Can You Teach Yourself to Be More Optimistic?

The benefits of optimism cannot be ignored. Optimism is associated with vitality, positive moods, increased well-being, better mental and physical health and less anxiety and depression. Optimists are also be more likable and fun to...

Is it All in Your Head?

“Is it all my head?” Patients ask me this question all the time. Perception is powerful. What you focus on shapes what you experience. Here is an example. A recent study found that back and...

Stuck in A Rut? 5 Ways to Dig Yourself Out

“Are you really a psychiatrist? Well then, can I ask you a question?” I often find myself in a situation like this in which someone I barely know—a friend of a friend, a stranger...

6 Strategies To Turn A Bad Day Around

It is so easy to start the day on the wrong foot. You spill coffee all over your white shirt, the dog decided to do his business on the new carpet, the milk you...

(Don’t) Always Live in the Moment

Whether you are on a hot date or in the middle of a yoga session, by all means, do your best to stay in the moment. But if you find yourself in the middle...

Just Do It: A Counterintuitive Approach to Feeling Good

As a psychiatrist I spent years trying to change how people think. I thought if I could help them become more open-minded, less judgmental or more optimistic, they would be able to initiate the...