Recently, a local news reporter interviewed me about why people gain weight. Weight gain (and loss) is, for many of us, right up there with sex and money on the anxiety scale. Anxiety and weight gain are linked. As the level of general anxiety continues to…
There are lots of articles out there in the self-help world about loving your inner child. John Bradshaw made that really big a while back. But, recently, I’ve wondered about what comes next? In other words, what about our inner teenager? You know your inner…
Are you afraid to slow down? Do you think only stupid people go slowly? You’re not alone. Why do we rush so much? What do we think we’re achieving? Is happiness basically a numbers game – whoever does the most stuff wins – or a matter of…
For many of us, a major birthday (30, 40, 50 or 60) brings great hope for change. We expect things will be better. However, just because we’re another year older, nothing really changes. As a psychotherapist, I notice that expecting things to get better – without…
Dear Michael: I liked your recent meditation column. Someone told me that they do “affirmations” to help them stay focused. What are these “affirmations” and do you think they really help or are they just a bunch of new age fluff? Curious in Downtown Dear…
Long ago and far away, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) were considered childhood disorders that somehow magically disappeared around adulthood. Welcome to reality: scores of recent studies have shown that ADD/ADHD is more common in adults than most health professionals…
Dating: the word sounds ancient, doesn’t it? Instead, we usually hear “hooking up”, a phrase that sounds pretty meaningless and shallow, or “hanging out”, a terribly vague description of spending time together. All of this leads me to ask the question: Is Dating Dead? Dating…
Dear Michael: I feel like such a fool. I have a great job, good health, a loving husband, great kid and a good group of loyal friends…but I still feel empty and miserable inside and find myself crying for no reason. What’s wrong with me? Why…
Perhaps only God Himself/Herself is more important than humor. Seriously. Psychological research has found that when people list the qualities they desire in a partner, a good sense of humor consistently shows up near the top. For some of us, a good sense of humor is more…
Dear Michael: My friends encouraged me to write to you, but I don’t know if you can do much. They say I have lousy self-esteem. Maybe they’re right. Whenever someone gives me a compliment, I think they’re after something and I don’t believe them. Doesn’t everyone have…
