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By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.   Associate Editor Depression and low self-esteem often go hand-in-hand. Low self-esteem leaves individuals vulnerable to depression. Depression batters self-esteem. * “Depression often distorts thinking, making a once-confident person feel insecure, negative and self-loathing,” said Deborah Serani, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist and author of the book Living with Depression.   Past positive or neutral thoughts become “I am incompetent,” […]

By John Rettger Dear John, I’m an athlete. I’m wondering if there are any ways in which mindfulness can help me get to the next level in my sport? Sincerely,Play to Win Dear Play to Win, Thank you for writing in with this question. George Mumford, a renowned mindfulness teacher to elite athletes and executives,

By Amy Morin The great outdoors offers many opportunities to build mental muscle. Not all muscle is built in the gym—especially when it comes to mental muscle. And the best news is, becoming mentally stronger doesn’t necessarily involve putting yourself through a grueling mental workout. While there are many exercises you can do every day to build mental strength,

Techniques for helping kids regulate their emotions and avoid explosive behavior By Caroline Miller Many children have difficulty regulating their emotions. Tantrums, outbursts, whining, defiance, fighting:  these are all behaviors you see when kids experience powerful feelings they can’t control. While some kids have learned to act out because it gets them what they want

BY GRETCHEN REYNOLDS     Illustration by Anna Parini Editors’ note: Be mindful that this article is from early 2016, but know that your mindfulness helps your mind and body.  The benefits of mindfulness meditation, increasingly popular in recent years, are supposed to be many: reduced stress and risk for various diseases, improved well-being, a rewired

VOLANTHEVIST VIA GETTY IMAGES By Andrew Shatté So many of us are bogged down in stress and worry. In fact, 80 percent of Americans report feeling stressed out almost every day. We stew over our finances, relationships, jobs, children, and health. And while it’s normal to worry a bit—we aren’t robots, after all—ongoing, constant worry distracts and

By Karyn Hall, PHD One of the skills a young child must learn is to comfort himself when he is upset. One way he learns to do this is by being soothed by his parents or caregivers. Touch and holding are two ways caregivers comfort children. Gradually the child learns ways to calm himself. These activities

By Karyn Hall PhD Amy’s just got a promotion, Jill is going to Europe for a month, and Larry just lost 20 pounds and looks so fit he could be a trainer. When you look at what is happening in the lives of your friends, do you congratulate them and feel happy for them? Or

By Karyn Hall, Ph.D Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., from the treatment creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, identified six levels of validation and noted that she believes it is impossible to overestimate the importance of validation. If you care about someone who is emotionally sensitive, validation is one of the most important and effective skills you can learn.

By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.   Associate Editor Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a highly effective type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), originally created to treat borderline personality disorder. Today, it’s used to treat a variety of conditions, such as bipolardisorder, eating disorders and depression. DBT teaches clients four sets of behavioral skills: mindfulness; distress tolerance; interpersonal effectiveness; and emotion regulation. But, whether you have a mental illness or