It’s easy to doubt yourself. You second guess important decisions. You wonder if you’re going in a healthy direction. You don’t know if you have what it takes to create the life you desire. On and on it goes. Occasionally doubting a decision or a choice is one thing; everyone has those moments, but living…

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been around for a long time (80 years) and is an effective method to relieve many mental health issues. What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? It’s a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy treatments that Aaron Beck developed in the 1960s.  It’s based on the belief that our thinking (cognition), actions…

There’s a lot of talk about resiliency these days, but what is it?  According to the dictionary, with regards to an object, it’s the ability to spring back into shape; elasticity. Regarding you and me, it’s the ability to recover quickly from tragedies and challenges; it’s mental and emotional toughness. But resiliency is more than…

The day will come when your parents or grandparents will need your help and support. They might not ask for it because they don’t want to be a burden.  As their caregiver, you’ll want to help them stay healthy and happy and for them to avoid feeling lonely and isolated.  What can you do to…

Anger is a helpful emotion if we learn how to manage it. There are times when we should get angry, especially when our loved ones are threatened or people are facing injustice and cruelty.  Everyone gets angry. Anger is a natural emotion. Getting mad isn’t the problem; how we manage and express and anger is…

Regret is a bitter pill to swallow. Most people make decisions or fail to take advantage of opportunities that end in painful outcomes or feelings of missing out. Regret creates disappointment. Who wants to reach the end of life’s journey with a soul overflowing with sadness and missed opportunities? Here are six healthy ways to…

How often do you feel pressured to mask who you really are? How often do you withhold how you feel or think, keep your opinions to yourself, and do your best to fit in or conform?  Whether it’s work colleagues, family, friends, or even social media, we tend to hide our true selves.  But if…

We are what we think. That’s what they say. Is it true – do you believe it? Maybe, maybe not. But there is a relationship between the quality of our thoughts and the quality of our life. Some people try to improve their lives with materialistic things and experiences, or they turn to mind-altering substances…

Think about your life for a second. What are some special memories? What makes those memories feel so special? Emotions. To a large degree, our emotional experience determines our life experience. We experience a variety of emotions. Some are pleasurable. Others are painful. Sometimes we process them productively. Sometimes we avoid them. Denying unresolved emotions…

What is happiness? People talk about it all the time, “I just want to be happy,” “you deserve to be happy.” It’s even in our Constitution, “pursuit of happiness.” According to the dictionary, one definition of happiness is “feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.” Everyone wants to be happier. And you can be. Consider these…

A positive role model is someone you respect. But it’s more than just having someone to look up to. It’s about finding someone you feel is worthy of modeling. It can be more than one person. You can have positive role models for your personal and professional life or your intimate relationship. They influence how…

Loneliness is feeling sad about being socially disconnected and isolated from people. When you’re going through something very difficult and you wish you had someone to talk to but don’t, you can feel emotionally lonely. Most people feel sad, lonely or even depressed from time to time because of life’s challenges and pain from loss…