Stress Archive

There are several ways to manage anxiety on your own, but it's important to recognize when to get professional help.

Nowadays, simply tuning in to the daily news is likely to be stressful. Add on the stresses of daily life — such as handling work demands or adjusting to retirement, dealing with family issues, coping with illness, or caregiving — and you may begin to greet each day with apprehension and worry. In other words, you can become anxious.

"Some degree of anxiety is normal and even necessary," says Dr. Ann Epstein, a psychiatrist at Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance and medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Coping with Anxiety and Stress. "Anxiety signals us that something is awry or might need our attention. However, you don't want the response to become exaggerated or to dominate your life," she says. Good coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety can help you stay healthy during turbulent times.

The conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are challenging for all of us, but are especially difficult for teenagers with autism spectrum disorder and their families. Strategies to support teens and families living with ASD can help lessen the impact of the virus.

A recent study found that teens with autism spectrum disorder are three times more likely to develop depression, but several aspects of ASD overlap with those of depression, so identifying symptoms of depression in a person with ASD can be challenging.

In our inner cities, the COVID-19 pandemic comes on top of another crisis that has plagued our country for years: the opioid epidemic. The combined effects of these two events are immense, and highlight already-existing problems with our society and our health care system.

Memory slips are aggravating, frustrating, and sometimes worrisome. When they happen more than they should, they can trigger fears of looming dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. But there are some treatable causes of forgetfulness.

You’ve probably heard more about self-care lately than usual. Because our current situation is so abnormal and stressful, looking after yourself is even more important, and no one is more aware of this than doctors and other medical personnel.

Health anxiety can interfere with your life, but it's highly treatable.

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You spend hours on the Internet researching health information. When you get a scratchy throat you automatically think cancer — not a cold. And even when medical tests come back showing that you're healthy, it doesn't make you feel better. In the back of your mind you still feel like something is wrong.

If this sounds like you or a loved one, it may be health anxiety.

It may be difficult to impress on your teenage children the importance of staying home and not socializing with their friends during this pandemic, but as parents, you are going to have to convince them. Here are some helpful tools and ideas.

As the COVID-19 crisis keeps us at home for longer and longer, it’s important to acknowledge that this situation is having negative effects on everyone’s mental health. Here’s how parents and families can take care of themselves in ways that go beyond normal self-care strategies.

The growing field of health and wellness coaching uses motivational techniques and positive psychology to offer people individualized support as they work to achieve their health goals.