Digital obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) identification and management platform NOCD has received $4 million in Series A funding. The round was headed by Chicago Ventures, with Glen Tullmans 7Wire Ventures, Meridian Street Capital and Hyde Park Angels also participating.

WHAT THEY DO

NOCDs app acts as a resource for individuals who have, or suspect they have, the condition. It features a range of self-help tools such as evidence-based exposure and response (ERP) exercises, user forums for sharing and discussing symptoms and immediate guidance on tolerating discomfort for unexpected compulsion episodes and other OCD education. Additionally, users chat chat with OCD-trained mental health professionals within the app itself, or find specialists in their area.

Although the app is available to consumers, the startup is also looking to partner with payers, providers and higher education organizations to better identify those with the condition and connect them to the appropriate specialists in their area.

The startup was founded in 2014, and raised $1 million in seed funding from 7Wire Ventures back in early 2018.

WHAT ITS FOR

The startup said it will be using these new funds to expand its NOCD Provider Network across the US.

MARKET SNAPSHOT

NOCD appears to be the leading digital health startup thats made OCD is primary focus, and roughly a year ago cut a deal with Actify Neurotherapies to educate its users on ketamine treatment for depression, which is often a comorbidity of OCD.

Still, others such as Ieso Digital Health have included treatments for OCD alongside their digital behavioral health offerings, while researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs have discussed using video telemedicine apps as a vehicle for ERP therapy.

ON THE RECORD

"Those suffering from OCD face a healthcare system that wasn't built to serve them,"Peter Christman, principal of Chicago Ventures and a NOCD board member, said in a statement."Stigma, misinformation and neglect are the norm. NOCD is replacing this broken system of engagement with an end-to-end clinical services platform that puts patients first. The outcome is a dramatic shift in the way we identify and manage OCD.

Read more here:
NOCD's $4M Series A will help the behavior help platform expand its provider network - MobiHealthNews

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We currently live in an era of Big Wellness, a time when people think nothing about dropping $10 on varietals of non-bovine milk (or mylk, if were being wyld) or using vaginal steaming, sound bath, and jade rolling in the same sentence. Compare the wellness movement to pop culture, and CBD oil would be as big as, say,Lizzo or Beyonce, or maybe even the two of them combined into one megaforce of supernova stardom.

Anyways, you get what Im sayingyou can find CBD in coffee, CBD in tea, CBD in gummy bears,CBD in cocktails, CBD in cereal, and even CBD in pet water (which, as the 2019 gods would have it, is an actual thing separate from human water).

Simply put, CBD is like, one degree below pumpkin spice on the OMFG-this-thing-is-everywhere scale (which, fingers crossed, means we may get a CBD Yankee Candle or CBD Starbucks latte sometime soon).

So obviously, as is the course of things trickling down the great commercial river, I started getting press releases about CBD beauty treatments. And, obviously, as someone who is a professional whitewater rafter of said commercial river, I was immediately intrigued.

Personally, I have the anxiety level of, say, a very nervous shih tzu let loose in the middle of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, so Ive started incorporating CBD into my daily routine by way of drops and gummies. (Ive forever sworn off THC after a particularly potent strain led me to lock myself in a Myrtle Beach bathroom, where for an hour I alternated between contemplating my own imminent death and peeling the skin off chicken nuggets. It was college, what can I say?)

But how would I feel about the overlapping circles of CBD and beauty treatments? On one hand it makes sense: combine two spheres of self-care into one all-encompassing nirvana of personal improvement. But on the other hand, would such treatments translate as a wayward Venn diagram simply preying upon consumer fascination with wellness? That is to say, not do shit, except leave you smelling like a giant hempseed?

There was only one way to find outId try them all myself, naturally. The trenches are a dangerous place from which to report, but I am basically theChristiane Amanpour of beauty writing. No need to thank me for my service, readers.

I was initially skeptical about a CBD manicure and pedicureout of all the treatments I researched, it seemed to me this would be the most far-fetched when it came to actually reaping the benefits of cannabidiol. But I shouldnt have doubted the bougie powers that be. After all, if you can milk an oat, you can give your digits a nice buzz, right?

After walking through the Mynd Spa entryway (which, as it was previously part of the Elizabeth Arden Red Door salon chain, has, yes, a quintessential red door), I settle into my chair in the spas pedicure area to await my technician.

Its pretty par for the course: the pedicure sink is a little bathtub with a collection of rocks in it, not unlike a fish tank or one of those plug-in-the-outlet waterfalls they have in your therapists office; over the speakers, some mystical, Dances With Wolvesjazz flute music wafts; along the walls hang abstract metal art pieces of indistinguishable meaning. (A commentary on the myopic meaninglessness of 21st century beauty ideals? An ode to toes? On sale at Pier 1? Whos to say.)

When the technician begins the pedicure, she informs me that the CBD portion of the treatment will come from a special cannabidiol-infused lotion. She then leans down to take off my polish and whispers a quiet, quickoh my god,as if there, poking out from my pant legs, were two flippers instead of feet. Yes, to be fair, my calluses werent great after a summer of running (and a journalist budget that doesnt allow for such indulgences as self-care), but I mean, come on, they werentthatbad.

She is eventually able to overcome her shock, slaps on some loofah gloves, and were off! For the most part, the pedicure is the same as all other pedicuressome scrubbing, some clipping, some stone pumice-ing. But then she pulls out the CBD lotion. (Each bottle bears a technicians name, as if to prevent theft and resale for a surcharge on a Goop knockoff site.)

She pulls on plastic gloves, puts some of the lotion on her hands, and begins to rub it in. Andit feels like lotion? Im not sure what I expected, reallyperhaps my pores opening into individual holes in the space-time continuum, through which Im beamed into a world where things like space and time dont even exist and your feet arent even feet, man. I dont know.

But as she continues the massage, I begin to wonderare my feet high? I cant tell. I mean, I feel pretty relaxed, the Dances With Wolvessoundtrack has seemingly evolved into some sort of New Age synth music thatd be fitting at an elvish wedding,and honestly, everythings pretty groovy right now.

Post-massage, she puts tiny plastic dividers between my toes and in my blissed-out state, I wiggle them and giggle. It kind of looks like my toes are holding tiny joints! How funny.

By the time she makes it to the hand massage during my manicure, the elf music and CBD oil has done its job. Its all overIm officially, totally, completely relaxed. But am I relaxed simply because Im sitting in a chair sans cellphone and a woman is clipping my cuticles? Or am I relaxed on another level, one thats attributable only to CBD? TBD on the CBD.

Ranking: Three out of five CBD gummies

$38 for an essential manicure with CBD; $75 for an essential pedicure with CBD

Mynd Spa & Salon; 5225 Wisconsin Ave. NW

The CBD oil at Vida isnt laced with anything, the masseuse tells me as she hands me a glass of mint water. No menthol, no essential oils, nothing. Just pure, 100 percent hemp, baby.

They use this sans-fillers CBD lotion because its the easiest way for a client to realize the helpfulness of CBD, she says, which she recommends for all kinds of ills. Headaches, sore limbs, torn musclesyou name it, you can CBD it.

In fact, the spa is so behind the CBD movement that later this year they plan to launch a CBD ritual. The treatment will incorporate cannabidiol in each step, starting with guests sipping CBD-laced chamomile tea before getting a CBD massage and a CBD facial.

But, for now, the only thing on their CBD menu is the massage, which, let me tell you, may list as one of the best experiences of my life (and Im saying this as someone who once sat next to Jude Law at a play, okay?).

To be frank, this entry will be short because I dont remember much about it. I blacked out immediately as soon as the masseuse closed the door to the treatment room. Im not sure if I fell asleep or entered another dimension, but all I can say is that I woke up, it was over, and I really, really wished it wasnt.

Now to be fair, any kind of massage is enough to send me into a vegetative-like state of zen (its my dream to one day make the kind of money that would pay for someone to walk around behind me and rub my shoulders at all times).But, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial, this treatment really works. The back pain and shoulder spasms I get from living in a cubicle felt so much better, and the undercurrent of anxiety constantly pulsing through my veins (again, shih tzu), wasalmostgone.

In my everyday life, I use CBD oil on my shoulders and back when theyre bothering me, but this will forever pale in comparison to having someone else (and a professional someone else, for that matter) do it for me.

I felt, like, peaceful afterwards, which is a feeling I sadly do not frequently experience. In fact, I was so chilled out and dreamy that I had to stop and get a humongous cold brew on my way to work, just so everyone wouldnt think I was blazed out of my mind (which, in some ways, I kind of was, minus the whole locked door-chicken nuggets thing).

Ranking: Five out of five CBD gummies

$45 to add to any massage

Aura Spa at Vida Fitness; locations vary

Like the CBD manicure, I was a bit confused as to how one could integrate CBD into a facial. Would there be some sort of CBD-infused steam component, like a mist-er at an amusement park, only with hemp? Or would the CBD be applied directly to my skin, and could that even be good for your face? Would my faceevenlikeCBD?

I flip-flop into the treatment room with my flute of champagne, my robe fluffy and light, my skin equal parts excited and scared. The aesthetician begins by cleaning, steaming, and exfoliating my face, examining my epidermis with the kind of huge light I imagine the government shines over the captured alien bodies at Area 51.

An aside: even if you dont like facials, you should definitely go to this salon because, honestly, its the biggest pep talk of my life. The aesthetician keeps telling me what great skin I have (reader, my skin isnt that great), and whispering So beautiful, so beautiful to herself as she putters around the room. She is so emphatic and effusive it would be weird if she wasnt so sincere, and she basically brainwashes me into thinking Im Gwyneth Paltrow.Shes not unlike one of the self-help leaders Id imagine working on Oprahs soulful cruise ship excursions, or perhaps a life coach with an uncanny interest in my pores.

This makes it all the more jarring when she reveals to me that I have broken capillaries under my eyes. I thought I was perfect?! I feel like Ive let her down by exposing this harrowing detail of my body, this uncomfortable reminder of my humanity. But fear not, she assures meI am still so beautiful, so beautiful.Plus,CBD helps with discoloration and blemishes, she says, and can be used to treat things like rosacea, broken capillaries, and, yes, just generally possessing a human body.

She then applies two CBD masks (one moisturizing, one not), followed byCBD serum and eye cream, which she massages into my face and chest to make sure the oil gets down into my pores.

I am deeply relaxed (which isnt really a surprise, as Im lying in a dark room, a glass of champagne deep, while a woman rubs oil derived from a cousin of marijuana into my pores). But, perhaps even better, I really think it works. I take a look in the mirror afterwards, examining my skin closely for any changes, and I have to sayI look like a freaking cherub, lounging youthfully and rosily on a tiny hempseed plant, as light and fluffy as an otherworldly cloud.

She was right, after all. I am perfect.

Ranking: Four out of five CBD gummies

$205 for CBD facial

The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner; 1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean

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Associate Editor

Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She previously was the editorial assistant at Walter Magazine in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her work has appeared in Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Adams Morgan.

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We Tried Some CBD Treatments at DC-Area Spas. Here's What We Thought. - Washingtonian

As the word suggests, bibliotherapy combines two of our favorite topics reading and psychology so it seemed a particularly appropriate topic to highlight in this post.

The term itself was coined only about a century ago by Samuel Crothers, a Unitarian minister who wrote an article in the Atlantic Monthly describing how relevant books could be used as an effective adjunct to medical or psychological treatment. However, the idea of bibliotherapy has existed from ancient times. The library at Thebes in ancient Greece had written over its door, Healing place of the soul, and people have always instinctively recognized the power of stories to not only entertain and inform but also to comfort and guide.

What Is Bibliotherapy?

Bibliotherapy is most easily defined as facilitating psychological growth and healing through reading. Most people in the field recognize two distinct branches of bibliotherapy, though the exact dividing line between them is not easily drawn.

Developmental bibliotherapy is used mainly in community or educational settings, to help children or adults address common life issues. For example, Gregory and Vessay explain how school nurses can help children address issues of bullying through bibliotherapy, while a 2006 study by Frieswijk et al.demonstrated how bibliotherapy can positively affect self-care behaviors insomewhat frail, community-living seniors, thus decreasing their probability of future institutionalization.

Clinical or therapeutic bibliotherapy is the use of books in a professional therapy context to treat a diagnosed emotional disorder or ameliorate the negative life impact of a diagnosed emotional, mental or physical disorder.Therapeutic bibliotherapy is most often used as an adjunct to more traditional medical or psychological therapies, as in a just-reported study that successfully used poetry therapyto reduce anxiety and PTSD in patients recovering from a heart attack.

But it can be used as a stand-alone therapy as well, as it was in a 2004 study that comparedthe effectiveness of self-administered bibliotherapywith traditional short-term (12-20 sessions) psychotherapy for 60 older adults diagnosed with depression, and found both were equally effective in reducing clinicians ratings of depression, both immediately post-treatment and at a three-month follow-up.

How Is It Done?

Bibliotherapy is more of a general concept than a single, rigorously defined therapeutic method.As in the final example cited above, bibliotherapy can sometimes be as simple as prescribing books that is, telling a student, client, or patient to read a particular book that you believe will help them.More often, bibliotherapy is facilitated through interaction with a helper or guide, either one-on-one, as in a counseling situation, or in a group of people who are dealing with similar issues and reading and responding to a text together.

The pioneering work of Sadie Peterson Delaney with World War I veterans at the VA Hospital in Tuskegee is an excellent example of both types. Delaney was a librarian by training, but bibliotherapy can also be successfully facilitated by many other helping professionals, including doctors, psychologists, social workers, school counselors, teachers, and community workers.

One can even practice bibliotherapy on oneself, as we suspect many avid readers do, returning to favorite books that they know will lift their spirits when lifelooks generally grey, or, more urgently, seeking written advice or inspiration to help them face significant life challenges, such as a cancer diagnosis or the loss of a loved one.Indeed, therapeutic texts can be of many different types: Narrative fiction is the original and traditional genre used in bibliotherapy, with poetry a close second, but self-help books are now just as popular, while biographies and memoirs can also be very helpful if written by or about someone who struggled with or triumphed over circumstances similar to those readers face.

Of course, therapeutic texts need not be complete books; short stories have been found effective in bibliotherapy, especially with participants whose attention span may be limited by age or cognitive impairment, while several practitioners have written about using comic books, and both teachers and therapists often use picture books to help young children develop and cope with difficult circumstances.

How Does It Work?

There is much discussion in the theoretical literature on bibliotherapy about whether its beneficial effects derive from the actual reading of the text itselfor from the interaction, discussion, and sharing around the text that typically accompanies that reading. It seems likely the answer is both.

But most people in the field agree that the process works through the familiar therapeutic stages of identification, catharsis, and insight.In the first stage, the reader forms an affiliation with a character or characters in the text, identifying with their problems and goals.Catharsis comes about as the reader follows the charactersthrough the text, experiencing from a safer, once-removed position their emotions, struggles, and hopes as they work toward the eventual resolution.Insight is the conscious recognition of similarities between the charactersor situationsin the text and the readers own characteristics and circumstances, and the subsequent decision to apply ideas or lessons from the text to the readers own thoughts and actions.

Many scholars add a fourth stage, universalization, in which the text helps readers realize that they are not alone, but that many others share similar problems and concerns and have found ways to deal with them.In this respect, bibliotherapy, even if undertaken alone or one-on-one, offers an important benefit more often associated withgroup therapy.

Who Can It Help?

Professional articles about bibliotherapy have tended more toward the anecdotal, recounting individual case studies or describing how a particular program or practitioner makes use of bibliotherapy.But some studies using experimental and quasi-experimental methods have found statistically significant evidence of the effectiveness of bibliotherapy with such disparate populations as depressed adults, children with internalizing and externalizing disorders, and perfectionists.

Thenumber of such rigorous studies is gradually growing, and 2019 looks to be the year of bibliotherapy a number of studies have been published just this year on the use of bibliotherapy with refugee children who have suffered trauma, children with intellectual disabilities, victims of sexual abuse, adults with dementia, children with OCD, and pre-service teachers.

If you want to know more about this growing field, which combines traditional aspects of literature character, theme, emotion, and plot with therapeutic functions more often ascribed to clinical psychology, here are a few good places to start:

Read more:
Bibliotherapy: Using Books to Help and Heal - Psychology Today

Simone Jacobson believes the healthcare system in America is broken, and she doesnt think her employees at Burmese newcomer Thamee can afford to wait for legislators to fix it. Starting today, the hot spot on H Street will add a 4 percent charge to customers bills along with a short explanation about how the wellness provision will help the restaurant cover the cost of quality health benefits and encourage self-care for the staff.

We dont have to wait for a government or a policy or a law to tell us ... the right thing to do here, Jacobson says.

The 4 percent charge will cover health, dental, and vision insurance for every employee who works at least 30 hours. The money in the wellness fund thats left over after insurance costs will be equally redistributed to every employee regardless of the amount of hours worked. Employees can then use that money to pursue their own care however they see fit.

Jacobson, who co-owns the restaurant with chef Jocelyn Law-Yone (her mother) and Eric Wang, says the redistribution fund could go toward extra money to pay for a massage or take a parent out to dinner. It could mean the money for hypnosis, acupuncture, a gym membership, or a professional retreat.

What does wellness actually mean? she asks. Healthcare is for when you get sick. And you can use it as preventative care. But what does it mean to be well? For me what it means is you have a little bit peace of mind.

Thamees wellness charge is modeled after the one local star chef Kevin Tien instituted at Hot Lolas, his Sichuan hot chicken counter in Ballston Quarter, which is also 4 percent. Aaron Silverman told Washington City Paper that he just started a people program at Pineapple and Pearls, which serves one of the priciest tasting menus in town, that calls for a 5 percent charge on checks to go toward a 401(k), paid time off, and counseling for mental health, substance abuse, and family issues.

Jacobson says implementing the change was paramount to making sure the business, which is nearly five months old, was doing everything it could to support its staff. Health coverage is rare in many restaurants, and an oversaturated dining market in D.C. means its difficult for owners to find and retain staff members.

For Jacobson and her partners, it was important to show customers how they were supporting the staff at Thamee and not shuffle the health care costs into food and drinks. She wants the restaurant to be a disruptor that helps mold the national conversation. She says Thamee already pays employees $15 an hour, a dollar over the minimum wage, and tipped employees have a $4 hourly base. Thamee already has to deal with the stigma of prices people expect to pay for non-European food, she says, and hidden costs add up for employers.

She says the restaurant has hired cooks from D.C. Central Kitchen, the nonprofit that trains formerly homeless and unemployed people how to become professional cooks, and she doesnt want to see those people leave for hotel jobs because those are the only employers that offer a sustainable career.

Jacobson expects to receive some resistance from customers about the new policy, but shes not worried about losing business.

Anyone who would push back against transformation may not want to eat at woman- and immigrant-owned businesses that are going to push for wellness for their team, she says.

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A New Fee at Burmese Hot Spot Thamee Covers More Than Just Health Care - Eater DC

Plans for more affordable, supportive housing in San Luis Obispo County are underway, and the project may signal an end to a south county skirmish over where to place shelter for the homeless. The nonprofit affordable housing developerPeoples' Self-Help Housing (PSHH) met with Pismo Beach officials in September to negotiate a possible location in the city. On Tuesday, the nonprofit announced it had gone into escrow on a new site.

The plan is to build 50 permanent, supportive housing units on North Fourth Street, just off Highway 101. Pismo Beach City Manager Jim Lewis praised the location at a September 17 city council meeting.

We really believe this is a great site, Lewis said. Its adjacent to transportation, groceries, the freeway. There arent surrounding neighborhoods adjacent...really it provides an opportunity for people.

The location of this housing projecta collaboration between PSHH and the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition (5CHC)has been a source of contention. The original spot was planned as a one-stop homeless advocacy center with office space, warming center and transitional and permanent housing at the site of Hillside Church in Grover Beach. But many in that neighborhood pushed back on the decision to place the center in a residential area. Then questions were raised over the legal ownership of the church property and the whole project stalled.

John Fowler is president and CEO of Peoples' Self-Help Housing.

It doesnt look like thats going to get resolved any time soon, Fowler told KCBX News. Weve waited kind of as long as we can, so unfortunately were going to be cancelling that escrow.

Fowler said the organization bought the new property for $3 million dollars, of which $1.6 million came fromCalifornia Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) grant money that was dolled out across the county by the board of supervisors earlier this year. PSHH and 5CHC shared the largest financial award, $2.6 million dollars, with the aim of increasing homeless services in south county. Last month, 5CHC announced they used the HEAP funding to buy a permanent office space in Grover Beach for $1 million. The new Pismo Beach location will use up the remainder of those state dollars.

We still need to find a home for the warming center somewhere in the Five Cities area, Fowler said.

Fowler said PSHH will be collaborating with 5CHC to include some transitional housing at the new Pismo Beach site. The organization aims to break ground on the project in late 2020, but Fowler said it may take more time, negotiations and a lot more money before move-in day arrives.

Original post:
After opposition in Grover Beach, homeless housing project finds site in Pismo Beach - KCBX

India Oxenbergwas an active NXIVM member for six years before her mother heard anything about foul play within the organization.

"April 16, 2017, a defector called me up and said, 'You need to save India.' And I didn't know what she was talking about," recallsCatherine Oxenbergwho details her family's experience with the purported self-help group duringTrue Hollywood Story's upcoming Oct. 6 premierein this clip from Tuesday'sE! News.

Speaking about the insidious toll NXIVM's influence took on her daughter's life and personality, she tellsE! NewscorrespondentNina Parkerand chief correspondentMelanie Bromley, "It was a slow drip." So, while the Dynasty star "didn't like the group," she also admits she "didn't know what was really going on" until the defector "laid it out" for her.

"I lost my mind, literally," Catherine continues. "And I went into hyper-drive from that day forward."

Since then, the public has become aware of "secret" subgroups that existed within NXIVM. During Sunday's THS premiere, Catherine chronicles India's involvement in one called DOS, whose terrifying mistreatment of its membersis steadily coming to light.

As previously reported, NXIVM co-founderKeith Ranierewas found guilty of sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, racketeering and racketeering conspiracy earlier this year.Smallville'sAllison Mack, a senior member of the organization who recruited women like Indiaon Raniere's behalf,pleaded guiltyto racketeering charges around the same time.

According to Catherine, it wasn't until after India's exit from the organization that she realized the extent of NXIVM's manipulation over those it claimed to serve. "She said the hardest thing for her was believing that something was good that was so bad," her mother relays. "She wasn't the master of her own thoughts. That's a very frightening thing to be aware of."

During a subsequent interview with Daily Pop, Catherine shares more about how India started coming to terms with her experiences. "When she realized how she had been deceived, by people she trusted, that was earth-shattering for her," the actor recalls, going on to explain that India's memories of NXIVM were foggy following her departure and returned "in waves" over time.

"I think when you're indoctrinated, you're compartmentalized," she suggests. "Everything is secretive."

Hear more about India's journey and Catherine's fight in the two clips above! And for any lingering questions, make sure totune in for the return of E!'s True Hollywood Story.

Don't miss E! News every weeknight at 7, only on E!

Watch Daily Pop weekdays on E! at 12 p.m.

E! True Hollywood Story returns Sunday, Oct. 6 at 10 p.m.!

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Catherine Oxenberg Shares Her Daughter's Scariest NXIVM Revelations - E! NEWS

Avoiding and ruminating are core symptoms of depression. To help sufferers and their loved ones better understand this, Ill unpack the links between depression and procrastination.

1. When people are depressed they often lose interest in activities they normally enjoy. This can lead to procrastination about even fun activities. Even if the person thinks they might like to attend an event, they may hesitate about committing due to fear they won't feel up to it when the time rolls around.

2. People whodeal with stress by putting problems in their too hard basket are more vulnerable to getting depressed. There is a huge chicken and egg relationship here. If you ruminate about problems rather than tackling them head-on, it can contribute to worsening depression, but depression can also make people feel frozen.

3. When people are depressed, it can be hard for them to plan out a sequence of behavior.For instance, if you need to grocery shop and meal prep, declutter your house, or sort out your debt you may feel intimidated about where to start. Planning out multi-step tasks can feel overwhelming when your mind is foggy due to depression. Your refusal to get started can seem likeobstinance when it's actually difficulty planning out tasks when in a depressed state. (If you need ideas of how to get started, I have a chapter with 21 strategies for this in my book, The Healthy Mind Toolkit).

4. Depression is associated with what's the point thinking. For instance, youd like to be a parent but you think Why would anyone bring a child into the world when we're destroying the planet. Or if your spending is out of control you might think why should I try to fix my finances when I have student loans Im never going to pay off. This type of thinking is often quite stubborn and frustrating to others (e.g., partners/spouses). The conflict and tension this type of thinking can cause in relationships can make the persons depression worse.

5. One psychological treatment for depression is called Behavioral Activation. Amongst other things, this involves (1) scheduling enjoyable activities and (2) activities that make you feel a sense of mastery and accomplishment. This can be an effective route out of depression. Changing your behavior in this way can make your thinking style less depressed, even though you're not specifically working on changing your thinking. Trying Behavioral Activation is potentially a decent option for people who don't have the funds to pay for a psychologist. The instructions are more straightforward than self-help options that focus on thoughts so it can be easier to do via a self-help approach.

6. The social withdrawal that comes with depression can lead to procrastination when doing a task would involve behaviors like phone calls to strangers, or meeting someone new. You might feel completely overwhelmed by the thought of phoning around the find a therapist or to find a tradesperson to get your roof fixed.

7. Over time, people with depression can lose confidence in their capacity to follow through. Depression can manifest as folks becoming flaky and unreliable, which can result in others getting annoyed. This then results in the depressed person feeling more hurt and embarrassed, and a vicious cycle ensues. Sometimes folks with depression feel embarrassed about their struggle to get things done while they're depressed and tell lies to try to cover it up. Other people often detect that theyre not being told the truth and get angry, which again contributes to a vicious cycle of the person feeling more depressed and less socially accepted.

8. As with anxiety, there's an argument that some of the thinking we see in depression is actually an adaptive process run amok. Some types of thinking improve when people are in a sad mood, and the retreating that happens when someone's confidence is knocked has some self-protective aspects.

If procrastination is a major aspect of your depression, you're certainly not alone. Hopefully this article has helped you understand what is happening better and may help you explain it to others you're close to so they can have more insight and empathy.

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How Procrastination and Depression Are Linked - Psychology Today

Banned Books Week 2014, San Jos Public Library

October 1, 2019; New York Times

When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for self-respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization concluded. If anything, the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment.

This quote from Justice Thurgood Marshall opens up a remarkable document from the American Library Association, Prisoners Right to Read, An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. It was adopted in 2010 and amended in 2014 but based on the new report from PEN America, a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression, on the subject of access to books in prison, it appears that the country is still far from embracing its intent.

A prison in Ohio blocked an inmate from receiving a biology textbook over concerns that it contained nudity. In Colorado, prison officials rejected Barack Obamas memoirs because they were potentially detrimental to national security. And a prison in New York tried to ban a book of maps of the moon, saying it could present risks of escape.

More than two million people are incarcerated across the country, and they are often subject to arbitrary bans that wall off entire genres in some cases and books in general in others. Yet, as PEN America writes, prisoners find future success in books: The written word is a rare source of information, education, and recreation, and a window to the wider world.

Book bans, though arbitrary, are predictable, in that they are often based on control over all else. Anything that might lead to unrest, like books on racism or the prison system itself, are filtered out for content. Disturbingly, these sweeping content bans often prohibit inmates from accessing books related to civil and human rights, under the guise that these books advocate disruption of the prisons social order. (One such book is Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.)

Some prisons block all books because they are threat to security, others ban everything from the self-help genre. PEN America found that books containing content such as nudity, violence, description of criminal activity, or anti-authoritarian language were banned. Take away these general themes, and that leaves very few books that inmates can actually access.

For the most part, there is no appeal except through public outcry. Prison officials have broad authority to ban books, with no regulations or oversight to hold them accountable. And bans arent executed only at the institutional level; at the state level, they can become even more absurd:

Going back to the ALAs statement:

When free people, through judicial procedure, segregate some of their own, they incur the responsibility to provide humane treatment and essential rights. Among these is the right to read and to access information. The right to choose what to read is deeply important, and the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. The denial of intellectual freedomthe right to read, to write, and to thinkdiminishes the human spirit of those segregated from society.

Sheela Nimishakavi and Ruth McCambridge

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What lessons can musicians learn from athletes when it comes to physical and mental well-being?

The mental and physical strain that musicians experience is very similar to that of professional athletes, yet both groups deal with it very differently. For decades, runners or swimmers have worked with physiotherapists and/or psychologists regularly, as an integral part of their training to maintain a strong, healthy body, and a stable, calm mind. Yet in music, its only in recent years that it has become commonplace for us to really consider our health as part of our daily training.

Sports and music are more similar than we want to believe. So much mental strength and planning goes into the performance of a professional athlete, and equally, musicians require phenomenal strength and endurance to conduct a Wagner opera or play Prokofievs Third Piano Concerto. The world of sports draws more money than the world of classical music, therefore a lot of research has been conducted for athletes to always achieve better results and avoid injury. It could be suggested that the business of music and the necessity for things to be evermore dramatic turned music-making into a high-performance job, with similar challenges to sports performance.

There are an ever-growing number of specialists, relaxation techniques, and well-being courses for teachers on offer, which is great news for musicians wanting to experience a long and healthy career. As someone with a deep passion for both music and sport, this growing awareness of wellbeing is music to my ears!

My path to becoming a professional musician began at the age of six when I started to learn piano at a state music school in Warsaw. In the following years, I also learned the flute and eventually went to Vienna to study conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts, where I graduated in 2014 at the age of 26. Until then, I had heard no word about healthy posture, natural breathing, mental fitness, or release of tension. The only reason I managed to stay in decent health was my background in sports. I had been training and competing in multiple disciplines starting at the age of three (swimming, skiing, basketball, 400m run, acrobatics, gymnastics, dance, football). All this gave my body strength and my mind a refuge.

After my diploma, I was lucky enough to find an amazing specialist in the area of musician's health (a doctor and singer in one) who cured my tennis elbow, helped me with stage fright, and made it easier to connect with music despite the enormous pressure installed in my head by years of professional musical training and unhealthy competition. This experience inspired me to do a post-graduate course in Music Physiology at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Only there I discovered the rich amount of resources out there that help achieve a balanced mental and physical health. I have added them to my training routine and I am doing reasonably well so far!

As I go on with my conducting career, I meet musicians that struggle with all sorts of daily pains. In most cases they get used to it, they take it as part of the job. We all focus on technique, sound, organising gigs, and winning auditions. We care so much for our instruments! Changing strings, cleaning, making reeds. And we don't spend even half that time maintaining the body that will operate that instrument!

Ideally, from the very beginning of our musical training, a wise and knowledgeable teacher would have taught us how to hold and operate our instrument in agreement with the physiology of our body. But, if not, here are a few things you can do:

- Learn how to release tension after practicing, what kind of exercises to do to balance out the uneven strain we put on our muscles.

- Become aware of your hearing. It is the only function of your body that does not regenerate and ideally silence should be a part of our life to balance out all the sounds we produce while making music.

- There are some excellent self-help books, written by and for professional athletes, on the topic of performance stress. Physiotherapists are taking interest in the issues that instrumentalists are facing a great example of that being the book Musicians in motion 100 exercises by Alexandra Trk-Espitalier.

Long-term solutions are out there, we just have to look over to our neighbors in sports and take a bit of their attitude towards our bodies and minds. We are only given one shot, only one body, and it needs proper maintenance. A warm-up before practicing in a cold practice room, a stretch after an exhausting concert of Bruckner or minimalist music, a calming, centering breath before stepping out to play that most important audition. A run, swim or a spin to keep a healthy heart and have a bit more endurance for a concert tour. And maybe, just maybe when a colleague is attempting a difficult solo and has a slip a cheer from the group and an encouraging word from the teacher can make all the difference!

For more information about the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's season, visit bsolive.com

Conductor Marta Gardoliska is in her second year as Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras Young Conductor in Association; she was recently announced as a Gustavo Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (Photo: Bartek Barczyk)

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Where sport and music meet - Gramophone

Patna: The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has stepped up its activities in Bihar to strengthen its roots among the backward and extremely backward castes which have hitherto been the supporter of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar.

Like its ongoing drive among tribes of Jharkhand and adjoining areas of Chhattisgarh, the RSS is closely interacting with people at the grassroots level and trying to rope in the intermediary castes to its side in Bihar, where caste affiliations still influence voting patterns. The idea behind this is to strengthen Hindutva the core strength of the Sangh Parivar and break the caste barrier in the state.

The aim of the RSS is to rope in the votes of the backward and extremely backward castes so that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not have to bank entirely on allies like Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) for votes. The BJP wants to have the magic number in the Bihar assembly in 2020 polls on its own like it achieved in the parliamentary polls in May this year.

The backward and extremely backward castes together constitute nearly 45 per cent of the total population in Bihar. If the BJP manages to strengthen its roots among them, it will emerge as a powerful and mass-based political party as opposition parties, including Congress, RJD and other allies of the grand alliance, stand vanquished and debilitated.

The RSS came into focus in Bihar recently when its two senior functionaries Ramlal and Ramesh Pappa called on chief minister Nitish Kumar, fuelling speculation in the political circles in the backdrop of the ongoing duel over leadership for the 2020 assembly polls. Though the RSS dubbed it as a courtesy meeting and clarified that it had nothing to do with politics, the Opposition used it as a tool to attack Kumar, saying the RSS had started dictating terms in Bihar.

The Opposition may be exaggerating the issue to target Kumar but it is certain that the future of the NDA leadership in Bihar will entirely depend upon the viewpoint of the Sangh based on its feedback on the perception of the NDA government led by Kumar in the state. A section of top BJP functionaries have already demanded that the chief minister pass on the leadership baton to the BJP this time and play an active role in national politics.

Kumars meeting with RSS leaders assumes significance in view of the uproar created two months ago when Special Branch of the Bihar Police issued a missive seeking details about all the officer-bearers of the RSS and its 18 front outfits, including their phone numbers, addresses and profession.

The RSS had taken strong exception to the move but the government dubbed it as routine affair. Some prominent Hindu outfits whose details were sought included Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagaran Samiti, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Hindu Yuva Vahini, Durga Vahini among others.

Notwithstanding the controversies around it, the RSS has been silently working in the hinterland to increase its footprint in Bihar. It has engaged Banwasi Kalyan Kendra, which works in forest areas especially in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and in select pockets of the state like Kaimur and Seemanchal. It has opened over a dozen hostels for boys, more than 60 health and medical centres, middle schools called Shishu Vidya Mandir in almost every district and over 200 self-help groups as part of its agenda.

The main areas of operation of the Banwasi Kalyan Kendra include West and East Champaran, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar, Gaya, Supaul and Madhepura. The Seemanchal region has been facing the problem of infiltration since long, especially after the Bangladesh war. Similarly, Bodh Gaya witnessed a terror attack in 2013. The terror outfits have created sleeper cells in areas of Magadh region bordering Jharkhand. We are trying to sanitise the society, an RSS functionary said.

The focus areas of the RSS are those which have sizeable Muslim population and preponderance of the backward and extremely backward castes. The RSS leaders claimed that their primary work is to inculcate the culture of Sanatan Dharma among children in remote localities and also attract educated youth with modern outlook towards the Sangh Parivar.

The RSS leadership believes that the youth in Bihar have hitherto been influenced only by casteist forces represented by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led by Lalu Prasad and other similar political outfits of the socialist strain. The caste divide in Bihar has been sharper and the leading political parties pursuing casteist agenda have only defeated the Hindutva forces till now, the RSS functionary said.

Leading the RSS bandwagon in Bihar is Ramdutt Chakradhar, the Kshetra Karyavah (regional head) of Bihar and Jharkhand. Chakradhar, who is commanding the operations for the past four years, spends his time in remote areas of Bihar and Jharkhand and focuses mainly on the youth. He has inspired a large number of youths from engineering and management streams to serve the Banwasi Kalyan Kendras and Seva Bharti centres in Bihar.

The saffron outfit wants to become a hegemonic force by projecting Hindutva as an ideology that encompasses every section of society in Bihar. Besides its affiliate organisations among students, workers, farmers, intellectuals and professionals, the RSS has separate outfits for women, religious minorities and tribal people.

The RSS mission is also to enhance its outreach among women and rectify its image as a paternalistic organisation. An allied saffron outfit has conducted a survey at the national level, which was recently released by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in New Delhi. Emboldened by the positive outcome of the survey, the RSS now sees an opportunity to spread its political projects among women to a much greater extent.

Amid enhanced activities of the RSS, the BJP leadership too appears to be aggressively pursuing its saffron agenda in the state. Recently, Bihar deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi announced the installation of statues of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Arun Jaitley in Patna.

(The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed are personal)

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OPINION | With Schools, Medical Centres and Self-help Groups, RSS Spreads Its Tentacles in Bihar to Help ... - News18