Imposter Syndrome: What it is and How it Can Affect You

on March 22, 2017 at 7:00 AM /

This May, I’ll be graduating from college with a degree in finance with highest honors. Throughout all four years of school, I worked really hard and learned as much as I could about finance, but as the day for graduation approaches, I’m starting to feel fear that all of my grades might have been awarded to me by mistake. Yes, I studied for each exam, but the grades I received always felt unwarranted to me. It’s almost like I made it this far due to luck. In class, I always had a feeling that I didn’t belong there, that making...

Being Prepped: A Few Tips for Students and Teachers to Get Through Their Second/Spring Semesters

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 28, 2016 at 9:08 PM /

I managed to get through my first fall term at college and feel so relieved. It was very different from what I was used to in high school and know that with the spring term, I’ll be dealing with new subjects and meeting a whole new set of people. It’s a bit overwhelming since, before college, I was used to having the same lessons and classmates year-round. I’m worried that a whole new set of courses, professors, classmates and expectations may overwhelm me – and I’m still reeling a bit from my initial adjustment to college. My mother is a...

Resolving to Change: How to Ensure a Successful New Year’s Resolution

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 21, 2016 at 10:00 PM /

I’ve been making New Year’s resolutions for almost 10 years now and have never managed to follow through in making any of them a reality. I try to keep them realistic, like losing a few pounds each month or saving a couple of hundred dollars here and there to purchase a new car. A few weeks into every new year, though, I end up giving up because I just can’t seem to find the willpower, time or strength to see my resolutions to the end. Is there anything I can do or keep in mind that can make my resolutions...

Keeping it Together: How to Go About Dealing with the Stress of Final Exams

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on December 13, 2016 at 3:53 PM /

I’m an absolute nervous wreck. I’m taking four classes this term and exams for each are coming up next week. I’ll admit, I’m a procrastinator. Not once throughout the term have I gone through my notes or studied. During regular testing, I always waited until the night before to go over the material. Luckily, I’ve passed all of my tests, but barely. The final exams are entirely different. I’ll have to go over ALL of the material we’ve gone through since August and I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed. I regret waiting until the last minute, and it’s my own fault if...

Small Acts: How Kindness Can Help Brighten Anyone’s Day

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on November 9, 2016 at 10:00 PM /

To say I had a bad day is an understatement. First, I forgot to set my alarm, which made me late for class, then I got a flat and I couldn’t find the jack! Now I need to pay for towing and a replacement. To top it all off, the electricity in my apartment complex went out, making it impossible to do homework. Lucky for me, my friend Steve offered to let me stay at his place so I could use his Internet and complete my assignments. Then he treated me to dinner since he was aware of how rough...

It’s Just a Game: A Look at How Sports Affect Fan Behavior

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on October 19, 2016 at 2:31 PM /

My husband is a huge fan of baseball. Although he enjoys the game in general, the Tampa Bay Rays are by far his favorite team. He lives and breathes anything that has to do with them. He follows them on social media and never misses one of their games. This is fine with me, but sometimes I notice he gets extremely competitive and defensive when they aren’t doing well. Just the other day, he got into a heated discussion with his brother about the team not doing well this season. It got so bad that he started shouting. Whenever we...

5 Ways to Reduce Everyday Stress with Your Smartphone

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on August 24, 2016 at 8:17 PM /

Over the last few years, smartphones have become a staple of our daily lives. We use them to stay connected with our friends and family, organize our days and even pass the time when boredom strikes. Our smartphones undoubtedly have many uses, but wouldn’t it be great if we could also use them to reduce stress? After all, our everyday lives can be overcome with pressure more often than we’d like. The good news is that Rice Psychology Group has five helpful ways to reduce your stress with the help of your handy smartphone. Stress can spin your life out of...

Pokémon: GO Socialize!

By Dr. Wendy Rice

on July 27, 2016 at 4:48 PM /

I promise you I hadn’t seen him do something like that in so long! You know how teenagers are, they come home from school, get on the computer and that’s it! Well last week, after dinner, he grabbed his phone and told me he was going to the park. Now, I know he has friends, but they’re just as shy as he is; I assumed something was up. He came back a couple of hours later with a huge smile on his face and I immediately got suspicious. That’s when I decided to ask him what was going on. He...

Keep Calm and Color On

By Rice Psychology Group

on November 1, 2015 at 6:48 PM /

By Elaine Spencer, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist I walked into Michaels Craft store the other day and was pleasantly surprised to see the front display was advertising coloring books for adults and I thought to myself, “Wow! Coloring really is the new craze!” So What is This New Coloring Phenomenon All About? The simple answer is that coloring can actually be therapeutic. If you were like me as a child, you spent hours with your coloring books and your parents probably thought you enjoyed coloring because ‘that’s what kids do’. We now know that children are on to something because not only is coloring...

The Zen Approach to Treating Mental Health

By Rice Psychology Group

on September 28, 2015 at 9:38 PM /

By Megan Sutsko, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist Close your eyes. Focus your attention on your breath. Follow your breath in. Notice the tiny pause between inhale and exhale. Follow your breath out. Try to clear your mind of thoughts and tune in only to the sensation of your breath flowing in and out. Stay in the moment… Meditation, the act of quieting the mind, can be an invaluable tool for mental and physical health. It is taught by yoga instructors, Buddhist zen masters, and even psychologists. This ancient Eastern technique is finding increasing acceptance in the Western world. According to Swami Rama “Meditation is a...