Its officially fall. And as a psychiatrist on a college campus, I find that Im only getting busier this time of year. It makes sense that fall brings up a lot of feelings like stress and anticipation of new beginnings for a lot of peoplewhether or not its their first year of college. Adjusting from summer back to the grind of college life can be hard, to say the least.

College, in general, can be a baffling emotional roller coaster, but these years also hold so much opportunity for exploring, accepting, and loving who you are and where youre headedeven when it doesnt feel like it. To help you through those moments, heres a list of seemingly small things you can do to feel a little better when youre in school. I recommend these tips often in my conversations with patients. I hope they help you just the same.

Heres something I see all the time: Someone comes into my office feeling anxious because they definitely failed the test they just took while everyone else looked like it was so easy. This is an example of what experts call a cognitive distortion, or basically jumping to a (usually negative) conclusion without sufficient evidence. A lot of people think theyre the only ones struggling while everyone else sails through life. This can make it feel like you need to pretend everything is perfect even when its not.

In my ideal world, everyone would admit when things are hard so it would be clear that we all struggle sometimes. But that doesnt help you right now, so Ill instead suggest that you challenge thoughts like I definitely failed that test and everyone else clearly aced it so easily. It may seem obvious, but stopping to really analyze a thought like this can help you believe it less.

First, write down whatever thought is stressing you out, like that you failed an exam while everyone else got an A. Then try to come up with a list of evidence supporting the thought (I skipped a bunch of questions, I didnt study that last chapter) and evidence against that thought (I did study for hours, though, I actually cant know how well anyone else did). Then ask yourself again how likely it is that your original thought holds water.

As an extra step, try being vulnerable enough to run these stressful thoughts past people you trust (friends, family, a significant other, your therapist). This will usually reinforce that your original thought isnt true, or even if it is, remind you that youll be okay.

Have you ever scrolled through your exs Instagram at 1 a.m. and felt...a lot of things that you couldnt quite name? Maybe a confusing mix of anger, sadness, grief, and even a little gratitude that you no longer have to workshop their hilarious punny captions?

Not having the words to name your emotions is more common than you might think. It can be particularly hard to figure this out in college when youre feeling a lot of things you might not have felt before thanks to your new, probably pretty stressful situation. This is why some therapists teach patients how to name their feelings using emotion wheels, which depict core feelings like happy and sad in the middle, then move outward into associated feelings like optimistic or fragile.

Whenever you feel like your emotions are out of control, look up an emotion wheel online (or grab the copy youll print out after youre done reading this, right?). Starting with the core feelings and then the associated feelings or vice versa, try to name your emotions. Honestly, this can feel a bit silly at first. But exploring your emotions this way allows you to acknowledge, better cope with, and maybe even understand the meaning behind how you feel.

You can also make a habit of journaling every time you use your emotion wheel. Not only can this help with processing your emotions and problem solving in the moment, but you may also begin to notice patterns you would have missed otherwise.

Just as your feelings are valid, they are also often temporary. This can be hard to believe when youre feeling the heat of an emotional firestorm because you didnt get into the one class you were most excited to take this semester, so now everything feels like its going to be awfulbut its true. Here are some concrete ways to remind yourself that this too shall pass:

I know, I know: Youve heard this one before. But I promise that things really can look and feel different after you sleep.

As someone who went to med school, I completely understand the temptation to pull all-nighters in college. Sometimes it feels like that's the only possible way to get everything done (and done perfectly, at that). That's especially true if you're the first in your family to go to college, you or your family have taken out a lot of loans to get you through school, you have anxiety, you did poorly on a previous paper or test, or anything else that might make you feel especially pressured to succeed.

Still, I can't tell you how many sleep-deprived patients I've seen who feel significantly better physically and mentally when they start getting healthy amounts of sleep. When you're sleep-deprived, you're more prone to physical and mental illnesses, and it's a lot harder to juggle school, your social life, and everything else on your plate. You might not even notice how much a lack of sleep is impacting you until you start sleeping well again. Given the choice between one more hour of studying and sleep, I would choose sleep every time. Of course, sometimes a medical issue like anxiety can prevent you from getting the sleep you need, so be sure to see a doctor if you think thats the case for you.

This is somewhat related to the sleeping advice above, but its important enough to deserve special attention.

I fully understand that it can feel like taking a study break is a waste of time that will derail your day and leave you scrambling to catch up. With that said, its actually really important to incorporate study breaks into your schedule. It might feel like those extra 15 minutes of reading will make or break your grade, but when youre burned out or have just been doing something for too long, youre not learning or working at your full capacity. Giving your brain a rest will allow you to focus and absorb material even better the next time you get back to it. If you dont think youll remember to stop and take a break, setting PUT DOWN THE FLASH CARDS FOR A SEC reminders on your phone might help.

It might seem as though you need to have your whole life path figured out the second you set foot on campus. Ive seen many people believe this and wind up two years into, say, an engineering major without ever stopping to question if they remotely like engineering.

This can be unhealthy for so many reasons. You can end up doing something unfulfilling because you already invested a lot of time and energy into studying it, or you can feel like doing poorly on one test means your entire life plan is now ruined. On the other hand, you might feel upset and aimless because it seems like everyone else knows exactly what they want to do in life while youre still unsure.

In reality, college is all about change and questioning whats right for you. You dont have to have it all figured out at the start of school (or at the end, either). Be open to experimentation. Take the ceramics class that has piqued your interest even if you were always into math. Check out every booth at the club fair even if youre pretty sure the college newspaper is calling your name.

If you happen to arrive at the same place you started (e.g., you came in pre-med and still want to go to med school), youll likely feel like that decision is even stronger for having tested it. If I didnt question my goal to be a psychiatrist multiple times at basically every stage of my education, I truly believe I wouldnt know that Im doing what I want to doand for the right reasons.

You might worry about burdening others with your problems, but supporting you is in your friends and familys job description. And if it ever feels like you need more help than a loved one can handle, thats okay too. Nothing is wrong with seeking out that extra support.

Most campuses have a student health center that has mental health providers. These centers often have some sort of screening process to figure out what the best resources are for you and, to some degree, assess your level of urgency. They might recommend that you see a therapist for talk therapy, see a psychiatrist like me for a medication evaluation, or give group therapy a try. If youre having thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, please skip the counseling center and go straight to the emergency room or call 911.

If the wait list to see someone on campus is long (which can happen due to limited resources, especially during busy times of the year like midterms or finals), you can ask the center if they have recommendations for community mental health resources. Most college counseling centers keep a list of off-campus providers that is often more up to date than what insurance companies have on file (though they can be helpful too). Psychology Today is also a great resource because you can search for mental health experts using filters like your insurance plan if you have one and any main issues you want to discuss, like depression. (Heres more information about finding mental health support in college.)

I know the stigma around talking to someone like me can be very real, especially when the cultural message is that college should be the best years of your life. I promise you that it can be utterly normal to find college overwhelming, difficult, and disorienting. Reach out to us. We want to help. You don't have to be having your worst week ever or be doing poorly in school or avoiding your social life to ask for help. Just like you would want to prevent the flu by getting a flu shot, mental health support can be preventive too. Don't just wait for a crisis to reach out.

Related:

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7 Little Ways to Deal With the Emotional Roller Coaster That Is College - Self

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EasyVista Inc., a global leader in IT Service Management, today announced that it will be previewing its latest product release at EV Connect in Austin, TX October 1-2, 2019. Cobalt, the latest release of the EasyVista product portfolio, was developed to provide next-generation updates to their EV Self Help product that includes intelligent Service Bots technology that will enable customers to quickly deploy Virtual Support Agents that learn from the knowledge in Self Help.

Cobalt uses AI-powered knowledge experiences to keep employees engaged and customers connected, supporting the digital-first world of today. Additional features included in Self Help enable rapid integration of knowledge, enhanced user experience for knowledge writers, and connectors to popular applications and integration platforms like Microsoft Flow. Together, these technologies allow organizations to easily capture knowledge and syndicate to users wherever they work through websites, self-service portals, enterprise applications and Virtual Agents.

The Cobalt release puts service transformation at the forefront for our customers, giving them the tools necessary to deliver on the promise of self-service by making help available from anywhere, said EasyVista CMO John Prestridge. Cobalt will allow customers to enhance the self-service experience with AI-augmented digital experiences that guide employees and customers to the answers they need, which in turn will reduce costs and improve overall satisfaction."

Transforming service for the future of work will be the central theme at EasyVistas EV Connect in Austin. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive hands-on training and learn about real-life case studies on how to modernize service delivery with intelligent service automation technologies. Attendees will also learn about EasyVista tools designed for delivering robust process automation and better digital experiences, including micro apps, intelligent knowledge management, virtual support agents, AI and more.

EasyVista is always looking to innovate in the digital-first world and provide new ITSM solutions that integrate transformative technology with human needs, said EasyVista CEO Sylvain Gauthier. EV Connect will provide attendees intel on how ITSM can transform critical service functions for customers and employees, with a focus on delivering business value.

For more information, please visit easyvista.com.

About EasyVista

EasyVista is a global software provider of intelligent service automation solutions for enterprise service management and self-help. Leveraging the power of ITSM, Self-Help, AI, and Micro Apps to create customer-focused service experiences, EasyVista has helped companies improve employee productivity, reduce operating costs, and increase customer satisfaction. Today, EasyVista helps over 1,500+ enterprises around the world to accelerate change, empowering leaders to better serve their employees and customers across financial services, healthcare, education, manufacturing and other industries.

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EasyVista Showcasing the Cobalt Release of its Self-Help Product, Designed to Keep Employees Empowered and Customers Connected - Business Wire

It sometimes seems like my entire life is processing either the direct or secondary trauma of my past. Traumatic echoes of events that, for the most part, are years and decades past, seem to invade every sense, as well as my dreams.

The very direct trauma of bullies ripping off my pants down to my Fruit of the Loom underwear, tearing the pants into shreds, and throwing them out in a busy street. The mile walk of shame to my home. So traumatic, that I can show you exactly where it happened in my hometown of Mt. Lebanon, Pa.

The red robin I allowed other kids to pressure me into shooting with a BB gun at 16 years old. A senseless act of cruelty that still haunts my dreams. Did it feel pain? Will it be missed? The trauma of watching it suffer and failing to come to grips with how my teenage self could be so uncaring and vicious.

The image of the dead animal in the roadway will bother me for days as I project and internalize its trauma.

The family of the young lady I represented so many years ago. A tractor-trailer rear-ended their daughter and she died, trapped in the vehicle as it burned. Her suffering. Her familys plight.

There was a time when I allowed many of these traumatic echoes to play a role in a litany of unhealthy and self-destructive behaviors. How much impact did they have? I cant say. Correlation is not cause. What I can attest is my subconscious having decided to preserve these moments as endless ripples of water pushes further and further out from the source but never settling into a peaceful state within the framework of my reconstructive memory.

I utilize various methods of self-care to deal with these feelings. It has not always been the case. The projection of pain, suffering, guilt, and shame consumed me. I wore it all like a skintight suit affixed to my body with super glue.

While there are some commonalities and stereotypes as to what is trauma, it can take many forms and be uniquely subjective in how its processed. Life-changing trauma to one person may be easily shrugged off without emotional or biological consequence to someone else. In my anecdotal experience, this disparity can result in feelings of guilt and shame. We compare the experience and flog ourselves for not taking the lessor of the emotional routes.

There is no shortage of direct and secondary trauma in the helping professions, including legal. When it occurs within a professional framework that does not encourage vulnerability and portrays therapeutic self-help as weakness, the issues can boil over, and they have. Our profession has the highest rate of problem drinking along with some of the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.

Rocky Haire is a Dallas-based personal injury lawyer. He is no stranger to the secondary trauma of his clients. He says:

Personal Injury law is a steady flow of injuries and death, each case bringing its unique markers of potential secondary trauma.

I remember seeing a three-year-old little girl under a truck hit and killed while her aunt was holding her hand as they walked along the road. Her yellow dress was somehow still clean. I remember her shattered mom and dad looking to me for something anything.

I remember a kid who was electrocuted and caught on fire in the CareFlite. His mom hated me because I was the only one she could saddle it with. I accepted it without hesitation or regret.

A kid who was hit head-on by a drunk driver going over 100mph and his dad was the first responder. He was so brave in my office even as he cracked and fell apart.

A beautiful, lifeless high school girl wearing a cardigan sweater, her brown hair just right and her face crushed. I have hundreds more.

How do you start a conversation with broken parents? The survivors? The dads tend to compartmentalize and check out the moms take a direct hit nuclear strike while taking care of yourself at the same time.

I remain detached, for the most part. Im the lawyer, right? Im not supposed to be emotional.

The way I most effectively process secondary trauma and help the survivors deal is to help them heal when they have experienced their own trauma through loss of a loved one or other tragedy that is the focus of a personal injury claim.

I tell them, You have to forgive. The person didnt do it intentionally and this unforgiveness is killing you. Look at you. Its rotting your bones, and its time to let it go. You have to. Im asking you to. They usually look at me (a little surprised) with a sad rage but it subsides. They all say, You have no idea, and theyre right but also, they know Im right. I have felt the crushing weight of hate and resentment begin to lift off.

Helping them be free from that horrific ball and chain, I believe, is how I deal with secondary trauma. If I can get them to forgive, it somehow releases me, too. Theres a part of me that continues to see those pictures I still see their broken, decapitated, crushed, burned bodies sometimes but I know a body is just a vehicle to get us around while were here. Nothing more and death isnt final.

Without that hope, I couldnt do what I do. Knowing the emotional damage is healing allows me to move on with them.

In the interest of full disclosure, my focus wasnt always as healthy as it is today. For years, I drank a lot. I wasnt mean or abusive; I think I just needed something to suppress it. My self-medication didnt work and evolved into what it is now.

Of course, how Rocky deals with secondary trauma is quite possibly not how you do it in your law practice. There is, however, a universal lynchpin across the board the importance of continuing self-care. We are taking care of ourselves so that we dont start exhibiting unhealthy signs and engage in destructive coping mechanisms and continue to provide clients with the highest level of assistance.

I reached out to, Mauve ONeil, a local Dallas therapist. She says:

Having helpers in all careers like attorneys, healthcare, education, as well as first responders being better equipped to manage stressful situations, regulate emotions, and taking better care of ourselves will also result in better client outcomes for those we serve. We can choose to take time and effort now or we will be forced to do it later

Here are some ideas to get started with:

RECOGNIZE IT CAN AND WILL HAPPEN!

MAKE AN ACTION PLAN NOW!

PRACTICE YOUR PLAN!

REACH OUT FOR AND TO HELP OTHERS!

From my anecdotal perspective in listening to the stories of other lawyers, the trauma problem is two-fold. We not only have to deal with and process our trauma, our story, but we also have to process and deal with the trauma and stories of those we help. A double duty that even the most skilled of therapists and helpers struggle with. Figuring out a self-care plan is vital and will be unique to the person. There is no shame in asking for professional help in putting that plan together. Start today.

Thanks to the following people for their invaluable contributions:

Brian Cuban(@bcuban)isThe Addicted Lawyer. Brian is the author of the Amazon best-selling book, The Addicted Lawyer: Tales Of The Bar, Booze, Blow & Redemption (affiliate link). A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, he somehow made it through as an alcoholic then added cocaine to his rsum as a practicing attorney. He went into recovery April 8, 2007. He left the practice of law and now writes and speaks on recovery topics, not only for the legal profession, but on recovery in general. He can be reached atbrian@addictedlawyer.com.

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The Echoes Of Trauma - Above the Law

At the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, we champion the voice of lived experience. Earlier this year, we launched our Humans of Scotland project a storytelling initiative that puts a spotlight on the experiences of people living with long term conditions, disabled people and as unpaid carers.

The purpose was to amplify voices that are too seldom heard, raise awareness of the topics and issues tackled, and to drive improvement in health and social care. But the project has become much more than that. Its become a powerful movement in its own right, creating a community of support around the stories shared.

Stories are part of the fabric of human life. They are how we build relationships with one another, a basic component of our communication style that solidifies our understanding of others. Humans of Scotland reaches out to people with messages beyond the experience and understanding of many. By telling the story, however, that gap is bridged, and readers empathise and connect with the storyteller.

When we started Humans of Scotland, we did not envisage people being so generous with their time and with the details of their lives. People have been open and giving, and gathering the stories has been enlightening, confirming what we already knew that we are all natural storytellers.

The Humans of Scotland book, launched last month shares a number of these stories its available on our website and is being distributed to all public libraries in Scotland.

One of the themes in many stories is the concept of self management, of people in the driving seat of recovery and dealing with ongoing conditions. Self management empowers and is proven to yield positive outcomes when it is built around the right support and input.

As a champion of self management and administrator of the Self Management Fund for Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, we hear stories from the projects we fund that are full of hope. For the last decade we have led on this fund, covering 12 rounds and nearly 20 million of grants. What is important to us is the number of people now successfully self managing, in employment or with volunteering opportunities.

In the past ten years the fund has reached more than 200,000 people, created 285 jobs and 1,752 volunteering posts. The opportunities it has offered have been life changing.

The ALLIANCE funds Waverley Care to development a self management and peer mentoring programme of young people aged 19-30 living with HIV and providing one-to-one and group support.

Wendy, who volunteered and now works for Waverley Care, said: I wanted to build structure and routine into my own life at the time, and I thought I knew a lot about blood borne viruses, but I quickly found I didnt so volunteering triggered an interest to keep learning.

Its all about the people we work with and getting the opportunity to help a really stigmatised group.

One of the success of self management is hearing from the people who benefit from different approaches. Michelle, who self manages bipolar disorder, accessed a course funded by the ALLIANCE. She said: I took part in Bipolar Scotlands self management training course and found it extremely helpful.

The course materials were excellent and I enjoyed taking part in the discussions which helped me to make connections. I felt more able to take control of my life and learned how to make informed decisions.

Wendy and Michelles stories have both been featured in the Humans of Scotland series. Both are testament to the resilience we see displayed in many of the stories and show that the self management journey is one we can all learn from and appreciate. As we continue to tell peoples stories as part of the series, we ourselves are learning more about the real and personal impact of our Self Management Fund. It is privilege to administer the fund but even more of a joy to learn of its positive outcomes.

During Self Management Week (7-11 October) the ALLIANCE will announce the new round of funded projects and administer awards for this years applicants. We can only look forward to continued success for the organisations we support and those whom they engage in support and services.

Prof Ian Welsh OBE, chief executive, the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE).

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Professor Ian Welsh: Stories of self-help and dedication spotlight what it is to be a human - The Scotsman

Absurdly Drivenlooks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

We strive to be successful, attractive to others and, most of all, to be happy.

Meanwhile, scientists -- and charlatans -- all over the world try and help us in these quests.

I have a friend who's been to more self-help seminars than dates -- and he's been on a lot of dates. He's still not happy.

I worry, therefore, every time I see a study that suggests the truly reliable indicators of happiness.

The most famous Harvard study -- a 75-year affair -- suggested that the true secret of happiness is good relationships.

Yes, but that's not very helpful, is it? Finding and maintaining good relationships is really hard work.

Is there anything, then, that might offer a simpler path to a brighter day?

Well, my eyes have just fallen upon a study of 2,000 Americans.

It sought to determine if there was a link between happiness and water.

No, not living by the water. Drinking it.

And so a breathless New York Post offered: "Drinking enough water could be the key to feeling 'very happy'."

You see, this survey didn't just limit itself to happiness. No, it wanted pointers to being very happy.

We Americans adore extremes, as the rest of the world knows.

And so it appears that 67 percent of those who said they drank "more than enough" water declared themselves to be very happy.

This compared to a mere 21 percent of souls who said they didn't drink enough water but were still somehow very happy.

I fear both statisticians and philosophers will race to drive a large-wheeled Ford F-150 through these supposed results.

Just because someone drinks more than 10 glasses of water a day and claims to be very happy -- a fulsome 80 percent of these respondents --doesn't mean that the 10 glasses of water are what made them very happy.

Oh, but in the survey the more glasses of water people said they drank per day, the happier they claimed to be.

Surely 8 out of 10 psychologistswould love that correlation.

I feel the need to interject here, before you start throwing solid items at your screen.

It's worth considering who performed this research and why. Well, it was the work of OnePoll on behalf of O.Vine Wine Essence Water.

Which sounds like a product that may enjoy some emotional contradictions.

Naturally, I cannot take such a facile route to extreme happiness without mounds from several salt mines.

I will, though, offer a marginally mischievous extrapolation from this research.

75 percent of these fine Americans believe that drinking the right amount of water is a sign of maturity.

Everyone knows maturity makes you very happy.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Of All The Happiness Studies In The World, This One May Affect You The Most - Inc.

Digital obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) identification and management platform NOCD has received $4 million in Series A funding. The round was headed by Chicago Ventures, with Glen Tullmans 7Wire Ventures, Meridian Street Capital and Hyde Park Angels also participating.

WHAT THEY DO

NOCDs app acts as a resource for individuals who have, or suspect they have, the condition. It features a range of self-help tools such as evidence-based exposure and response (ERP) exercises, user forums for sharing and discussing symptoms and immediate guidance on tolerating discomfort for unexpected compulsion episodes and other OCD education. Additionally, users chat chat with OCD-trained mental health professionals within the app itself, or find specialists in their area.

Although the app is available to consumers, the startup is also looking to partner with payers, providers and higher education organizations to better identify those with the condition and connect them to the appropriate specialists in their area.

The startup was founded in 2014, and raised $1 million in seed funding from 7Wire Ventures back in early 2018.

WHAT ITS FOR

The startup said it will be using these new funds to expand its NOCD Provider Network across the US.

MARKET SNAPSHOT

NOCD appears to be the leading digital health startup thats made OCD is primary focus, and roughly a year ago cut a deal with Actify Neurotherapies to educate its users on ketamine treatment for depression, which is often a comorbidity of OCD.

Still, others such as Ieso Digital Health have included treatments for OCD alongside their digital behavioral health offerings, while researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs have discussed using video telemedicine apps as a vehicle for ERP therapy.

ON THE RECORD

"Those suffering from OCD face a healthcare system that wasn't built to serve them,"Peter Christman, principal of Chicago Ventures and a NOCD board member, said in a statement."Stigma, misinformation and neglect are the norm. NOCD is replacing this broken system of engagement with an end-to-end clinical services platform that puts patients first. The outcome is a dramatic shift in the way we identify and manage OCD.

Read more here:
NOCD's $4M Series A will help the behavior help platform expand its provider network - MobiHealthNews

iStock.

We currently live in an era of Big Wellness, a time when people think nothing about dropping $10 on varietals of non-bovine milk (or mylk, if were being wyld) or using vaginal steaming, sound bath, and jade rolling in the same sentence. Compare the wellness movement to pop culture, and CBD oil would be as big as, say,Lizzo or Beyonce, or maybe even the two of them combined into one megaforce of supernova stardom.

Anyways, you get what Im sayingyou can find CBD in coffee, CBD in tea, CBD in gummy bears,CBD in cocktails, CBD in cereal, and even CBD in pet water (which, as the 2019 gods would have it, is an actual thing separate from human water).

Simply put, CBD is like, one degree below pumpkin spice on the OMFG-this-thing-is-everywhere scale (which, fingers crossed, means we may get a CBD Yankee Candle or CBD Starbucks latte sometime soon).

So obviously, as is the course of things trickling down the great commercial river, I started getting press releases about CBD beauty treatments. And, obviously, as someone who is a professional whitewater rafter of said commercial river, I was immediately intrigued.

Personally, I have the anxiety level of, say, a very nervous shih tzu let loose in the middle of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, so Ive started incorporating CBD into my daily routine by way of drops and gummies. (Ive forever sworn off THC after a particularly potent strain led me to lock myself in a Myrtle Beach bathroom, where for an hour I alternated between contemplating my own imminent death and peeling the skin off chicken nuggets. It was college, what can I say?)

But how would I feel about the overlapping circles of CBD and beauty treatments? On one hand it makes sense: combine two spheres of self-care into one all-encompassing nirvana of personal improvement. But on the other hand, would such treatments translate as a wayward Venn diagram simply preying upon consumer fascination with wellness? That is to say, not do shit, except leave you smelling like a giant hempseed?

There was only one way to find outId try them all myself, naturally. The trenches are a dangerous place from which to report, but I am basically theChristiane Amanpour of beauty writing. No need to thank me for my service, readers.

I was initially skeptical about a CBD manicure and pedicureout of all the treatments I researched, it seemed to me this would be the most far-fetched when it came to actually reaping the benefits of cannabidiol. But I shouldnt have doubted the bougie powers that be. After all, if you can milk an oat, you can give your digits a nice buzz, right?

After walking through the Mynd Spa entryway (which, as it was previously part of the Elizabeth Arden Red Door salon chain, has, yes, a quintessential red door), I settle into my chair in the spas pedicure area to await my technician.

Its pretty par for the course: the pedicure sink is a little bathtub with a collection of rocks in it, not unlike a fish tank or one of those plug-in-the-outlet waterfalls they have in your therapists office; over the speakers, some mystical, Dances With Wolvesjazz flute music wafts; along the walls hang abstract metal art pieces of indistinguishable meaning. (A commentary on the myopic meaninglessness of 21st century beauty ideals? An ode to toes? On sale at Pier 1? Whos to say.)

When the technician begins the pedicure, she informs me that the CBD portion of the treatment will come from a special cannabidiol-infused lotion. She then leans down to take off my polish and whispers a quiet, quickoh my god,as if there, poking out from my pant legs, were two flippers instead of feet. Yes, to be fair, my calluses werent great after a summer of running (and a journalist budget that doesnt allow for such indulgences as self-care), but I mean, come on, they werentthatbad.

She is eventually able to overcome her shock, slaps on some loofah gloves, and were off! For the most part, the pedicure is the same as all other pedicuressome scrubbing, some clipping, some stone pumice-ing. But then she pulls out the CBD lotion. (Each bottle bears a technicians name, as if to prevent theft and resale for a surcharge on a Goop knockoff site.)

She pulls on plastic gloves, puts some of the lotion on her hands, and begins to rub it in. Andit feels like lotion? Im not sure what I expected, reallyperhaps my pores opening into individual holes in the space-time continuum, through which Im beamed into a world where things like space and time dont even exist and your feet arent even feet, man. I dont know.

But as she continues the massage, I begin to wonderare my feet high? I cant tell. I mean, I feel pretty relaxed, the Dances With Wolvessoundtrack has seemingly evolved into some sort of New Age synth music thatd be fitting at an elvish wedding,and honestly, everythings pretty groovy right now.

Post-massage, she puts tiny plastic dividers between my toes and in my blissed-out state, I wiggle them and giggle. It kind of looks like my toes are holding tiny joints! How funny.

By the time she makes it to the hand massage during my manicure, the elf music and CBD oil has done its job. Its all overIm officially, totally, completely relaxed. But am I relaxed simply because Im sitting in a chair sans cellphone and a woman is clipping my cuticles? Or am I relaxed on another level, one thats attributable only to CBD? TBD on the CBD.

Ranking: Three out of five CBD gummies

$38 for an essential manicure with CBD; $75 for an essential pedicure with CBD

Mynd Spa & Salon; 5225 Wisconsin Ave. NW

The CBD oil at Vida isnt laced with anything, the masseuse tells me as she hands me a glass of mint water. No menthol, no essential oils, nothing. Just pure, 100 percent hemp, baby.

They use this sans-fillers CBD lotion because its the easiest way for a client to realize the helpfulness of CBD, she says, which she recommends for all kinds of ills. Headaches, sore limbs, torn musclesyou name it, you can CBD it.

In fact, the spa is so behind the CBD movement that later this year they plan to launch a CBD ritual. The treatment will incorporate cannabidiol in each step, starting with guests sipping CBD-laced chamomile tea before getting a CBD massage and a CBD facial.

But, for now, the only thing on their CBD menu is the massage, which, let me tell you, may list as one of the best experiences of my life (and Im saying this as someone who once sat next to Jude Law at a play, okay?).

To be frank, this entry will be short because I dont remember much about it. I blacked out immediately as soon as the masseuse closed the door to the treatment room. Im not sure if I fell asleep or entered another dimension, but all I can say is that I woke up, it was over, and I really, really wished it wasnt.

Now to be fair, any kind of massage is enough to send me into a vegetative-like state of zen (its my dream to one day make the kind of money that would pay for someone to walk around behind me and rub my shoulders at all times).But, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial, this treatment really works. The back pain and shoulder spasms I get from living in a cubicle felt so much better, and the undercurrent of anxiety constantly pulsing through my veins (again, shih tzu), wasalmostgone.

In my everyday life, I use CBD oil on my shoulders and back when theyre bothering me, but this will forever pale in comparison to having someone else (and a professional someone else, for that matter) do it for me.

I felt, like, peaceful afterwards, which is a feeling I sadly do not frequently experience. In fact, I was so chilled out and dreamy that I had to stop and get a humongous cold brew on my way to work, just so everyone wouldnt think I was blazed out of my mind (which, in some ways, I kind of was, minus the whole locked door-chicken nuggets thing).

Ranking: Five out of five CBD gummies

$45 to add to any massage

Aura Spa at Vida Fitness; locations vary

Like the CBD manicure, I was a bit confused as to how one could integrate CBD into a facial. Would there be some sort of CBD-infused steam component, like a mist-er at an amusement park, only with hemp? Or would the CBD be applied directly to my skin, and could that even be good for your face? Would my faceevenlikeCBD?

I flip-flop into the treatment room with my flute of champagne, my robe fluffy and light, my skin equal parts excited and scared. The aesthetician begins by cleaning, steaming, and exfoliating my face, examining my epidermis with the kind of huge light I imagine the government shines over the captured alien bodies at Area 51.

An aside: even if you dont like facials, you should definitely go to this salon because, honestly, its the biggest pep talk of my life. The aesthetician keeps telling me what great skin I have (reader, my skin isnt that great), and whispering So beautiful, so beautiful to herself as she putters around the room. She is so emphatic and effusive it would be weird if she wasnt so sincere, and she basically brainwashes me into thinking Im Gwyneth Paltrow.Shes not unlike one of the self-help leaders Id imagine working on Oprahs soulful cruise ship excursions, or perhaps a life coach with an uncanny interest in my pores.

This makes it all the more jarring when she reveals to me that I have broken capillaries under my eyes. I thought I was perfect?! I feel like Ive let her down by exposing this harrowing detail of my body, this uncomfortable reminder of my humanity. But fear not, she assures meI am still so beautiful, so beautiful.Plus,CBD helps with discoloration and blemishes, she says, and can be used to treat things like rosacea, broken capillaries, and, yes, just generally possessing a human body.

She then applies two CBD masks (one moisturizing, one not), followed byCBD serum and eye cream, which she massages into my face and chest to make sure the oil gets down into my pores.

I am deeply relaxed (which isnt really a surprise, as Im lying in a dark room, a glass of champagne deep, while a woman rubs oil derived from a cousin of marijuana into my pores). But, perhaps even better, I really think it works. I take a look in the mirror afterwards, examining my skin closely for any changes, and I have to sayI look like a freaking cherub, lounging youthfully and rosily on a tiny hempseed plant, as light and fluffy as an otherworldly cloud.

She was right, after all. I am perfect.

Ranking: Four out of five CBD gummies

$205 for CBD facial

The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner; 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean

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Associate Editor

Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She previously was the editorial assistant at Walter Magazine in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her work has appeared in Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Adams Morgan.

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We Tried Some CBD Treatments at DC-Area Spas. Here's What We Thought. - Washingtonian

As the word suggests, bibliotherapy combines two of our favorite topics reading and psychology so it seemed a particularly appropriate topic to highlight in this post.

The term itself was coined only about a century ago by Samuel Crothers, a Unitarian minister who wrote an article in the Atlantic Monthly describing how relevant books could be used as an effective adjunct to medical or psychological treatment. However, the idea of bibliotherapy has existed from ancient times. The library at Thebes in ancient Greece had written over its door, Healing place of the soul, and people have always instinctively recognized the power of stories to not only entertain and inform but also to comfort and guide.

What Is Bibliotherapy?

Bibliotherapy is most easily defined as facilitating psychological growth and healing through reading. Most people in the field recognize two distinct branches of bibliotherapy, though the exact dividing line between them is not easily drawn.

Developmental bibliotherapy is used mainly in community or educational settings, to help children or adults address common life issues. For example, Gregory and Vessay explain how school nurses can help children address issues of bullying through bibliotherapy, while a 2006 study by Frieswijk et al.demonstrated how bibliotherapy can positively affect self-care behaviors insomewhat frail, community-living seniors, thus decreasing their probability of future institutionalization.

Clinical or therapeutic bibliotherapy is the use of books in a professional therapy context to treat a diagnosed emotional disorder or ameliorate the negative life impact of a diagnosed emotional, mental or physical disorder.Therapeutic bibliotherapy is most often used as an adjunct to more traditional medical or psychological therapies, as in a just-reported study that successfully used poetry therapyto reduce anxiety and PTSD in patients recovering from a heart attack.

But it can be used as a stand-alone therapy as well, as it was in a 2004 study that comparedthe effectiveness of self-administered bibliotherapywith traditional short-term (12-20 sessions) psychotherapy for 60 older adults diagnosed with depression, and found both were equally effective in reducing clinicians ratings of depression, both immediately post-treatment and at a three-month follow-up.

How Is It Done?

Bibliotherapy is more of a general concept than a single, rigorously defined therapeutic method.As in the final example cited above, bibliotherapy can sometimes be as simple as prescribing books that is, telling a student, client, or patient to read a particular book that you believe will help them.More often, bibliotherapy is facilitated through interaction with a helper or guide, either one-on-one, as in a counseling situation, or in a group of people who are dealing with similar issues and reading and responding to a text together.

The pioneering work of Sadie Peterson Delaney with World War I veterans at the VA Hospital in Tuskegee is an excellent example of both types. Delaney was a librarian by training, but bibliotherapy can also be successfully facilitated by many other helping professionals, including doctors, psychologists, social workers, school counselors, teachers, and community workers.

One can even practice bibliotherapy on oneself, as we suspect many avid readers do, returning to favorite books that they know will lift their spirits when lifelooks generally grey, or, more urgently, seeking written advice or inspiration to help them face significant life challenges, such as a cancer diagnosis or the loss of a loved one.Indeed, therapeutic texts can be of many different types: Narrative fiction is the original and traditional genre used in bibliotherapy, with poetry a close second, but self-help books are now just as popular, while biographies and memoirs can also be very helpful if written by or about someone who struggled with or triumphed over circumstances similar to those readers face.

Of course, therapeutic texts need not be complete books; short stories have been found effective in bibliotherapy, especially with participants whose attention span may be limited by age or cognitive impairment, while several practitioners have written about using comic books, and both teachers and therapists often use picture books to help young children develop and cope with difficult circumstances.

How Does It Work?

There is much discussion in the theoretical literature on bibliotherapy about whether its beneficial effects derive from the actual reading of the text itselfor from the interaction, discussion, and sharing around the text that typically accompanies that reading. It seems likely the answer is both.

But most people in the field agree that the process works through the familiar therapeutic stages of identification, catharsis, and insight.In the first stage, the reader forms an affiliation with a character or characters in the text, identifying with their problems and goals.Catharsis comes about as the reader follows the charactersthrough the text, experiencing from a safer, once-removed position their emotions, struggles, and hopes as they work toward the eventual resolution.Insight is the conscious recognition of similarities between the charactersor situationsin the text and the readers own characteristics and circumstances, and the subsequent decision to apply ideas or lessons from the text to the readers own thoughts and actions.

Many scholars add a fourth stage, universalization, in which the text helps readers realize that they are not alone, but that many others share similar problems and concerns and have found ways to deal with them.In this respect, bibliotherapy, even if undertaken alone or one-on-one, offers an important benefit more often associated withgroup therapy.

Who Can It Help?

Professional articles about bibliotherapy have tended more toward the anecdotal, recounting individual case studies or describing how a particular program or practitioner makes use of bibliotherapy.But some studies using experimental and quasi-experimental methods have found statistically significant evidence of the effectiveness of bibliotherapy with such disparate populations as depressed adults, children with internalizing and externalizing disorders, and perfectionists.

Thenumber of such rigorous studies is gradually growing, and 2019 looks to be the year of bibliotherapy a number of studies have been published just this year on the use of bibliotherapy with refugee children who have suffered trauma, children with intellectual disabilities, victims of sexual abuse, adults with dementia, children with OCD, and pre-service teachers.

If you want to know more about this growing field, which combines traditional aspects of literature character, theme, emotion, and plot with therapeutic functions more often ascribed to clinical psychology, here are a few good places to start:

Read more:
Bibliotherapy: Using Books to Help and Heal - Psychology Today

Simone Jacobson believes the healthcare system in America is broken, and she doesnt think her employees at Burmese newcomer Thamee can afford to wait for legislators to fix it. Starting today, the hot spot on H Street will add a 4 percent charge to customers bills along with a short explanation about how the wellness provision will help the restaurant cover the cost of quality health benefits and encourage self-care for the staff.

We dont have to wait for a government or a policy or a law to tell us ... the right thing to do here, Jacobson says.

The 4 percent charge will cover health, dental, and vision insurance for every employee who works at least 30 hours. The money in the wellness fund thats left over after insurance costs will be equally redistributed to every employee regardless of the amount of hours worked. Employees can then use that money to pursue their own care however they see fit.

Jacobson, who co-owns the restaurant with chef Jocelyn Law-Yone (her mother) and Eric Wang, says the redistribution fund could go toward extra money to pay for a massage or take a parent out to dinner. It could mean the money for hypnosis, acupuncture, a gym membership, or a professional retreat.

What does wellness actually mean? she asks. Healthcare is for when you get sick. And you can use it as preventative care. But what does it mean to be well? For me what it means is you have a little bit peace of mind.

Thamees wellness charge is modeled after the one local star chef Kevin Tien instituted at Hot Lolas, his Sichuan hot chicken counter in Ballston Quarter, which is also 4 percent. Aaron Silverman told Washington City Paper that he just started a people program at Pineapple and Pearls, which serves one of the priciest tasting menus in town, that calls for a 5 percent charge on checks to go toward a 401(k), paid time off, and counseling for mental health, substance abuse, and family issues.

Jacobson says implementing the change was paramount to making sure the business, which is nearly five months old, was doing everything it could to support its staff. Health coverage is rare in many restaurants, and an oversaturated dining market in D.C. means its difficult for owners to find and retain staff members.

For Jacobson and her partners, it was important to show customers how they were supporting the staff at Thamee and not shuffle the health care costs into food and drinks. She wants the restaurant to be a disruptor that helps mold the national conversation. She says Thamee already pays employees $15 an hour, a dollar over the minimum wage, and tipped employees have a $4 hourly base. Thamee already has to deal with the stigma of prices people expect to pay for non-European food, she says, and hidden costs add up for employers.

She says the restaurant has hired cooks from D.C. Central Kitchen, the nonprofit that trains formerly homeless and unemployed people how to become professional cooks, and she doesnt want to see those people leave for hotel jobs because those are the only employers that offer a sustainable career.

Jacobson expects to receive some resistance from customers about the new policy, but shes not worried about losing business.

Anyone who would push back against transformation may not want to eat at woman- and immigrant-owned businesses that are going to push for wellness for their team, she says.

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Read more:
A New Fee at Burmese Hot Spot Thamee Covers More Than Just Health Care - Eater DC

Plans for more affordable, supportive housing in San Luis Obispo County are underway, and the project may signal an end to a south county skirmish over where to place shelter for the homeless. The nonprofit affordable housing developerPeoples' Self-Help Housing (PSHH) met with Pismo Beach officials in September to negotiate a possible location in the city. On Tuesday, the nonprofit announced it had gone into escrow on a new site.

The plan is to build 50 permanent, supportive housing units on North Fourth Street, just off Highway 101. Pismo Beach City Manager Jim Lewis praised the location at a September 17 city council meeting.

We really believe this is a great site, Lewis said. Its adjacent to transportation, groceries, the freeway. There arent surrounding neighborhoods adjacent...really it provides an opportunity for people.

The location of this housing projecta collaboration between PSHH and the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition (5CHC)has been a source of contention. The original spot was planned as a one-stop homeless advocacy center with office space, warming center and transitional and permanent housing at the site of Hillside Church in Grover Beach. But many in that neighborhood pushed back on the decision to place the center in a residential area. Then questions were raised over the legal ownership of the church property and the whole project stalled.

John Fowler is president and CEO of Peoples' Self-Help Housing.

It doesnt look like thats going to get resolved any time soon, Fowler told KCBX News. Weve waited kind of as long as we can, so unfortunately were going to be cancelling that escrow.

Fowler said the organization bought the new property for $3 million dollars, of which $1.6 million came fromCalifornia Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) grant money that was dolled out across the county by the board of supervisors earlier this year. PSHH and 5CHC shared the largest financial award, $2.6 million dollars, with the aim of increasing homeless services in south county. Last month, 5CHC announced they used the HEAP funding to buy a permanent office space in Grover Beach for $1 million. The new Pismo Beach location will use up the remainder of those state dollars.

We still need to find a home for the warming center somewhere in the Five Cities area, Fowler said.

Fowler said PSHH will be collaborating with 5CHC to include some transitional housing at the new Pismo Beach site. The organization aims to break ground on the project in late 2020, but Fowler said it may take more time, negotiations and a lot more money before move-in day arrives.

Original post:
After opposition in Grover Beach, homeless housing project finds site in Pismo Beach - KCBX