We are living in a historical time during which every news story updates us on the prevalence and mortality rate of the Corona Virus (COVID-19), emotional response ranging from apathy among young spring breakers who believe themselves invincible, to older people whose anxiety has morphed into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Then there is the population most at risk of fatality; our oldest loved ones, many of whom have preexisting conditions known to increase COVID-19 lethality. Many seniors are sequestered from family, and afraid while others live with family, and are still afraid. They are experiencing intensified fear of death, being a burden to loved ones, and all the unknowns about the…
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Five Keys to Calm During COVID-19
As if anxiety in our country isn’t high enough, a virus that spreads like brush fire is threatening our health, social connections, and possibly our livelihoods. Times like these are sure to amp up our tendency toward “what if?” thinking, and as we all know, the anxious mind never allows for a “what if?” with a happy ending. While I would never advocate for apathy in a time of global pandemic, absolute panic is not the way to go either. Panic leads to rash decisions, and for parents, the certainty of making our children feel as if the world is not safe. Here are some thoughts on how to keep…
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When “Gaming” Becomes an Addiction
The moment I first held an Atari 2600 controller at a friend’s home in 1981, I was captivated by the possibility of in-home gaming, not having to “put my quarter up” and wait my turn, or ask my financially strapped mother for said quarter. Times were tight, and asking for quarters compromised my mom, who hated saying “no”, but often needed to out of necessity. That year my parents came through with a 2600 of my own for Christmas, and my life changed. Time spent gaming has increased in correlation to evolving technology to the extent we are now at the point where the World Health Organization (WHO) has included…
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Exorcising the Negative Voice Within
The Negative Inner Critic Need Not Take Up Permanent Residence Inside of Us
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How Parents Can Respond to Kids Who Self-Harm
When Parents Overreact to Their Child's Thoughts and Behaviors, the Child Feels Isolated and Unsafe.
- Anxiety, Bowen Systems Theory, Depression, Mental Health, Mental Health Movie Spotlight, Mental Illness, Personality Disorder
What A Film Called “Umwelt” Taught Me About the “Incel” Community
Bethany Orr's Film Underscores the Results of Isolation Combined with a Distorted Point of View
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Anxiety Lives in the Space Between Who We Are and Who We Want People to See
If the Gap Between Who We Are and Who We Want People to See Is Wide, Anxiety Has Room to Breed
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Telling Loved Ones to Fight Through Anxiety or Depression Adds Injury to Insult
Anxiety and Depression are Disorders that When Exacerbated By Guilt, Shame, and Isolation, Can Result in Self-Harm or Suicide
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How Twitter Became a Responsibility
As I type this sentence, I’m thinking about a Canadian woman named Jody, whose Twitter handle is @onelastkick71. Because I have not seen a “tweet” from her in 24 hours, I am wondering if she is still alive, and fearing she is not. Through my social media connection with Jody, I’ve sensed anguish in her tweets, the most recent of which read, “pray for me not to wake up tomorrow.” I hate that she’s in this pain. I hate my feelings of helplessness, and I hate that I have no idea if she’s taking a social media break, or if she is gone. At some point, Twitter got serious, and I…
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Our Suicide Epidemic Is Worse Than We Would Like to Believe
Suicide is our country's second most prevalent killer, yet research lags, and misjudgment obscures the truth.
