Welcome to the Blog

Hello There!

If you are reading this, then that means you were able to find my small site in in the middle of vast Internet hay stack - hurray!

Perhaps you clicked on this site because you happen to be passionately interested in psychology and are dying to learn everything there is to know about mental health. Or maybe you are seeking answers on a different kind of quest, such as attempting to solve the riddles of your own mind or the minds of those around you. Or it could be as simple as you just roaming the web aimlessly in the hopes of some random gem to cure your current boredom. Well, look no further.

Whatever reason you came to end up here, it's great to have you. This is a safe space for open-minded people to learn about mental health and get answers to some of their deepest, darkest questions. Sounds a bit scary, I know, but don't worry: I will be here to help translate the meaning of complicated research and guide you away from the many myths and misconceptions out there.

So, go ahead and sit back, relax - maybe even sip on an iced coffee or something - and let your curiosity roam free. 😊

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Healthy Approaches to Relieve Stress: Distraction, Relaxation, & Self Expression

There are thousands of articles on the internet about ways to relieve stress, and most of them boast about the same three or four boring strategies. But the truth is that there are many ways to help alleviate your stress and anxiety, and many of these coping mechanisms fall under one of the following three strategies: distraction, self-expression, and relaxation. Each category is special because each one has a unique underlying goal for you to achieve, and all of them have the potential to help you maintain a good mental state. In the following article, I'll provide both the pros and cons of each strategy and a short list of related example activities. My hope is that you find at least one approach that is a Cinderella-shoe type fit for you! DISTRACTION METHODS While it may initially sound like an unhealthy self-care goal, activities related to distraction are effective because they buy an individual time to take a step back, cool down and regroup. By taking a temporary break from

The Magical & Mysterious Placebo Effect

What does it mean to "believe" in something, and what does this have to do with something actually happening? According to one of my mom's cheesy Hallmark movies, simply believing in the spirit of Christmas will get you a soulmate, a job promotion, and will help you save some small quaint town from greedy city businesspeople. Now, I wouldn't say this is the most realistic example of how believing can manifest results, but there is a small kernel of truth in the absurdity. This real-life magic trick has the fitting name of "the placebo effect," and lucky for you, I am a magician who keeps no secrets. Let me explain to you how it works. PLACEBO POWER A placebo is anything that seems like a real treatment or solution, but is actually useless and should (theoretically) have zero impact on you. Placebos can take many forms, such as a fake pill, shot, or any other type of "treatment." Despite the lack of any active substance or impactful component in a

The Non-Existence of "Normal"

For many of us, we have always been taught to categorize things as "normal" or "abnormal." Everything you do or say or eat or like is weighed on this imaginary scale in our minds, so naturally we must have a clear and fool-proof way of defining what is "normal"... Yeah, that definition doesn't actually exist. And in all honesty, it probably won't ever exist. Our definition of what is normal and acceptable changes constantly, and is under heavy influence from factors, such as time period, culture, and even individuals. In the words of my Clinical Psychology textbook: "It can be the case that what is determined as abnormal or pathological at one point in time could have been very adaptive at another time." So, the big ticket question is this: how can psychology experts scientifically prove a behavior to be acceptable (normal) or a mental illness (abnormal)? Since our understanding of a concept like normality vs. abnormality isn't scienc

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