Historically, according to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 40% of premature deaths from major diseases could be prevented with lifestyle modifications. In addition, most illnesses are stress-related. These figures don’t even take into account the Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in a higher proportion of severe illness and death from the disease among individuals…
When Was the Best Time of Your Life?
Because so many things that we deal with in psychology cannot be physically measured, the field lends itself to various interpretations about all sorts of things. There is no equivalent of an EKG or MRI or blood pressure cuff to objectively measure empathy or resilience or even love. As a result, there is no uniform psychological theory…
The Gentle Art of Pacing Yourself
We all have to deal with some commitments and deadlines and requirements in addition to having things on our schedules that we choose to do. The bottom line is that most of us lead pretty busy lives. There are essentially two ways of dealing with busy schedules: either let the course of events control us…
Yes, You Can Make a Difference – If You Get Involved
While this is the time when people tend to make resolutions having to do with specific habits or behaviors, I think that this is a particularly good time to look at whether you are maximizing your potential and sharing your awesomeness with the world by being involved with your community. That community may include your religious, political,…
Looking Back With Acceptance and Resolve
There are very few things that we can do during the last week in December to change the quality of the outcome of the year. Hopefully, not many of us would want to change it to any great extent, but I do feel that it’s appropriate to have a level of discontent about the past in order for us…
Observing Wrongdoing In Silence Is Complicity
Earlier in my adulthood, as a white heterosexual male, it was not rare for me to be in the company of others who made racist, sexist, or other bigoted comments by other white males who felt licensed to do so because of our shared race and sex. While I won’t pretend that I was always…
Sometimes It’s Good To Draw Outside The Lines
Only the most rigid of non-empathic parents would watch their child bake a pretend cake and take it upon themselves to remind the child that it’s not really a cake – or watch a child color a picture of a horse and remind him or her that horses aren’t really blue, and “You’re also supposed…
Friends Come In All Shapes, Sizes, and Ages
Social connectedness is one of the cornerstones of mental health. I consider it as being one of the “non-negotiable 4” elements necessary for emotional growth – along with keeping the brain active, eating healthy, and owning your body through exercise, proper sleep, and meditation. The average person has various categories of social connections, many of…
Self-Confidence Begins With Thinking Like Michelangelo
It has been told that when Michelangelo was asked how he was able to take an unformed block of marble and create the masterpiece statue of David, he reportedly answered that it was easy, “I just chipped away the parts that didn’t look like David, and what was left was David.” There’s no verifiable evidence…
Ageism Is Not A One-Way Street
Ageism is a form of stereotyping and/or discrimination based upon a person’s age. It has often limited older adults from employment opportunities and leadership positions in organizations because of a feeling that older individuals are not as healthy, sharp, or able to function effectively as someone who is younger. When this thinking is applied without…
Don’t Be Dumb When Using A Smart Phone
Do you remember when the only thing that you could use a phone for was to make and receive calls? That seems so boring now that we have smart phones that can do a multiplicity of tasks. Among other things, a smart phone can also serve as a computer, camera, texting machine, postal service, word…