After two of the biggest holidays of the year, it seemed kind of silly to write a column about smiling. But after doing what I do for 25 years, I am well aware that not everybody is jolly over the … Continue reading →

Around this time of year, some people make themselves sad by dwelling on ‘what could have been.’ What a profound waste of time! Let’s say that you spend just 10 minutes a day thinking about the things you wished you … Continue reading →

It’s a proven fact that champagne, eggnog and cocktail wieners can combine to produce some pretty outlandish New Year’s resolutions. ‘Say what you mean and mean what you say’ doesn’t seem to matter as much when you’re balancing a lampshade … Continue reading →

So here we go again: How many New Year’s resolutions have you actually kept? We all know that most of them fail. And they fail because they’re artificial. You can’t resolve to do something just because it happens to be … Continue reading →

Around the holidays, people often ask me about greed and why the season is so ‘materialistic.’ Well, I don’t believe there’s such a thing as ‘materialism.’ All of us need and want material things. It’s only a matter of degree. … Continue reading →

The seasonal pressure to make everything (and everybody) instantly cheerful and merry can certainly be stressful. The timeless words, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ can sometimes set the stage for tension, particularly among family and between married couples. Couples fight … Continue reading →

People often ask me, ‘How much is too much?’ In other words, at what point does something become an addiction? If a person consumes X number of drinks (or cigarettes, or slices of bacon, or whatever) in one day, is … Continue reading →

One of the ‘bibles’ of the mental health profession is the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM). It is used extensively by psychotherapists and other mental health professionals in diagnosing mental disorders, syndromes and other problems. … Continue reading →

A reader emails that she has successfully reduced her cigarette intake from 22 to only 6 a day. Now she’s stuck, and asks for advice on how to end the habit altogether. Your mistake, dear Reader, was that you set … Continue reading →

Lately it has become fashionable to label people who have accomplished great things as being ‘arrogant.’  Why this is happening is best left to another column, but I suspect we wouldn’t be enjoying many of the conveniences and comforts around … Continue reading →

With all the political rhetoric about bullying going on here in Delaware, the subject recently hit a little too close to home. A good friend confided to me that his son — a smart, gentle and pleasant 11-year-old, was being … Continue reading →

Just when I start to wonder if all this writing is worth it, I get an email like this: ‘Dear Dr. Hurd, I strive to live up to the ideals you promote in your column. I like to quote your … Continue reading →