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Search Results for: self care

The Daily Challenges of Depression in Day to Day Life

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The daily challenges of depression in day to day life

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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Getting Through the Holidays with an Eating Disorder

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Getting through the holidays with an eating disorder

Getting through the holidays with an eating disorder can be rough. Millions of people suffer from an eating condition, including 28.8 million in the United States and at least 9% worldwide. Athletes, veterans, LGBTQ+, and many other races, genders, and ages are affected. It’s sad, but among children, 42% of first through third graders reported they want to be thinner. Coping with an eating disorder, especially during food-focused events occurring during the holidays, can be incredibly challenging due to all the constant festivities. For example,  you could have an unofficial office party, hump day happy hour with friends, and a family reunion on the weekend in one week. No wonder someone with an eating disorder may feel stressed and overwhelmed during the holidays. Some may not realize they have an eating disorder and wonder why their thoughts and actions regarding food and their body worsen when they should celebrate and …

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Coping with Grief During the Holidays

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grief

By Ashley Barnes Recent Events. Grief touches all of us. Many readers are familiar with the recent tragedy at the University of Virginia (UVA). While on a bus returning from a field trip in Washington D.C., three innocent young men lost their lives to gun violence. Headlines like these have become too familiar and the impact of these losses on victims’ loved ones is insurmountable. The Mental Health Center extends our most heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and anyone else who is grieving as we move into the holidays.  What is grief? Though many of us are familiar with grief and the heaviness of emotions that it entails, it can look different for all of us. Hospice Foundation of America describes grief as a reaction to loss, as subjective and varied much like how no snowflake is identical; there is no timetable to grief and we may express our …

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Vicki Kalira, MD

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Vicki Kalira, MD – Psychiatrist Areas of Expertise: Addiction Psychiatry Dr. Vicki Kalira is an expert in treating substance use disorders and is board certified in General Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Vicki Kalira completed medical school at West Virginia University and her psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins University. After completing a one-year addiction psychiatry fellowship at New York University (NYU), she supported hospitalized patients at NYU-Tisch Hospital as a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist. Here, her focus centered on providing care to patients with complex medical and psychiatric comorbidities who were experiencing acute intoxication or withdrawal. Dr. Kalira then transitioned to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), where she still provides crucial psychiatric support. Dr. Vicki Kalira is the Acting Medical Director for Addiction Recovery Treatment Services at the VA Northern California Health Care System, the fifth largest VA in the country. As part of her well-rounded education and experience, Dr. …

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November 13th is World Kindness Day!

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grief

By Ashley Barnes Why World Kindness Day? November 13th has been designated as World Kindness Day, an international holiday founded in 1998 to promote kindness throughout the world. The holiday is observed in many countries aside from the United States including Canada, Japan, and Australia. As part of the larger World Kindness Movement, World Kindness Day allows us the opportunity to consider the positive impact that acts of kindness can impart, both large and small. Kind acts can promote unity, positivity, and make a big difference in someone’s life. How to spread kindness. Though there are countless ways we can be kind to others, here are a few ideas to consider in celebration of World Kindness Day: The simple act of smiling at others can promote a sense of safety and compassion. When we smile at someone, we acknowledge their presence in a way that is warm, kind, and inviting. …

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