One of the subjects that comes up very often in my office is smoking. A website visitor emails that she has successfully reduced her cigarette intake from 22 (!) to only 6 a day. Now she’s stuck, and asks for … Continue reading
A reader sent me a comment about one of my columns where I suggested that the biggest mistake people make is to try to change others. She agrees that the choice of what to think and do will always be … Continue reading
Regulars here at Life’s a Beach! know that I regularly refer to the term “cognitive therapy”. Has an impressive scientific ring, don’t you think? But aside from sounding official, just what is it? People ask me, “Cognitive therapy is all … Continue reading
A reader emails: “Dear Dr. Hurd, my brother is 32. He doesn’t work. He, his wife and daughter live with our mother. They scrape by on disability, food stamps and our Mom’s generosity. I believe that his disrespect and mooching … Continue reading
The craziness of the last few of years has created a situation where potential retail and restaurant employees will sometimes present glowing resumes, then don’t come close to living up to what they claimed they knew – assuming they showed … Continue reading
It’s important to be careful about the way we phrase things when talking about ourselves or others. And “being nice” has nothing to do with it; the way we phrase things has an impact on how we view them, and … Continue reading
I recently received an email from a woman who told me that she was thoroughly fed up with a friend of hers. She just didn’t enjoy being with him any longer. Though she had already decided to back away from … Continue reading
Recent medical/psychological studies are finally suggesting what I’ve been saying for years: Much of the psychobabble surrounding fashionable labels like “ADD”, “ADHD”, etc. are nothing more than haphazard “diagnoses” of teenagers’ behavior, triggering a flurry of needless prescriptions that benefit … Continue reading
A question I hear almost daily is what factors or behaviors can prevent one from finding a loving relationship. The answer boils down to a combination of reasons, the first of which is simply not searching persistently enough. One must … Continue reading
I ran this article several years ago, and even to this day I get requests to print it again. And no wonder: With people living longer, many of us are members of the “sandwich generation”; taking care of our own … Continue reading
A Delaware Wave reader emails that she’s resentful over other people’s success. Rich people, TV stars, neighbors who are thriving in business … she feels they are all bringing her down with their accomplishments. Imitation may be the sincerest form … Continue reading
How often have we heard – or even said, “I’ve had a hard day. I need a drink!” Or, “I need a nice big meal — and a cigarette….” In the face of stress, it can be tempting to self-medicate … Continue reading