Benchmark Mind & Health

06/07/2026

They Won’t Always Like You — Especially If They’re in Power

One of the hardest lessons in life is realizing that doing the right thing does not guarantee approval.

Sometimes the people with the most authority— coaches, bosses, administrators, supervisors, organizations, or even entire systems — won’t like you. They may disagree with you. They may misunderstand you. They may embrace cronyism. They may embrace nepotism. They may embrace favoritism. They may be racist. They may feel threatened by your independence, your standards or your refusal to stay silent.

And that’s okay.

History is full of people who faced resistance from those in positions of power. Progress rarely comes from those who simply go along to get along. It comes from individuals willing to endure criticism, rejection and discomfort while remaining committed to their principles.

Psychologically, many people seek approval because acceptance feels safe. But constantly seeking the approval of others can lead to resentment, anxiety and a loss of identity. Maturity means understanding that respect and popularity are not always the same thing.

Not everyone will celebrate your success.

Not everyone will appreciate your standards.

Not everyone will applaud your courage.

Some people would rather preserve the status quo than confront uncomfortable truths.

But perseverance has never required universal approval.

Keep showing up…Keep improving…Keep speaking with integrity…Keep treating people with respect…And keep moving forward.

You do not need everyone to like you.

You do not need permission to pursue excellence.

And you certainly do not need the approval of those in power to live according to your values.

Because at the end of the day, character is not measured by how many people support you when things are easy.

Character is revealed by how you respond when opposition comes — and whether you have the courage to persevere anyway.

Sometimes being disliked by powerful people is not a sign that you’re wrong.

Sometimes it is evidence that you refused to compromise who you are.

If you feel discouraged because you’ve faced criticism, rejection or unfair treatment from people in positions of authority, remember this:

Stay the course. Keep your standards. Persevere. History has always favored those who refused to quit.

Reference:
Southwick SM, Bonanno GA, Masten AS, Panter-Brick C, Yehuda R. Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: Interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 2014;5:25338. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v5.25338.

06/06/2026

Racism Has No Place in High School Baseball

Baseball is supposed to teach young men about discipline, teamwork, perseverance and character. Coaches are entrusted with more than wins and losses — they are mentors who help shape the next generation. That is why racism from a high school baseball coach is especially damaging.

When prejudice enters the dugout, players notice. Unequal treatment, different standards, favoritism, disrespectful comments, or opportunities given to some athletes while denied to others leave scars that can last far beyond graduation. Young athletes begin to question not only the game they love, but their own worth.

High school sports should be one of the few places where performance, effort, and character matter most. A player’s race, ethnicity, religion, or background should never determine playing time, positions, leadership opportunities, or the level of respect they receive.

The effects of racism extend beyond statistics. Players may experience anxiety, depression, loss of confidence, anger, or complete withdrawal from athletics. Families lose trust. Teams become divided. Communities suffer.

True leadership requires accountability. School administrators, athletic directors, parents and community members must have the courage to confront discrimination whenever it occurs. Silence protects the problem, not the players.

Fortunately, many coaches embody the highest ideals of the profession. They build cultures based on respect, fairness, and excellence. They understand that diversity strengthens teams and that every athlete deserves the opportunity to compete and develop without fear of bias. Unfortunately others embrace favoritism, cronyism & racism.

Young athletes should never have to choose between preserving their dignity and pursuing their dreams.

Baseball is difficult enough.

Racism should never be part of the game.

Reference:

Priest, N., Paradies, Y., Trenerry, B., Truong, M., Karlsen, S., & Kelly, Y. (2013). A systematic review of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and wellbeing for children and young people. Social Science & Medicine, 95, 115-127.

06/06/2026

Healthcare Costs Are Making Americans Anxious

Americans are spending billions on vacations, concerts, luxury experiences, and wellness products. Yet beneath the surface, many are carrying something much heavier: financial anxiety.

One of the biggest drivers? Healthcare costs.

Whether you’re insured or not, healthcare has become increasingly expensive. High deductibles, rising premiums, surprise bills, medication costs, and endless battles with insurance companies leave many families feeling frustrated and vulnerable. Even people with stable jobs and good incomes worry about what one illness, accident, or hospitalization could do to their finances.

For some, the stress is so significant that they delay seeking care altogether. Others ration medications, avoid therapy, or postpone important medical evaluations because they simply cannot afford them. Ironically, waiting often leads to worse health outcomes and even higher costs later.

Financial stress itself also affects mental health. Chronic worry can contribute to anxiety, insomnia, depression, irritability, burnout, and relationship problems. The mind and body were never designed to live under constant uncertainty.

Perhaps this explains why so many Americans are becoming increasingly interested in prevention and wellness. People are exercising, improving nutrition, prioritizing sleep, exploring supplements, and seeking ways to optimize their physical and mental health before disease develops. Prevention may not eliminate healthcare expenses, but it can reduce risk and improve quality of life.

Healthcare should bring peace of mind, not fear.

Until meaningful changes occur, one of the most powerful things individuals can do is take ownership of the factors they can control: sleep, movement, nutrition, relationships, stress management, and seeking help early rather than waiting for a crisis.

Your health is an investment—not an expense—and protecting it may be one of the best financial decisions you ever make.

Reference:
Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). KFF Health Tracking Poll (2024). Available at: https://www.kff.org

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05/17/2026

Contact information to schedule a new patient psychiatric appointment, send a referral or enquire re: a PMHNP student preceptorship - outpatient office in Orland Park, IL - telehealth appointments available in Illinois, Florida, Arizona, South Dakota, Idaho & Washington (state):

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Your Universities Failed You: The PMHNP Education Crisis

Every year, universities collect massive tuition payments from aspiring Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners while selling a dream of autonomy, flexibility, prestige, and financial success. What many students actually receive is an overpriced, watered-down educational experience that leaves them underprepared, overwhelmed and scrambling to survive in real-world practice.

The uncomfortable truth is this: too many PMHNP programs have become degree factories.

Many programs have shifted heavily toward online learning models while simultaneously placing one of the most critical components of clinical training directly onto the student — finding preceptors. Imagine a medical school telling students, “Go find your own residency.” It would never happen. Yet in PMHNP education, this has somehow become normalized.

Students pay extravagant tuition and fees while cold-calling clinics, begging providers for unpaid clinical placements, competing against hundreds of other students in oversaturated markets. Some students delay graduation simply because they cannot secure preceptors. Others accept poor-quality placements out of desperation.

This weakens the credibility of the profession.

Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and other elite healthcare training programs understand that rigorous, standardized clinical education matters. They protect the integrity of their professions through structured training pipelines, accountability, and institutional responsibility. Many PMHNP programs, unfortunately, have drifted in the opposite direction.

The result?

New graduates entering practice feeling anxious, undertrained, unsupported, and forced to “figure it out” after graduation despite spending tens of thousands of dollars, along with a saturated job market driving compensation down.

The burden then falls onto employers, collaborating clinicians, private practices and health systems to finish the education universities should have delivered in the first place.

This is not an attack on students. Many PMHNP students are hardworking, intelligent, compassionate people trying to improve their lives and help patients. The failure lies with institutions that aggressively expanded enrollment, prioritized revenue and diluted educational rigor while marketing convenience as excellence.

The profession deserves better.

Patients deserve better.

And students deserve programs that actually prepare them for the realities of psychiatric practice instead of simply handing them a diploma and a loan payment.

Key Issues Driving the Problem:

* Overreliance on online-only educational
models
* Students forced to independently secure
preceptors
* Oversaturation of programs and clinical
placement competition
* Inconsistent clinical training quality
* Universities prioritizing enrollment growth
over rigor
* Weak preparation for high-acuity psychiatric
care

Reference: Delaney KR, Vanderhoef D. The Future of Nursing Education: Addressing Clinical Preparedness in Advanced Practice Nursing Programs. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

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05/16/2026

The benefits of b-complex for brain health…

The Benefits Of B-Complex On Brain Health

Vitamin B-complex plays an important role in brain health, energy production and nervous system function. Vitamins such as B6, B9 (folate) and B12 help support neurotransmitter production, which influences mood, focus, memory, and mental clarity.

Low levels of B vitamins have been associated with fatigue, brain fog, depression and cognitive decline. B-complex supplementation may also help reduce stress by supporting healthy cortisol regulation and cellular energy metabolism. For individuals with poor nutrition, chronic stress, gastrointestinal issues or high mental demands, optimizing B vitamin intake can support overall cognitive performance, emotional wellness and long-term brain function.

Purchase the highest quality Thorne supplements for brain health at this link & receive a 10% Benchmark Psychiatric Services, LTD. affiliate discount:

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05/13/2026

What Is Brain Fog?

Your Brain Is Tired: Understanding Brain Fog & Cognitive Optimization

More people today are walking around mentally exhausted. Not necessarily depressed. Not necessarily anxious. Just… foggy.

They struggle to focus during conversations. They reread the same email three times. Motivation feels lower. Energy crashes earlier in the day. Small tasks feel mentally draining. Many describe it with one simple phrase: “I feel like my brain is not firing correctly.”

That feeling is often referred to as Brain Fog.

Brain fog is not a formal diagnosis, but it is very real. In many cases, it is the brain’s response to chronic overload. Modern life constantly pushes the nervous system beyond what it was designed to handle. Poor sleep, stress, processed food, nonstop notifications, social media overstimulation, lack of exercise, burnout, alcohol and untreated mental health conditions all slowly chip away at cognitive performance.

The scary part is that many people normalize it. They assume feeling mentally exhausted is simply part of adulthood.

It is not.

Your brain is an organ, and like any high-performance system, it requires recovery, maintenance, and proper fuel. Cognitive optimization is the process of improving how the brain functions through intentional habits that support focus, clarity, emotional control, memory and energy.

For some people, improvement starts with better sleep. For others, it may involve exercise, improved nutrition, reducing alcohol, treating anxiety or ADHD, or simply learning how to slow down and recover. Small changes made consistently can dramatically improve mental sharpness over time.

Mental clarity matters. Your brain affects every decision, relationship, opportunity and goal in your life. If you constantly feel mentally drained, distracted, or emotionally flat, it may be time to stop ignoring the warning signs and start treating brain health with the same seriousness as physical health.

Reference:
Gomez-Pinilla F. Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2008;9(7):568-578.

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05/13/2026

Five Benefits Of Mental Skills Training As A High School Athlete

High school sports are about far more than wins and losses. The athletes who separate themselves long-term are often not the biggest, fastest, or strongest. They are the most mentally prepared. Mental skills training teaches athletes how to handle pressure, adversity, expectations, criticism and competition. In today’s environment of social media, recruiting stress, burnout and nonstop comparison, mental performance training is becoming just as important as physical training.

Top 5 Benefits of Mental Skills Training for High School Athletes

1. Improved Confidence
Confidence is not something athletes magically wake up with. It is trained. Mental skills training helps athletes develop self-belief through preparation, visualization, positive self-talk, and learning how to recover after mistakes. Confident athletes play faster, more aggressively, and with less fear.

2. Better Focus Under Pressure
Big moments expose weak concentration. Mental training teaches athletes how to stay locked in during pressure situations instead of becoming distracted by crowds, coaches, parents or social media. Focused athletes perform more consistently.

3. Greater Resilience After Failure
Every athlete fails. Strikeouts happen. Missed shots happen. Errors happen. Mental skills training teaches athletes how to respond instead of emotionally collapsing. The ability to recover quickly after setbacks is often what separates elite athletes from average athletes.

4. Reduced Anxiety and Burnout
Today’s athletes face enormous pressure from recruiting, academics, social media and unrealistic expectations. Mental performance coaching can help reduce performance anxiety, improve emotional control and prevent burnout before it destroys motivation and enjoyment of the sport.

5. Leadership and Communication Development
Strong athletes are valuable. Strong leaders are rare. Mental training helps athletes improve communication, accountability, emotional maturity and leadership presence — skills that transfer directly into college, business, relationships and life.

Key Areas Mental Skills Training Can Improve

* Confidence and self-esteem
* Emotional control during competition
* Focus and concentration
* Leadership skills
* Recovery after mistakes and setbacks

The reality is simple: talent alone is no longer enough. The athletes who learn to train their minds gain a major competitive advantage both on and off the field.

Reference:
Weinberg, R., & Gould, D. (2023). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Human Kinetics.

Make An Appointment:
800.461.9533
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✅Psychiatry: Medication Evaluation &
Management
✅Genetic Testing For Ideal Medication
Management
✅Individual Psychotherapy
✅EsKetamine Nasal Spray For Treatment
Resistant Depression
✅Mental Skills Training For Athletes
✅Semaglutide W/ B12 Injections, Semaglutide
W/ B12 Orally Disintegrating Tablets &
Tirzepatide W/ B3 Injections For Weight
Management & Other Peptides For Health &
Wellness
✅The Highest Quality Nutritional
Supplements For Brain Health —>
https://www.thorne.com/u/BenchmarkPsych

benchmarkpsychservices.com

Outpatient Offices For In-Person Appointments:
Orland Park, Illinois
Boca Raton, Florida
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Telehealth:
📍ILLINOIS•FLORIDA•ARIZONA
📍SOUTH DAKOTA•WASHINGTON

** TELEHEALTH NOW AVAILABLE IN IDAHO**