When someone asks us what we like to do outside of work, we usually have a few standard responses we will give. “Oh I enjoy traveling, reading, watching TV, spending time with my family, etc.” The majority of these are not hobbies, and are instead activities. A hobby takes things a step further and usually involves us developing a skill or creating something.

Humans are socially dependent pack animals. We are wired to need communication from each other and to depend on one another for help when we need it. Our whole society depends on each person doing their part to make everything run. Some animals prefer to be alone, such as cats or turtles, and they can go their whole lives with limited contact with their own species and do just fine

There is nobody on Earth who gets to be exempt from being kind or who couldn’t stand to be a bit kinder. We tend to prioritize ourselves and our own feelings, but we live in a world surrounded by other people who have just as many feelings as we do, and we are obligated to care for theirs as well. Empathy for everyone, from strangers to our spouses, is crucial, and we should be kind to everybody regardless.

We likely spend 40 hours of our week working, 5 commuting, hopefully 56 sleeping, 12 doing house chores, and 8 eating to start.  Then, add an extra 20 hours of work if you have children and maybe 5-10 for miscellaneous other responsibilities. That, on average, is 151 hours per week. We only have 168 total.

Once you’re married, have kids, have careers, and have “adult” lives, what you spend your time doing can be very routine and structured in order to accomplish all responsibilities and still maintain sanity. One thing that you should make sure to add to your regular schedule that you may find makes this better is structured couple time.

All of us can think of things we dislike about our jobs, and our jobs are usually our favorite things to complain about. We would all much rather be sitting by a beach than working I’d assume, but we all must put in our time. It is up to us how to make the best of our career situations, and below I have outlined ways to give you a better workday.

Have you ever wondered if your birth order is responsible for some of your personality traits and behaviors? Birth order, referring to the order of you in relation to any siblings, has been widely studied as an influence on personality development. If you think about it, it makes sense why something as trivial as birth order could have such a strong impact on a person, as oldest, middle, youngest, and only children are all raised very differently. 

The concept of a “nuclear family” is fading out of the norm as it is replaced by other more “flexible” family types, and blended families are the most common of these. Blended families involve parents, children, stepparents, and stepchildren living together and becoming families. Sometimes this involves a lot of conflict, as it is often portrayed in movies, where the children and stepparents are unable to get along and are unhappy with the situation.

School is almost out and the warm summer season is already upon us, causing children across the country to prepare for their last day of school and the beginning of their endless vacation. Growing up, we could hardly pay attention those last few days of May, counting down until we could spend our days at the pool, with our families, or playing outside with our friends.

It’s coming up on graduation season once again for high school and college students everywhere, and with this time comes some incredibly drastic changes. Students will swear up and down that they can’t wait to leave school behind, talking about how much they hate their homework, hate tests, hate waking up early, and can’t wait to go do xyz. While this may be the general sentiment,  most of these young adults may find themselves afraid as the time for the end comes closer, as they are hit with realizing how large of a change they are really looking at.

We exercise the muscles in our abdomens, arms, and legs by going to the gym and lifting weights, or running, or biking, or countless other ways. But how often do we think about exercising the muscles in our brain?

Our body is made up of muscles, and every part of our body needs to be exercised regularly to keep those muscles functioning properly and prevent them from deteriorating.

This statement should come as no surprise, as research has shown for many decades that animals are able to improve our mental health simply by being around us. But how exactly does that work, and what exactly do they improve?

Accepting that death is inevitable is one thing, but being accurately prepared for the emotions and hardships it brings when it occurs in our own lives is another, and typically we feel unable to do this part. We never know when our loved ones will pass away, and when they do we immediately begin having to take action, sometimes setting our feelings on the back burner.

Our bodies do everything for us, from typing to speaking to walking to opening doors. Everything. That is why it is so important to take care of them, so that they are able to take care of us! Our minds tell our bodies what to do, often without our conscious decision, and they trust that our bodies will be able to follow through. 

We see many articles about how social media is bad for our health. Yes, this can definitely be true, especially if we do not limit ourselves, if we are sensitive to negativity, or if we let it get in the way of activities. Addiction to social media is real and it is important to make sure we never let ourselves get to that point. However, that is not the point of this article!

One of the worst things we can imagine in life is that we will end up with a terminal or chronic illness. One of the most heartbreaking things is hearing about people suffering from diseases, especially children. One thing even worse is when that person becomes someone we love, such as our spouse, our parent, or our child.

I began high school at 11, and then began taking part time college classes at 12. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree at 16, and then graduated from high school three weeks later. I believe I have a unique perspective on this topic, and my purpose in writing this is to help the parents of gifted children care for their mental health.

Up to one third of the American population can be diagnosed as having an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety is a feeling of concern that we all get from time to time, but having an anxiety disorder involves feeling anxious almost everyday for a period of six months.

Most of us at some point began learning a language other than the one used by our family or school. Some people are raised to speak multiple languages from birth, some learn other languages through education, and some begin learning them as adults through nothing but experience.

Love languages are how we feel loved by others and express our love back. Each person is different, and it is important to identify both ours and those of our close relationships in order to strengthen our connections and be happier.