When the King of Pop died last week, people around the world felt Michael Jackson’s death as acutely as if a family member had died. They cried. They pilgrimaged to his family home to lay bundles of flowers and leave private messages of grief at the gate. They gathered at special church services to mourn. […]
Learning to Control Anger
Anger is one of our most basic survival instincts. We use anger to protect ourselves from threat and defend ourselves against attack. But losing control of our anger can be physically and psychologically destructive. There are three basic ways people deal with anger: Expressing angry feelings assertively but without aggression is the healthiest way to […]
Road Rage: Losing Control of Anger
The orange cones are out and the length of your morning commute just doubled. It’s summer in America when construction crews seem to shut down miles of highway to work on one tiny 10-foot section at a time. Slowly snaking traffic plays havoc with your schedule, creating stress and anxiety. You worry about being late for […]
College Graduation: Living without a Net!
Taking those first steps into the “real world” can be an anxious time for college graduates. The thrill of achievement can be overwhelmed by new responsibilities as collegiates take their first fledging steps into adulthood. Finding a job, renting an apartment, managing finances, moving away from friends and family — college graduation is a time […]
Is Your Child Addicted to Computer Games?
School is out and the long summer stretches ahead. It should be a time for outdoor fun, playing with friends, baseball games, reading, craft projects and lemonade stands; but many children spend their summers glued to the computer, playing games on the Internet for hours on end. Gaming, which seems to be particularly appealing to […]
Combating Dangerous Pattern Perceptions
Perceiving patterns where none exist, a psychological phenomenon called pattern perception, is a mental coping mechanism used by many people to combat uncertainty when events spin their lives out of control (see our June 10 post). It’s a phenomenon that’s on the rise in these times of economic uncertainty where rising unemployment, catastrophic investment losses, […]