Self-Help Is Important. Other-Help Is Too.
One spring a patient named Margot came to my office feeling despondent. At the beginning of the year, she attended a seminar on the importance of self-care, which was titled, "Make This Year All...
What Happy Couples Do Differently When Tensions Arise
Life often feels like a game of Wac-A-Mole or, as one patient put it, like an endless wave of attention-requiring energy-draining drudgery: "I basically crisis-surf all day." Not surprisingly, when people report a lot...
3 Strategies to Master the Art & Science of Asking for a Favor
"Just thinking about it gives me hives," explained my patient. Like many people I know, she doesn't like asking for favors. Most people prefer doing a favor for someone else to asking for one. There...
Help! Climate Change Is Stressing Me Out
These three words capture how many people are feeling because of climate change according to a recent report by the American Psychological Association, "Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Inequities, and Responses." A...
Is Humility the Antidote for the Humblebrag?
As the old saying goes, "True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less."
In recognition of all Dolly Parton has done for the state of Tennessee, plans were underway...
How To Be More Optimistic
"It's just bleak out there." My patient was referring to the weather and also her general outlook. "Bleak" captures the way many people are feeling right now—general malaise, emotional exhaustion, and overwhelming pessimism. I...