Erin Heger

Many people face significant barriers to accessing mental health treatment, such as financial impediments, social stigmas, and scarcity of services. Even factors like transportation and finding the right therapist to meet your needs can all get in the way of improving your mental well-being. Mental health telemedicine, in particular, is starting to shine with the introduction of virtual therapy apps and mental health apps that make caring for your mind as easy as playing Candy Crush or texting your BFF.

For 38 percent of sufferers, the condition becomes chronic, and mothers who expected it to pass as their children aged can struggle to find effective treatments.

With the right tools, resources, and mindset, spending time together indoors as a family can offer an opportunity for connection, learning, and growth. Having some mentally stimulating activities and games on hand to keep your child's body and mind occupied can help the whole family embrace the days when you're trapped at home together.

Many kids are easily fascinated by science, technology, engineering, and math (known as STEM), even if they don’t realize it in the classroom. Lots of children love creating their own science experiments, tinkering around with tools, building things, or understanding how something works, and it’s important to foster that exploration. Plus, exposing them to hands-on, problem-based learning not only helps set them up for academic success, but it might also just spark a lifelong passion as well.

Kids spend less time outside these days than they used to. In fact, children only spend only four to seven minutes of unstructured play outdoors per day versus seven and a half hours in front of electronic media.1 But, encouraging your kids to explore nature might be easier than you think, especially with the right tools.

Brain scans indicate that left-handed people think differently from right-handed people.
They tend to activate the right half of their brain more for certain tasks and functions.
Experts suggest that this difference in brain function could make creativity come more easily.

During a near-death experience, people often recall feeling calm and love instead of pain or fear. Seeing vivid memories flash before your eyes or encountering a spiritual being or aliens are common. Scans of people recalling an NDE indicate increased activity across multiple parts of the brain.

Night wakings are a normal part of the sleep cycle for both kids and adults. But if your child isn't able fall back asleep on their own, they might come to you in the middle of the night. To help encourage independent sleep, turn off screens an hour or two before bedtime, establish a consistent bedtime routine, incorporate your child's input on family sleep rules, and problem-solve together about what might be waking them up at night.

Experts say kids with authoritative parents have better mental health and greater life satisfaction.

Examples of discrimination include getting fired or demoted and ongoing rude or negative remarks. Legal experts recommend keeping written records and reaching out to a lawyer right away.

Many toddlers resist napping as they grow more independent and interested in the world around them. But resistance doesn't mean your child is ready to drop naps completely. Toddlers between the ages of 1 and 2 need about one-and-a-half to three hours of daytime sleep, and most kids won't drop naps altogether until closer to ages 4 or 5. You can help encourage your child to rest during the day by teaching them to fall asleep independently and establishing a consistent naptime routine.

Empathy helps you understand other people's emotions and why they feel the way they do.
You can teach this skill by discussing and validating feelings and showing concern for others.

Postpartum anxiety (PPA) is a treatable mood disorder that's estimated to affect 4 to 18 percent of new moms. It's characterized by extreme feelings of fear and worry that disrupt daily life and make it difficult to eat or sleep. You may be more prone to PPA if you have a family history of anxiety disorders. If you recently gave birth and you're experiencing feelings of panic or worry that feel all-consuming, reach out to your healthcare provider. PPA is treated with therapy, medication, or b...

Social media can negatively affect body image by over-exposing you to "idealized" body types. While posting selfies may help body image, trying to edit out perceived flaws can be harmful. To reduce harm on social media, unfollow accounts, find a healthy community, and take breaks.