Depression occurs for many reasons. A common one is unhelpful thinking patterns — traps that our thoughts can fall into and get stuck in. These are also called cognitive distortions, and the “mental filter” is a common example. The mental filter is like having a screen over your mind that obscures the positive aspects of a situation while letting the negative aspects through.
[Read more…]Crying is hard but understandable — most of the time. What about when it feels like you’re crying for no reason? And what can you do if it keeps happening?
We cry when we feel an upswell or burst of emotion, or when we’re in physical pain. Crying is healthy. It can soothe us, reduce pain, and show others that we need help. It is not a sign of weakness, as some believe. Yet sometimes crying seems to happen randomly or out of the blue. If crying seems to happen for no reason on a regular basis, it could be a sign of emotional difficulties.
[Read more…]Blushing is a normal reaction in certain circumstances. So why might you have a fear of blushing? And what can you do about it?
Karla blushed during a date after she spilled water all over herself and the table. She felt embarrassed and that her date thought she was awkward. From then on, she started getting anxious about blushing again whenever she thought about setting up a date. She even stopped dating for a while, but was unhappy because she wanted a relationship. When she started dating again, she would only go on dates late at night, at one local restaurant that she knew had dim lighting, so if she blushed it wouldn’t be noticeable. This limited her options for having ongoing dates, and her anxiety about blushing made her give up dating once again.
[Read more…]Disappointment is a part of life that comes up when hopes or expectations aren’t met. All of us feel disappointment at times in our relationships, in other people, and in ourselves. It’s not an easy feeling to sit with, but there are healthy (and unhealthy) ways to cope with this unavoidable emotion.
[Read more…]Clinical depression is different than feeling sad — although it typically involves feeling sad. Learn how to distinguish depression vs. sadness.
Everyone feels sad from time to time. In fact, sadness is one of the basic universal human emotions. Feeling sad can be unpleasant or uncomfortable. But the feeling exists for a reason (like all feelings), and feeling occasionally sad is part of a healthy emotional life.
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