Brain/Mental Health Archives

A rearview mirror on a car is displayed.

- Coming Clean -

COMING CLEAN: In the Rearview Mirror

By Courtney Lewis Opdahl

Our managing editor reflects on the 20 lessons she’s learned 20 years after a car accident.

- General Health -

Why Noise Is Bad for Our Health

By Craig Cox

Noise can elevate our stress hormones — even at levels that do not produce hearing damage — according to a recent study.

Collage broken glass and healthy lifestyle images

- Stress Relief -

How Movement Therapy Can Heal Traumatic Stress

By Maggie Fazeli Fard

Traumatic stress can be debilitating and terrifying. Movement therapy — involving increasingly accessible, thoughtful approaches to exercise — offers new hope.

- Brain/Mental Health -

Greener Childhood, Happier Adulthood

By Heidi Wachter

Access to green space during childhood may lower the incidence of mental-health issues later on, according to a recent study.

- Brain/Mental Health -

What You Need to Know About Addiction and the Brain

By Alexandra Smith, LPCC

Addiction is common — and it’s complicated.

- Mindfulness -

Creating Calm: Tamara Levitt

By Heidi Wachter

App content producer Tamara Levitt is helping millions of people learn to find balance and presence amid life’s chaos.

- Brain/Mental Health -

How to Deal With Traumatic Memories

By Jon Spayde

Here is one expert’s four-step process for coping with trauma.

- Aging -

Healthy Heart = Healthy Brain for Seniors?

By Craig Cox

Tending to your cardiovascular health may ward off dementia in seniors, a recent study says.

- Pumping Irony -

PUMPING IRONY: A Good Death?

By Craig Cox

New research suggests that killing off neurons in our aging brains might prevent, rather than invite, Alzheimer’s. Personal experience suggests it may be more complicated than that.

illustration of man looking into a well and seeing a childhood reflection

- Gut Health -

How Childhood Adversity Creates Toxic Stress

By Heidi Wachter

Pioneering pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris is transforming how public-health advocates respond to the toxic stress created by childhood adversity. Here, she shares her prescription for healing.

A sad dog hangs out on a bed underneath the covers.

- Brain/Mental Health -

6 Tips to Beat the Winter Blues

By Jill Metzler Patton

Seasonal affective disorder can make a stressful time of year even harder. Here’s how to offset the symptoms of SAD.

- Aging -

Exercise Now, Avoid Depression Later

By Kaelyn Riley

Why midlife fitness may reduce the risks of depression later in life.

A group of angry faces with one happy face in the middle.

- Happiness -

The Upside of Anger

By Alexandra Smith, LPCC

Sometime, a burst of anger can be productive and have health benefits.

- General Health -

The Living Experiment: Forgiveness

By Pilar Gerasimo and Dallas Hartwig

How releasing past hurts can be helpful.

- video -

Behind the Scenes With Jon Kabat-Zinn (Video)

By Experience Life Staff

Go behind the scenes with mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn to learn more about the effects of mindfulness on your health.

- General Health -

13 Ways to Protect Yourself from Electromagnetic Radiation

By Pamela Weintraub

Many of our digital devices — including cell phones — emit electromagnetic radiation, which may be harmful to our health. Here are tips on reducing your exposure risks.

- Pumping Irony -

PUMPING IRONY: A Numbers Game

By Craig Cox

Amid news of a potential breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research, experts bemoan the daunting task of finding enough qualified patients to continue the search for a cure.