Spirituality of any kind is deeply personal and can play an important role in our lives if we want it to. It’s no surprise, then, that research in the field of psychology has begun examining what, if any, benefits holding and practicing spiritual beliefs may have on one’s mental health.

When we live with a diet mentality, exercise can feel like a punishment, a chore, or something we need to do to compensate for a choice we feel shame around. Joyful movement is an approach to physical activity that centers around pleasure rather than shame, and can change the way we view and feel in our bodies.

For some, the winter season brings with it a picture of cozying up in a warm blanket by candlelight, hot beverage in hand and holiday music playing in the background. But for many, the winter brings less comforting thoughts: What will the holidays be like this year? Will I be able to see loved ones? Will my depression come back? If you’re asking yourself these questions, you’re not alone.

Now that we’re able to recognize the signs of abuse in a relationship, a question that often comes up is, “Why would someone stay with an abusive person?” One piece of tackling this question involves understanding that abuse is cyclical. The abuser is not always violent or abusive, nor is the abuse being inflicted at seemingly random times. Dr. Lenore Walker was one of the first psychologists to identify IPV as a cycle that reinforces a false sense of love and wrongly convinces the victim that if only they were different, the abuse could be avoided.

Domestic violence, a term commonly used to describe abuse in relationships, is abuse/violence perpetrated against a partner, child, elderly relative, or any other member of a household or family. Here, I’ll be discussing intimate partner violence (IPV), a type of domestic violence perpetrated by a current or past spouse or partner. A person does not have to be married or living with their partner to experience abuse or be impacted by it.

It’s that time again when we mark the passing of another year and reflect on changes we hope to make for the future. While the act of recognizing areas of growth and setting goals to make positive change can help us move towards more intentional living, the cultural pressure for rapid change beginning January 1st can give our inner critic permission to run amok.

Referred to in Japan as shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) or in Scandinavian cultures as friluftsliv (open-air life), forest therapy is simply the practice of being in nature for the purpose of enhancing one’s happiness, wellness, and health. Forest therapy has been seen to yield such benefits as a boosted immune system, a calmer mind, increased happiness and energy, among so much more. But how in the world is a New Yorker, as we creep into the darker, colder winter months, supposed to practice forest therapy?

We’re often surrounded by messaging, conscious or unconscious, that the best thing to do when the going gets tough is to take care of it ourselves, “be productive,” and our mental health will follow suit. So what happens when that new meditation app, the yoga membership you signed up for, or talking it out with a friend just isn’t cutting it anymore?