“The holidays are coming. It’s a time of complete emotional stress.” To say this is considered a self-evident truth. But why is it true? I maintain that holidays, while perfectly fine and pleasant, are not necessary for happy people. Happy … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. Dr. Hurd: Reverend Swarthout is right that it’s senseless to blame yourself for the suicide of another. This is because the person who kills himself wanted to do so. It was his choice and he made … Continue reading
A DrHurd.com reader sent me a clip of an article that ran in the Northwest (Illinois) Herald on November 13, 2010. It’s written by the Reverend Jim Swarthout, rector of St. Paul Episcopal Church in McHenry, Illinois. The reader suggests … Continue reading
People will say you’re crazy when you make no sense. They’ll also call you crazy when you DO make sense, but they don’t like what you’re saying. Consider Ted, who’s angry with his wife Suzy because he feels that she … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. Reporter: I think lots of people confuse happiness with fun, and the dangers there are obvious. People who are always looking for that moment-to moment ‘high’ are, it seems to me, far less likely to find … Continue reading
Dr. Hurd recently engaged in a discussion with a journalist about issues related to happiness, self-esteem, psychology, self-help, and much more. What follows are some excerpts from that discussion: Reporter: It seems to me that we have a fundamental confusion … Continue reading
Human beings have a tendency to project impossible wishes onto figures that they deem to be capable of impossible things. Some project these wishes onto parent figures — actual parent figures, or imagined ones if their real parents disappointed them … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd, I am a gay man. My partner of two years and I got married in Massachusetts after being together for about a year. I thought everything was perfect, but things have changed. He criticizes everything I do. … Continue reading
The notorious and documented failures of drug and alcohol rehab (made even more public by Hollywood’s perpetually neurotic glitterati) can be attributed to a single, primary factor: The addict only addresses the symptoms—the act of abusing alcohol or drugs. However, … Continue reading
Conclusion of Friday’s column. I don’t mean to imply that entitlement is always wrong. Let’s say you buy a new computer. You get home, carefully read the instructions, and the computer doesn’t work, so you take the computer back to the … Continue reading
When dealing with other people, the reasonable, sensitive, and even self-interested thing to do is compromise, and be prepared to meet the other person halfway. Correct? Well, not really. All action needs to be purposeful. That includes the action of … Continue reading
According to Dr. Walter Kaye, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, anorexics use starvation as a mode of self-medication. How? Starvation prevents tryptophane, an essential amino acid that produces serotonin, from getting into the brain. By eating less, … Continue reading