Difficult emotions

Disorders and difficulties Therapies and practical advice Perspectives and controversies

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A photo of a person sitting at a table in a cosy café setting. The background is softly blurred, showing shelves and decor.

Conflict and conflict resolution

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Why being snubbed can make you feel so hurt and enraged

The psychology of ostracism helps explain why you can sometimes shrug it off, yet other times feel the urge to lash out

by Christiane Büttner

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Difficult emotions

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Feeling nothing can be as devastating as feeling too much

Emotional ‘emptiness’ is a damaging, underexplored phenomenon. Better understanding it could help steer people to fulfilment

by Christopher J Hopwood

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Depression

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How to support someone with depression

Being there for someone can be challenging. A clinical psychologist shares what to say and do to help them feel less alone

by Emma Cotterill

Illustration of a young woman with a bob haircut, red skin and two different coloured eyes. She holds her hands up to her cheeks.

Mental health

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Fixating on her body, a woman grapples with strange distortions of the self

Directed by Chenghua Yang

Photo of a woman in a pink top sitting indoors with eyes closed. Sunlight and shadows on the wall, plant on the right.

Death and dying

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It’s not foolish to foster hope in the face of illness and death

As a great loss loomed, I feared straying too far from the hard truth. But I learned to distinguish denial from hope

by Christiana Boules

Painting of a woman in black on a red chair against a red wall holding a white object looking contemplative.

Sadness and sorrow

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Avoiding sadness can backfire, here’s how to turn towards it

Everyone has stretches of sadness. Shifting how you think about and relate to sad feelings could help you through these times

by Beth Kurland

Illustration of a person pushing a boulder on a wooden boat that is tipping over from the weight, in wavy blue waters against a pale background.

Forgiveness

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How to forgive (even if they’re unrepentant)

Feeling ill will toward someone who harmed you is natural but draining. You can let it go, whether you reconcile or not

by Richard S Balkin

An elderly woman stands in a dark room with bamboo-like plants in the background, illuminated by soft, mystical light from above.

Love

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A grandmother grapples with the fallout of her husband’s double life

Directed by Gabriella Aguirre

Photo of seven people sitting on a bench in a train station waiting area, with a clock on the wall behind them.

Civic life

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Bureaucracy and other civic bullshit can be good for us

No one enjoys waiting in stuffy buildings or on congested roadways, but there’s an upside to our fellowship of frustration

by Joel Cox

Photo of a sign on a brick wall with a yellow arrow and text “Way out” in yellow on a black background.

Emotion regulation

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If feelings for an ex are troubling you, try ‘opposite action’

Acting on misguided feelings of love only fuels the emotional fire. Learn to let the fire burn out with these DBT-based tips

by Kiki Fehling

Person with closed eyes enjoying music through headphones, dressed warmly in a black coat, with one arm raised in a dancing motion.

Difficult emotions

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How to enjoy your problems

Accepting your problems is one thing. To enjoy them? Well, that’s pretty much enlightenment. Here’s how to get there

by Chelsea Harvey Garner