Why & How to Put on Your Oxygen Mask First

It’s critically important.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed, overworked, and undervalued? Does life seem so fast paced that you can’t keep up? Are your relationships suffering because of it? And does it seem that no matter how much you try, you have a sense that all your efforts just aren’t good enough?

The Importance of Self-Esteem for Lasting Relationships

This is the problem with our culture. We live in a culture that has a supersize mentality. It has been instilled in us that bigger is better and striving for more is what we should be doing. It is the great American way. If you don’t have a McMansion with a three-car garage, you have not made it yet.

Taking Care of Yourself Is a Foreign Subject

The problem is that with this type of mentality, the idea of how to take care of yourself emotionally seems like a foreign subject.

Most people don’t even think about taking care of their emotional health. They are too busy working, shopping and wishing for more. And still, with all the striving for more, there is an emptiness that comes from such a mindset.

Anxiety disorders are the most common illness in America. And depression is often accompanied by anxiety. In addition to anxiety and depression, Americans consume the largest number of pain medication in the world.

What has caused this sad state of affairs? We have lost sight of what is most important, love and connection. Love and connection are more important than any big diamond ring or fancy sports car you could ever own.

But, for some people, they sacrifice taking care of themselves emotionally and being true to themselves over having these nice, fancy items. They create a lifestyle that is based on looking good instead of feeling good. They forget how to stop and smell the roses and instead stay busy reaching for the next big thing to fill that empty hole.

The Empty Whole You Feel Inside

The point is that the next big thing will never fill that empty hole. What fills that empty hole is all found within you.

Learning how to take care of yourself emotionally is a far greater investment than any McMansion, diamond ring, or sports car you could ever have. Having a sense of connection and love in your life will give you the sense of emotional care you are looking for.

The depression, anxiety, and reaching for pain medication that happens across our nation is because of one big cultural phenomenon: people’s inability to feel their feelings. Not feeling your feelings and instead, repressing them, is at the root of much of your emotional struggles.

Our culture has provided you with built in, ready and available ways to numb out from your uncomfortable feelings. We have happy hours, huge shopping malls, Casinos, and 24-hour supermarkets for example. Over-eating, over drinking, over shopping and even gambling is often right at your fingertips.

How can you learn how to take care of yourself emotionally when you were birthed into and brought up in a culture that doesn’t even know how? And what does it mean to take care of yourself emotionally anyway?

Your Uncomfortable Emotions Are the Key

Believe it or not, your uncomfortable emotions, if cared for, will bring you more connection, more love, more joy and happiness than you ever dreamed possible.

It is the pushing away of your emotions and not wanting to tend to them that leaves you feeling, sad, lonely, depressed, anxiety ridden, and reaching for pain medication or other numbing substance.

All of the cultural solutions are outside yourself. When you learn how to reach in, instead of reaching out to people, places and things to solve your problems, your world will transform.

Your uncomfortable emotions are there for a reason. They are trying to tell you something. They offer priceless value to help you if you are willing to listen. If you don’t listen to them and instead repress them or numb them out, they don’t go away, they come out sideways in what I call the 3 D’s:

• Disease
• Drama
• Depression

20 Ways To Be Good To Yourself Today

A Process for Uncomfortable Emotions

I have a process called the 4 N’s that shows you how to feel your feelings and thus really take care of yourself emotionally. The 4 N’s are NOTICE, NAME, NURTURE and NEED.

1. Notice

The first part of this process is to notice that you’re having an uncomfortable feeling. How often have you had a second or third class of wine or a second or third piece of pizza when you really didn’t need it?

Were you having an uncomfortable emotion that you didn’t know how to take care of? Noticing is the biggest first step in learning how to take care of yourself emotionally. It interrupts the habitual behavior.

2. Name

Once you notice, then you can NAME the emotion. There are so many different types of emotions. When working with clients who are learning how to feel their feelings I help them by categorizing feelings into 6 different types: sad, mad, glad, fear, numb, and shame.

By categorizing them it helps you to distinguish and become aware of the different types of emotions you have. Each emotion has its own unique characteristic. It becomes an art form, learning how to pay attention to all your different emotions and feelings that arise during the day.

3. Nurture

This is at the heart of how to take care of yourself emotionally. Your uncomfortable feelings are energies in your body. They want your attention just like a crying baby wants attention.

Feeling into your body, placing your hands on those parts of your body that are emotionally talking to you and giving them your undivided attention is key to taking care of yourself emotionally. Learning how to do this has profound effects on your ability to create loving relationships in your life.

4. Need

We all have needs but we have been programmed to think that having needs means we are needy. Getting in touch with your core needs is another big part of learning how to take care of yourself emotionally.

Ask yourself, “What do I need?” This is a very empowering question and again there is a fine art to how you answer this question.

When you take care of yourself emotionally, you stop operating from your blind spots, make better decisions, and gain control of your feelings and impulses.

This guest article originally appeared on YourTango.com: How To Take Care Of Yourself Emotionally (And Put Your Oxygen Mask On FIRST).

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/02/why-how-to-put-on-your-oxygen-mask-first/

How to Find Joy… Even When Life Is Feeling Awful

When we are experiencing loss and sadness in our life, everyday can feel like a struggle. Whether it is recovering from loss of a loved one, divorce, a lay-off, or anything else, we forget to take care of ourselves and find joy at the time when we need it most.

Learning how to reinvent ourselves, establish our independence again, and figure out what we want during this next chapter of our lives is a bit overwhelming. Oftentimes, we may forget to see all the wonderful things that await us. 

So often, we get so bogged down with the stress, overwhelm, and emotional roller-coasters that we forget about all the things that we have going for us. But learning to find joy in your life, especially while navigating loss, is an incredible gift that you can give to yourself. And it can be easier than ever when you ask yourself the following.  

What amazing things are in your life that you may have overlooked?

We have this unfair expectation that only huge milestones in our lives are worth celebrating. But what about the day-in/day-out struggles that we endure?

We don’t give ourselves enough credit for the things we have accomplished. Every day that you take control of your life, every day that you learn a little more about managing money and re-entering the workforce, every day that you get a little bit stronger and take care of yourself and put yourself first and realize that you are worthy of getting your confidence back and reclaiming your life is something you should celebrate.

So, what things will you start to celebrate? I’ve listed a few of my own!

• I choose to celebrate that I am no longer in a relationship that was unhealthy for me.
• I will celebrate that I am a survivor. I got through this, and now I know I can get through anything.

If you are still having trouble with trying to identify things that bring you joy, don’t worry! Finding joy in your life is the most important step to learning how to heal and move on. It is also the easiest but most critical component of taking care of yourself as you recover from loss. Another way to approaching finding joy can come from asking yourself the following. 

What is yours that nobody can take?

Answering this question establishes the solid foundation for celebrating what is good in your life. These answers are simpler than you think. Some of my answers, especially during the hardest times of my divorce, included:

• Coming home to a clean house — everything just how I left it.
• The feeling that although I am no longer married, at least I am not in a toxic, unhealthy relationship anymore.
• Knowing that my dog would always greet me with a wagging tail and sloppy kiss.

Those simple things are ones we usually take for granted, but when you are mindful to the love and beauty that actually surrounds you, just waiting to be acknowledged, you will see dozens of things to be happy about that are right in front of you.

When the world still seems like a disaster, or when you are angry over something that happened today, or you saw something or heard something that triggered you into feeling resentful of grief-stricken, you must do this one thing. 

Write down 5 things for which you are grateful.

These things do not have to be extravagant. In fact, the simplest of things are usually the best, because they remind us that we are still alive and that we will be okay. Need some inspiration? Take a look at last night’s entry into my own notebook. 

• The new spring weather
• The smell of fabric softener on clean sheets
• Hot Epsom salt bath before bed
• My dog, who is always so playful and silly
• Homemade delicious olive oil cake after dinner

Do this exercise tonight.

I prefer doing this as I am getting ready for bed. After I finish the night rituals but still have a few minutes before I know that I am going to zonk out is when I write these things. It doesn’t really matter when you do it exactly, but I find that doing it at the end of the day is the best way to get closure on any nonsense that has gotten in my space, as well as celebrating any good things that have come my way, too.

Make it as easy as possible for yourself.

I keep a medium-sized notebook with a pen on my nightstand, next to my alarm clock. That way, I will see it every night. It can be as simple of a notebook as you want — some people get super-fancy and call them Gratitude Journals. I just call it a lifeline to joy.

A simple habit can change your outlook.

This is not a just-one-and-done thing, however. You must make this a habit in order for it to work. Some studies show that it takes 21 days of practice to make something a habit, but you will start to notice the change in your outlook in in 3 days of writing down.

You may also see patterns of things for which are grateful — things that appear in your notebook regularly. It’s not a coincidence. It’s a sign that these are the things in your life that bring you joy, and these are the things you should celebrate. These are the things that, when you are angry or lonely, have the power to center you again and remind you that you have control of your life, that you are strong, and that regardless of where you have been, you will get your life and happiness back.

 

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/02/how-to-find-joy-even-when-life-is-feeling-awful/

Even Facebook Doesn’t Understand Facebook’s Algorithms

After all the hand-wringing that came from the “fake news” spectacle courtesy of Facebook’s news feed — the thing you see when you log into Facebook from your phone or laptop — one thing has become abundantly clear. Even Facebook doesn’t understand Facebook.

And that’s the problem with relying on an algorithmic artificial intelligence (AI) that has been built (or more accurately, pieced together) over the years by hundreds of different developers and programmers.

This all became clear to me over the past few days as I mulled over the things I learned at the latest HealtheVoices 2017 conference, and reading an excellent article about Facebook by Farhad Manjoo in the New York Times Magazine.

At the conference, a Facebook representative faced a somewhat frustrated (and at times, nearly hostile) questioning crowd about why the stuff they wrote as health activists and advocates seemed rarely to surface on other people’s Facebook news feeds. The only way it seemed to get engagement, said people in the audience that day, was to purchase it through Facebook (via a paid-for mechanism called “boosting” a post).

The Facebook representative had no answer to give to these questions about why seemingly high-quality, good content isn’t being surfaced in their news feed. Yet every single participant I spoke to — passionate, engaged health advocates — saw it as a problem with Facebook. But even Facebook couldn’t explain how to fix it.

And it’s no wonder. The Times Magazine article shed light on to the “why” behind it. The Facebook news feed algorithm sorts though, on average, 2,000 pieces of possible content every time a person loads Facebook for the first time and on every refresh.

There are so many variables that go into that complex, dark, and proprietary sorting algorithm that not even Facebook can answer why something will or will not show in someone’s news feed. It’s very much the same kind of pain webmasters have long felt in dealing with Google and their search indexing algorithm.

The fact that the algorithm can easily be bypassed by simply purchasing access to people’s news feed is no surprise — and a large part of the reason Facebook is making so much money year after year. Even the poorest-quality content can buy its way on to your supposedly-personalized news feed.

News Feed: Still a Work in Progress

You’d think that after so many years of hard work, attention, developer’s hours, and research into this algorithm, it would get some basic things right. But two recent anecdotes show me how much farther Facebook’s lauded AI still has yet to go.

The first is the concert meme that took hold of Facebook’s news feed in late April 2017. In this particular meme, participants list 10 concerts they’ve attended in their lifetime, but one of them is fake. It’s up to the person’s friends to spot the fake concert they have not attended, and comment on it.

My initial thought when I first saw this pop up was, “Who cares?” because, frankly, I don’t care what concerts my friends have seen. If I was engaged in an actual conversation with my friends about the topic of “concerts we’ve seen,” it could potentially be cool. But as a conversation starter, I found it non-sensical because it is out-of-the-blue — socially connected to nothing. So I hit “Hide this post” from the first one I saw on my news feed.

Did that help stop the influx of this meme onto my news feed over the next few days? Not one iota. I saw no less than a dozen such questions in the next two days flood my feed (even after clicking on “Hide this post” on at least two more too). All of which was of zero interest to me. So much for Facebook’s AI working.

The second is Bloom County. I’m a huge fan and rejoiced when Berkeley Breathed started drawing again. I look forward to each day when a new comic of his shows up in my feed. Yet mysteriously, Facebook has no clue about this. It stopped showing me his comics a few weeks ago, even though I studiously clicked on most of them in order to read them more easily in their enlarged form.

How could so many clicks result in a “not interested, stop showing this to this user” tag? Facebook couldn’t answer this question if it wanted to, because it has no idea how its news feed algorithm actually works — or doesn’t work — for individual users. This would be funny if it wasn’t such a big deal. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans get their news from Facebook.

Feedback Forms that Give Little Feedback to Users

Facebook claims it can assess (and work to fix) a lot of problems if users just used their feedback forms more often. But there’s a reason users hate to give Facebook feedback — their feedback system just sucks.

Facebook’s feedback forms give users very little feedback of its own, and instead values leading users down an array of, “Here’s how to fix this yourself, idiot” questions that clearly seem always to suggest that most of the problems you come across are yours to fix — not Facebook’s. There’s no human at the end of those forms, and no human response that you’ll ever receive. This is the very definition of inhuman. Ironic for a company that sees itself “building a global community” connecting everyone more socially. How can a company do this while eschewing any human contact with its users?¹

AI is So Complex, Humans Need to Help

Many developers tell themselves that AI can likely solve any human problem, if given enough variables, datasets, and tweaking. But what Facebook has clearly shown is that whatever it’s doing to help solve its news feed problem, its AI is not working well for many, many people.

Nobody feels like Facebook is even listening. As I noted earlier, health advocates and activists I spoke with at the conference said they are not being heard. Social media companies like Facebook don’t seem to care. And on a closed Facebook group for news publishers, I hear the frustration daily on how many respected news organizations are having their in-depth, investigative journalism articles languish on Facebook without paid-for boosting. Meanwhile, a breezy “5 Amazing, Quick, and Easy Ways to a Summer Tan” throwaway article gets more hits than Trump’s Google searches for “How do I fix…” queries.

Parting Shots on Today’s AI

Apple’s lauded Siri is often held up as a useful example of AI that works in today’s modern world. But as I was writing this article, I said, “Hey Siri, tell Nancy that I love her.”

Siri, in her infinite wisdom got the recipient of the message correct (luckily, since I know only one Nancy). But the text she sent was, “I love her.” Siri obviously had no understanding of the actual meaning of my sentence, and instead used rudimentary filters to figure out I wanted to send a text to a person in my contacts with the literal message, “I love her.”

This is the level of AI we’re working with today across big technology companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple — somewhat useful, but frustratingly uneven in its quality and implementation.

I really hope that Facebook figures this out, because every day I find myself using it less and less as it increasingly becomes less and less relevant to my actual interests and daily life. I may be in the minority today, but I suspect that will change if Facebook doesn’t resolve these problems of relevancy and interest soon.

Footnotes:

1. This is one of the reasons Facebook presenters at conferences often get pelted with so many questions — its the sole human contact most of us has ever had with this technology giant.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/02/even-facebook-doesnt-understand-facebooks-algorithms/

Best of Our Blogs: May 2, 2017

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month! How far have we come and how much further do we have to go?

The stigma against mental illness is palpable. It’s there in heated political discussions. It’s present even when it’s not directly mentioned. It’s in every debate about gun laws and tip toed around in families. But there is a beacon of light despite setbacks and division.

The fact that we have this website shows we’re progressing.

You coming here is another sign.

In fact, every time you share your story, like a post, or leave a comment you are helping to spread awareness of something that affects all of us. As you read this week, even those without a serious diagnosis can be crippled by a dysfunctional childhood or toxic relationship.

Thank you for reading this and for all the work you do to help normalize mental illness!

Reclaim Your Life By Putting Yourself First Finally
(Childhood Emotional Neglect) – You weren’t physically abused. You might even have been nurtured as a kid. But slight feelings of neglect can also lead to inability to take care of yourself. Read this to learn how you can start putting yourself first.

How to Recover after a Narcissistic Relationship
(The Exhausted Woman) – You’ve sacrificed your beliefs, morals, and even your identity. Now how do you survive the devastating aftermath of a relationship with a narcissist?

10 Reasons to Marry a Fellow Survivor
(Narcissism Meets Normalcy) – It’s the reason why the person you have hot chemistry with may not be the best partner to settled down with especially if you suffered abuse.

Are You on the Run from Relationships (and Intimacy)?
(Knotted) – If you struggle with intimacy in relationships, this could explain why.

Writing Prompts for Recovery from an Abusive/Toxic Relationship
(The Recovery Expert) – Are you on a path toward greater self-reflection, healing and healthier relationships? If so, you might want to consider journaling. Here are 17 prompts to get you started.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/02/best-of-our-blogs-may-2-2017/

A Natural Supplement to Prevent Postpartum Depression?

And it doesn’t involve taking prescription drugs!

If you’re stuck with the baby blues, science is here to help! Or if you’re planning to have another baby and worry that your postpartum depression will strike again, there’s good news on the way.

Yes, Men Suffer From Postpartum Depression Too (Trust Me, I Know)

Recently a study on postpartum depression and the “baby blues” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States discovered that blueberries and certain amino acids, when combined, can help to prevent postpartum depression before it starts.

And now, researchers have used those findings to create an all-natural supplement helps combat the baby blues, too.

There’s a difference between postpartum depression and the baby blues, in case you didn’t know.

The baby blues happen within the first five days following the birth of a baby. As the mother’s body begins to return itself to its pre-baby state, those hormone fluctuations can cause sadness. Mothers who feel sad after their child’s birth are at a unique risk for developing postpartum depression, which can last for months and often requires medication.

However, science shows that when these natural supplements are taken during the baby blues window, there’s a power effect and that’s really good news!

Even better, when taking this supplement, researchers tested the breast milk of mothers who tried it and there were no negative effects or reduction levels of tryptophan and tyrosine which help moms and baby bond while nursing.

The supplement contains L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, blueberry juice, and blueberry extract to help reduce what’s called oxidative stress and help moms get to sleep. Mothers expressed overall improvements and increase in happiness. Happy dance for that!

5 Thoughtful Ways To Help A Mom With Postpartum Depression

Although this study was performed on a small number of participants, a complete study is expected to take place in the near future.

Still, there is plenty to love about science seeking natural solutions to treat depression outside of traditional medicine to help mothers with the baby blues find healthy ways to feel better after having a baby.

This guest article originally appeared on YourTango.com: There’s A Natural Supplement For Postpartum Blues In The Works — YAY!

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/01/a-natural-supplement-to-prevent-postpartum-depression/

3 Simple Steps for Breaking Free from Worry Loops

Have you ever wondered how to break free of a worry loop? You know the experience. You’re in the shower, at the computer, or out to dinner with the family and there is a worrisome thought running through your mind over and over — a looming deadline, an awkward social interaction, the finances, etc. It doesn’t matter if the worry is irrational — or recognized as unhelpful — you still can’t shake it. No matter what you try, your mind keeps returning to the troubling thought.

Sound familiar?

The good news is by following three simple steps — rooted in psychological research and neurobiology — you can step off the worry-loop wheel and get back to enjoying your life.

First Step: Signal Breath

The Signal Breath, a technique developed by Dr. Bresler at UCLA in the 1970’s, not only releases tension but it also signals to your body that relaxation is coming. Through repetition, the Signal Breath becomes associated with de-stressing and automatically triggers the relaxation response. Here’s how to do it:

Take in a deep breath and hold it, noticing the tension it creates in the body. After 3 – 5 seconds, slowly release the air, telling yourself to let go and relax. Repeat this sequence a second time. After taking two Signal Breaths, proceed to the next step while breathing freely and naturally.

Second Step: Hyper-focus on Environment

Wherever you find yourself, begin hyper-focusing on your surroundings using the different senses — starting with the auditory sense. Listen intently to all the sounds you can detect in your immediate environment. For the moment, allow this to be your only job — everything else can wait.

After hyper-focusing on sound, find a visual anchor in the environment and study it. Examine the color, texture, and pattern of the object. Notice every detail so that you could describe it to someone or draw the object from memory later. After approximately one minute, shift from the visual to the tactile sensory experience. Move your hand across the nearest table or desk, noticing the temperature and pressure against your palms. Feel the fabric or material of the chair you’re using.

Take note of how your body feels — your hands resting on your lap, the pressure of your feet against the ground, etc. After 30 – 60 seconds, shift to the olfactory sense. Take in a deep breath and either study the aroma of the room or go grab a tea bag or spice or something with a pleasing scent. In a detective-like fashion, analyze the smell for approximately 60 seconds.

When you hyper-attune to the environment in this fashion, a lot is happening. In their 2007 landmark study, Farb and colleagues had participants engage in different types of mental activity while undergoing neuroimaging. When participants engaged in internal, reflective tasks away from the present moment, the narrative focus brain pathway was activated. This pathway, while important for planning and problem solving, is also where negative ruminations, including worry, take place.  In contrast, when participants were given tasks that required present-moment awareness, a separate part of the brain, the experiential focus brain pathway, was activated. And, most importantly, in terms of impacting worry loops, they discovered you could only be in one brain pathway at a time — in other words, being in the moment and worrying are incompatible. When you hyper-attune to your surroundings, a proven strategy for present-moment awareness, it pops you out of the narrative focus brain pathway (home of the worry loop) and plops you down in the experiential focus pathway.

Third Step: Loving-Action

The last step is redirecting your attention and life energy to others. Think or pray for a person in need. Send an encouraging text or engage in an act of kindness. This accomplishes three things. First, it provides a healthy home for your attention which is vulnerable to wandering back to the worry. Second, it tells the threat center of the brain, responsible for alerting you to potential dangers, that there is no emergency — no cause for concern.  Someone who is truly under threat doesn’t place his or her concern on others. The threat center will take notice and turn down the worry volume. Lastly, engaging in loving-action, especially when you’re worried or anxious, will give you a deep sense of satisfaction. You will feel the benefits of expressing the best parts of who you are.

Worry loops cause unnecessary anxiety in millions of people each day. My hope for you is the next time you’re caught up in a worry loop you’ll remember the formula:

Signal Breath + Hyper-focus on Environment + Loving-Action = Break the Worry Loop

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/01/3-simple-steps-for-breaking-free-from-worry-loops/

Will Work for Food and Health Care

Health insurance: only when you don’t need it.

Confused? Let me explain.

In our illogical model, our society provides health insurance to the gainfully employed. But, ironically, it is the gainfully unemployed who most need mental health coverage.

In the United States, our employer-based health care model is predicated on — surprise surprise — employment. For the standard nine to five set, employer-based health insurance is a satisfactory option. Generally, employers subsidize out-of-pocket health care costs — including mental health coverage–for their employees.

Yes, the health care system works — if you gainfully work. But in our unstable job market (hello, Great Recession!), millennials to Boomers face dwindling employment opportunities. During the Great Recession alone, the U.S. economy lost over 10 million jobs.  

As the Great Recession plunged millions of Americans into unemployment, mental health issues among displaced workers soared. According to The Atlantic, “unemployed Americans are more than twice as likely as those with full-time jobs to say they currently have or are being treated for depression — 12.4 percent vs. 5.6 percent, respectively.”

Unemployment exacts an emotional toll — and our health care paradigm exacerbates that sense of estrangement and alienation.  

When I was unemployed, my mental health issues spiked. Depressive and anxious thoughts vied for supremacy, torpedoing my emotional well-being. And like millions of unemployed Americans, I struggled to find suitable mental health care. Out-of-pocket costs were prohibitive, straining my already limited budget. I isolated myself from family and friends, embarrassed at my sagging fortunes.  

Insert Dr. McCann.

Out of the goodness of her heart, Dr. McCann counseled me during this tumultuous time. She mentored and advised, becoming a trusted confidante. As we visited over a year-long stretch, the anxious and depressive thoughts slowly receded. Financially strapped, Dr. McCann — bless her heart — did not charge me for these counseling sessions.  

How many of us–as unemployment upends our emotional stability — has a Dr. McCann to confide in? The answer: very few. And even more germane, how many accomplished counselors would counsel an indigent client? You and I (along with the millions of unemployed Americans) know the answer.

To be clear, I am incredibly lucky. Without Dr. McCann’s guidance, I shudder to think where I would be. As unemployment battered my psyche, Dr. McCann was a calming, reassuring voice.

As I reflect on my good fortune, I recognize the sad irony undergirding our health care system. While employed, my mental health issues stabilized — in part because I could regularly access cost-effective treatment. But I could only access cost-effective treatment because I was employed. Our flawed health care system, in essence, protected me. Circular logic and all.

When my job ended, my unemployability exposed the systemic flaws in our health care model. Now as the job market recovers from Great Recession depths, millions of un- and underemployed Americans yearn for reliable insurance. Insurance — that is — from the job market’s capricious whims. And the devastating impact on our fragile mental health.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/05/01/will-work-for-food-and-health-care/