Nobody wants to be used. But what does this term really mean? Some people say they’re being used merely because someone else gets something out of their personal encounter. But there’s nothing wrong with self-interest. Every encounter, whether business or … Continue reading
A reader asks: What’s the difference, if any, between “passion” and “drive”? Passion is the emotional excitement one has over something. Drive is the motivation to get it done, along with a commitment to determining (and following through on) the … Continue reading
A “fear monger” is someone who seeks to generate fear in you in order to gain control over you. “Control” can mean many different things. It can mean a sense of seeing you afraid, which makes a (sick) person happy. … Continue reading
I don’t see any point to labeling yourself with a psychiatric disorder. What does it do, other than imply that a mental state is something that happens “to” you rather than something that comes about because of a series of … Continue reading
A reader wrote in with the comment, in essence, that just because you think you’re thinking, doesn’t mean you’re thinking. This was in response to my column about the virtue and necessity of thinking (see The Glory of Thinking, Daily … Continue reading
So many people don’t want to think — especially about personal concerns. Denial is the opposite of thinking. To most people, not thinking feels easy. But it’s not easy. Life is going on around you, whether you think about life … Continue reading
“Stop barging into my office and infecting me with your anxiety.” (Peggy Olson from the television series, Mad Men) This is a great quote. It illustrates how you can send both anxious people — and sometimes anxiety itself — on … Continue reading
It’s not what you think that causes psychological distress so much as HOW you think. Ideally, as a child in school, you would have learned the laws of logic and reason. You would have learned them so well that you’d … Continue reading
1. A therapist can give a person a reason for living. 2. Merely talking — regardless of what the talk is about, or the ideas underlying it — is enough to improve or solve problems. 3. A therapist is just … Continue reading
Most people don’t understand the nature of self-responsibility, which is why they run from it, or fear it. They think it’s something like the phrase, “suck it up.” Actually, self-responsibility is a powerful and sensitive place. It requires the active … Continue reading
Emotional problems develop because of conflict or chaos in one’s mind. What causes the conflict or chaos? Usually, contradictions. The contradiction can be between what you think or know versus what you do. Or, the contradiction might be between two … Continue reading
A person can always change. Sometimes, it seems he cannot change, but he still can. “He can’t help himself.” Sometimes this is true, in a sense. It’s true in the sense that his irrational, self-defeating or mistaken thinking will not … Continue reading