Recent Blog Articles

Why play? Early games build bonds and brain

Moving from couch to 5K

How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals

Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease

What? Another medical form to fill out?

How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?

A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do

Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline

Concussion in children: What to know and do

What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?

Relationships & Connections Archive

Mind & Mood

Seeing red? 4 steps to try before responding

Updated August 12, 2023

Simple coping strategies like counting to 10 are often useful to help you avoid an outburst. But as multiple challenges in recent years have amped up stress levels, those strategies may not be enough. So what steps can you take to avoid reaching your boiling point?

Staying Healthy

Thinking about holiday gatherings? Harvard Health experts weigh in

Published November 22, 2021

If you are gathering with family or friends during this holiday season there is still a lot of uncertainty around how to help keep everyone as safe as possible from COVID-19 illnesses and hospitalizations, particularly when many people will be traveling. Harvard Health Publishing faculty contributors share their own holiday plans and offer advice for safely enjoying the holidays this year.

Mind & Mood

Grieving: A natural process to help heal

Published September 1, 2021

At some point, almost everyone experiences the passing of a loved one whether it’s family, a friend, a spouse, or a beloved pet. Grieving is a natural process that is essential to healing. The best way to deal with grief is to look for ways to make the mourning and healing process less challenging. These include acknowledging grief, embracing the lost loved one’s community, and speaking with others who have gone through grieving.

Mind & Mood

The benefits of volunteering, without leaving home

Published August 1, 2021

Volunteering has many benefits, enabling people to gain a sense of purpose, connect with others, and get a break from their own problems. Those benefits are associated with better health, including greater levels of physical activity, better sleep quality, a healthier diet, reduced rates of cardiovascular disease, and even longevity. A person may be able to reap many of those benefits by volunteering from home, such as doing work for a nonprofit group via computer or phone.

Mind & Mood

Fostering healthy relationships

Published July 1, 2021

While positive interpersonal relationships can boost health, the opposite is often true when it comes to problematic relationships. Chronic emotional stress may put a person at higher risk for a number of health problems, including cardiovascular disease and even bone-related problems. If a relationship is unhealthy, strategies such as setting boundaries, communicating clearly, and limiting interactions with the person can help.

Mind & Mood

The art of a heartfelt apology

Updated December 21, 2023

If you have upset someone, the best way to rectify the situation is by making a sincere, heartfelt apology. But just saying the words isn't quite enough: for an apology to be effective, it has to be genuine. You have to mean it, and you have to make that clear.

Mind & Mood

End-of-life planning makes it easier to say goodbye

Published January 22, 2011

Saying goodbye as the end of life approaches can be difficult, even for someone like writer Joyce Carol Oates. Her recent essay in The New Yorker about the impending death of her husband highlights the need for each of us to think about death and dying — and discuss them with loved ones — long before they become a likelihood.

Staying Healthy

The health benefits of strong relationships

Updated December 1, 2010

Strong connections and regular social interaction with friends and family members helps alleviate stress and enhance longevity.

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