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Racing heart. Feeling weak. A deep sense of terror, and you’re having breathing difficulties. These are just a few clear symptoms of have a panic attack -  they’re not fun by any means, but they are manageable. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, with panic attacks being a likely scenario for many. If you’ve never had a panic attack before, or you think you may have had one, here is a short excerpt from an experience someone shared on Buzzfeed: “It feels as if the world is rushing at me. Noises become very pronounced and it makes my head swim. Sometimes I can find it difficult to focus, sometimes I feel disoriented. My heart rate soars and I become very aware of my breathing”. Panic attacks may vary slightly from person to person, but the underlying feelings of fear are there. You may have experienced racing thoughts while you’re hyperventilating, and while it may seem like the end of the world, it’s not. In reality, panic attacks do not last as long as people think they do. Some individuals have random panic attacks but can continue to live their lives normally afterwards – if you’ve had at least 2 panic attacks and you’ve made changes to your lifestyle in attempts to avoid experiencing them again, you may have panic disorder. If you’re in the midst of a panic attack, there are several steps you take to find some relief. Everyday Health states that recognizing moments where we are allowing ourselves to spiral due to catastrophic thinking is a great first step to taking control over the situation. Once we’ve recognized where we’re at with this, we can practice a few simple things:

Although America is struggling with opioids, those aren’t the only drugs of concern. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications that can be easily bought in gas stations and grocery stores are more popular than ever – drugs like Tylenol and Advil are becoming a go-to for many. It makes sense – OTC drugs are saving Americans an average of $77 billion in clinical cost savings and $25 billion in drug costs savings, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. While these medications are beneficial in that way, there are other risks associated with their use. For example, a new study conducted by researchers from the Boston University School of Health found that nearly one in five users exceed the recommended daily dose for over-the-counter drugs during a one-week period. Many consumers aren’t as concerned about this issue because they aren’t addictive like opioids, but this is a dangerous perception to hold. NBC News reports that taking too much over-the-counter drugs can cause health complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding and heart attacks. Furthermore, lack of research into OTC drugs means that many people are taking drugs that aren’t even meant to help reduce the symptoms they are experiencing. Dr. Liffert Vogt of the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands wrote in an email to Reuters, “…Many people use [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs] for indications other than pain, such as the flu, allergies, fever – and there is no medical base that indicates that [these] or acetaminophen are of any use under these circumstances.” The biggest concern is that while efforts to reduce the opioid epidemic are influencing doctor’s prescribing decisions, consumers aren’t necessarily encouraged to change their ways – leading them to abusing other drugs that are available. Overall, our culture has centered around poor management of chronic pain, and opioids are not the only problematic response we are experiencing to this. If you’re struggling with addiction, seek help today. There are many resources available, and healthy ways to cope with pain.

Yoga is becoming more mainstream than ever before – a new study estimates that over 36 million Americans are utilizing yoga now, compared to 20.4 million people engaging in it in 2012. Harvard Medical School notes the various benefits that yoga can bring: improved cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, balance, improved overall quality of life, reduction in stress, anxiety, and pain, and much more. With the rise of yoga, more techniques are being used than ever before. See if you can recognize any of these:

Whether you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or not, it can creep up in little moments throughout our daily life. Moments where we are suddenly asked to give a speech that we have not prepared for are often enough to send anyone into an anxiety attack. Hearing sudden sad news that was unexpected can easily leave us feeling hopeless, lost, and panicked. The following are some very real anxiety triggers that anyone may experience:

The dictionary defines tough love as “promotion of a person’s welfare, especially that of [a person with an addiction], child, or criminal, by enforcing certain constraints on them or requiring them to take responsibility for their actions”. When it comes to parenting, you may have used some tough love. According to Very Well Family Magazine, tough love can be effective if it doesn’t involve:

We’ve all had moments of built up frustration and anger. When this happens, you may feel the need to immediately get your thoughts – and feelings – out into the open via a friend, family member, coworker, or stranger. Venting means to freely express strong emotions. When this happens, you may feel a sense of relief because you finally got everything off your chest. While this may feel good for the moment, there are some dangers that can arise with this as well. The Huffington Post states that venting can keep us stuck in a negative cycle of anger and can prevent us from coming up with creative solutions to the problem. For example, if you dislike your job you may vent about it to coworkers; if this happens once it may be harmless but doing this often without applying to other jobs and attempting to take actions towards resolving your issues means that more anger will fester – and you may lose patience with your coworkers. All in all, venting can reinforce negative attitudes towards a situation. What can be done about this? There are many healthy ways to manage your anger and frustration without stewing. Here are some excellent examples:

Whether you’ve been together for a few months or a few years, relationship distress can occur at any time. Perhaps you and your significant other have tried talking out your concerns, and you just haven’t come to a resolution. Maybe you have been silently resenting your partner, and so you haven’t spoken with them about what’s causing you pain. No matter the circumstance, your relationship may be in danger if any of the following is happening:

Movies and television shows have the propensity to shape societal views and sway overall attitudes on subjects. For example, researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed 625 college students, with 392 of them being female, to determine if movies and television shows had an impact on their love lives. Participants were asked to watch romantic films such as “500 Days of Summer” and “Crazy Stupid Love”, as well as sit-coms such as “How I Met Your Mother” and “Big Bang Theory”. Afterwards, the researchers found that more exposure to romantic movies led to beliefs that love will “find it’s way” and endure all obstacles. Individuals who watched more sit-coms did not find as much weight in these concepts. Since movies and television shows do, in a sense, have an impact on the way we view ourselves, others, and life overall, their affects on the mental health and addiction recovery world are huge. Individuals with schizophrenia face harsh stereotypes due to misunderstandings of the disorder and inaccurate representations shown through media. One example of this misrepresentation is the movie “The Voices”, a dark comedy starring Ryan Reynolds. Criticized by mental health campaigners, this movie is about a serial killer who was instructed to kill through the voices in his head, more specifically through his pet cat. The movie shows Jerry (Reynolds), a character who has been seeing his therapist but hasn’t been taking the medication she’s prescribed to him for his schizophrenia. Jerry begins believing his pet cat, Mr. Whiskers, who tells him that he should be risky and kill people while his dog, Bosco, tells him otherwise. Jerry feels pressured by his cat to take the lives of people one by one, and the movie shows his perspective compared to everyone else around him. While some people could say that the movie raises an important perspective regarding those with mental illness and people who have been incarcerated because of it, the movie overall perpetuates a negative stigma that people with schizophrenia are very dangerous. Despite common beliefs that individuals with schizophrenia are dangerous to others, most people with this disorder are more likely to harm themselves instead. The more we can educate ourselves and others on this disorder, the more we can reduce negative stereotypes surrounding it and promote more love and support.

“There is no health without mental health”. – World Health Organization A 2017 study conducted by researchers from the United Kingdom found that mental health and physical health are cross-affected by both direct and indirect factors. The study suggested that for example, lifestyle choices and social interaction did impact both mental and physical health, and exercise proved to be incredibly important for both aspects. It seems that if we want to live a most healthy and happy life, we must maintain both mental and physical health. How is this so? Let’s explore. The Mental Health Foundation states that poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health problems, just as a poor mental health state can negatively impact physical health. For example, a person with depression has a 67% increased risk for death from heart disease or from cancer. This is believed to occur because a person with depression is less likely to receive the routine healthcare they need to ensure their physical well-being. Similarly, adequate exercise is needed to maintain mental health. When you exercise, you release and uptake feel-good chemicals, called endorphins, in your brain. Previous studies have shown that even small 10-minute bursts of exercise can increase your mental alertness, energy, and positive mood overall. As Psych Central emphasizes, anyone with a physical disease is likely to feel more psychological distress than someone who doesn’t, and those with poor mental health may experience more physical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, etc. Since mental and physical health are so intricately connected, many people are utilizing holistic methods of treatment. Holistic practices can be beneficial because they consider the whole person – their mind, body, and spirit – in treating them. Holistic practices may be used in conjunction with traditional medical practices, but what’s most important is that you seek treatment and begin recovery as soon as possible. If you are currently experiencing poor mental or physical health, begin taking steps towards your well-being today. Stretch, go for walks, eat healthily, get plenty of sleep, associate yourself with loving and supportive people, practice healthy self-soothing exercises such as reading a good book or taking a hot shower to relax, and more. Starting these steps today could mean a healthier you in the future.

Manipulation is a dangerous ploy, and when used by parents, can significantly disrupt a child’s mental health and stability as they get older. If you grew up with a manipulative parent, you’ve likely struggled with a variety of mental and social issues. Psychological Today states that when it comes to parenting, manipulation can take many shapes whether you’re a child or adult:

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) claims that nearly 30 million people experience an eating disorder each year; they can affect anyone of any age and are very serious – even life threatening. If you have an eating disorder, note that with the proper support and treatment, recovery is possible. You may be feeling skeptical about seeking treatment, but many people have gone through it and have succeeded. Of course, there are going to be some challenges along the way, but that’s what will make your recovery most worthwhile. Many people have reported recovery as being a series of ups and downs, with both good moments and bad ones. One person explained this on The Mighty by stating, “Some days recovery feels easy. I feel good in my body and I don’t obsessively think about calories or how big my thighs might be getting. These days are wonderful and carefree, and they make coping with the hard times feel a little bit easier. I know I’m always going to have days that aren’t so great, days when I struggle to feed myself and use my mindfulness in a positive way. What matters is getting through these rough patches and not succumbing to them”. What comes with the ups and downs of recovery are, at times, relapses. Relapses occur when you temporarily retreat to old habits of behavior associated with your eating disorder; most people associate relapses with failure, but they are truly moments of learning and growth. Relapses are quite normal. As one writer explained his story on the Huffington Post, he said, “While in recovery, I have gained weight and lost weight, relapsed and gained weight, relapsed, gained weight, thought about losing weight, etc.” Recovery involves learning some healthy tools that you can use to cope with negative thoughts and feelings. For example, you may learn more about meditation and mindfulness, distractions such as reading a good book or going to the movies, self-soothing activities such as taking a hot bath or going for a walk, journaling, and more. By speaking with a therapist, you will get the chance to uncover some of the feelings you haven’t tended to over the years. You’ll be able to work through those issues at your own pace and will have a support team to work with you along the way.

If you have an eating disorder, you’re not alone. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, at least 30 million people have an eating disorder in the United States. Eating disorders impact the way a person thinks and feels about their body and food. Common traits of individuals with this disorder are having a low self-esteem, perfectionism, overachiever, anxiety, need for control, difficulty expressing emotions, need for acceptance, and depression. Many loved ones have difficulty understanding what it’s like to have an eating disorder but educating themselves on the struggles many people face can open doors for more love and support. The following are common obstacles people with an eating disorder face: