The COVID-19 pandemic has changed several aspects of our lives over a few months. We now live in a society that follows a “new normal.” We have come to adapt to these changes in many ways, such as using online platforms, new technologies, and more. As we fight through the pandemic, we will encounter one of the biggest challenges in our relationships. 

In several countries, the lockdowns have made it difficult to maintain relationships. These relationships go beyond the conventional notion of a romantic one. Aside from your significant other, the crisis also challenges your relationship with your family, friends, and career. Here are tips for maintaining your relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friends

Before the pandemic, it was effortless to meet up and spend time with your friends. You can all go anywhere from having a drink in the bar, shopping at a mall, or eating out together. However, social distancing is now encouraged to help reduce the risks of infections. Also, several establishments are still closed in most countries. Now, the only place left for you to bond with your friends are through online platforms. 

BetterHelp is one such online platform that you can check. They have IG and a YouTube channel as well.

• Join An MMORPG, MOBA, Or Other Online Games

If you and your friends are avid gamers, then you may consider investing your time together online. A massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) enables you to grow a character in a vast virtual world along with other people. MMORPGs are a perfect place to meet up, travel together, and help each other’s character grow.

Another game genre to consider is the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) geared towards teams competing against each other. MOBAs are a fun way to test your teamwork and cooperation with your friends.

• Watch Online Movies Together

There are several options to help you enjoy movies and series with your friends. One option is the Netflix party chrome extension that allows you to share screens and enjoy Netflix together. 

Other than the Netflix party, other existing apps offer the same feature and even more. Some of these include Rabbit, Plug.DJ, Watch2gether, and more.

• Stay Connected Through Social Media Platforms

Some fun social media platforms you can consider staying in touch with your friends are Telegram and Zoom. Telegram has a cool game feature called “Werewolf.” The game involves players taking on different roles where the goal of the game is to defeat the werewolf. Another excellent platform to bond in is Zoom. Zoom can help people create conferences, share screens, and enjoy calling each other.

Family

Unlike your friends, throughout the lockdown, you might most likely be living with your family. If you spend every day with your family, it may get stressful or fruitful, depending on the situation. Of course, what we would want the most for the crisis is to develop our bond with our family.

Take this lockdown as an opportunity for you to get to know your children or parents better. Other things you can consider in strengthening your bond includes the following:

• Keep communication open and do not be afraid to ask.
• Resolve past issues and learn to forgive.
• If they are far away, consider weekly phone calls.
• Educate your children on the current situation and how to handle it.
• Have an open space to talk and bond with each other (i.e., lunch, dinner, etc.)
• Do chores such as cleaning or cooking together.
• Exercise and help each other keep in shape.

Workplace Relationships

While some businesses have closed, others are still alive and working through the pandemic. Most companies have shifted towards the use of online platforms. 

Though not all companies require their employees to continue work, most are still encouraged too. However, not everyone may be capable of doing so, and it is better to understand their condition and check upon them.

Significant Other

Probably the most complicated relationship to maintain during the lockdown is with your significant other. While most are blessed to spend this time together with their special someone, others need to keep a long-distance one. 

The best way to maintain your relationship with your significant other during the pandemic is by improving your communication. Another critical factor that plays a considerable role is trust. Your partner has entrusted you with their faith and love. Remember to keep and uphold it!

In Conclusion,

Several relationships face challenges during the lockdown. While some of these relationships get stressful and worse, some with continue to prosper and even grow. In the end, you have the power to dictate where you want your relationships to move.

As mentioned by Kirtly Parker Jones, MD, “People involved in loving, philia-based relationships have [fewer] doctor visits, shorter hospital visits, have less pain, and have more positive emotions

Whether you like it or not, sex is an essential ingredient to make a marriage work. Making love is an act of expressing how a couple feels for each other. The moment a relationship becomes sexless, the logical ending is always divorce. When two people could no longer engage in lovemaking acts, then it is proper to assume that their marital union is going down the drain. In this article, we are going to lay down some of the tips on how you could handle a sexless marriage.

Continue reading 3 Ways To Handle A Sexless Marriage →

Having fights and arguments is only normal in every marriage. No matter how suitable a couple is for each other, there will come a time when they would have arguments over big or petty things. The good thing is that a marital conflict does not jeopardize the marriage, as long as the husband and wife know how to handle their issues or problems. Whenever you disagree with your partner, be sure to resolve it right away. Keep in mind that the more you prolong the fight, the more dangerous it is for the relationship.

Continue reading Ultimate Guide To Resolving Marital Conflicts →

Being married to the one you love is probably one of the best feelings in the world. Imagine waking up next to that one person you admire the most every single day. Think of all the children that you will raise in the future. For sure, you are feeling nothing but extreme happiness now that you have finally tied the knot with your beloved partner. While everything may seem perfect, it is important to note that once you marry your husband, you are not only going to establish a relationship with him but even to his family. As such, it is essential to know how to bond and get along well with your in-laws.

Continue reading Tips In Dealing With Your In-Laws →

Getting over a lost love or a failed marriage is a difficult thing to do. The truth is that there is no easy way to do it. You have to go through the process of hurting a lot before you could move forward. You know exactly what to do, but the thought of letting go is just too hard to manage. This is why you need more time to deal with your broken heart before falling in love again.

Continue reading Is It Time To Marry Again? →

Clinical depression has become a serious clinical issue in modern society. Let’s learn more about clinical depression here.

There has been an alarming increase in the number of individuals suffering from depression. But when is depression considered clinical?

Clinical Depression

Because of severe depression, which includes bipolar disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder, anxiety disorders, and persistent depressive disorder, many people have decided to end their lives. For them, it’s all about death or suicide.

Having known this, our goal is to make them feel that they are not alone in this journey of fighting mental illness and other mental health problems like clinical depression.

The good news is that there are many ways how you could extend your help to these persons with deep mental health conditions like clinical depression.

You can help them relive their feelings of worthlessness and encourage them to take part in support groups and follow-up safety treatment.

In treating clinical depression, it is essential to let them know that you are willing to listen to what they have in mind and how they struggle with depression symptoms.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, you have to let them know that their major depressive disorder should never encourage thoughts of death or loss of interest in relationships with significant others and families.

You Can Always Help People With Clinical Depression

It is important that you let them feel that you would be happy to discover what bothers them, especially if they have a family history of depression symptoms and clinical depression.

That way, you can at least stop them from having suicide attempts and offer different types of treatment options for their clinical depression.

Most importantly, make them feel that they can run to you whenever they have reached rock bottom. Let them know that you are there for them despite their medical condition and mental health challenges related to the disorder.

However, if you believe that the concerns of a clinically depressed person have severe major depression and need immediate attention, then be sure to get in touch with a therapist.

(You can reach a therapist online anytime through BetterHelp. Do not hesitate. Just go to the site and check their roster of qualified therapists 24/7.)

How It Helps In Recovering From Clinical Depression

At this point, it is essential to emphasize the fact that there are several causes why a person has other symptoms of diagnosed depression.

Clinical depression may arise after someone experiences a traumatic experience. It is not just them who feel sad, have a depressed mood, or dealing with an unpleasant emotional state.

Sometimes the symptoms of clinical depression also include them getting involved with drugs or substance use or alcohol abuse. This is not something family members should ignore.

Therapy and other treatments can help a person who has clinical depression. With the right hours of clinical depression therapy sessions, the person involved may learn to get back on track and recover from the trauma. Remember that coping is essential for recovery effectiveness.

In some instances, antidepressant medications can also help. Provided they are prescribed by a health professional. It may not completely aid physical problems such as weight loss, hormonal changes, or difficulty concentrating, but it can help with the signs and symptoms of persistent depression.

Therapy Can Give New Hope

Understanding The Treatment

According to most healthcare experts of the American psychiatric association, the feeling of hopelessness is only typical of a person with depression.

Because of the endless problems and struggles that a person encounters, there is a high possibility that he would want to escape forever.

People, especially teens, who have depression have suicidal thoughts.

What are the Benefits of therapy for people who have been diagnosed with depression?

Therapy is the key to making the person feel that there is still a better tomorrow despite the pain or suffering or melancholy is giving him.

With this kind of treatment for major depression, he can condition his mind to think happier and more positive thoughts rather than having feelings of worthlessness.

The diagnostic and statistical manual explains that treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and talk therapy can help with significant life changes.

The primary care doctor can assist the process with the help of the manual of mental disorders and statistical manual of mental health treatment.

The Therapy Can Restore Balance

Jennifer Bradley, Psy.D., HSPP, Clinical Psychologist  once said, “I believe that human beings have an inherent longing and need for wholeness and balance, which is our natural state of being.”

A lot of things can happen to a person with major depressive disorders, says an expert from the National Institute of Anxiety and Depression Association.

He knows that he has clinical depression, but he will not do anything about it. He would rather allow himself to suffer in silence than open up to others.

This is why many of them eventually decide to end their lives.

With therapy sessions, the individual who is clinically depressed will be encouraged to regain his self-love despite the chronic pain and physical symptoms he is experiencing. Together with this comes the restoration of balance in his life.

Continued attendance at meetings with a counseling therapist could lead to a more fruitful and well-balanced life while having depression.

Seek help and contact a community health care provider immediately.

Conclusion And Takeaway

It is important to identify that clinically depressed people are in danger of their own minds. Thus, always find time to help someone who is clinically depressed. Do your part in saving someone’s life by being there. You can refer him to a professional therapist so they can plan out a suggested process of treatment.

Clinical depression can affect how a person thinks therefore affecting overall wellness.

Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

What Are The Two Symptoms Of Clinical Depression?

Two symptoms of clinical depression are persistent feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. It’s crucial for those experiencing these symptoms to consult a health professional to get a proper assessment of their mental health and any underlying health conditions.

What Are The 3 Levels Of Depression?

The three levels of depression are mild, moderate, and severe. These levels are characterized by the intensity and duration of the symptoms of depression. It’s important to note that all levels are valid mental health conditions and warrant attention and care.

What Is The Last Stage Of Depression?

The last stage of depression is often referred to as major depressive disorder. This is one of the severe forms of mental disorders, sometimes also linked with bipolar disorder. Individuals at this stage may experience extreme feelings of worthlessness and may have persistent thoughts of death or suicide.

Can Depression Be Lifelong?

Is Depression A Lifetime Thing?

Can Depression Permanently Damage The Brain?

What Depression Does Do To The Brain?

What Is The Most Common Way To Treat Depression?

What Is A Mental Breakdown?

How Long Does It Take To Be Medically Depressed?

What triggers clinical depression?

Is clinical depression a disability?

What are the 3 signs of clinical depression?

What is the meaning of clinical depression?

How do clinically depressed people act?

Have you noticed erratic changes in your mood for the past few weeks? Have you recently experienced a heartbreaking moment in your life? Do you feel like lying on your bed for the whole day and shutting the world out? Is it difficult on your part to let go of a traumatic experience? If you answered yes, then there is a high possibility that you could be suffering from depression. However, before you make any conclusion, it is highly recommended to see a professional first. The one thing that you need to avoid is making any self-diagnosis without the assistance of a health practitioner or mental doctor.

In this article, we will tackle the essential advantages or benefits that you can get from seeing a psychiatrist. Knowing all these things will motivate you to see a medical professional as soon as possible. Check the list below:

1. Takes All The Pain Away

According to Erica Thompson, LMFT, LPCC “Mental health struggles are real. They can be painful. You may feel alone. In some of the darkest times, you may feel like something is “wrong” with you to the core .” One of the best things about seeing a psychiatrist is that it gives you a chance to release all the emotional pain inside your system. Remember that you do not deserve to wallow in depression and grief. You need to bounce back from an adverse event in your life. It may be difficult in the beginning, but once you find the right mental doctor to talk to, you will learn how to go through it.

2. Sets Your Mood Right

In connection with the first item above, a psychiatrist can also encourage you to feel happier about all the things that you have in your life. Because of this, you would learn how to improve your mood. As you start to open up to this health practitioner, the more you will start to let go of your reservations and inhabitations. When this continues to happen for a long time, all your worries will be gone completely.

3. Helps You Avoid Drugs And Alcohol

Sometimes too much sadness can make you more addicted to alcohol, drugs and other controlled substances. “When we are imbalanced, we develop various types of difficulties, including psychological and/or physical symptoms, and we begin to use ineffective or damaging coping mechanisms.” Jennifer Bradley, Psy.D., HSPP, Clinical Psychologist explains. You may think that these items are essential for your well being. When you are depressed, there is a high tendency that you would rely on these things just to feel happier. With the assistance of a psychiatrist, all your dependence on drugs and alcoholic drinks will be eliminated.

4. Allows You To Get A Treatment Plan

The most helpful part of having a psychiatrist is that you will get a specific and personal treatment plan from him. During the consultation process, the doctor will ask you several questions about yourself. At the same time, he will also conduct a series of examinations with the goal of finding out more about your mental condition. After all these, he will then give a diagnosis of your mental health problem. Together with this, the psychiatrist will also come up with a treatment plan that is designed exclusively for your case. Catherine “Katie” Ness, MA, LCPC states that “Making the decision to enter into treatment requires a commitment to prioritize your mental health and make some significant life changes.”

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With the right choice of a psychiatrist, everything in your life will soon become better. As long as you participate in all the sessions and cooperate with the professional, you will surely succeed in overcoming your mental health illness.

Have teens? Worried about teen issues? As your teen continues to grow, your teenager will go through several issues especially when it comes to developing their emotional intelligence as well as their social skills.

These may cause unnecessary stress on the part of your kid, especially on the teenager’s developing brain, which is why it is essential that you stay with him all throughout.

Teen Issues

One of the things that you need to ensure is to make yourself available whenever your children need some professional help or assistance.

Take note that teenage years can have difficulty dealing with her concerns.

But there are content tips you can follow to help your teen’s life.

Common Teen Issues

Wrong Set Of Friends

According to Susie Raskin MA, LMHC “Socializing is incredibly important to teens minds. It’s part of their developmental process. As anyone that has a teen or worked with teens knows, friendships are crucial.”

If your daughter’s friends, social relationships, and high school students’ circle are people who have a bad influence on her or cause peer pressure, then be sure to find tactics on how to keep her away from them. As parents, it’s your responsibility to guide your teens. Make an effort to let your daughter see the negative side of her friends, especially in this age of media where influences come from various sources.

However, it is essential to do it the right way to avoid serious depression. Do not put your child in a compromising situation. Prioritize her health and well-being. Avoid embarrassing her so that she will not resent you.

Drug Addiction

Like eating disorders, drug, and alcohol use is one of the high school seniors’ concerns, and drug addiction (prescription drugs) is somehow related to the first item above. Teens struggle with this constantly.

In the adolescent years, a wrong set of friends can increase the tendency of experiencing drug addiction or alcohol consumption for your daughter.

Because of this, it is your responsibility to remind her on a constant basis about the adverse effects of using prohibited most commonly used drugs or a few pills and other illicit drug substances while committing underage drinking. There are high school students reported for drug abuse.

You can also try an intervention and see if it will work correctly. “Addiction develops over time, as a person continues to use a substance and grows more dependent on it.” Hailey Shafir, LPCS, LCAS, CCS-I said.

Pre-Marital Sex

Aside from the common bullying issues, a child that is about to enter an adolescent age has a high possibility of engaging in sexual content online or sexual activities while they navigate social media or becoming sexually active, especially if she has no proper sex education or teen education. In some unfortunate cases, teens interact with others by sharing explicit photos just to become the most influential person online.

As parents, you must make her feel that she can open up to you about any topic that comes into her mind. Make her feel loved. As much as possible, avoid judging her curiosity so that she will continue to seek your advice and increase her self-esteem. Taking care of her mental health is crucial during these formative years.

Try to guide your kids by starting a conversation about premarital sex to your daughter and explain its adolescent pregnancy consequences before this fewer troubled teens issue gets complicated. Especially for 16 to 18-year-olds, these discussions are vital.

Explain the effects of adolescent pregnancy and how it can increase the levels of anxiety and depression in more than half of young people.

Alcohol Abuse

One of the adolescent challenges and concerns that could be damaging to your child’s well-being is alcohol abuse. An average teen spends half or less than half of the day drinking alcohol.

Being too much intoxicated can affect her physical, emotional, and mental health wellness aside from other major issues and diagnoses. It can impact sleep patterns and can cause a serious toll on academic issues.

At the same time, it can also result in getting low grades at school, losing some real friends, and suffering from depression or major depressive episodes. It can ruin a young person’s future.

Do not let this happen to your daughter.

What you need to do is to avoid being controlling and never talk about the same issues from the past month.

Take note that the more you try to take charge and hold off her life, the more she will become resistant to your help and might lose self-confidence. Instead, talk to her calmly. Find the right time to discuss her issues regarding alcohol.

But Dr. Howard Samuels, PsyD reminds everyone that “Admitting you have a problem is the first step in treating your addiction.

However, due to the nature and the danger of this disease, simply just stopping on your own is highly unadvisable.”

Handling Teenager  Issues With Online Therapy

If the things mentioned above will not work in assisting your teen’s concern, do not worry because you are not left without any recourse.

Online therapy is still an option that you could explore with your daughter. The availability of online therapists makes it easier for several individuals, especially many teens, to deal with their life concerns.

Be with your daughter as she embarks on this journey of finding herself again through therapy. It is important to make teens feel that they can always run to you no matter what happens.

You can reach out to pew research center survey facilities to help you to address major issues.

Seek professional help for your teen’s mental state. As for online therapy, one of the best sites to go to is BetterHelp. You can find healthy ways how to care for mental health recovery. They have the best reviews and also the best counselors for the family.

The one could ever have the pleasure of sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings.

The mental health professional or teen’s physician can help you all the way through the adolescent years issue, addressing concerns like body image, underage drinking, and teen birth rates. They can guide you to build healthy habits that support essential interpersonal communication skills. Visit or email them now!

FAQs

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Different methods and constant new research being done on subjects related to procrastination, laziness, productivity, time motion and so much more. This is because time is a finite asset and society is continuously finding ways to maximize the time that is given to us taking in account unproductive time wasted on lying around, scrolling social media and other delaying tactics done by mere mortals to avoid or delay needed tasks. Procrastination is not a hopeless problem, and there are numerous strategies to win against procrastination.

PLAN AHEAD

The night before, take a few minutes to list out the things you will do for tomorrow.

Allot a time to write down or list down your to-do tasks for the following day. Some still rely on listing down on a piece of paper, but for many of us, it involves inputting functions in our mobile phones or gadgets. Also, there are added features in noting schedules through the phone like having reminders and alarms. By recording your to-do lists, you can reflect or browse through previous listings to see which tasks you are delaying and if you accomplished your tasks after how many days. As Marjie L. Roddick, MA, NCC, LMHC explains the process, “When you challenge yourself to learn a new skill, you are building your intellectual health. People who pay attention to their intellectual wellness often find that they have better concentration, improved memory, and better critical thinking skills.”

REVIEW YOUR PLAN

Examine the list and check if there is one thing you can do right now.

While organized people appreciate lists, notes, reminders, etc., others find it annoying and limiting in a sense. For them, it also creates an environment of anxiety and urgency. One can so focus on finishing the lists and doing everything by the end of the day. Due to the stress associated with the lists, it is recommended by experts to at least address one item on your list upon writing it. It is best to remember that the list is there to help you become productive in your daily lives. The list shouldn’t control the individual.

PRIORITIZE

Break down big tasks or goals into manageable small tasks.

“Some stress on a person is a normal part of everyday life. This ‘good stress’ called ‘eustress’ can help propel you forward and motivate you to achieve goals.” Aarti Gupta, PsyD, a clinical director said. However, taking on a huge goal with an unrealistic timeline is unachievable for someone with no superpowers. Understand your limitations which including identification of down hours as well as your energy spikes. By being aware of these scenarios, you can appropriately schedule the most difficult tasks during periods of full energy and more relaxed tasks during the “sleepy” hours. It is best to address complex goals into a specific action plan suitable for that particular day only. Attack the situation phases by phases rather than the whole thing all at once to avoid burnout.

AVOID PERFECTIONISM

Quit trying to achieve perfection.

Don’t work so hard to finish the list flawlessly day after day.  There would be times that you will miss something from your list. Don’t take it too hard on yourself. Let it go. You can just continue with the list tomorrow. Also, when setting time element in your inventory, always give ample time and create alternative options when something comes up.

HARNESS FEAR

Sometimes, procrastination is partly due to fear. Fear of doing something or face something makes us creative in making up excuses. “Fear, or getting scared, is an emotion that’s part of our biology as human beings, just like other emotions such as sadness, joy and anger. It serves a purpose that’s crucial to our ability to survive,” says Steve Orma, PsyD, a clinical psychologist. Challenge yourself to face fear every day. This will turn fear into some game. You will thankful in the future because inaction can be costly.