When you’re going through something difficult like a loved one’s illness, how do you keep your spirits up? It turns out, staying positive is a skill that can be learned. And a positive outlook keeps anxiety and depression at bay.
The latest proof of this comes from a study of caregivers — all of whom had a loved one with dementia. After a five-week course in skills for coping with stress, participants' distress decreased.
Hundreds of stressed-out people have taken the skills class, including women with breast cancer and people newly diagnosed with HIV.
"These skills can definitely help people, no matter what type of stress they are experiencing, even if it is 'minor' everyday stress," says Judith Moskowitz of Northwestern University who developed the course.
Menopause blindsided author Darcey Steinke. The hot flashes, the insomnia, the depression... But perhaps the worst part was the cultural expectation that postmenopausal women are no longer interested in sex.
"Once menopause comes, there's a feeling of shame that comes for a lot of women," Steinke says.
In her new book, Flash Count Diary Steinke shares the experience of her evolving identity after menopause and her new, open-minded approach to sex. If couples are willing to think beyond traditional intercourse, she argues, they'll find their relationships are more intimate than ever. “The level of intimacy is kind of mind-blowing,” she says of her own love life.
It helps, she adds, if you’re not afraid to use lots of lubrication.
Many women have a hard time admitting — even to themselves — that they're being abused by their husband or partner. So how can friends or family or social services providers recognize the signs? And can we help them?
In a candid conversation, two women talk through what helps: Suzanne Dubus, CEO the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, a domestic violence crisis center in Massachusetts and author Rachel Louise Snyder, author of the book No Visible Bruises. Read highlights of the conversation.
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