Posts

As you have heard me say many times before, how we choose to use our brains affects both our mental and physical health. Not only do our choices create real, structural changes in the brain, but they also affect the overall health of our brains, which impacts how the brain and body function on a day-to-day basis, while

If you have followed my blogs and podcasts for a while, you will know how much I love my infrared sauna! It is an integral part of my mental self-care routine, especially with my hectic work and travel schedule, and something I recommend to everyone who asks me what I do to stay healthy. In this week’s blog and podcas

We all know what we eat affects our ability to think, and our mood. In fact, thinking and eating are intricately connected: what and how we eat affects our mental health, and our mental health affects what and how we eat, as I discuss in my book Think and Eat Yourself Smart. In this week’s blog and podcast, I will ta

Let’s face it: people can be too much at times. In fact, occasionally things will get so toxic that a deserted cabin in the middle of the wilderness can sound quite appealing! But, as I discuss in this week’s podcast, we cannot run from the ugly side of humanity. Every day we can potentially face a toxic experience

We are not meant to live in a dead zone of feelings, yet we often prefer not to feel, especially when it comes to negative emotions. We sometimes will do anything to avoid pain, boredom, sadness, insecurity or emptiness. Why can’t we just be happy all the time? What we often overlook is that if we don’t feel the pain,

In my 25 years of clinical practice I worked with a number of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and the dementias. I have followed the research over the past 30 years, and what has struck me the most about this mystifying and frightening problem is that we still don’t have clear answers, despite the billions of dolla

It seems like everyone is talking about anxiety these days. But what exactly is anxiety? And is it really possible to control anxiety levels? In this week’s podcast and blog, I will be talking about how anxiety is a signal that we need to listen to, not an illness we need to manage. It is a reaction to life’s challeng

We have all had those days when we come home feeling exhausted. We barely have energy to eat and get into bed, and wake up almost as tired and as stressed the next day. Many of us, from time to time, experience burnout: pure fatigue from the challenges of life. In this week’s blog and podcast, we are going to discuss

Let’s face it: we all get stressed, because life is stressful. We cannot avoid stress, BUT (great news!) we can learn how to build our resilience to stress. Stress can actually be good for us, depending on our perceptions! We actually cannot function without stress—it is a natural part of being human, and can help get

Did you know fighting can be good for your mental health? Arguing can be beneficial for both your health and your relationships, IF done correctly. In this blog I am going to give six points on how to argue, and the mental health benefits of arguing well. I grew up in a family where many things were swept under the r

We all had those days when everything just seems to fall apart. As the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours!” I had one of those yesterday—I just couldn’t catch a break! But, thankfully, there are way we can protect our mental health during tough times, which can actually make a bad day, or bad week, better! As I dis

I’m sure you either know someone personally or are related to someone who just seems to keep making the wrong decisions, no matter how much you try to help. I know how frustrating it can be when they just don’t want to listen, and I know annoying it can be when you feel like you are wasting your time! I’ve been there—s