Indice dei contenuti per Understanding Mental Health in Real Simple

IS IT THE STATE of the world? The time of year? The endless Groundhog Day round of daily chores? If you’re feeling unaccountably listless, these are the kinds of questions that may be running through your head on a loop. You may be languishing. Sociologist Corey L. M. Keyes coined the term to mean the space that exists between depression and flourishing. It’s a nebulous middle (and “meh”) ground, a draining blend of stagnation, exhaustion, and anxiety that can take hold of us no matter our occupation—parents, caregivers, and nine-to-fivers can all begin to short-circuit. But with the following insights from professionals, you can press the mental reset button. Don’t Rule Out Burnout A lot of us interchange terms like burnout and exhaustion, but there’s an important difference between…

YOU HIT THE SNOOZE button three times before finally rolling out of bed. You run out the door overwhelmed by everything you have to do that day, unsure of where to start. This can make the day feel like a never-ending race, which in turn can be detrimental to mental health. Recent research suggests that simple interventions such as setting up a morning routine could make us feel better mentally and physically. “We know getting up with intention has an impact on mood and anxiety and depression,” says Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The science starts with circadian rhythm, the cycle of physiological and biological processes that fluctuate on an approximately 24-hour timeline. This cycle is tied…

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YOUR LIFE, AT LEAST RIGHT at this moment, might not be how you pictured it. Maybe your job, bank account, or relationship has seen better days. Perhaps you’ve dropped the ball on the things that used to be most important to you, and you can’t see a way back to the person you want to be. Either way, your knee-jerk reaction is to blame yourself. Maybe a good old-fashioned kick in the pants will motivate you to get your act together. If that sounds like how you think, you’re definitely not alone. But it may be time to take stock of your self-talk and welcome a new way of thinking. A mounting body of evidence suggests that a kinder way of thinking about yourself—what researchers call self-compassion—can ease stress,…

WE MAY MONITOR our vegetable intake, our cardio routine, and our sleep habits, yet we rarely consider one simple act that fuels everything we do: breathing. We chug along, taking 17,000 to 20,000 breaths a day, blissfully unaware of most of them. But proponents of breathwork, the therapeutic use of breathing techniques, say the practice can chase away anxiety, increase energy, and help manage pain. Though the discipline has been around for generations, lately it’s having a moment, with breathwork artists and medical professionals alike encouraging people to show their lungs some love. “You would be astounded by how many pulmonologists, cardiologists, and other experts are exploring breathing, both for themselves and for their patients,” says James Nestor, author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, who interviewed scientists,…

BRING YOUR RÉSUMÉ INTO 2022 Nix old-school sections: There’s no need for references, objective sentences, or extracurriculars, says Sarah Dewey, a talent sourcer at Meta and former recruiter for Jobscan, a résumé-building site. “They can make it harder to find the skills and experience I’m searching your résumé for,” she explains. Keep it simple: Avoid fancy formatting and use a résumé template from Microsoft Word or Pages instead. Be concise and clearly convey your hard skills with specific examples, Dewey says. Mention whether you have remote experience as well. “Demonstrating that you would have less of a learning curve in a new work environment is a real benefit,” she points out. Don’t be ashamed of career gaps, especially ones that occurred during the pandemic. “That said, it can be beneficial…

CAN YOU THINK YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS? It’s not that simple, but research shows that positive thoughts and an optimistic mindset can help. If you’ve ever heard of the book The Secret, the runaway best seller that popularized the idea of using the power of thought to achieve your biggest dreams and loftiest goals, then you’re already familiar with the concept of manifestation. Manifestation is a way of describing the law of attraction—that is, positive thoughts attract positive things. This kind of magical thinking sounds nice, but it’s not real, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, who studies the benefits of happiness. “If you define it as going out and being extroverted, or expressing gratitude, or being optimistic, then…

AS A SOCIETY, we’re becoming more aware that mental health is just as important as physical health. But spiritual health is still absent from the conversation, says Lisa Miller, PhD, a psychologist and Columbia University professor who has spent more than 20 years studying the relationship between spirituality and depression. Miller believes that when we ignore our spiritual lives, we shut ourselves off from a world of connection, guidance, and mystery. In her most recent book, The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life, she blends research, philosophy, and personal experience to offer powerful evidence that by acknowledging the soul, we can heal ourselves. We asked Miller to enlighten us. How did you become interested in the link between spirituality and mental…

EAT IN COLOR Even in the dead of winter, you can find beautiful seasonal fruits and vegetables, so play up the produce! “When you eat a variety of colors, you get a fuller spectrum of nutrients and antioxidants,” says Ellie Krieger, RDN, a TV personality and cookbook author. “It’s amazing how powerful this can be for your well-being.” Plus, a colorful plate is enticing and mood-boosting. To ensure you have plenty of produce at your fingertips, Krieger recommends stocking up on frozen fruits and veggies in addition to fresh. “And don’t be afraid to get precut or prewashed veggies if that makes produce prep seem more doable,” she says. Warm Roast Chicken Salad ACTIVE TIME 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES SERVES 4 24 oz. baby potatoes, halved, or quartered if…