We all have bad days – and some of them are of our own making. Of course, sometimes things don’t work out because we are treated unfairly, and sometimes we are treated fairly but we don’t get the job or the relationship or the discount or the tax break that we want. Even on the…
Some very compassionate people have a difficult time expressing self-compassion. According to Dr. Kristin Neff, self-compassion expert at the University of Texas, the practice of self-compassion involves giving ourselves the same kindness and care that we’d give to a friend. Why do some people find that concept so difficult? In some cases, the problem is…
A person’s comfort zone is a psychological state of mind in which a person is operating in familiar territory and feels in control and relatively free of anxiety and stress. It is a psychological space marked by performing routine behaviors that carry little risk. As the name implies, it is comfortable to be in your…
There are a number of wonderful medications that provide benefits to a targeted physiologic process or area of your body. Some even do more than one helpful thing. But there is no drug that does so much for you as exercise and other physical activity. A regular program of exercise obviously helps with muscle tone,…
On many occasions, I’ve discussed the importance of social connectedness. Being socially connected provides you with more opportunities to have fun and to have a support system. Furthermore, during the aging process, there is a strong association between loneliness and poor health and a shorter lifespan. Something that can get lost in the process when…
No matter how positively we approach life and how satisfied we are with our situations, nothing ever turns out right all the time. We all wind up being disappointed at times, feeling regretful at times, and feeling that we are being treated unfairly at times. During those times, it is pretty normal to try to…
Many years ago, when I was in school, we would occasionally get a test where you lost more points if you got the wrong answer than if you left the item blank. In essence, there was a penalty for guessing. I could never understand why. Perhaps my thinking in that regard may have been one…
Among an oversupply of bad news that gets reported on a daily basis, there is occasionally some really good news. One of those positive developments is associated with lifelong learning. Studies in recent years have found that approximately 75% of Americans engage in at least one educational activity annually to seek extra knowledge beyond that…
When meeting with a new patient or client for the first time, I routinely ask several questions beyond the obvious demographic ones. One of those questions is, “What do you do for fun?” You would be surprised at how many times the question leaves somebody dumbfounded – as if it is a trick question that…
While medications are often necessary to control or cure certain diseases, there is no medication that provides the range of benefits that accrue from spending time outdoors and enjoying fresh air and sunlight. An overwhelming body of research has identified numerous healthy outcomes that correlate with spending time in nature – including improving mood, enhancing…
Back when I was in graduate school 50 years ago, Ambiguity was a hot topic. I don’t think that graduate psychology students today spend too much time on the topic as newer concerns and concepts evolve all the time and receive greater emphasis, but I still consider tolerance of ambiguity to be an important issue…