Renowned psychiatrist Peter Kramer once said that the opposite ofdepression isn’t happiness. It’s resilience, the ability to bounce back from tragedy, to regain a healthy sense of perspective after traumatic or stressful experiences. In my recovery from depression andanxiety, it is calm — more than excitement or joy or contentment — that I seek. I want merely to...

When it comes to internal pain, I have not evolved a whole lot from when I was in fourth grade: I still go running to mom with my tears. Even as I know something in our conversation could very well trigger more anxiety or I question the advice she dolls out, I am still comforted...

A body of research has, for decades, indicated the importance of touch to our physical and mental well-being. As human beings we thrive when we are in relationship with each other, and touch is basic component of all relationships. Touch helps us bond and heal. One study from University of Virginia indicated that people hold...

A Buddhist proverb says that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. After five years of trying to learn and practice mindfulness—moment to moment awareness, or paying attention to the present moment—on my own and ending up … well … different than the bald guys in the ochre and saffron robes, I decided...

I’ve always known, from my own experience with depression, that there is a strong connection between volunteer work and mental health. Now a University of Missouri researcher has found that prosocial behavior–volunteering and helping others–is related to the same gene that predisposes people to anxiety disorders. So helping them cope with their anxiety may increase...