The Better Mental Health Show

Another important lesson learned during the COVID pandemic was that smiling matters. As the world became masked, we quickly recognized how different societies are when we can't see someone's facial expressions, in particular a smile. Studies have shown that smiling can not only boost your emotional health, but also the person that you are smiling at. Why is this and what have we learned? We discus...

We care way too much about what others think. This is not an opinion, this is a fact. And in the age of social media, where everything is instantly shared and compared, it is almost impossible to escape. But caring too much about what others think can have grave consequences for out self-esteem and mental health. So why is it that we care so much about what others think and what are some ways we c...

Empathy is the ability to 'feel with' another person, to identity with them, and sense what they're experiencing. Anxiety is a feeling of uncertainty or fear caused by not being able to control or know what will or might happen. The more anxious we are, the more individualistic we become, and when that happens, the only thing we care about is ourself. Empathy is the exact opposite. It is wanting t...

April is designated as Month of the Military Child, a time to honor the sacrifices made by military families worldwide, with an emphasis on the experience of children in those families. This life of uncertainty can lead to a variety of mental health problems when kids are young and as they get older. But, research also shows that military kids are amongst the most resilient humans on the planet. O...

Guard rails are a means to prevent or deter access to dangerous or off-limits areas. The most common of these are the guard rails we see on the high ways to prevent us from veering off the road and limiting damage during an accident. Our mental health is a progress, a road if you will, and without guard rails we run the risk of driving off the mental health road. So how do we establish some mental...

It seems like whenever a mass shooting occurs, mental health or illness makes its way into the conversation. Why? Because mental illness is always tied to the cause and reason someone picks up a gun and goes into a store and kills people. But is that true? And better yet is it fair to further stigmatize mental illness and tie it to violence with no evidence just to avoid the inevitable conversatio...

Critical thought is what defines as a human. Our ability to use rationale thought allows us to take the emotion out of our decisions to ensure the choices we make will be the right ones for not only the present moment but also the future. Critical thought nowadays, however, has become harder and harder with saturation of social media, and curated news feeds that only show us things we like, and ge...

A major source of anxiety for many people, kids and adults included, is the constant worrying about all of the bad stuff that surrounds us. Bad stuff in our environment, bad stuff in our food, bad stuff in our homes, everywhere we go we can find bad stuff to make us anxious. If only there was a place we could go to get more information about this bad stuff and learn about alternatives to make ever...

It is known that negative experiences during childhood can have a poor outcome on our mental health as we get older. But what about those that have a positive, supportive childhood upbringing? Does this eliminate or reduce mental health problems later? And if not, do these different environments predict what type of mental health problems we will have? A recent study from Australia aimed to addres...

Weighted Blankets have been suggested to help soothe anxiety and reduce insomnia. The theory behind weighted blankets is rooted in neuroscience and the concept of "pressure therapy". When our bodies feel pressure, our parasympathetic nervous system increases activity which in turn, lowers our hear rates, and increasing our feeling of calm. There has been limited studies performed directly assessin...

                                                                                                                             Through this historically difficult time, one shining light that has emerged is the expansion of mental health therapies made possible through innovated technology and the use of smart phones and tablets.   It is no longer necessary that we find a local therapist we can phys...

                                                                                                                               It is not easy to begin our mental health journey and sometimes the concept of getting help can seem daunting and scary.  The landscape of mental health and behavioral therapy has changed so much in the past 4 years, and with increased resources and digital technologies, s...

                                                                                                                             2020 has been a nightmare, or a perpetual hail storm as I have said before.  But with any hard time, we have to take it in and make sure we learn from it, so next time, we might be better prepared.  While the hard times are still not over, there are some things I have learne...

                                                                                                                               COVID spread is the highest it has been since the pandemic began, and kids are still in school.  Should they be?  Is it safe for kids to be in school?  This question is being asked by kids, parents, and teachers all over the country and as a significant contributor high le...

                                                                                                                             The 2020 COVID Holiday season will have a different feel this year, and with many families choosing to not get together, an already isolated year can become that much more depressive.  Unless, of coursed, we take this crazy situation and completely flip it around to make it...

  The changing of seasons, especially heading into the colder and darker months can lead to a type of depression know as Season Affective Disorder (SAD).  This year, with COVID restrictions still in place this will be worse given our inability to interact with more people.  So what are some ways to combat this for you and kids?  We discuss on Episode 68.

  Tantrums are inevitable with kids, and if you are a parent like me, you are always looking for new effective strategies to control and stop them. "Tech Tantrums" are a tantrums induced when a form of technology such as a video game or phone is taken away from the child when they are not ready to stop with it.  They get angry, mean, yell, stomp, and become almost animal like.  I've tried all of t...

  How much time do you spend each day thinking about the future?  New research suggests that our minds tend to live in the future, and when these future events become distorted with fear and negativity, anxiety comes rushing in.  On Episode 66 we discuss an article published in the NY Times about this concept, and how we can train our minds to think of a more positive future.     In this episode w...

  What does Cocaine, Alcohol, and Social Media have in common? They both manipulate our brains into raising the pleasure and addiction chemical, dopamine, in our brain.  You. know what else?  They are both addicting and can lead to serious harm. Harm in different ways, but harm none the less.  So why is one illegal, one age restricted, and the other not? Join me as I make an argument we should sta...

  How are you doing?  This is the question we must take time to ask ourselves during this difficult time.  It is so important we recognize the mental toll we are feeling and be willing to admit we need something.  It all starts with checking in, and asking "How Am I Doing?"  Join me as we do it together on Episode 64.

Will kids go back to school this fall?  This question is getting a lot of attention right now, and rightly slow.  Kids have been out school since March with many districts trying their best to keep learning going through online measures.  While it is clearly in the kids's and parents best interest for in class school to resume, what does the data say?  And in my opinion, most importantly, how do t...

We are still going…still in the first wave of this pandemic. And while the second wave hasn’t started just yet, I argue the real 2nd wave has already begun and it is here to stay.   Mental health was already on the decline and the coronavirus has accelerated it.  What does the data say and what can we do?

Isolation was a necessary step at first to combat the unknown of this virus. But not that we know a lot more about it, how it spreads, and how it kills, there are ways we can protect the most vulnerable while living our lives as social beings.  Has the isolation helped and worked? Absolutely.  But the longer we remain isolated the longer we suffer mentally in the short term, and physically in the...

In this episode I argue that homeschooling needs to end.  While we have really tried our best to continue educating our children through this unprecedented time, humans are in survival mode and can't possibly worry about making sure our kids are doing their assignments.  The toll of this experience will have more of a an affect on our kids mentally than it will intellectually, and the sole focus r...

We are living through scary, unprecedented times.  People are sick, dying, losing their jobs, working from home, all while watching and home schooling their kids.  The fear, stress, and anxiety is real.  So how do we cope?  How do we make it through.  My answer?  Don't be a hero, do what you can, and most of all, keep yourself and family safe.  Join me on this episode as we discuss some ways I try...