A Guide to Manage the Holidays with Self-Care and Balance
The holiday season can be a time of joy, connection, and celebration. But for some people, it can also bring stress, loneliness, and emotional overwhelm. Whether it’s the pressure to meet expectations, reminders of personal loss, or the weight of difficult relationships, managing emotions during the holidays can be challenging. If you’re feeling anxious about […]
The Continuing Challenges of a Mental Health Disability
Source: asinclair/Pixabay My intention in writing these posts is to share the experiences that I went through with my son, starting with the first manifestation of his illness and our journey through numerous subsequent episodes. It’s also to provide commentary as a parent and psychiatrist on issues that these experiences bring up, such as how […]
The Virtue of Humility in Relationships
I cannot understand how there could be humility without love or love without humility. Teresa of Avila (1583/2017 CE), Chap. 16, no. 2, p. 94 As Teresa of Avila’s (1515-1582) epigraph implies, humility is considered a critical element in any relationship. But what is it and how can we harness this virtue to improve ourselves […]
Those Who Bully Use Kindness to Manipulate
Bullying—going against our innate nature—may use kindness to manipulate. Kindness is called “nature’s medicine” by researchers because it produces the hormone oxytocin which is now recognized to have significant healing and health properties. In contrast, bullying takes the medicine of kindness and makes it toxic. As documented in The Bullied Brain, bullying generates the stress […]
Send the Kids Outdoors, Improve their Mental Health
The weather in Quebec can be pretty unpleasant during winter and early spring. And yet, it was during the months of February, March, and April that over 500 children aged 10-12 were given classes outdoors for two hours each week in a gutsy experiment to see whether time in nature doing art, meditation, or learning […]
National Trends in Obesity and How It Affects the Brain
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently funded an analysis of obesity in the U.S. The analysis highlighted the fact that obesity rates vary in different states. The results are disturbing. About 75 percent of all Americans are currently overweight or obese. In 2021, over 15 million children and young adolescents and 172 million adults […]
Why Humility Is Complicated for Religious Leaders
Being a religious leader means wearing many different hats. At times, their congregations expect them to convey passionate confidence—to be models of faith and strength. But wise leadership also means listening and being willing to change your mind: from navigating a congregation in crisis to questioning once-firm beliefs. The ones who can effectively balance these […]
“Am I the Narcissist?” How to Tell If It’s You
“Narcissism is voluntary blindness, an agreement not to look beneath the surface.” ~Sam Keen Have you ever found yourself wondering, “Am I the narcissist in this relationship?” If so, you’re not alone. This question can feel heavy and unsettling, especially if you’ve spent years tangled in a toxic dynamic. The more you try to figure […]
The Mental Health Benefits of Giving Thanks
Next week is Thanksgiving. For many, the day will be filled with food (a lot), family and friends, and endless football games on TV. Some families or friend gatherings have a tradition of going around the table to ask each participant what they are grateful for. But did you know that practicing gratitude positively actually […]
Doubting Your Self-Doubt | Psychology Today
“Self-doubt kills talent.”- Edie McClurg Self-doubt is a feeling of uncertainty or lack of confidence in yourself or your abilities. Long term self-doubt will lead to anxiety, avoidance, procrastination, depression, low-self-esteem and potentially an extreme difficulty in making decisions. How could we begin to doubt our self-doubt, which appears to be on the rise in […]