There’s no greater skill to easing anxiety and physical tension, than learning to relax.  It sounds silly, perhaps, to think of relaxing as a skill, but think about how many times you’ve said or heard someone else say, “relax,” “calm down,” “settle down,” or “chill out.”  And, if you’re on the receiving end of that comment, it’s not as easy as it seems.

It was a brilliant idea, inviting the best scholarly minds around the world to record brief, succinct videos on very specific topics of their special interest.  And, so, the TED talks were born. Ranging across a very wide array of topics from science and religion to art and communication, TED talks share the best of what the best have to offer.  Here are 6 of the best mental health TED talks to inspire you to think outside of the box, question your understanding of the world around you, and explore:

1.  How Meditation can Reshape our Brains -  Sara Lazar, Ph.D., Research Associate, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Lazar shares her experiences and her research on the positive effects of meditation on the brain.

Compulsive hoarding has attracted a great deal of media attention. These media portrayals, whether they are television, newspaper, or other illustrations of the problem, tend to be somewhat unidimensional.  Yes, these individuals’ homes are frequently difficult to navigate, and, yes, these individuals appear to be excessively attached to items that many of us view as of very little or no value. However, these snapshots into the lives of these individuals sometimes lack the depth of difficulty these individuals have in their lives.

Let’s look at a few of the challenges that are often under-conveyed, but that are very real, very significant challenges to individuals, their family members, and to us, as psychologists who treat them.