for your health, both mental and physical. Below, you can find five science-based reasons Read More...
How to support kids as they break out onto the post-pandemic social scene
As we reach a new phase of the pandemic, we may find ourselves struggling to re-engage with the world and return to some sort of “normal.” The adjustment from staying home, away from friends, family, and group activities, to navigating social interactions once again is anxiety-inducing for Read More...