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By Ashley Barnes   What are boundaries? One of the most important forms of self-care is setting boundaries. Boundaries are limits people set with the intention of creating a healthy sense of personal space; they can be emotional or physical in nature, aiding us in distinguishing our desires, preferences, and needs from one another. Like a fence, it protects our space from factors that could negatively impact our mental health.  When to set boundaries. A good sign that we need to set a boundary could be when we start to feel agitated with that which is infringing on our well being. This may look like feeling exhausted and resentful towards someone in our lives who keeps asking for favors, feeling frustrated with our professional life if we aren’t getting adequate work-life balance, or feeling anxious regarding a romantic partner who is making us feel uncomfortable. Without setting clear boundaries, we …

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Dealing with the daily challenges of depression comes in different forms. When the alarm clock wakes you up, do you get a knot in your stomach and pray for a reason to stay in bed all day? When your best friend asks you to hang out the upcoming weekend, do you get excited and accept the invitation? Closer to the outing, do you begin dreading it and looking for excuses to cancel? Do you have moments at work, school, or socially where you cannot control your emotions? Like when you lash out at a coworker or get road rage? But then, when you get home to your spouse, do you feel emotionless, and no matter what you try, you don’t feel romantic or loving? These are just a few examples of how depression can challenge your day-to-day life. You Are Not Alone Data shows more than 17 million Americans have at …

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By Ashley Barnes Why it’s important to discuss men’s mental health. While it is important to be sensitive and attentive to the mental health challenges of all identities and genders, men’s mental health has historically gone unnoticed and unattended to. This is largely in part due to the way that men have been socialized, especially in American culture. Due to gender roles, men are often socialized to be “tough,” and to not show emotions that may communicate any vulnerability. Internalizing. Because expressing deeper feelings of hurt may not be deemed acceptable by society, men may turn toward more socially acceptable ways of expressing their emotions such as anger. Men experience the same emotions that other genders do and it is time we break down the stigma that harms men’s mental health. Statistics. According to statistics recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Women are roughly three times …

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