Graphic generated in canva Growing up in India, my grandma always used to say chew your food, sit down and eat, don’t drink cold water with your meals. When I was sick or under the weather, she would make a thin stew of split mung beans and rice (khichadi) that’s nourishing and easy on the digestion. 6 years ago, I stumbled upon Ayurveda, the ancient medicine system of India/ the sister science of yoga, and I realized how much of my upbringing was naturally influenced by its

Procrastination - defined as the voluntary delay of an intended action despite anticipating the negative consequences - is a common self-regulatory failure which affects ones academic, occupational, and personal functioning. Although often dismissed as laziness, psychological research reveals that procrastination is driven by emotional avoidance, cognitive biases, and neural mechanisms that prioritize instant mood repair. Understanding the psychology behind procrastination n

Parental burnout is a state of chronic emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by the ongoing demands and stresses of parenting . It’s not just being tired — it’s constantly feeling overwhelmed, detached, and ineffective  as a parent. It is often characterized by:  ~Emotional Exhaustion:  Feeling overwhelmed, drained, and emotionally depleted. Feeling unable to cope with the demands of parenting. ~Depersonalization:  Feeling detached from children, experiencing a lo

When we think of hospice care, we often imagine gentle nurses and comforting hands helping patients through their final stages of life. Hospice is meant to be a place of peace and comfort, but for many patients, it becomes something else: a place of quiet loneliness . As the body slows down, the world around it seems to move faster. Family visits become less frequent, friends drift away, and even though the hallways are filled with the sounds of footsteps and machines, many h

Most people think of heartbreak as an emotional ache — something that hurts but eventually fades away. Yet for some, intense stress or grief can literally break the heart. Known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or "broken heart syndrome," this rare condition causes the heart muscle to suddenly weaken after a shock, like losing a loved one or experiencing extreme fear. Though it often looks like a heart attack, the cause isn't a blocked artery but the body's own stress respo

Time Makes the Difference How often do you find yourself overwhelmed by a school or work assignment that requires high levels of concentration and a fair amount of effort? Perhaps this only happens to you once in awhile, but some individuals experience this on a regular if not daily basis. Frequently experiencing overwhelm related to work or school can lead to many negative outcomes, including a lack of motivation, fatigue, decreased productivity, poor performance, impaired w

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) affect many of the everyday tasks we don't generally give much thought to, including using the restroom, comfortably holding urine, or completely emptying the bladder. As the name suggests, LUTS include a broad variety of urination-related issues, such as difficulties initiating the stream, frequent urination, leaking urine, waking up during the night to urinate, or feeling unable to completely empty the bladder. It is estimated that more t

What Does it Mean to Evaluate the Everyday Pros and Cons of Smartphone Use? Approximately 50.4% of teenagers ages 12-17 have four hours or more of screen time. Of that 50.4%, 27.1% were more likely to have symptoms of anxiety, and 25.9% were more likely to have symptoms of depression. For teenagers with less than four hours of screen time, the results show 12.3% and 9.5%, respectively. So, what does this data mean? Are all teenagers doomed for the future because of "doom scro

If you peered into the brain of someone living with depression, what would you see?    In a depressive state, someone may feel hopeless or worthless. Daily tasks become burdensome, and thoughts of death may cloud their headspace. Depression is a serious mood disorder, and impacts 280 million people globally.   To unearth the mental cogs that keep depression turning, scientists have studied how the condition drives physical changes in the brain that disturb its normal function

Photo courtesy of Unsplash Is it time to give yourself a break from technology? Our lives are inundated with social media and screen time. From doom scrolling to binge-watching, it seems we are constantly glued to a screen. Have you been wondering if it’s time to put your screens down? Could you imagine what your life would be like if you weren’t buried in your phone, tablet or laptop? Is it time for a digital detox? Studies have shown that endless screen time is detrimental

You're on Instagram or TikTok, there are countless reels that are promising to make you a healthier, better version of yourself, one meal-prepped salad, green smoothie, or jar of overnight oats at a time. Influencers proudly promote "approved" ingredients, list things they've taken out, and demonstrate "clean eating" practices. "You are what you eat" is one of the most common captions. On the surface, this appears to be motivating. Who wouldn't want to feel more energised, ea

Rachelle DiMedia   Have you ever experienced “butterflies” in your stomach before a big event? That’s your gut and brain communicating—and scientists are discovering this connection is more profound than they previously thought. Depression and anxiety present a significant burden on society and those who suffer from them. They are a leading cause of disability in the U.S., affecting not only the individual but also their loved ones.   There is a growing need to discover thera

Like most psychiatric and mental disorders, the common misconceptions surrounding Bipolar Disorder greatly exaggerate real-life clinical presentations that may exist in day-to-day life. The association of Bipolar Disorder with psychotic, explosive, and manic episodes that seemingly come out of nowhere often dramatize the condition for entertainment and only truly represents the extreme-end of the spectrum. As such, the mild, moderate, and bipolar-adjacent conditions are curso

Steve Jobs was open about how using LSD shaped his worldview and enhanced his creativity. Spiritual leader Ram Das, who has millions of followers postmortem, attributed his spiritual awakening to psychedelics. Now pharmaceutical companies around the world are racing to bring these types of drugs to your medicine cabinet. In 2023, the FDA legitimized the potential therapeutic use of psychedelics by issuing “ first draft guidance ” for clinical trials. (1) And in 2024, the FDA

You don’t need a complicated wellness plan, a personal trainer, or a 5 a.m. routine to feel healthier. As a nurse, I’ve seen that it’s not the grand overhauls that transform people’s health, it’s the tiny habits  practiced consistently, even on the busiest days. When life feels too hectic for “self-care,” that’s exactly when small steps matter most. Here are five realistic habits that fit into real life, and still make a difference. 1. Drink a glass of water before your coffe

Abstract Stress has become a pervasive health concern, contributing to a range of psychological and physiological disorders. Meditation, a key component of many mind–body interventions, has been widely explored as a nonpharmacologic approach to mitigating stress and promoting overall well-being. This article synthesizes findings from recent clinical and observational research examining the effects of meditation on stress reduction. Evidence from randomized controlled trials a

Find your way to be productive by incorporating the Pomodoro method to accomplish all of the tasks that you have been dreading! Get work done and find your way to do it faster.

If you're like myself, the disease 'Usher Syndrome' was fairly foreign until stumbling across the Every Second Counts campaign advertisement on Hulu starring American author and disability advocate Rebecca Alexander, along with Michael Mullarkey, who was recently diagnosed at the age of 1. The phrase “How would you live your life differently if you knew it was only a matter of time before you went completely deaf and blind?” in particular, is what started the creation of this

Introduction As the global population ages, cognitive decline and dementia have become pressing public health concerns. By 2050, the number of older adults is projected to reach two billion worldwide, and with it the impact of age-related brain changes will grow. The causes of cognitive decline are complex, involving genetics, environmental exposures, and lifestyle choices. While we cannot control genetic risk, lifestyle modifications provide a meaningful way to preserve brai

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often recognized for its social communication challenges, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests (Peterson et al., 2019). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), on the other hand, develops after someone experiences trauma and can cause intrusive memories, hyperarousal, and avoidance behaviors (Haruvi-Lamdan et al., 2018). While these conditions are usually considered separately, research increasingly shows that they can overlap. Peopl