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Trying to figure out how you are going to recover from anxiety, depression, substance use, or post-traumatic stress disorder can feel overwhelming; it can also prevent you from beginning to heal. However, realizing that there are trained professionals to support you in your healing process and not focusing on the how of recovery can enable you to get past those barriers and seek the help you need and deserve.

Expressing gratitude is a practice of appreciating what you are grateful for in your life. Perhaps expressing gratitude may feel like it is too simple to make a difference in how you feel and perhaps seems inaccessible during challenging times. However, it is a practice that can increase your overall quality of life. When practiced consistently, it can reap positive effects on your mental health and wellness.

Perhaps even the thought of the holiday season brings you feelings of stress and anxiety. Although it is a time of year to experience gratitude and joy, these emotions may seem hard to access when the holiday season is marked by work deadlines, being busier than usual, chaotic family gatherings, and bouts of depression.

Have you been curious about creating the right wellness routine for yourself?

Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that impact all ages of the population worldwide. One of the several things that make recovering from an eating disorder so tricky is the stigma, shame, and stereotypes connected to them. This can often prevent individuals from getting the treatment and support they need. Below are five common stereotypes that increase the shame and stigma attached to eating disorders.

Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or the "winter blues," is a common condition that gets triggered at the same time each year, usually in the fall. While it may be common to experience seasonal depression in different ways, it traditionally has the following symptoms:

Group psychotherapy is an incredibly effective therapy for a myriad of mental, behavioral, and emotional health concerns. It is also an approach that may feel intimidating and overwhelming. Any new experience, especially those where you do not know the process, can feel uncertain. It can feel uncomfortable to be yourself in a group of individuals, even when everyone is in the group for a shared reason, as it asks you to be vulnerable. Although group psychotherapy can feel unfamiliar at first, it begins to feel more comfortable as time goes on and you connect with yourself and others in the group.

If you struggle with perfectionism, you may also experience higher levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout. Maybe it feels like no matter what you do, it will never be enough. Perfectionism is associated with having high expectations of yourself that you likely would not expect of anyone else. It is also a way of regulating uncomfortable emotions, such as a fear of failure or a sense of shame and loneliness that may be present when not living up to specific standards.

The holiday season can be tricky to navigate. This is especially true when feeling pressured to attend family gatherings, fulfill expectations your family may have, and be around individuals you may not align with in terms of values and beliefs. Setting firm, healthy boundaries may feel challenging, but doing so can lower feelings of stress and anxiety during the holiday season.

The school year comes packed with numerous stresses, and as the semester continues marching forward, these stresses can become more and more prevalent. Tests, quizzes, and one's own academic goals can cause a great deal of anxiety, with many students looking for any way to alleviate these feelings. Unfortunately, this can also lead to a dangerous relationship with addictive substances, compromising one's health while inhibiting one's ability to strive towards academic success.

Even if it is just for five minutes, a morning routine can help you move through your life with greater ease and presence. Having productive habits at the start of each day does not just include important practices like getting up at the same time and making your bed. It also involves checking in with yourself and setting your intentions for the day.

Like recovery from mental illness, fitness is not the same for everybody. Believing so can hinder you from finding a routine that feels good and works for you. Fitness can look different for everyone and even look different for you each day, depending on the needs of your mind and body at the time.