Trust must be earned. To trust is to believe, and to know that your psyche will be supported and cherished. To give someone your trust is an act of utmost vulnerability.

Have you ever tried cutting dairy out of your diet and then quickly regretted your decision because you realize you miss all of your favorite foods? Whether eliminating dairy from your diet for an allergy, lactose intolerance, or environmental concern, no matter the reason, it can be hard to adjust to dietary changes, especially if you are accustomed to pairing cheese with crackers as a routine snack or spreading butter on your morning toast. Luckily, as someone who has been dairy free for 15 years, I have all of the tips and tricks to get you through the holiday season without being deprived of the many delicious comfort foods we all cherish, know, and love.

Everyone, at some point, will face a hardship that can cause them to falter.  Often, it can get to a point where you struggle to bounce back to functioning as normal or you may feel that you lack the ability to adapt to the situation.  This is where resilience comes in, allowing you to turn an obstacle or failure into an opportunity for growth and enhanced well-being.

Growing up, seeing my Mom complete Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, and a plethora of other types of fad diets specifically marketed toward women, food was always at the forefront of my mind for as long as I can remember. I can recall shows all over the television like the Biggest Loser or Supersize vs. Superskinny as a child, were speaking about someone’s weight, appearance, and food intake was shamed and emotionally charged, but also completely normalized. Having this as a standard form of entertainment can immediately shift your mindset to constantly thinking about your food intake, exercise, and the way your body looks because that is what you see as an example on American media all of the time. I can remember being aware of how my body looked as young as 8 years old…

Over-prescription of opioids has incited heroin addiction in many people. While attempts at regulating opioid prescription have been implemented through guidelines, and reducing addiction has been encouraged through rehab, opioids continue to claim around 130 lives every day. Those inflicted by the addictive substance struggle to escape the crisis. But the crisis also has rippling effects, impacting not only the health of communities through the presence of, for example, infected needles, but also the economy. In fact, almost 1 trillion dollars of the economy are spent on costs related to the opioid crisis.

When our daily routines start to feel like a never-ending chore, we can forget that, in order for our lives to stay exciting, we must commit to being active participants. Distracted by deadlines and other responsibilities during the week, we have a tendency to ‘live for the weekend,’ letting the weekdays slip away through our fingers while we struggle to manage due dates and other responsibilities. Yet, finding beauty in monotony makes more of an impact than you might think.

Most of us are aware that social media can detrimentally influence our mental health. The time we spend mindlessly scrolling can be harmful to our emotional wellbeing and the need to share every experience with online ‘friends’ is overwhelming. As platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat continue to consume our lives and our attention spans, many of us struggle to appreciate a special memory until it has been captured and posted for hundreds of people to see. But social media is inescapable, and the advice that we should just delete these platforms entirely is simply unrealistic for most people today. Instead, managing social media anxiety involves evaluating the relationship that we have with our phones.

“All good things must come to an end.” You’ve probably heard or read this quote before. I came across it when my friend used it as her Instagram caption after a trip we took together last break. While I was momentarily saddened by how true those words felt at the time, as I am approaching the end of my college career and transitioning into a new chapter of my life, the weight of this phrase seems all the more real to me now.

It has been a little more than a month since Russia waged war on their neighbor, Ukraine. News outlets have primarily focused on the economic consequences and political implications, and admiration for President Zelensky has consumed our social media feeds. But it is important to bring attention to the impact this war has had on health, now as well as in the long term. Especially since the war has been found to cause more mortality and disability than any major disease, it is important to recognize war’s social determinants as well as its obvious and additional unseen impacts on health (Murthy et al., 2006).

A daunting depiction of female perfection, the internet’s “that girl” trend has dominated TikTok and Instagram feeds for months. A trend that took off almost a year ago, Tiktok’s “that girl” videos are aesthetic compilations of daily routines and wellness tutorials, featuring everything from minimalist home decor to an array of freshly home-made green juices.

For most of the past months (and I could even go as far as saying for the past couple years at this point), we have been living in isolation both literally and figuratively. News headlines, social media, and even our external environment are constant reminders of our rapid separation and distancing from not only our familiar day to day lives and routines, but also our relationships. As we were forced to acclimate into this closed off atmosphere at the beginning of March 2020, we were faced with a difficult challenge: the heavy and overwhelming burden of having to maintain long distance relationships.

Small talk: a necessary but sometimes dull way of communicating. Do you want to surpass the surface-level banter about the weather or what you did over the weekend? If you’re looking for deeper connections or more lively conversations, it may be time to skip the small talk.

Gender-based pricing, also known as a “pink tax” is a price discrepancy that pointedly calls out how products and services are marketed differently between women and men. The “pink tax” charges women slightly higher prices for ‘feminine’ products, despite being identical or nearly identical versions of the masculine equivalent.

The world of food alternatives within the culinary industry has never been more accessible. Whether suffering from an allergy, digestive malabsorption, or simply seeking to explore the growing world of plants rather than animal-based products, dairy-free alternatives have become all the more accessible. A deficiency of the enzyme lactase causes about 68% of individuals to suffer from lactose intolerance, and experience many gastrointestinal symptoms following dairy consumption because of an inability to break down lactose ([NIDDK], 2018). As a result, many despair at the prospect of having to abandon traditional dairy products; while many of these alternatives on the market do not adequately replicate their desired other, this post provides an overview of excelling non-dairy alternatives within the culinary sphere.

The issue over the representation of women’s bodies in the media has been a conversation for quite some time now.

“She was flirting with me all night, she was practically begging for it.”

In 2017, Netflix released a film titled To the Bone, which told the story of a girl named Ellen, a 20-year-old white American female battling anorexia nervosa disorder.

“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” – Malcolm X.

Here are 5 simple tips to help you study smarter, not harder, this finals season.

When you think of factors that affect your health, what comes to mind?