Every marriage has its ups and downs. Times when communication falters and you feel distant from your partner. It is easy to ignore these warning signs and hope they go away. But what if they don’t? The emotional connections that hold people together are key to a good relationship and admitting problems. While hard, it is the first step toward rebuilding your love. Consider the 18-year marriage of Georgia and Sam. They have raised three children, Sam is successful in his career and … [Read more...]
Understanding the Difference Between Worrying and Problem Solving
January 28, 2026 By
For all of my anxious readers out there, I thought this chart might help you understand how worrying functions and does not help us versus how problem-solving not only has immediate positive effects but can also have longer-term benefits. Worrying is problem-centered with your thinking zeroed-in on what went wrong rather than on a solution. When you begin to be problem-solving focused, you are thinking about those things over which you have some control. Look at the differences in the chart … [Read more...]
Is there such a thing as a Good Divorce?
December 2, 2025 By
For many of us we think of negative words when we think about divorce – either our own or those of our friends. Words like conflict, pain, heartbreak, sadness and loss. Many find that a divorce is the end of a dream for the future, one where we see ourselves growing old with our spouse, surrounded by grown children. Today, however, not all divorces have to be horrible and destructive. A larger than ever number of couples are discovering that it is possible to enter the divorce process … [Read more...]
Why is a Cosmetics Company Involved in Mental Health?
November 3, 2025 By
Why is a Cosmetics Company Involved in Mental Health? The first words I read in the full-page ad in the New York Times on October 10th were “Be Brave. Have The Talk. Help A Friend.” The ad offered a free 10-minute training so that you would know how to talk to a friend who you thought might be struggling with depression or anxiety. I asked myself why Maybelline New York was sponsoring this training? I knew the statistics were worrisome. 50% of young adults suffer from depression or … [Read more...]
Two Kinds of Stress
September 15, 2025 By
I was sitting at my desk getting ready to finalize the curriculum for a class that I teach when I was informed via email that the books I needed for my medical residents had not arrived. Not only had they not arrived, they had not been ordered! I thought the top of my head would explode. I could teach the first two lectures, maybe the first four, but after that, the next two or three segments of the curriculum were blown. I wasn’t just stressed; I was in distress. Distress is negative … [Read more...]