Next Step Blog
We’re committed to delivering outstanding mental healthcare. Period.
Here at Next Step, we’re extremely passionate about helping you live a better life! Mental health is important for every person at every stage of life.
That’s why we work hard to create courses, videos, books, and other resources to encourage you to take the Next Step toward positive mental health. But if you’re struggling or going through a crisis, asking for professional help is a great idea – and you can do it now! In the meantime, if you read through our blog, you might be pleasantly surprised by the guidance, tips, and strategies from our providers. After all, one step in the right direction is a step in the right direction.
Anxiety at Christmas: What Your Loved One Wants You to Know about Anxiety
Anxiety at Christmas? While Christmas can be nothing short of jolly for most people, it’s not always exciting for those who suffer from anxiety. Here are a few things to consider during the holidays if you live with someone who has anxiety…
A United Kingdom-based mental health charity, Mind, explored the connection between anxiety and the holiday season. Let’s take a look at...
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What Is a Manic Episode?
Bipolar disorder affects 4.4% of all adults at some point throughout their life, and about 2.8% of adults have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the last year, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Out of the adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder, nearly 83% experience extreme disruptions to their daily routines. Bipolar disorder is a mental health illness characterized...
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10 Self-Care Ideas to Try If You’re Feeling Sad This Thanksgiving
Holidays can be a time of joy and togetherness, but sometimes holidays can be stressful or even sad. Spending the holiday alone may be the result of conflicting schedules, familial issues, or the financial strain of traveling. This year, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has halted Thanksgiving plans across the globe. Regardless of what’s having you feel a little blue this Thanksgiving,...
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1-in-5 Recovering COVID-19 Patients Are Diagnosed with a Mental Illness Within 90 Days
A new study followed 62,354 patients who contracted COVID-19 between January and August
New research published on November 9, 2020 in The Lancet Psychiatry journal shows 20% of people who contracted and recovered from the coronavirus were diagnosed with a mental illness within 14-90 days after testing positive.
Researchers followed 6.8 million patients (62,354 of those patients were...
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How to Get Yourself to Work Out When You’re Depressed
Whether you’re dealing with seasonal affective disorder, major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, or bipolar depression… it can be hard to motivate yourself to work out.
Yet…exercise is one of the best things you can do to support your health — and that includes your mental health too! But just knowing that exercise is good for you isn’t always enough to...
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5 Tips for Safeguarding Your Mental Health This Thanksgiving
Even though Thanksgiving is regarded as a time of togetherness, gratitude, and joy, there are many reasons why the holidays may be anything but bliss. This year in particular may look a little different than previous Thanksgivings, especially if quarantines and travel restrictions prevent you from gathering as you normally would. In addition to the unique challenges of 2020, holidays can be...
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11 Ways to Help Someone with Depression
If a family member or loved one has depression, you might wonder what you can do to help them feel better. You might even feel confused or worried for your loved one.
At Next Step 2 Mental Health, our team of caring providers wants you to know that depression is treatable. In this article, we’ll explore 11 ways you can help someone in your family with depression.
11 Ideas to Help a Loved One...
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Do You Have Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Winter blues. Winter funk. The Blues. Whichever name you use, the reality is that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is common during the darker winter months, and it can be debilitating.
If you’re experiencing any symptoms of depression or SAD, we encourage you to give us a call. Whether you’re struggling with major depressive disorder or seasonal affective disorder, we can help you feel...
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Overcoming the Negative Self-Talk Cycles of Depression
How you talk to others is important and can play a big role in the quality of your relationships. However, how you talk to yourself is equally important. Your state-of-mind and your internal monologue (self-talk) impacts your mental health. The American Psychological Association can assess the quality of self-talk to predict anxiety in kids. Self-talk doesn’t just impact anxiety; it can...
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Bipolar Disorder and Depression: What You Need to Know
Nearly 6 million Americans are impacted by bipolar disorder every year. In terms of percentages, that’s about 2.6% of the adult population — 2.6% of all adults who struggle with the lows of bipolar depression and the highs of a manic episode.
At the Next Step 2 Mental Health, our team is experienced in diagnosing depression. This is important because there are many types of...
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