When Anxiety Dims Our Warmth but Not Our Insight
Anxiety’s Quiet Tax on Connection We tend to treat empathy as a single skill—either you have it or you don’t. But empathy actually has two parts that work together: affective empathy, the capacity to feel with someone, and cognitive empathy, the ability to understand what someone else is thinking or experiencing. Many of us notice […]
When Art Lowers Anxiety and Boosts Compassion—And Who Benefits Most
Why a Museum Visit Can Quiet Worry and Spark Care Many of us have felt it: a quiet, steadying shift after stepping into a gallery. Colors, sounds, and narratives slow our thoughts, and a sense of well-being trickles in. The research paper Art-induced psychological well-being: Individual traits shape the beneficial effects of aesthetic experiences sets […]
Parents on the Front Line of the SEND System: What Helps, What Hurts, and What Changes Lives
When Getting Help Becomes a Full-Time Job for Parents For many families in England, getting support for a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) feels less like a service and more like a battle. The stakes are high: the right help can unlock learning, protect a child’s mental health, and make family life […]
Breath Before the Cry: How Prenatal Mindfulness Helped Vulnerable Mothers Bond and Cope
Pregnancy, Stress, and the Quiet Tools That Can Change a Family’s Start Pregnancy is often painted as glowing joy, but for many women—especially those with psychosocial vulnerabilities like past mental health difficulties, trauma, financial stress, or limited support—the perinatal period can be overwhelming. Stress and depression in pregnancy don’t always end at delivery; they can […]
Caring on the Home Front: What Military Spouses Teach Us About Mental Health, Love, and Staying Afloat
When Home Becomes the Front Line of Care Military life is already a complex balancing act—deployments, relocations, and strict schedules—but it grows heavier when a service member develops a mental health issue. The Living with a loved one’s mental health issue: Recognizing the Lived Experiences of Military Spouses research paper steps into this often-invisible space, […]
When Food Gets Quieter: What Patients Say Liraglutide Changed About Hunger, Emotions, and Control
When Eating Isn’t Just About Food For many people living with obesity and Binge Eating Disorder (BED), eating is less about hunger and more about soothing feelings—calming anxiety, filling loneliness, or easing stress. This can lead to painful cycles of loss of control, intense guilt, and social withdrawal. The stakes are high: obesity worsens health […]
From Coaching to Connection: How a Hong Kong Parent Program Transformed Caregivers and Relationships
When Helping Turns Into Connecting: Why This Study Matters Autism support often focuses on a child’s behavior—more words, fewer meltdowns, better eye contact. But behind every goal sheet is a parent trying to make daily life calmer and more connected. The research paper Caregiver transformation and relational growth in a parent-mediated intervention for autism in […]
When Psychologists Need Support Too
When Healers Face the Same Storm They Treat Psychologists spent the COVID-19 crisis helping others manage fear, grief, and relentless uncertainty. But who was looking after them? The research paper Depression, anxiety, and stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study among Indonesian psychologists turns the lens onto the healers themselves. It follows a […]
Why Some Mental Health Apps Stick While Others Don’t: Lessons from People Using PolarUs for Bipolar Self‑Management
When Help Fits in Your Pocket but Life Gets in the Way Mobile apps promise support for people living with bipolar disorder—tools to track mood, spot early warning signs, and practice coping strategies. Yet many of us download an app, try it for a week, and then forget it exists. That drop-off matters. For bipolar […]
Less Pain, More Trust: How a Simpler Penicillin Shot Helps Māori and Pacific Families Stay Healthy
When Fewer Injections Mean More Life: Easing the Load for Māori and Pacific Families Acute rheumatic fever can leave a lifelong mark, especially when it leads to rheumatic heart disease. In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori and Pacific Peoples carry a disproportionate share of this burden. Protecting the heart requires months to years of regular penicillin […]