Whether you suffer from insomnia or are just having an off night, the solution is mostly mind over matter. No gadgets, no pills, no hypnotism, just some sound advice from Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Dr. Lisa Woofe, who specializes in sleep medicine.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

I am trying to overcome a personal habit of consuming too much information. I have hundreds of blog posts to read, stacks of books and magazines and a fast internet connection at both home and work which means I am only seconds away from finding the answers to any question that may pop in to my head. What the above example showed me it is OK not to consume all of the information, and if something is interesting and relevant it is very likely that it will present itself to you again in the future.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

If you’ve ever been a patient looking for a doctor or meeting one for the first time such as in an emergency department, one of the first questions that you should think of is how good is my doctor? Or is this hospital any good? Even as a healthcare provider that has been practicing for over twenty years now I ask that question when I am looking for a new doctor, or when I have moved to different areas to live…

…For those that don’t have that inside edge it can be really difficult to get quality
in-tel on your provider.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

Big Brother broke a small patch of ground when it featured a token person with mental illness – Pete Bennett, who had Tourette’s syndrome. But Horizon has been far bolder, and screened an experiment with far more illuminating results. Taking over Hever Castle in Kent for a week were 10 participants; five had been diagnosed with a mental health condition, five had not.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

A week’s worth of New York Times newspapers contains more information and knowledge than the average person in medieval times saw in their entire life. In our current golden age of technology, we as human beings have come to embrace the notion of computers, and the idea that information is a commodity that must be available immediately. Products on the market in the technology sector are increasingly complex in scope and connectivity, and give us unprecedented access to an enormous yet speedily growing body of information. Nowhere is this trend more glaringly apparent than the recent developments in mobile phone technology.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

I know what you’re thinking: another cheesy, goody-two-shoes article on how I can keep all those goals I’ve set going into 2009. If you abhor such articles (like 10 ways to de-clutter your bathroom), then keep on reading. I’m like you. Normal.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, and that means it’s the season for resolutions. I’ve always been part of the 44% of Americans who make (and also break) New Year’s resolutions; I’m a big believer in the power of small changes to make us happier. Along the way, and especially since I started my resolutions-based happiness project, I’ve hit on some strategies for helping myself stick to resolutions.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

The bottom line about meditation is it works to help find peace of mind, balance and presence…But what about those who are not interested in or hesitant about starting a sitting practice yet still seek less stress, peace of mind, balance and presence? The good news is you can find balance and presence without necessarily sitting in silence.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

Do you sometimes move automatically and unconsciously through life, reacting to people and situations? It often seems that mindlessness, rather than mindfulness, permeates our lives. We mindlessly stuff ourselves at the dinner table, whittle away hours in front of the tube, or succumb to our shopping urges and overspend.

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Mental Health Best of the Day

As we put the holidays behind us and dig out from underneath all of the wrapping paper (or snow! or both), many of us turn to the upcoming New Year’s celebration to engage in a ritual that any visiting alien might be puzzled by — New Year’s resolutions.

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Mental Health Best of the Day