COVID-19: a springboard for mental health?
As we acknowledge the various anniversaries of the COVID-19 pandemic and look back over a year of worry and suffering, our thoughts turn naturally to what happens after all this is over. There is light at the end of the tunnel, for the developed world at least, and we all face the prospect of returning […]
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Why you need to deal with your emotions
When faced with a challenge, do you focus on the problem or the opportunity? Some studies have shown that people who view challenging experiences as opportunities suffer less severe anxiety than those who suppress their emotions in difficult situations. Known as reappraisal, this means that more adaptive people are able to put individual situations into […]
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Why we feel anxious
We’re all aware of the negative connotations of anxiety, but new research suggests that we may be able to learn to harness it to our advantage. Anxiety can be a fear of imminent danger, but it’s also a broader anticipation of possible threats. We make a powerful mental record of signals that alert us to […]
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Exercise Builds a Calmer Brain
We’ve known for a long time that exercise reduces stress … but new research on rats described in The New York Times is showing that exercise actually builds calmer brains. “It looks more and more like the positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they’re more equipped to […]
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