Blog

Reflections, education, and practical tools for your mental health — written by our clinicians.

August 4, 2026 · By Josh McKelvey

Welcome

A short welcome message to the new site.

Cover of Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy

August 6, 2026 · By Laurie Arena

Book Recommendation: Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy

Book Recommendation and Summary: "Good Inside" by Dr. Becky Kennedy

August 14, 2026 · By Joshua McKelvey

What is Health Coaching?

A health coach skeptic's view on being a health coach.

September 7, 2026 · By Joshua D Mckelvey

CBT isn’t magic, and self-help isn’t a substitute for therapy. But evidence supports using simple tools like reducing avoidance, testing fearful predictions, tracking patterns, and applying structured sleep strategies to make meaningful changes on your own.

September 8, 2026 · By Joshua D Mckelvey

What does Anxiety Look Like to You?

Anxiety can show up as irritability, especially when it overloads attention and working memory. Research suggests CBT, DBT skills, slow breathing, brief attention training, mindfulness/acceptance, and deliberate relationship repair can help interrupt the cycle. The core idea: notice the overload earlier, regulate before reacting, and take responsibility for behavior without turning it into self-condemnation.

September 9, 2026 · By Joshua D Mckelvey

ACT Wise

Wisdom research suggests that wise functioning involves humility, perspective-taking, emotional regulation, openness, tolerance of uncertainty, and concern for others. ACT overlaps with many of these capacities through psychological flexibility, especially acceptance, defusion, self-as-context, values, and committed action. The key distinction is that ACT helps us relate more flexibly to our inner experience, while wisdom research asks how we use that flexibility to reason and act well in complex situations.

September 10, 2026 · By Joshua D Mckelvey

Emotional Regulation Under Stress

Emotional regulation under stress is not about eliminating emotions. It is about creating enough space to respond flexibly and act in ways that still fit our values and goals. Research suggests that effective regulation draws on multiple systems, including physiological calming, attentional control, cognitive reframing, psychological flexibility, practiced coping skills, movement, sleep, purpose, and social support. Mindfulness, CBT, ACT, and DBT each appear to target different parts of this process, with generally modest but meaningful benefits depending on the context and population. The most practical takeaway is that regulation works best as a system: notice activation, reduce intensity when needed, interrupt rumination, question interpretations, make room for difficult feelings, and choose the next action deliberately rather than reactively.