Tag: Mental health
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Emotional Regulation
Self-regulation, or the ability to identify and respond appropriately to internal needs, is being increasingly recognized as an important skill. It appears Americans may be getting worse at it. Our lives are filled with endless distractions leaving us with little time or motivation to pause and look inward. Researchers speculate we are over-regulating our children’s…
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Movies for Navelgazers
Movies that represent major life themes and lessons can inspire us to think more deeply about important issues. They can act as a springboard for discussion and further exploration with friends and family. Here are a few of my favorite movies that depict major life themes. Forrest Gump This movie provides a juxtaposition of competing…
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Keeping Up with the National Health Reform Debate
(This post is from 2009 – an interesting look back!) As an American health care provider, I have a vested interest in the health care reform debate as it will impact the future state of health care in the US. I am especially concerned about my clients understanding and having a voice in the issues.…
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Recipe for Happiness?
Psychologists have been taking a growing interest in measuring happiness over the last decade. In retrospect, this seems to be a no brainer, but it is a fairly new approach for professionals who were historically more accustomed to focusing on life’s problems in order to help people thrive. Happiness is a subjective emotion involving sensations…
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Frustration and Patience
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You are very hungry, but you can’t get the lid off of the jar. You are running late and your keys are nowhere to be found. Your jaw tightens and you look up at the ceiling as that familiar and exasperating feeling comes over you – you are experiencing frustration. Frustration occurs when we are…
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Love Relationships
Love is one of life’s greatest rewards. But, like many good things, there is both a sweet side and a sour side to it. Serious or chronic illness, infidelity, intimacy concerns, changing roles and circumstances, anger, finances, parenting, communication problems all can contribute to distress in marriages or other partnerships. We start out at a…
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Selflessness
Our society values and encourages selflessness. We think about self-sacrifice and putting others before ourselves as virtuous qualities. To be selfless means, “having no regard to self”. Although we may choose to act selflessly at times (which can be a wonderful thing), we cannot completely disregard ourselves. Remember the Zen-Buddhist saying, “Wherever you go, there…
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Slipping Into the Test Anxiety Zone
You’re sitting in your classroom before a major test. Your senses are heightened. The lights seem too bright. You hear your classmates chattering nervously about how hard this is going to be. In your head you try to quickly review what you studied, but your mind is too flooded with worries and self-doubts to think…
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When Kids Have Trouble Reading
As a psychologist who evaluates children with learning difficulties, I often encounter parents who are worried about their child’s reading. Sometimes this is due to the presence of a reading disorder, also known as dyslexia. I find that many parents have the mistaken belief that dyslexia means reversing letters and numbers when reading and writing.…