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Americans Are in a Mental Health Crisis – Especially African Americans. Can Churches Help?
Read More: Americans Are in a Mental Health Crisis – Especially African Americans. Can Churches Help?By Brad R. Fulton, Indiana University Centuries of systemic racism and everyday discrimination in the U.S. have left a major mental health burden on African American communities, and the past few years have dealt especially heavy blows. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that Black Americans are twice as likely to…
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Social Media Gives Support to LGBTQ Youth When In-Person Communities Are Lacking
Read More: Social Media Gives Support to LGBTQ Youth When In-Person Communities Are LackingBy Linda Charmaraman, Wellesley College Teens today have grown up on the internet, and social media has served as a space where LGBTQ youth in particular can develop their identities. Scholarship about the online experiences of LGBTQ youth has traditionally focused on cyberbullying. But understanding both the risks and the benefits of online support is…
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Adhd, Adolescent, Anxiety, Depression, Drinks, Medication safety, mental health, Parenting teens, Prescription drugs, sleep, Stress, Teen
Should Teens Taking ADHD, Anxiety and Depression Drugs Consume Energy Drinks and Coffee?
Read More: Should Teens Taking ADHD, Anxiety and Depression Drugs Consume Energy Drinks and Coffee?By Lina Begdache, Binghamton University, State University of New York Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Should teens taking ADHD, anxiety or depression drugs consume energy drinks or coffee? – Angela S. About 6.1 million children…
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Therapy Dogs Help Students Cope With the Stress of College Life
Read More: Therapy Dogs Help Students Cope With the Stress of College LifeBy College students interact with therapy dogs as a way to relieve stress. Christine Kivlen, CC BY-ND In 2017, a survey of over 150 institutions found that 62% of schools had an animal-assisted intervention program. Dog therapy programs tend to look different at each institution. Some programs may involve a few therapy dogs and their…
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Anxiety, Career, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Depression, Fatigue, Health care professionals, mental health, Retirement, Stress
Nurses Are Leaving the Profession, and Replacing Them Won’t Be Easy
Read More: Nurses Are Leaving the Profession, and Replacing Them Won’t Be EasyBy Rayna M Letourneau, University of South Florida The fourth wave of COVID-19 is exacerbating the ongoing crisis for the nursing workforce and has led to burnout for many nurses. As a result, many are quitting their jobs in substantial numbers all across the country, with 62% of hospitals reporting a nurse vacancy rate higher…
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Adolescent, Anxiety, Body image, Depression, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Research, Social media, Stress
Facebook Has Known for a Year and a Half That Instagram Is Bad for Teens Despite Claiming Otherwise – Here Are the Harms Researchers Have Been Documenting for Years
Read More: Facebook Has Known for a Year and a Half That Instagram Is Bad for Teens Despite Claiming Otherwise – Here Are the Harms Researchers Have Been Documenting for YearsBy Christia Spears Brown, University of Kentucky Facebook officials had internal research in March 2020 showing that Instagram – the social media platform most used by adolescents – is harmful to teen girls’ body image and well-being but swept those findings under the rug to continue conducting business as usual, according to a Sept. 14,…
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American Muslims Are at High Risk of Suicide – 20 Years Post-9/11, the Links Between Islamophobia and Suicide Remain Unexplored
Read More: American Muslims Are at High Risk of Suicide – 20 Years Post-9/11, the Links Between Islamophobia and Suicide Remain UnexploredBy Amelia Noor-Oshiro, Johns Hopkins University This year, 9/11 holds a dual significance for Americans across the country. It not only marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic events and lives lost since Sept. 11, 2001, but also National Suicide Prevention Awareness Week. For American Muslims who are both victims of increased rates of Islamophobic…
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Anxiety, Breast cancer, Breast cancer survivor, Breast health, Depression, mental health, Self-Care, Stress
After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Strap In for a Roller-Coaster Ride of Emotions
Read More: After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Strap In for a Roller-Coaster Ride of EmotionsWhen I learned my triple-negative breast cancer had spread into my chest wall, a tidal wave of shock and disbelief crashed over me. As the wave receded, anxiety rolled in. I focused on my survival odds, which I recited to my oncologist: “Fifteen percent without treatment, 50% with treatment.” My doctor encouraged me to use…
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Adolescent, Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Depression, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, School, Stress, Teen
Students Are Returning to School With Anxiety, Grief and Gaps in Social Skills – Will There Be Enough School Mental Health Resources?
Read More: Students Are Returning to School With Anxiety, Grief and Gaps in Social Skills – Will There Be Enough School Mental Health Resources?By Sandra M. Chafouleas, University of Connecticut and Amy Briesch, Northeastern University Even before COVID-19, as many as 1 in 6 young children had a diagnosed mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. New findings suggest a doubling of rates of disorders such as anxiety and depression among children and adolescents during the pandemic. One reason is…
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Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Healthy home, Medical tests, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
Tips for a Safe and Healthy Return to School
Read More: Tips for a Safe and Healthy Return to SchoolKate Schultz, a high school teacher from Madison, WI, has made back-to-school preparations many times since she started teaching 20 years ago, but never quite like this. Going back to the classroom looks very different in the age of Covid-19, and Schultz is planning accordingly. She knows her students may be stressed about the virus,…
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Why We Missed Hugs
Read More: Why We Missed HugsBy Kory Floyd, University of Arizona Rose Gagnon could not hug her grandchildren for several months. Not being able to see and touch her loved ones every day because of COVID-19’s social distancing protocols was taking a toll on the mental health of the 85-year-old. Like many, she was feeling lonely and yearning for an…
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Anxiety, Depression, mental health, Orgasms, Pelvic health, Pelvic pain, Relationships, Sex, Sex & relationships, Sexual health
What Actually Happens in Sex Therapy?
Read More: What Actually Happens in Sex Therapy?What comes to mind when you hear the term “sex therapy”? For me, I picture a therapist sitting before a heterosexual couple in a darkened office. The people are visibly anxious, and the therapist is holding a dildo and a map of the female reproductive organs. “You put the penis here,” she says (in my…
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Adolescent, Anxiety, caregiving, Childcare, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Healthy home, mental health, Midlife parenting, Parenting, Parenting teens, Stress
5 Tips From a Play Therapist to Help Kids Express Themselves and Unwind
Read More: 5 Tips From a Play Therapist to Help Kids Express Themselves and UnwindBy Jessie D. Guest, University of South Carolina As many children go back to school after 18 months of global pandemic, social isolation and on-and-off remote learning, they too are feeling the additional stress and uncertainty of these times. Children need play to decompress and communicate in ways that are meaningful to them. Play is…
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Like Human Friends, Dogs Benefit our Physical and Mental Health
Read More: Like Human Friends, Dogs Benefit our Physical and Mental HealthI’m the type of person that will see you walking your pup and yell out, “I love your dog!” I don’t know you. I don’t know your dog. But the sheer joy of seeing a four-legged friend in the world makes me feel like I won best in show. My two pugs — Steve and…
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Anxiety, Breastfeeding, Depression, Medication safety, mental health, Newborn, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Prescription drugs, Real women real stories, Self-Care, sleep, Stress
When Postpartum Depression Hit, I Heard Only the Lies My Depression Told Me
Read More: When Postpartum Depression Hit, I Heard Only the Lies My Depression Told MeAs told to Erica Rimlinger After trying to conceive for over a year, my husband and I were thrilled when we learned I was pregnant with my daughter. I was so excited I read about natural ways to support my changing body, hired a doula and prepared for the birth. My pregnancy was a smooth…
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Anxiety, Breast cancer, Breastfeeding, Coronavirus, COVID-19, mental health, Parenting, Self-Care, Stress
With a Little Help from Our Friends
Read More: With a Little Help from Our FriendsIn 2013, Melissa Berry was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. “It’s a very aggressive form, and there were some pretty bad white-knuckle moments where I didn’t know what my prognosis was going to be,” Berry, now 50, recalled. She credits her friends as helping get her through her treatments. Berry has a group of…
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Being Pregnant Was Wonderful. And Overwhelming.
Read More: Being Pregnant Was Wonderful. And Overwhelming.As told to Shannon Shelton Miller Every time I visited the doctor during my pregnancy, I’d take a test or undergo a screening to make sure my baby was all right. My healthcare providers (HCPs) checked my vitals too, giving me a clean bill of physical health each time. But no one asked how I…
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How to Cope With the World Opening Up When You’re Still Mourning Covid Losses
Read More: How to Cope With the World Opening Up When You’re Still Mourning Covid LossesWith nearly 50% of its adult population fully vaccinated, the United States has generously eased its Covid-19 restrictions, with most states no longer even requiring masks indoors. The light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is finally in view, and it seems we can at last begin to enjoy some semblance of normalcy. This…
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Access, Access to health care, Adolescent, Affordability, Affordable care act, Anxiety, Depression, Health care, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Self-Care, sleep, Stress
No Vacancy: How a Shortage of Mental Health Beds Keeps Kids Trapped Inside ERs
Read More: No Vacancy: How a Shortage of Mental Health Beds Keeps Kids Trapped Inside ERsMartha Bebinger, WBUR, Kaiser Health News One evening in late March, a mom called 911. Her daughter, she said, was threatening to kill herself. EMTs arrived at the home north of Boston, helped calm the 13-year-old, and took her to an emergency room. Melinda, like a growing number of children during the covid-19 pandemic, had…
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Access, Access to health care, Adolescent, Affordability, Anxiety, Depression, Health care, Health insurance, Hormone health, Keep the care, Lgbtq, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Research, Stress, Transgender
Transgender Medicine – What Care Looks Like, Who Seeks It out and What’s Still Unknown: 3 Essential Reads
Read More: Transgender Medicine – What Care Looks Like, Who Seeks It out and What’s Still Unknown: 3 Essential ReadsBy Daniel Merino, The Conversation Transgender people continue to be the focus of political culture wars in the U.S. In the spring of 2021, lawmakers in many states sought to limit or ban transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care. The laws proposed – and in some cases passed – were written to have a direct…
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Atopic Dermatitis Shows Up on Your Skin, but Its Effects Go Much Deeper
Read More: Atopic Dermatitis Shows Up on Your Skin, but Its Effects Go Much DeeperMedically reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Liotta When Elizabeth Falkner was in her early 30s, her career as a chef began to take off. Unfortunately, so did her atopic dermatitis (AD). Red, itchy lesions started forming on her legs and eventually spread to her hands. The stress and heat of the busy restaurant kitchen worsened her…
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The Neuroscience Behind Why Your Brain May Need Time to Adjust to ‘Un-Social Distancing’
Read More: The Neuroscience Behind Why Your Brain May Need Time to Adjust to ‘Un-Social Distancing’By Kareem Clark, Virginia Tech With COVID-19 vaccines working and restrictions lifting across the country, it’s finally time for those now vaccinated who’ve been hunkered down at home to ditch the sweatpants and reemerge from their Netflix caves. But your brain may not be so eager to dive back into your former social life. Social…
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Outdoor Therapy? Yup, It’s a Thing.
Read More: Outdoor Therapy? Yup, It’s a Thing.My therapist kept telling me to get outdoors more. But I always had an excuse for not doing so. “It’s too cold.” “I went to the gym instead.” “I meant to but got slammed with work.” One day ahead of our session, she texted asking if I’d be up for having our session in a…
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Adolescent, Anxiety, Depression, Lgbtq, mental health, Parenting, Parenting teens, Policy, Research, Stress, Transgender
Conversion Therapy Is Discredited and Increases Risk of Suicide – yet Fewer Than Half of US States Have Bans in Place
Read More: Conversion Therapy Is Discredited and Increases Risk of Suicide – yet Fewer Than Half of US States Have Bans in PlaceJune is Pride Month. By Donna Sheperis, Palo Alto University and Carl Sheperis, Texas A&M-San Antonio Pride Month is being marked by some lawmakers in Kentucky with a renewed push to ban “conversion therapy – the discredited practice of trying to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. If successful, the bill, which aims to…
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Flawed Data Led to Findings of a Connection Between Time Spent on Devices and Mental Health Problems – New Research
Read More: Flawed Data Led to Findings of a Connection Between Time Spent on Devices and Mental Health Problems – New ResearchBy Social media has a lot to answer for, but in terms of time spent on them, the mental health of young people might not belong on the list. David Stewart/Flickr, CC BY In my own research as a doctoral student in social work, I found that the link between digital technology use and mental…
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Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.
Read More: Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.Bernard J. Wolfson, Kaiser Health News For more than a year, public health officials have repeatedly told us that masks save lives. They’ve warned us to keep our distance from our neighbors, who’ve morphed into disease vectors before our eyes. Now they are telling us that if we’re vaccinated, we no longer need to wear…
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Access, Access to health care, Anxiety, Chronic conditions, Health care, Health care professionals, Health disparities, mental health, Nutrition, Obesity, Preventive health, Real women real stories
I Thought Weight-Loss Surgery Would End My Struggle With Obesity. Then I Found Out Maintaining a Healthy Body and Mind Is a Lifelong Commitment.
Read More: I Thought Weight-Loss Surgery Would End My Struggle With Obesity. Then I Found Out Maintaining a Healthy Body and Mind Is a Lifelong Commitment.As told to Jackie Froeber In 2001, I was in the checkout aisle at the grocery store when I saw a magazine cover touting Carnie Wilson’s gastric bypass surgery. By the time I was through with the article, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: hope that I could lose weight. I’ve…
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Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Energy, healthy aging, mental health, Parenting, Self-Care, sleep, Stress
Middle-Aged Americans in US Are Stressed and Struggle With Physical and Mental Health – Other Nations Do Better
Read More: Middle-Aged Americans in US Are Stressed and Struggle With Physical and Mental Health – Other Nations Do BetterBy Frank J. Infurna, Arizona State University Midlife was once considered a time to enjoy the fruits of one’s years of work and parenting. That is no longer true in the U.S. Deaths of despair and chronic pain among middle-aged adults have been increasing for the past decade. Today’s middle-aged adults – ages 40 to…
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Alcoholism, Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Depression, mental health, Research, Self-Care, Sexual assault, Stress, Substance abuse
Women Now Drink as Much as Men — and Are Prone to Sickness Sooner
Read More: Women Now Drink as Much as Men — and Are Prone to Sickness SoonerBy Aneri Pattani, Kaiser Health News Victoria Cooper thought her drinking habits in college were just like everyone else’s. Shots at parties. Beers while bowling. Sure, she got more refills than some and missed classes while nursing hangovers, but she couldn’t have a problem, she thought. “Because of what my picture of alcoholism was —…
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Tourette Syndrome Is My Superpower
Read More: Tourette Syndrome Is My SuperpowerAs told to Liz Sauchelli Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month is May 15 to June 15 The night before taking a test in sixth grade, I wouldn’t worry about the questions, I’d worry about the silence. I’d go in the next day prepared with a small pile of cough drops on my desk, an easy explanation…
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Access, Access to health care, Anxiety, Depression, Health disparities, mental health, Racial disparities, Self-Care, Stress
Closing The Mental Health Gap for Women of Color
Read More: Closing The Mental Health Gap for Women of ColorFrancisca Porchas Coronado was just nine when she left her home in the Mexican state of Sonora, just south of the border with Arizona, to migrate to the United States. The memories of traveling through the desert and resettling in a new country still linger even though she’s lived in the United States for more…
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Naomi Osaka’s Withdrawal From the French Open Highlights How Prioritizing Mental Wellness Goes Against the Rules, on the Court and Off
Read More: Naomi Osaka’s Withdrawal From the French Open Highlights How Prioritizing Mental Wellness Goes Against the Rules, on the Court and OffBy Dorothy Chin, University of California, Los Angeles and Tamra Burns Loeb, University of California, Los Angeles Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka announced that she would withdraw from the French Open after she was fined and threatened with being disqualified for not speaking to media during the tournament to protect her mental health. French Open…
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Anxiety, Depression, Gender, Gender diversity, Lgbtq, mental health, Parenting, Self-Care, Stress, Transgender
The Other Side of the Rainbow
Read More: The Other Side of the RainbowAs told to Chandra Whitfield June is Pride Month. Even at a young age, I knew I was different. While the other boys loved to be rough and tumble, crashing their toy trucks and cars and playing sports, I longed to wear frilly dresses and I created fashion shows with my G.I. Joe dolls. It…
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Anxiety, Depression, mental health, Parenting, Postpartum, Real women real stories, Self-Care, Stress
My Parents Dismissed My Anxiety. Now I’m Helping My Daughter Work Through Hers
Read More: My Parents Dismissed My Anxiety. Now I’m Helping My Daughter Work Through HersAs told to Nicole Audrey Spector May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I can’t remember a time during my childhood when I didn’t feel worried. Even in first grade, there was always this sense of unease in my stomach, a tangled knot of dread. My mind was constantly churning out terrifying “what ifs.” What if…
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Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Depression, Healthy Eating, mental health, Nutrition, Racial disparities, Self-Care, Stress
Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier Eating
Read More: Seed Money: Black Entrepreneurs Hope Pandemic Gardening Boom Will Grow Healthier EatingBy Chandra Thomas Whitfield, Kaiser Health News DENVER — Ietef Vita had planned to spend most of 2020 on the road, promoting “Biomimicz,” the album the rapper had released on his #plantbasedrecords label in January. Vita, known to his fans as “DJ Cavem Moetavation” and “Chef Ietef,” had those plans unexpectedly cut short. This story…
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Why Do We Hate the Sound of Our Own Voices?
Read More: Why Do We Hate the Sound of Our Own Voices?By Neel Bhatt, University of Washington As a surgeon who specializes in treating patients with voice problems, I routinely record my patients speaking. For me, these recordings are incredibly valuable. They allow me to track slight changes in their voices from visit to visit, and it helps confirm whether surgery or voice therapy led to…
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Anxiety, Breastfeeding, Childcare, Delivery, Infant, Labor, mental health, Midlife pregnancy, Newborn, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Stress, Toddler
Pregnant Women’s Brains Show Troubling Signs of Stress – but Feeling Strong Social Support Can Break Those Patterns
Read More: Pregnant Women’s Brains Show Troubling Signs of Stress – but Feeling Strong Social Support Can Break Those PatternsBy Rebecca Brooker, Texas A&M University and Tristin Nyman, Texas A&M University Even before the pandemic, there was plenty for expectant mothers to worry about. Pregnant women must withstand a barrage of arguably well-intentioned, but often hyperbolic, warnings about their health and what’s to come, including concerns about everything from what to eat, to what…
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Domestic Violence Isn’t About Just Physical Violence – and State Laws Are Beginning to Recognize That
Read More: Domestic Violence Isn’t About Just Physical Violence – and State Laws Are Beginning to Recognize ThatThe Conversation By Lisa Aronson Fontes, University of Massachusetts Amherst Three or more U.S. women are murdered every day by their current or former intimate partner. That may in part be due to a failure of state laws to capture the full range of behavior that constitutes domestic abuse. The law continues to treat intimate…
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Popping Toys, the Latest Fidget Craze, Might Reduce Stress for Adults and Children Alike
Read More: Popping Toys, the Latest Fidget Craze, Might Reduce Stress for Adults and Children AlikeBy Katherine Isbister, University of California, Santa Cruz The newest fidget craze is popping toys. Adults and kids all over the world have been buying up this endlessly reusable version of a longtime favorite fidget activity: popping bubble wrap. Made of silicone and coming in a range of colors, shapes and sizes, they are half-sphere…
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What Causes Miscarriages? An Expert Explains Why Women Shouldn’t Blame Themselves
Read More: What Causes Miscarriages? An Expert Explains Why Women Shouldn’t Blame ThemselvesBy Rochanda Mitchell, University of Virginia Mother’s Day is a happy day for millions, but for those who have experienced a miscarriage, the day can be devastating. As many as one in four recognized pregnancies result in miscarriage. Pregnancy loss can be mentally and physically taxing. Women often have feelings of sadness, anger, isolation and…
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Anxiety, Depression, Energy, Fatigue, Fitness, Healthiher, mental health, Nutrition, Self-Care, sleep, Stress, Weight Loss
Self-Care Is Important At Every Age
Read More: Self-Care Is Important At Every AgeTo kick off Women’s Health Month, we’re exploring the importance of self-care for women of all ages. Join HealthyWomen’s CEO Beth Battaglino and Patricia Geraghty, medical director of Women’s Health, Comprehensive Wellness for a Q&A on all things self-care on Instagram Live, Wednesday May 5 from 11:30-11:45 a.m EDT. For your best friend, it might…
