How often do you find yourself in a situation when you say to yourself, “I need to really…”

…go to the gym
…eat healthier
…go to bed earlier
…exercise
…spend less money
…be happier

If you listen carefully to our inner dialogue as well as to others, “need to,” “should,” and “have to” statements are often part of our daily lexicon to help keep ourselves in check with certain desires and motivation. The problem with these all-or-nothing statements is that they are implying that what we are currently doing is far from being our perfect selves.

While most people relate seasonal affective disorder with the dark days of winter, summer time can also trigger this disorder. In fact, for many people, the summer months are the most difficult: 10 percent of those diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder suffer symptoms at the brightest time of the year. The summer’s brutal heat, bright light, and long days can contribute to depression for the opposite reasons that the winter does. Like typical SAD, the change of light can affect a person’s circadian rhythm, which may disturb overall health and sleep patterns.

Kindness is a virtuous characteristic and a learned behavior that is often instilled by our caregivers at childhood. It is an interpersonal skill that often requires courage, strength, and occasional sacrifice. From a young age we are taught to be considerate, compassionate, and thoughtful towards others, either through direct interaction or by observation. Our heroes, whether fictional or real, often exhibit selfless and altruistic qualities that inspire us to hope, dream, and be our best.Thus, kindness and compassion can become instinctive behaviors that we learn to exclusively associate with others while forgetting about ourselves. Even our heroes often practice self-sacrifice at the expense of their well-being. By focusing on kindness as an act that is meant for others we tend to exclude the ideas of self-care and personal compassion from our daily routines.

June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, which celebrates everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community. This year marks the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, otherwise known as the Stonewall Uprising, which saw members of the LGBTQIA+ community fight back against harassment from the police in Greenwich Village in June 1969.

While more and more people in the U.S. voice support for gay and lesbian rights each year, many people still do or say things that, however unknowingly, hurt the very people they mean to help. Here are 6 ways to be a better LGBTQIA+ ally during Pride Month and beyond, according to PFLAG, a national organization of LGBTQIA+ allies.

Most people can identify stressors in their lives that increase anxiety: paying bills, looking for a new job, ending a relationship, for example. However, some people might be surprised to learn that food can significantly impact our mood and increase anxiety.

Eating foods rich in protein, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids are known to fight depression and other mood disorders. However, on the flip side, eating the wrong kinds of food can cause depression, anxiety and worsen existing symptoms.

If you have panic attacks or suffer from a mood disorder, it’s helpful to identify which foods may trigger or exacerbate symptoms. As a general rule, the following 5 foods should be avoided if you suffer from anxiety.

Most of us, it is safe to assume, have felt some level of impact from the current political and social climate. The seemingly endless news cycles, radio reports, newspaper headlines, social media campaigns, and regular day-to-day interactions with colleagues, friends, and family bring about daily reminders that are hard to avoid. Whether we like it or not, this cycle of negativity can creep into our daily existence, and bring about unwanted stress, anger, worry, defensiveness, and offensiveness.

While many are feeling powerless in the larger context of world events, there are ways you can help yourself to create a bit of peace and quiet in your mind, and allow yourself some space from the noise.

While going through the hustle and bustle of daily routines we rarely stop and think about our thinking and about the impact that thoughts have on our feelings, emotions, and behaviors. Experts estimate that on average a person experiences roughly 2,500 to 3,300 thoughts per hour for a grand total of about 50,000 thoughts per day. That’s a whole lot of thinking and a good deal of it relates to personal worry, fear, anxiety, and dread.

Most of us would prefer not to be described as “mean” or “rude” by others. Sometimes, so much so, that it affects our ability to assert ourselves in an array of situations, whether it be in the workplace or social situations. It’s important to consider that an assertive interpersonal style of communication actually involves clearly expressing your opinions, feelings and preferences without violating the rights of others; sort of the opposite of being “mean” or “rude”. In fact, communicating assertively more often than not inspires positive outcomes rather than inciting conflict and misunderstandings. Here are three tips for being assertive in any situation.

Do you find you accept responsibility for a loved one’s emotions or actions? Are you constantly trying to please others? Do you neglect your own needs and have difficulty setting realistic personal boundaries? Do you often feel resentful, yet have difficulty stepping away from a dysfunctional relationship?

Sleep is often one of the most overlooked aspects of our lives. Sure, we all know that not getting enough of those precious Zzzz can make us grumpy but a lack of sleep can significantly affect us in more ways than we may realize. Studies show that a lack of sleep affects daily functioning, mood, physical health, concentration and memory, and much more. One in three of us suffers from poor sleep practices as a result of stress, computers and other technology, and negative work environments. Specifically, poor sleep has been linked to people who come home from work feeling blamed. Now, how much sleep do we need?