In this article, I describe an exciting exercise you can use to increase your self-esteem, happiness, hope, and well-being. Recent research has been focused on how people can increase their “subjective well-being,” which is another way of saying people’s positive emotions such as happiness, hope, optimism, etc. This article describes an exercise called “Best Possible Selves.” It is an exercise …

Mostly theoretical. By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. Part II – Two Models of How Boredom Can Develop Note: Unlike other sciences, it’s nearly impossible for psychology to come to concrete answers about how the mind works. Many subfields – namely cognitive psychology – give us great theories about the inner workings of the mind, but they are just that: theories. We …

Mostly practical. By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of thousands, while disrupting the daily lives of billions. In the United States, many are participating in widespread quarantine measures to help stem the spread of the virus. In addition to affecting many parts of our country, these measures are having profound effects Americans’ mental health. …

By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. The world is grappling with an enormous pandemic that is unprecedented in our lifetimes. The coronavirus is causing the disruption of the world economy, the health care systems on many countries, and the lives of millions – if not billions – of people. Considering the extent of this pandemic, and how unfamiliar we all are in …

By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. We don’t like the idea of grief. Just the words—grief, grieving—can make us feel uncomfortable. We associate grief with mortal loss, which is one of the reasons it makes us feel so uncomfortable. You hear that someone is grieving, and you are flooded with these emotions related to loved-ones you’ve lost, and the first reaction is …

By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. Even if you’ve never been to Orange County, you probably have some assumptions about what the area is like. Newport Beach and Laguna Beach conjure up images of lavish coastal lifestyles. The noteworthy school systems and low crime-rates make Irvine a prime area for starting and growing a family. Mission San Juan Capistrano, and its fabled …

By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. For many years, psychologists have understood that depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. In fact, the Nation Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that up to 60% of individuals who report having depression also report having some symptoms of anxiety. Many health care professionals are finding that it’s more common to see patients who report having …

By: Kyle Kermott, Psy.D. There is a pervasive misconception in our culture about therapy, and the people who attend it. Many have erroneously developed a bias that there’s “something wrong” with the people who come to therapy, and that psychologists spend their time fixing these people. But both of those ideas are false. There is nothing wrong with people who …

Research says that regularly using social media has a negative effect on your mental health. Read on to find out why.* People love social media. And people love talking about social media. It seems like we can’t go a week without some new article (like this one!) or news piece about the role social media plays in our lives. It’s …

Psychological pain can be terrible and unbearable. But there’s a secret about pain that you should know about. The title for this article comes from ultramarathon runner Scott Jurek. In case you aren’t familiar with ultramarathon running, it is a niche sport comprised of running races that are at lengths longer than the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Some …