You know your friend is struggling with depression or anxiety or some other mental health issue, but you don’t know what to say. You feel like anything you think about saying just sounds stupid and patronizing. You also aren’t sure what to do. After all, you don’t want to intrude.
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 31, 2019
You see a Facebook post with a picture that immediately gives you pause and—as cliché as it sounds—your stomach plummets. It’s your close friends at a party, and you’re not there, because you weren’t invited. Or maybe you get to work, and everyone is talking about the cool event they
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 26, 2019
When you’re a people pleaser, setting boundaries can feel painful. We worry we’ll hurt someone’s feelings. We fear we’ll fracture the relationship. We think saying no is rude or cruel or not compassionate—and we see ourselves as the opposite of these things. And we simply don’t have much practice with
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 20, 2019
Saying no to someone makes you very uncomfortable. So you don’t. You’re always available to everyone. In fact, you tend to put others’ needs above your own. Without hesitation. You rarely express a differing opinion (even when you clearly disagree). You apologize. A lot. You hate when someone is upset
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 4, 2019
Bipolar disorder affects men and women in equal numbers, and the symptoms are essentially identical. But some key differences do exist—differences that might be due to biological factors, and social ones, too. For starters, research has consistently shown that women have higher rates of bipolar II disorder, “which typically presents
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 2, 2019
The way you see something can easily keep you stuck and stressed—or it can free you. In other words, your perspective is powerful in creating the life you want to live—or not. For instance, if you think you’ll never find a fulfilling job, you’ll feel demoralized, and you won’t do
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 26, 2019
We often hear the phrase “work smarter, not harder,” but what does this phrase actually mean? What does it look like to take a smart approach to everything you do at the office—and outside it. According to Melissa Gratias, a workplace productivity coach and speaker, people who work “hard,” put
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 25, 2019
There are times when saying you’re sorry makes sense. You bumped into someone. You said something hurtful. You yelled. You arrived late to lunch. You missed a friend’s birthday. But many of us over-apologize. That is, we apologize for things we don’t need to apologize for. Kelly Hendricks knew she
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 21, 2019
When we hear someone is psychotic, we automatically think of psychopaths and cold-blooded criminals. We automatically think “Oh wow, they’re really crazy!” And we automatically think of plenty of other myths and misconceptions that only further the stigma surrounding psychosis. In other words, the reality is that we get psychosis
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 17, 2019
You walk into your home, or maybe into a certain room. You look around, scanning the entire space, and suddenly feel so heavy. You feel tense and tired. You feel powerless and helpless. You feel disappointed in yourself. Your eyes immediately zero in on the piles of random paperwork, and
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger February 10, 2019