Ann McMurray
Since 1992, Ann McMurray has partnered with Dr. Gregory Jantz to bring Whole Person Care to readers through accessible resources. A longtime collaborator on his mental health books, she turns insight into guidance on depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, and addiction, in partnership with The Center • A Place of HOPE.
Some Posts from Ann McMurray
Hangxiety: Why You Feel Anxious After Drinking Alcohol and What It Means
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: April 27, 2026
Hangxiety (hangover anxiety) is the wave of dread, racing thoughts, or panic that hits hours after drinking, even when nothing is actually wrong. It happens because alcohol temporarily boosts your brain's calming chemicals and suppresses its excitatory ones; when the alcohol wears off, those systems overshoot in the opposite direction,...
How to Lower Cortisol: Evidence-Based Ways to Reduce Stress Hormones
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: April 20, 2026
You can lower cortisol through consistent, evidence-based practices: regular physical activity, quality sleep, deep breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, strong social connections, and an anti-inflammatory diet rich in whole foods. These approaches work by calming your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates cortisol production. Most people notice improvements in stress symptoms within...
Is a Partial Hospitalization Program Right for You or a Loved One?
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: March 27, 2026
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is right for you or a loved one if symptoms are too severe for weekly outpatient therapy but don't require round-the-clock hospital supervision. PHP works best when you have a safe place to stay, can manage basic self-care, and are motivated to engage in intensive...
What Is a Psych Evaluation? Understanding the Process, Timeline, and Cost
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: March 24, 2026
A psych evaluation is a thorough and comprehensive assessment that examines your emotional, cognitive, and behavioral health through interviews, testing, and observation. Most evaluations take between one and four hours, though neuropsychological evaluations can span several sessions. They help clinicians understand what you're experiencing, identify any mental health conditions, and...
How Structured Daily Routines Improve Energy and Mood in Mental Health Recovery
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: March 3, 2026
Structured daily routines boost energy and stabilize mood during mental health recovery by aligning your body's natural rhythms, reducing the mental drain of constant decision-making, and creating reliable opportunities for activities that naturally lift your spirits. When wake times, meals, movement, and rest follow a consistent pattern, your brain spends...
PHP vs Residential Treatment: Understanding the Key Differences
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: February 23, 2026
Residential treatment provides 24-hour structured care in a live-in facility, typically lasting 30–90 days, while PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program) offers 5–7 hours of intensive therapy daily but lets you sleep off-site, either at home or in other housing, each night [1]. The key difference is overnight supervision: residential care is...
How to Have Self-Control: A Whole-Person Guide to Strengthening Your Ability to Manage Impulses
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: February 13, 2026
Self-control isn’t just willpower. Learn how to manage impulses by reducing temptation, using if-then plans, and pausing with a stop-breathe-reflect-choose routine. Support your brain with better sleep, steady meals, and stress reduction so good choices become automatic in daily life.
PHP vs IOP vs Outpatient Treatment: Understanding the Key Differences
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: January 29, 2026
PHP typically involves 5–7 hours of treatment per day, 5–7 days a week IOP requires about 9 hours per week spread over 3–5 days Traditional outpatient care usually means one session weekly The appropriate level depends on the extent to which your symptoms disrupt your daily life, whether immediate stabilization...
Panic Attack Hangover: What It Is and How to Recover Faster
By: Ann McMurray • Updated: January 29, 2026
A panic attack hangover is the lingering exhaustion and physical discomfort you feel after a panic attack ends. Your body flooded itself with stress hormones during the attack, and now those levels are crashing back down, leaving you drained, foggy, and sometimes achy for hours or even days. This hangover...