1)      Relax more (see my 12/28  post—“Managing Holiday Stress: A Tip That Will Work All Year”). It’s called vacation. (Take more of them.) 2)      Work smarter, not harder. It’s called efficiency. 3)      Get a pet. Love your pet. Talk for your pet (because they can’t). It’s called love. 4)      Get HD (and a DVR, while you’re at it). Blu-ray, you’re ... Read More »

I see a young client, let’s call her Maria, who suffers from nearly every anxiety disorder listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – the bible for mental health professionals). Maria has panic disorder, social phobia, agoraphobia, specific phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic-stress disorder. As part of her treatment plan, she and I are ... Read More »

Below is an excerpt from my April 28 post (Small Fears, Big Fears, Fear of Death, and the Antidote) that challenged us to overcome our fear of death. Hardly a day goes by in my office without someone talking about fear. I’ve heard it all. People fear being embarrassed, rejected, outsmarted, and ridiculed. They also fear for their safety and ... Read More »

Let’s put it this way — If I were on a desert island and I could only have one mental health tool, it would be . . . an understanding of the term “gaslighting.” It is a pattern of psychological abuse wherein victims are manipulated into doubting their own reality. The tactics can involve rearranging or hiding objects to induce ... Read More »

My client, Jennifer, was expressing self-defeating thoughts for the umpteenth time. “Do you think my daughter will like her stepmother more than me? The new guy I met didn’t call me back. No one will ever want me. Why am I such a loser?” It had been a long day, and I’d had it with her self-defeating comments. I blurted ... Read More »

The  Obama administration is having a bad week. First the Benghazi hearings, then the IRS scandal, then the DOJ’s secret subpoena. Repubs want to hang them from the highest tree and are talking impeachment hearings at worst, or at the very least using the controversies to fuel fund-raising efforts. Come on  folks, they’re just having a bad week. Haven’t you ... Read More »

Hardly a day goes by in my office without someone talking about fear. I’ve heard it all. People fear being embarrassed, rejected, outsmarted, and ridiculed. They also fear for their safety and the safety of their loved ones. They fear terminal illness and debilitating conditions. They fear failure. I’ve heard about fear of heights, elevators, closed in spaces, and planes ... Read More »

Just finished reading American Turnaround (Business Plus) by Ed Whitacre. I saw Ed on The Daily Show and his common sense approach to complex business problems got my attention. He was tapped by the Obama administration to come out of retirement and help turn around General Motors after the 50 billion dollar TARP bailout. Not to give away the ending, ... Read More »

Just finished reading last week’s Time magazine article about the troubles at the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, the world’s most famous ballet company. There is no doubt that the ballerinas at the Bolshoi are among the best dancers in the world and that they are awesome role models for dancers everywhere. It turns out they are not awesome role models ... Read More »

My client was upset by an email she got from her estranged husband. When she forwarded the email to her family law attorney, he counseled her to ignore it. He said, “He’s just trying to get your goat!” My client wisely backed off and didn’t make an issue of it. I made a mental note to check on the origin ... Read More »