From Ask My Jackie (see above link) — When does being alone become unhealthy? Dear Alone, If you have to ask—then right now. Let’s talk about loneliness. We live in a culture with seemingly endless electronic distractions. With computers, smart phones, tablets, social media and the like, we are only a device or an app away from our connections with ... Read More »
Dear Readers: Welcome to the launching of “Ask My Jackie,” an advice column modeled after our beloved Dear Abby, Ann Landers, Dear Prudence, and my personal favorite, Carolyn Hax. If you don’t find the advice you are looking for here, check out one of these other awesome resources. To submit a question, see the “Ask My Jackie” link at the top ... Read More »
Anderson Cooper, if you weren’t gay, and I wasn’t married, I’d think you were trying to win my heart. For the second time in two weeks you have broadcast an outstanding report that has life-changing implications. (See my December 21 post, “Fear of Death—The Antidote, Part 2” for the previous one.) The latest one is “Professor learns he has the ... Read More »
Let’s start with weather woes. The polar vortex. Our new word for winter 2014. Wind chills of 20-30 below zero in Kentucky. Kentucky! It was so cold; my daughter said she understood how people die of hypothermia. It was so cold; I wanted to cry. Our garage was 32 degrees one morning, then 22 degrees the next. The garage! Once ... Read More »
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 girlfriend Donna, the writer, is always coming up with ideas she wants me to write about on my blog. Last summer we were watching “Under the Dome” together and she said, “You should write about these crazy characters are on your blog.” OK, so that was last week’s post on psychopaths vs psychotics, and yes, it included a reference ... Read More »
After the Washington Navy Yard shooting rampage by Aaron Alexis I had planned to write a post entitled: “What? Another Psychopath?” I’d planned to tie in some well known media psychopaths, e.g., for the nearly 18 million of you who watched the summer CBS science fiction drama “Under the Dome” that Stephen King and Steven Spielberg produced – that would ... Read More »
