Insomnia
Build Resilience Catherine Franssen Build Resilience Catherine Franssen

Insomnia

While many people acknowledge a bit of missed sleep or tiredness, few realize how much sleep they are missing and how big a problem it may be. Insomnia may be affecting every part of your life, whether or not you know it.

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The Ultimate Sleep Challenge
Build Resilience Catherine Franssen Build Resilience Catherine Franssen

The Ultimate Sleep Challenge

I love trying new things, experimenting, and I find the challenges to be a fun way to get me excited about new approaches. I know that these things are essentially “tricks” to get me to change my behavior. But frankly, I’m ok with that. I want to trick myself into doing the new behaviors. So how do we use neuroscience to sleep better? I present to you… a challenge.

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Sleep as stress relief
Build Resilience Catherine Franssen Build Resilience Catherine Franssen

Sleep as stress relief

While it’s not an active stress management strategy, sleep can actually be good for stress relief. After all, a lack of sleep leads to many stressful situations in the first place. Here we explore a bit of neuroscience behind how sleep deprivation results in increased stress.

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Loneliness and the Stress of Being Alone
Build Resilience Catherine Franssen Build Resilience Catherine Franssen

Loneliness and the Stress of Being Alone

Winter is a time of increased social isolation and loneliness. Travel barriers from weather and illness increase our isolation this season. And even those of us who typically enjoy being alone feel the absence of others more acutely after the intense social connections of the holiday season. Why is isolation a stressor for us? What is loneliness?

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The Neuroscience of Tidying Up
Coping Strategies Catherine Franssen Coping Strategies Catherine Franssen

The Neuroscience of Tidying Up

With the holidays winding down and a new year looming, many of us are in a transitional mode. As we begin to take down the holiday decorations and assess where to put our new gifts, we consider that we might need to tidy up in some significant ways.

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The Soothing Neuroscience of Coloring Swear Words
Play, Coping Strategies Catherine Franssen Play, Coping Strategies Catherine Franssen

The Soothing Neuroscience of Coloring Swear Words

Sitting at the kids table this holiday season? You might find yourself spending some time coloring… and you might find it surprisingly soothing! I wrote this piece about the neuroscience behind the adult coloring book fad back in 2016. And yes, I definitely referred to those that include swear words! Hey, whether you’re stressed out or overexcited, you might find yourself using a few choice words this holiday season. Grab a crayon and settle down a bit!

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Gratitude for Holiday Stress
Coping Strategies Catherine Franssen Coping Strategies Catherine Franssen

Gratitude for Holiday Stress

Today I’m sharing a video from a visit to my friends at Virginia this Morning on WTVR CBS-6 back in December 2017. This conversation took place the same month that my article on Scrooge was published on HuffPost, so you’ll notice that it’s referenced and the topics are similar, though one never knows where the questions will go!

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