Mental Health

Getting a call that a loved one had a heart attack sends our stomach into knots. We all want to avoid that kind of news and reduce the risk of cardiac crisis. Did you know that mental health and heart health are linked? Studies show that stress, anxiety, anger, and depression can raise your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and other heart problems. And having a heart attack can lead to anxiety, depression, and PTSD.   Understanding how mental and heart health are connected is key. It can help you take steps to improve both. Here are some…

Relationships are important in our lives. They make us feel happy, loved, and linked to others. We have relationships with friends, family, and people we work with. Conflict is a part of any relationship, and communication is key to resolving conflict. To make our relationships strong and healthy, it's important to talk about tough stuff sometimes. These tough conversations help us understand each other better, like what we need and how we feel.

Anyone who has experienced the impact of trauma knows it can shake us to our core. It can leave lasting marks that show up in every area of our lives. One area that often sees a big impact is sleep. For many who have experienced trauma, sleep is anything but restful. Trauma can disrupt healthy sleep in different ways. There are strategies, however, that can help you get better sleep over time. The path to better sleep requires patience, self-compassion, and, sometimes, professional support. But it is possible to reclaim the gift of a peaceful night's rest. How Does Trauma…

How Learn to Live Delivers CBT: Part 7  Should we teach mindfulness skills in our programs? We talked about this several years ago when I was writing the initial content for our first program for Social Anxiety. At that time, there was not enough research to support using mindfulness. But soon research on mindfulness began to emerge. Within a few years, there was enough research to show it helps. So we were happy to add it.  Nowadays, mindfulness is seen as the third wave of CBT. The first wave was behavioral strategies like facing fears. Then cognitive strategies were introduced…

Our lives are so busy that it is easy to forget about taking care of ourselves. But making time for yourself is very important. It is not selfish. It’s a way to keep yourself healthy and happy. By doing things just for you, you can improve how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. Here are some reasons that taking time for yourself is beneficial: Recharging and Feeling Better. Think about doing something that makes you happy and relaxed. Try reading, going for a walk, or doing something you love. These moments of “me time” are important for keeping a good…

Setting limits, or "boundaries", can be tricky. It's not always easy to make them clear or get others to respect them. But boundaries are important. They show people in a nice way what we need to stay safe and healthy. Boundaries also let others know what will happen if they ignore our limits. Boundaries aren't about controlling what other people do. And they aren't about telling others what to do. A lot of times we mess up with boundaries. We might leave some out or not set any at all because we don't want to upset someone. But boundaries matter.…