How often do you decide that you deserve a treat? After a hard day, or when you're feeling down? The problem with telling yourself that you've earned something is that it's harder to feel gratitude when you get it, and gratitude is an important component of happiness. Deciding you deserve a treat may make you less happy than you'd hoped. | Read More →

If social media presents you with a distorted picture of the world, unrealistic expectations or fake news, why does it seem so hard to cut down how much you use it? Rather than thinking of it as an addiction, it makes sense to see social media as a system. Cybernetics, the study of systems, emphasises the importance of feedback and the difference between closed and open systems. These concepts accurately describe the problems with social media and explain why it's so hard to do without. | Read More →

Passive-aggression, as the word indicates, is a tendency to engage in an indirect expression of hostility through acts such as subtle insults, sullen behavior, stubbornness, or a deliberate failure to accomplish required tasks. Because passive-aggressive behavior is implicit, it can be hard to spot, even when you're feeling the consequences. To help you identify this type of behavior, here is a list of four techniques used by aggressors and how to counteract them. | Read More →

Everybody will experience grief in their life. But what exactly is a person experiencing when these inevitable circumstances happen? This article details the psychological model of grief consisting of five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. | Read More →

There's no shortage of stressors in modern life. Subsequently, people need to be able to relax. Trying to do this on demand, however, isn't effective. This article explains why, highlighting the ironic monitoring theory and offering specific strategies on how to address anxiety-producing thoughts the right way. | Read More →

This article explores the steps that people can take to cope with anxiety during a pandemic. Suggestions include getting support, setting up a routine and exercising. How to avoid information overload is another useful topic that this article expands on. | Read More →