Mental Health Blog
A space dedicated to sharing information about anxiety and depression, including proven strategies & expert advice to help you improve your overall mental health.
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You don’t wash your hands repeatedly. You don’t check the stove five times before leaving. From the outside, nothing looks wrong. But inside your mind, a relentless stream of disturbing thoughts won’t stop, and you spend hours trying to figure out what they mean about you as a person. This is the hidden reality of […]
You pray, but the words never feel right. You confess the same sin repeatedly, never quite believing you’ve been forgiven. You avoid religious services because the intrusive thoughts that surface there fill you with shame. What looks like devout faith from the outside feels like spiritual torment from within. This is the reality of religious […]
Relationship OCD (ROCD) is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that centers on romantic relationships. Instead of focusing on contamination, harm, or symmetry, the obsession attaches to love, attraction, compatibility, and certainty. People with relationship OCD experience intrusive doubts about their partner or relationship that feel urgent, distressing, and impossible to resolve, even when the relationship […]
You made it. Thirty-one days. A full month. Whether you did it perfectly, mostly, or imperfectly—you did something most people never attempt. Before you move on to February and whatever comes next, take a moment to recognize what you accomplished. Not in a self-congratulatory way, but in a clear-eyed way that acknowledges both what was […]
When people think about taking a break from substances, they often expect one of two things:either they’ll feel amazing right away or completely fall apart. What actually happens is usually somewhere in the middle. Whether you’re stepping back from alcohol, cannabis, stimulants, or other substances, your brain goes through a period of adjustment. Understanding what’s […]
February 1st is a decision point, not a finish line. Here's how to use what you've learned to make intentional choices about drinking going forward.
Every January, many people take part in Dry January, a month-long commitment to avoid alcohol. But what if we expanded the idea to all substances, including recreational drugs or other mood-altering substances? A substance-free month can be a powerful reset for the body, mind, and social life. Today’s reflection: Which activities or hobbies might you […]
Most people know alcohol has calories. Fewer people realize that alcohol affects nutrition in ways that go far beyond the calorie count on a beer label. Alcohol changes how your body absorbs nutrients. It depletes specific vitamins and minerals. It affects blood sugar. It alters appetite and eating patterns. These effects compound over time in […]
Contamination OCD is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder characterized by an intense and persistent fear of germs, illness, dirt, or being “contaminated.” These fears are not simply about hygiene or cleanliness; they are driven by intrusive thoughts that trigger overwhelming anxiety and compel a person to engage in repetitive behaviors such as excessive cleaning, avoidance, […]
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