Most of us don’t learn through happiness; we learn through difficulties, and hard times present us with many opportunities to learn more about ourselves. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of financial blogs, and would like to take the best of what I’ve read and boil...
I recently entered what is commonly known as "middle age". Sure, I have my share of wrinkles and gray hair, but I FEEL youthful and healthy. I’d like to share some of what works for me - and my clients - in hopes it will...
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 rise in...
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 teenager,...
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 quality? Have you ever...
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 Curious: Affirmations are very helpful to...
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 realized. Unfortunately,...
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 used...
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 can’t...