health Archives - Heather Hayes & Associates https://heatherhayes.com/tag/health/ Interventions & Treatment Consulting Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:28:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://heatherhayes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-HH_logo-32x32.png health Archives - Heather Hayes & Associates https://heatherhayes.com/tag/health/ 32 32 The Difference Between Emotional Regulation and Emotional Suppression https://heatherhayes.com/the-difference-between-emotional-regulation-and-emotional-suppression/ Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:30:00 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7477 Emotional management is one of the key skills we all need to develop over the course of our lifetimes. Feelings are a crucial part of the human experience, yet no two emotional experiences will be exactly the same. You might feel hurt and sadness in a very different way than I do, and my best […]

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]]> Across Cultures, Women Are Carrying Pain Quietly, and the Future of Wellness Depends on Whether We Respond with Shame or Support https://heatherhayes.com/across-cultures-women-are-carrying-pain-quietly-and-the-future-of-wellness-depends-on-whether-we-respond-with-shame-or-support/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:00:24 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7470 Across cultures, languages, religions, and economies, women are carrying pain quietly. In boardrooms and refugee camps. In gated communities and rural villages. In faith communities and on university campuses. In families with privilege and families in poverty. While the external narratives differ, the internal experiences are often the same. Women are disproportionately carrying trauma, relational […]

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]]> Gender-Responsive Interventions: From Disconnection to Open-Hearted Aliveness https://heatherhayes.com/gender-responsive-interventions-from-disconnection-to-open-hearted-aliveness/ Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:45:00 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7199 “In the face of intense yearnings for connection and in order to remain in the only relationships available, we develop strategies that keep more and more of ourselves out of connection.” Carol Gilligan (1991); Gilligan, Lyons & Hammer, 1990 At the core of gender and trauma-responsive practice lies what Carol Gilligan called the Central Relational […]

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]]> Your Mind, Your Health: Understanding the Connection Between Body and Brain in Healing https://heatherhayes.com/your-mind-your-health-understanding-the-connection-between-body-and-brain-in-healing/ Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:15:00 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7192 In 1637, French philosopher Renee Descartes famously wrote that “Je pense, donc je suis”, which translates to “I think, therefore I am.” This phrase, which was originally meant to highlight the importance of the thinking mind to human beings’ lives, has informed a widespread assumption, especially in Western cultures, that our minds and bodies are […]

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]]> ChatGPT Psychosis: What it is, how it develops, who’s at risk, and how to build a healthy relationship with AI https://heatherhayes.com/chatgpt-psychosis-what-it-is-how-it-develops-whos-at-risk-and-how-to-build-a-healthy-relationship-with-ai/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7175 First, a reality check. ChatGPT psychosis is not an official diagnosis. It’s a shorthand people use for psychotic-like episodes (or relapse/worsening of symptoms) that appear temporally associated with intense engagement with AI chatbots. The science is new, but several streams of evidence are relevant, including early case reports and newsworthy medical cases, cohort studies linking […]

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]]> Finding Recovery Without God: How Secular 12-Step Programs and Practical Steps Can Transform Lives https://heatherhayes.com/finding-recovery-without-god-how-secular-12-step-programs-and-practical-steps-can-transform-lives/ Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:36 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7161 Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is one of the most recognized recovery programs in the world. For nearly 90 years, it has helped millions break free from the grip of addiction. Its model—built on connection, community, and a structured process—has stood the test of time. But for some, AA’s religious language and “higher power” emphasis can feel […]

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]]> Clarifying Codependency: What’s Normal and What’s Not? https://heatherhayes.com/clarifying-codependency-whats-normal-and-whats-not/ Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:01:26 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7019 What is codependency? It is a word we often associate with dysfunctional relationships. As a term, codependency has 15 published definitions attributed to a wide variety of experts and psychologists. This complexity explains why it is often misunderstood or taken out of context. Yet, codependency is an extremely useful concept for therapy and counselling, particularly […]

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]]> The Worrying Rise of Diet Drugs https://heatherhayes.com/the-worrying-rise-of-diet-drugs/ Sat, 21 Jun 2025 07:00:16 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7012 The contemporary landscape of weight loss solutions is dominated by the emergence of medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, which have gained immense popularity for their purported weight loss benefits. While these medications are making headlines and witnessing widespread prescription, their implications on eating disorders and diet culture warrant critical examination.  Yet, Ozempic has helped many […]

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]]> The Power of Canes: A Vital Tool for Accessibility and Visibility in the Transgender Community https://heatherhayes.com/the-power-of-canes-a-vital-tool-for-accessibility-and-visibility-in-the-transgender-community/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:13:03 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=7003 In many communities, mobility aids like canes are often seen as simple tools for physical support. However, in the transgender community, they hold deeper significance, serving not just as instruments of accessibility but also as symbols of identity, resilience, and self-expression. This rarely-discussed intersection of mobility and identity is profoundly impactful. The article “My Walking […]

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]]> Self-esteem and Self-compassion: What’s the Difference? https://heatherhayes.com/self-esteem-and-self-compassion-whats-the-difference/ Wed, 28 May 2025 07:00:50 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=6996 The way we relate to ourselves is a key feature of our overall well-being, and understanding the different aspects that make us individuals is one of the important ways to practice good mental health. It is much easier to work with knowns than unknowns; doing the work to develop and maintain good mental health is […]

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]]> Celebrating Differences: Unique Strengths of Neurodiversity https://heatherhayes.com/celebrating-differences-unique-strengths-of-neurodiversity/ Thu, 20 Mar 2025 08:00:54 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=6748 Neurodiversity is a word we hear increasingly – on social media, in the news, and conversationally – but often without its full definition. The term refers officially to the fact that all people think differently and that no two people think alike. In this sense, we are diverse neurologically!  However, the term neurodivergent has been […]

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]]> Challenges of Adolescence: Coping with the Pressure to Be Perfect https://heatherhayes.com/challenges-of-adolescence-coping-with-the-pressure-to-be-perfect/ Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:45:16 +0000 https://heatherhayes.com/?p=6741 The teen years can be extremely challenging. We tend to romanticise adolescence once we have left it behind, remembering it as a time when we were carefree and had many paths open to us. In reality, the years between thirteen and nineteen are fraught for many young people as friendships emerge and erode, academic pressures […]

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