How to Boost Your Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is key to maintaining good mental health. By understanding your thoughts, feelings, and triggers, you can better manage stress, improve emotional regulation, and recognize when to seek help. It helps you stay grounded, make healthier choices, and create a deeper sense of balance and well-being in your daily life. Building self-awareness is a powerful […]
Loneliness and Mental Health Distress Have a Cyclical Relationship
Researchers identified four key themes from interviews in a study on loneliness: the meaning of loneliness, factors contributing to it, its links to mental health, and strategies for reducing it. The study found that certain groups, such as disabled individuals and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are more vulnerable to chronic loneliness. While the sample […]
Cannabis and Secondhand Smoke
The dangers of secondhand tobacco smoke on the heart and lungs are well-documented, leading to concerns about whether secondhand cannabis smoke poses similar health risks. Cannabis smoke shares many of the same harmful and cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco, with some present in even higher concentrations. Additionally, cannabis smoke contains THC, the psychoactive compound responsible […]
13 ways smoking affects the body
Smoking cigarettes harms nearly every organ in the body, significantly increasing the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory issues, vision problems, and gum disease. According to the CDC, smoking not only contributes to various diseases but also reduces overall health. It impacts multiple systems, including the respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, and visual systems, while elevating […]
How Cognitive Therapy Works for Stress Relief
Stress can overwhelm our minds, feeding us negative energy that leads to harmful thoughts, anxiety, and self-doubt. This negative cycle can be hard to break, but cognitive therapy offers a way to regain control. Cognitive therapy focuses on identifying and challenging distorted thinking patterns, replacing them with more balanced, positive thoughts. By learning how to […]
Use These 10 Phrases to Disarm a Narcissist
Interacting with a narcissist can be deeply damaging to your mental health because they often manipulate, gaslight, and devalue others to maintain control and feed their ego. Their lack of empathy and constant need for validation can make you question your self-worth, leaving you feeling drained, anxious, and emotionally unstable. Over time, this toxic dynamic […]
Commercial Tobacco Control Framework
Minnesota’s recent commercial tobacco prevention efforts, led by community advocates and local public health, have driven innovative policy, systems, and environmental changes centered on health equity. These efforts include local communities passing Tobacco 21 laws before federal and state legislation, policies prohibiting the sale of flavored commercial tobacco products, including menthol, starting in 2017, and […]
25 Motivational Quotes You Didn’t Know You Needed to Read
We all have moments when life feels stagnant, like we’re just going through the motions, stuck in a rut without a clear direction. It’s normal to feel this way from time to time, but a simple motivational quote can often spark a shift in perspective. Whether it’s a reminder to keep going, a push to […]
How to Be Less Stressed
Stress is a powerful force in our lives, often acting as both a motivator and a disruptor. In small doses, stress can help us focus, push through challenges, or react quickly in emergencies. However, when stress becomes a constant presence, it begins to take a toll on our mental, emotional, and physical health. Chronic stress […]
Why Am I So Lonely All The Time?
Loneliness is more than just being alone—it’s a quiet epidemic that’s affecting millions, even as we live in a world where we’re constantly connected online. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General called attention to this growing issue, labeling loneliness as a new, insidious epidemic in America. This isn’t just about people not having friends; it’s […]