Most of us are sanguine about the fact that some things are out of our control. We know, for example, that we can’t avoid death or taxes or do much about how tall we’ll grow. For much of everything else,…
Posts published in “Coping Skills”
Recently I was attacked by several people online, saying I must not have “real” mental illness since I am able to work, be in grad school, and have stable friendships and a marriage. Those words hurt me deeply. I don’t…
You didn’t do everything on your to-do list. You let a loved one down. You yelled at your spouse, or your six-year-old. Or both. You still haven’t gotten over your ex. You thought someone else would make you happy but…
Seemingly reasonable people deny reality all the time. Indeed, a four-year study by LeadershipIQ.com found that 23 percent of CEOs who got fired did so because they denied reality, meaning refusing to recognize negative facts about the organization’s performance. Other findings show that…
“Stress is an alarm clock that lets you know you’re attached to something that’s not true for you.” – Byron Katie As a run up to the holidays, doesn’t it seem like everyone’s rushing around trying to cram too much…
When religious and faithful individuals are told that the unremitting thoughts that they are trying to get rid of are due to their OCD, they have difficulty accepting it. They may remember how and where their symptoms began, and may…
Parenting is really tough and despite our best intentions, no parent gets it completely right 100% of the time. When it comes to parenting, we have to accept that embarrassing gaffes are just par for the course. The upside —…
There are many things in life we can’t control—everything from tiny annoyances to tragedies. We can’t control if our grandmother gets cancer and passes away. We can’t control if we get cancer. We can’t control what others think, say or…
Disappointments can be deeply painful, crush our self-esteem, and shake our world. Disappointment is defined as “the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the unfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.” So, naturally, disappointments leave us feeling sad, regretful, dismayed…