Posts

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

This week I will continue discussing five more simple and practical mental self-care techniques to keep your brain healthy and reduce anxiety. This is part 2; last week we did part 1 (if you missed last week, you can read the blog and listen to the podcast to catch up). 6. Use the window technique: One of the mental to

There are so many things to worry about in life: being a good friend or partner, making time for family, having a meaningful job, raising your children well, making enough money to live comfortably…the list goes on and on. And, of course, all these concerns and fears impact our mental health, which impacts our physical

Expectations are a normal part of life. We expect certain things from ourselves and others, and we also have to deal with the expectations of others in our lives, whether at school, home or work. However, too often these expectations become so burdensome that they lead to anxiety, panic attacks, burnout, and mental fat

Making mistakes means we are human—we all have our bad moments! But what about making the same mistakes over and over again? Why do we keep slipping up, even though we know what we are doing is wrong? As I discuss in this week’s podcast, one of the main reasons we keep making the same mistakes over and over again is be