Mental Health Archive

The 1,000 Hours Outside challenge can motivate people to spend more time outdoors by trying to accumulate 1,000 hours of outdoor time over a year.

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are especially vulnerable to cardiovascular problems, including a 40% increased risk of heart attack. The amygdala, a brain structure involved in processing anxiety, fear, and stress, is overactive in people with PTSD. But these people also have decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for regulating emotions and dampening the fear response. This brain activity imbalance triggers chronic activation of the body's "fight-or-flight" response. The resulting physiological changes appear to underlie the development of atherosclerosis.

As people face their mortality, they often focus on how to live their best life in their remaining time. Two Harvard experts-Dr. Howard LeWine and Dr. Anthony Komaroff-share advice on how they are achieving this during their golden years. Some of their suggestions include embracing the natural changes of aging, doing inspiring activities, learning to live in the moment, and finding one's sense of purpose.

A 2024 study suggests that women in perimenopause are significantly more likely to experience depression than either before or after this stage.

A 2024 study suggests that optimism may help women stave off age-related physical decline.

Anxiety can produce physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomach upset, and tightness in the chest. Sometimes this sets up a vicious cycle, in which anxiety triggers physical symptoms, and the symptoms magnify anxiety, which makes them even worse. Doing distracting tasks or relaxation exercises can help break this cycle. People should seek professional help if symptoms can't be controlled.

As people age, cognitive skills wane and thinking and memory become more challenging, so they need to build up the brain's reserve. Embracing a new activity that requires thinking, learning, ongoing practice can be one of the best ways to improve cognitive skills like memory recall, problem solving, and processing speed.