Mental Health Archive

Acts of kindness do more than make the giver and recipient feel good-they can also bolster psychological and physical health. Research suggests kindness can improve happiness and increase social connectedness as well as reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. Evidence also suggests concentrating good deeds into shorter time periods enhances well-being more powerfully than spreading actions out. Kind acts can include complimenting people, running errands for a neighbor, making a donation to charity, and signing up to volunteer.

Just as it's wise for people to take a sick day when they have a cough, fever, or nausea, certain signs indicate people need a mental health day. These include feeling burned out at work, overwhelmed by personal issues, unmotivated, exhausted by work or life demands, more anxious or depressed than usual, unable to sleep consistently, or drawn to substance use. While some spend a mental health day on indulgent activities, others run errands or tick items off their to-do list. Not taking a mental health day when needed can trigger flare-ups of depression or anxiety.

We can learn much from people who continue to live productive lives into their 80s and 90s. Doctors in this demographic have a unique perspective as they have the lessons from their decades of medical practice and their personal experiences dealing with Father Time. Here, two Harvard physicians - Dr. Marshall Wolf, 87, and Dr. Mitchell Rabkin, 94 - share lessons they've learned over the decades from their practice and personal life about how they keep their body and mind strong, healthy, and thriving.

Looking after a loved one who has prostate cancer can be overwhelming. Caregivers play crucial roles in supporting a patient's physical and psychological well-being. But what does that entail? Here's what to know about effective communication, day-to-day support, and taking care of yourself.

Heart-healthy Valentine's Day gift ideas include products and experiences designed to make it easier and more enjoyable to follow the key tenets of a healthy lifestyle: eating well, getting regular exercise, sleeping soundly, and managing stress. Examples include strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, a cooking class, custom-fit sneakers, luxury sleep products, and a subscription to a meditation app.

In a 2024 study, researchers found that the heart rate variability of a dog and its owner mirror each other during interactions, which may reflect the strong emotional connection between humans and their dogs.

According to a 2024 study, people who reported work-related stress were more likely to have unfavorable measures of cardiovascular health than those without that stress.

Over time, many men experience grief brought on by physical decline where they can no longer perform activities like before, have less endurance, and need more time to recover. Men can manage this grief by accepting these changes as part of normal aging, focusing on what they still can do, adjusting their goals to meet their new abilities, and talking with others going through similar issues.