Understanding the environment-mental health connection Verywell / Laura Porter Our surroundings shape a lot more than our daily routines. They influence everything from how we think to how we feel and function. The environment and mental health are intrinsically connected. Verywell / Laura Porter In psychology, these are called environmental factors ofmental health. These factors are the main focus of study for environmental psychologists. Is your environment promoting your well-being?...

Find out if your explanatory style is negative or positive. Dragana991 / Getty Images Your explanatory style affects your life in ways you may not realize. It can minimize your stress response or exacerbate it. Dragana991 / Getty Images It can keep you feeling safe in socially dangerous situations, or endangered in relatively safe ones. It can also motivate you when you’re faced with challenges or leave you feeling vulnerable to them....

Unsurprisingly, statistics concerningintimate partner violencevary widely from study to study and year to year. This age pattern was observed among Black women as well. Understanding Domestic Violence Domestic violence comes up whenever there is apower imbalance in a relationship. Tetra Images / Getty Images It’s important to remember the victim of the abuse did nothing to cause it. Abuse is always a choice made by the abuser. The reasons behind the choice to abuse another person are complicated....

This neurotransmitter is often called the ‘Feel-Good Chemical.’ A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that transmits signals in the body. It also acts as a hormone. Ted Horowitz Photography / Getty Images It does, however, reinforce feelings of pleasure by connecting sensations of pleasure to certain behaviors. Its a feel-good chemical, saysTanya J. Peterson, NCC, DAIS, a mental health educator. That, in turn, leads to even more dopamine production. Fight-or-Flight Responses Dopamine is also present in fight-or-flight responses....

Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight ADHD brainsseek novelty and oscillate unpredictability between intense focus and constant distraction. That way, I get things done without exhausting myself by constantly fighting my symptoms. The result is that my typical workweek never looks too typical. Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight Some weeks, I work seven days a week, for just a few hours each day. Some weeks, I cram the entire workload into two or three days of intense hyperfocus....

Research shows that isolation and lack of social relationships are connected to shorter lifespans. Our culture provides acommunityin which we can feel seen, heard, and connected. It accounts for a set of shared experiences that also shape our perspectives. Pixdeluxe / Getty Images These group memberships all account for various cultural identifiers. For example, thestigmasurrounding mental health treatment can lead some members of the African-American community to avoid therapy altogether....

Knowing how to regulate your emotions is important for everyone, whether or not you have BPD. But what is emotion regulation, and how can you improve your emotion regulation skills? Understanding Emotion Regulation We all feel emotions, both negative or positive, on a daily basis. Many researchers define emotion regulation as the ability to enhance orreduce your emotionsas needed. Thedefining aspectof emotion regulation is that it comes up whenever a goal is activated....

Martin Dimitrov / Getty Images Childhood emotional abuse andneglectcan result in permanent changes to the developing human brain. For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database. How Abuse Alters Brain Structure As children grow, their brains undergoperiods of rapid development. Martin Dimitrov / Getty Images Negative experiences can disrupt those developmental periods, leading to changes in the brain later on. They found clear differences in nine brain regions between those who had experiencedchildhood traumaand those who had not....

Sometimes this emotional distress is the result of the actions of others. Other times, it might be the result ofregret, grief, or loss. In other cases, it might be the result of an underlying mental health condition such as depression oranxiety. PeopleImages / Getty Images A number of common feelings associated with emotional pain can impact physical and mental health. Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast What Causes Emotional Pain?...

It is based on the psychology of attachment bonds. Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg developed EFT in the 1980s. The couples therapy approach is based on research about love as an attachment bond. SDI Productions / Getty Images EFT has also been adapted for families. This treatment can help people form more secureemotional bonds, which can promote stronger relationships and improved communication. Emotionally Focused Therapy Techniques The change process through EFT has nine steps across three stages....

Emotional intelligence can play a role in life success. Let’s assess your EQ. For some, its even more important than the kind of intelligence measured by IQ. SDI Productions/E+/Getty Images Who Is This EQ Test For? That said, this test is for anyone, really. Additionally, our behavior in real-life situations does not always match how we might see ourselves behaving in theory. But even those of us with low emotional intelligence have the ability to develop our skills in this area....

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM),emotionsand physical health are intimately connected. Alternatively, imbalance in the liver can result in stormy moods. Diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine is highly individualized. Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou According to this approach, the mind and body are inextricably intertwined. That means that imbalances in your emotions can lead to problems with your physical healthand vice versa. By 2022, this number had grown to 2.2%. TCM is based on the principle that mental and physical well-being are intricately entwined....

How to put down the distractions and really listen. Empathic listeningor empathetic listeningis rooted in compassion that involves much more than just listening to people’s words. “Empathic listening is an art. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision/Getty Ithelps forge trustand create a safe space for authentic connection and understanding. Or listen only so we know when it’s our turn to talk? Empathetic listening can open up your communication with others and forge closer connections and more meaningful relationships....