Somewhere along the way, we westerners have wholeheartedly embraced the notion that the holidays are supposed to be about having wonderful, cozy, nurturing and loving times with our families. Holding onto that thought can be depressing. As if all the tension, stress and dysfunctionality that we may have experienced with various members [...]
Has anxiety always been so pervasive a problem as it is today in modern cultures? Are we just naming a problem which has in fact always crippled mankind? Or, is it in fact a byproduct of the fast changing, technology driven times in which we find ourselves? While in the past, the farmer, the warrior [...]
Recently I had a conversation over the internet with a young man who has been dealing with anxiety. This seems to be such a common problem, especially with young people who have so much uncertainty about the meaning of life, themselves, and their future. As I reread the text of our conversation, it occurred to [...]
photo by: www.martin-liebermann.de So much of our real growth in life, whether we think of it in terms of the soul or merely personal, happens when we are at a crossroads in some way. It is a place of transition, change or potential new directions, and its hallmark is suffering. So often at the intersecting [...]
Anxiety seems to be one of the most pervasive conditions bedeviling people these days. Perhaps this isn’t surprising given that we are bombarded by chronic bad news and dire warnings at every turn. Many of my clients struggle with chronic, underlying anxiety, and sometimes, in the worst-case scenarios, these manifest in full-blown anxiety attacks that [...]
This was the on-going and delightful message in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – an uplifting movie about ageing, death and renewal. It made me laugh, because the young East Indian man was so relentlessly optimistic about the future prospects of his seedy and run-down hotel, which had clearly seen better days. His unfailing good [...]
“It sucks!” This was the valuation of a young person recently who was commenting on a life situation she was finding particularly difficult. I had to agree. But the part she was missing, was the lesson or learning that was embedded in the experience. When someone is suffering, the last thing they usually want to [...]
Peter and I were walking our dog down a country road last night. It was a balmy spring evening, and the light was still glowing. We were talking about a mutual friend, and I was lamenting the difficulties she was facing. He said, ‘ Can’t you say ‘that’ to her?’ and I said of [...]
