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How to Get Better at Expressing Emotions
Extroverts tend to be better at talking about their feelings, but practice and attention can help those without a natural gift for it. How to Get Better at Expressing Emotions JULIE BECK The term “emotional intelligence” has now reigned for 20 years. Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book of the same name popularized the idea that the capacity to understand and wield emotional information is a crucial skill. Part of that is expressing emotions, be it through writing, body language, or talking with other people, and researchers are finding that unlatching the cage and letting those emotional birds fly free could have some real health benefits. Some studies have linked the repression…
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The Benefits of Getting Comfortable With Uncertainty
Wanting and not wanting the same thing at the same time is a baseline condition of human consciousness. The Benefits of Getting Comfortable With Uncertainty JULIE BECK Gary Noesner is a former FBI hostage negotiator. For part of the 51-day standoff outside the Branch Davidian religious compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993, he was the strategic coordinator for negotiations with the compound’s leader, David Koresh. This siege ended in infamous tragedy: The FBI launched a tear-gas attack on the compound, which burned to the ground, killing 76 people inside. But before Noesner was rotated out of his position as the siege’s head negotiator, he and his team secured the release…
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The Dangers of Getting Only One Point of View
Black-and-white rigidity is actually one of many symptoms of people with borderline personality disorder. The Dangers of Getting Only One Point of View by David Mills Experts say people who only seek out information that backs up their opinions may become angrier, less empathic, and unable to have meaningful relationships. On electoral maps, Democratic states are portrayed as blue. Republican states are represented by red. However, it appears the ardent supporters of both parties are only willing to see things in black and white. With the proliferation of websites, the availability of personal social media platforms, and the narrow specialization of cable television news networks, people in the United States…
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I Was Very, Very Afraid of the Dark
In retrospect all that paranoia was—I’ve been told—an early warning sign of my borderline personality disorder, bipolar, and severe anxiety. I Was Very, Very Afraid of the Dark By Patrick Marlborough I suffered from acute night terrors and paranoia as a kid, and I still feel the after-effects today. Night terrors, aka pavor nocturnus, is one of two non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep arousal disorders in the DSM-5. It’s a lot like sleep paralysis, but instead of being stuck in a sort of limbo waking state, you’re frozen by sheer terror. They often come accompanied by screaming and panic attacks. I always had a hyperactive imagination: no trouble conjuring up stories…
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Refusing to be defined by borderline personality disorder
The condition goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety. East Maitland’s Victoria Campbell refuses to be defined by borderline personality disorder by Sage Swinton For Victoria Campbell, the past two years have been an emotional rollercoaster. The East Maitland woman has faced a daily battle against borderline personality disorder (BPD) since her diagnosis in 2014. She has struggled to manage her emotions, suffered deep depression and displayed extreme reactions that she could not control. “You don’t know whether you’re overreacting,” she said. “You worry about every contact with every person. You think you’re an idiot, you’re a fool.” The condition goes hand in hand with depression and anxiety. “The…
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I’m Drowning Not Waving
I reached crisis point one night last October when I sent pictures to my ex-husband of blood pouring from self-inflicted wounds on my arms demanding to know if he was “happy now”. I’m Drowning Not Waving Alexandra Sheach It’s Depression Awareness Week and I figured it was time to blow this mental health stigma shit high out of the water. I hadn’t known there was an official event this week, I’m so used to seeing memes on social media I meet with a sage nod or wry smile as we all ‘like’ a post telling us it’s nothing to be ashamed of – but we don’t stick our heads above…