Recently the Virginia Tech massacre once again filled our news and talk shows with one of their favorite enemies of the people, terror. We all need to know how to cope with fear, so I’ll give you here my favorite enemies of fear. Those who study and rehearse these can keep them handy as an emergency tool […]
NATURAL QUIET AND SIMPLICITY INSPIRE ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT August 2022 At midlife, I had been building and launching both my family and my career for over 20 years. I was stressed out from trying to make ends meet. My business supported employees and counselors, but during its last years, I reached a point where I […]
The key to managing worry and fear is learning how to change the channels in your mind. We learned last time how to switch awareness from the involuntary nervous system that takes feelings TO the brain, and give it to the voluntary nerves taking messages FROM the brain out to the muscles. We also learned […]
For the 20 million Americans who suffer from depression, I explained last week how antidepressant medication is wonderful. It helps relieve some of the symptoms of depression without creating any, and it even relieves one of the causes. Whereas antidepressants have no inflated street value because they give you no buzz or addictions, most medicines for anxiety are just […]
Can People Recover from Trauma and Abuse? It is with both pride and embarrassment that America has become known as a victims’ society. We can be proud that we prosecute perpetrators of rape, domestic violence, and child abuse at least as severely as most developed nations. But we should […]
Coping with Second-hand Stress Here is some assertiveness training for dealing with emotional bullies or master manipulators. The key is to see the invisible force they hit you with--stress. When somebody “stresses” you, according to the dictionary, they are subjecting you to pressure or strain. The verb “subject” literally means to throw somebody under something, […]
What is healthy faith, anyway, and who am I to judge it? As a psychologist, I can tell when people’s religious beliefs and lifestyles are enabling them to enjoy life, be enjoyable to others, and leave the world a better place each day. No matter what a person’s religious faith or denomination, most would agree […]
Think about your exposure to the news of the day—TV, newspapers, websites, radio, gossip and hearsay. What is it doing for you, or perhaps, TO you? Just as with the food and medicine we take in, we need to examine the nutritional value and side effects of the news we get. To live the good life, we have to […]
1. Have realistic expectations. Don’t sentimentalize old memories too much. And don’t go the other way either, replaying empty, depressing memories of the past. Content yourself with reality. 2. Give to others, without expecting anything in return—especially appreciation. Let that be a pleasant surprise, and give just for the pure joy it. 3. Dust off two or three […]
I believe that America here at the turn of the millennium is going to be remembered in history as a nation of gluttons. Whether it is with our calendars, our budgets, our relationships, or our palates, we can’t get enough. Just about every celebrity I can think of is known for being or doing the […]