This article discusses some of the characteristics of a healthy relationship and how to spot the signs of potential problems. It also explores some of the steps you can take to improve the health of your relationship. Questions to Ask Yourself It is important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Every relationship has a mix of both healthy and unhealthy characteristics. What makes a bond positive is that each person recognizes that relationships take work....

The tests have been scientifically proven to validate legal intoxication in drivers suspected of drunken driving in 90% of cases if administered by a trained officer. Results of the test are admissible as evidence in court. The Field Sobriety Test National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines and describes the three parts of the SFST in detail. If the driver fails any of the field sobriety tests, the officer will then ask the suspect to take a breath test or a chemical test to confirm their blood-alcohol content....

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. What does it feel like to experience test anxiety? You paid attention in class, took detailed notes, read every chapter, and even attended extra study sessions after class, so you should do great on that big exam, right? When the test is presented, however, you find yourself so nervous that you blank out the answers to even the easiest questions....

“The pick unpacks the five spiritual mindsets and offers up meditations and quizzes to help the reader learn more about themself.” In Courage Journal: A Daily Practice for Self-Discovery “Touching on everyday themes like stress and burnout, it also offers motivational excerpts, mantras, and affirmations.” Go All In Journal “With space for jotting down your long term goals and dreams, the journal’s meant to be written in every day.” Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul “Each day, Beattie offers up a new meditation that leads readers back to a place of compassion and mental well-being....

If you feel this way, you’re not alone. Many people have similar experiences when they grieve a loss, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, an idea, a sense of control, or anything else that had meaning to them. This article explores the feelings of depression you may experience in the aftermath of a loss, as well as some coping strategies that may be helpful....

Considering how much of a role your mental health plays in each aspect of your life, it’s important to guard and improve psychological wellness using appropriate measures. Because different circumstances can affect your mental health, we’ll be highlighting risk factors and signs that may indicate mental distress. But most importantly, we’ll dive into all of the benefits of having your mental health in its best shape. Risk Factors for Poor Mental Health Mental health is described as a state of well-being where a person is able to cope with the normal stresses of life....

While pain may be physical in nature, it can take a toll on how a person feels and thinks. Prolonged pain often contributes to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also interfere with sleep, relationships, work, and other aspects of a person’s life. This can have an adverse effect on emotional and psychological well-being. This article explores chronic pain and its complex relationship with mental health. It also covers treatments and coping strategies that may help....

Survival Tips Try these tips for getting through your next awkward conversation. Understand the Awkwardness Manage the situation by understanding the cause of your unease. Perhaps there are lots of long silences or maybe the other person has a strong opinion different than yours. Identify the reason for the awkwardness, and you will be one step closer to finding a solution. If the other person has just said something surprising, it’s okay to reply with, “I am thinking about what you said,” to give yourself time to process the information....

So what can students and other people do to overcome procrastination and avoid the stress, anxiety and poor performance that stems from completing assignments at the last second? Researchers suggest that developing a schedule, carefully planning academic tasks, and improving time-management skills are all effective ways to cope with procrastination. Psychologist Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Psychology Today contributor and author of The Search for Fulfillment, suggests that challenging your faulty beliefs is important....

Options for Treating OCD Long-term studies suggest that 32—70% of people with OCD experience symptom remission which suggests that recovery is a realistic, achievable goal for some people with the condition. There are a number of different approaches used in the treatment of OCD including: Medication There are a number of medications that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of OCD. Most of these drugs belong to a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); however, one of these drugs, Anafranil, belongs to a class of drugs called the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)....

Sexual Orientation The most common use of the term sexual minority is to refer to people whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual. This includes gay men (men/man-aligned people who are only attracted to people of the same/similar gender), lesbians (women-aligned people who are solely attracted to people of similar genders), and bisexuals (people of any gender attracted to people of all genders), and questioning people. Many people identify as queer rather than gay or bisexual, although queer is still a slur, so it should not be used as an umbrella term for the whole community and should not be used by cisgender heterosexual individuals....

In some people, the fear of elevators is triggered by an existing phobia, but the fear often appears alone. Like any phobia, the fear of elevators ranges from mild to severe. Phobias Related to Elevators Elevators are a common trigger for claustrophobia and agoraphobia. Agoraphobia Agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped in a situation in which escape would be difficult or impossible should a panic attack occur. Those with agoraphobia typically avoid “clusters” of related situations, and many people with agoraphobia have no problem with elevators at all....

How Music May Help Ease BPD Symptoms Music can help people with borderline personality disorder in a few different ways. First, for some people, music is absorbing enough that listening to it can distract them from whatever else may be going on. Second, music can actually help to change a person’s emotional state — there is evidence that listening to music can change a person’s mood and how they feel. Thirdly, music therapy and other forms of art therapy, like dance or drama, can help a person communicate their feelings....

Emotional Intelligence, Defined According to psychologists Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, leading researchers on the topic, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand emotions in oneself and others. In turn, this emotional understanding helps us make decisions, solve problems, and communicate with others. Psychologists used to view emotions and intelligence as being in opposition to one another. In recent decades, however, researchers exploring emotion psychology have become increasingly interested in cognition and affect....

At Verywell Mind, we aim to provide you with informative and unbiased information on products related to mental health and well-being. We recognize that there are many supplements out there promising solutions to mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, and depression. We work hard to cut through the bold claims and give accurate, research-backed insight on supplements and mental health. Please remember that, while supplements may be part of your treatment plan, they alone will not treat mental health conditions....

But if you can’t physically work out, or mobility is an issue, you may still be able to get some of those exercise benefits. Researchers from Tohoku University’s Smart-Aging Research Center found that when people watched exercise in an immersive virtual reality setting, they got some of the same results as people who physically exercise. “This study showed that when individuals sat down in the real world but had a virtual avatar that was running from the first-person perspective, that individuals had less anxiety and a decrease in the concentration of a salivary biomarker that is associated with stress,” explains Ryan Glatt, CPT, NBC-HWC, a personal trainer and brain health coach for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center....

Read on to learn about the effect of shame on self-image and self-esteem as well as the behaviors it can cause in people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Shame vs. Guilt You may sometimes confuse shame with guilt, a related but different emotion. Guilt is a feeling you get when you did something wrong, or perceived you did something wrong.Shame is a feeling that your whole self is wrong, and it may not be related to a specific behavior or event....

These professionals play an important role in adding to our understanding of how people change throughout life, help address developmental concerns, and work to offer assistance to children and adults facing developmental problems. Why the Work of Developmental Psychologists Is Important The study of human development is important not only to psychology but also to biology, anthropology, sociology, education, and history. Developmental psychologists help us better understand how people change and grow and then apply this knowledge to help us live up to our full potential....

Often, having a sufficient reason to cut back—or a particularly embarrassing or frightening experience caused by drinking—is enough to signal a problem drinker to self-correct. Many one-time heavy drinkers merely “grow up” and change their behaviors. How It Compares to Alcohol Use Disorder If you have an alcohol use disorder (AUD), on the other hand, all the willpower and self-resolve is often not enough. Despite repeated attempts, a person with an AUD will likely not be able to curtail or quit drinking without outside help from a healthcare professional, addiction counselor, or self-help program or recovery program such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)....