May 28Member-onlyTeens and Social Media: A Contrary OpinionVivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, just released an advisory on the dangers to teen mental health that social media poses. CNN reports, “While noting some benefits of the online platforms, the report warns of increasing concern and ‘ample indicators’ that social media can have ‘a profound risk of harm…Teens And Social Media5 min readTeens And Social Media5 min read
May 28Member-onlyOh, Boy! Day Off!Days off are great! Most people get two days off a week and fill them up with a number of things, from picnics in the park to errands they couldn’t take care of during the week. Mostly, that occurs on weekends, which are eagerly awaited and finished with reluctance. My…Day Off4 min readDay Off4 min read
May 21Member-onlyQuestions (And Some Answers)They say there’s no such thing as a silly question. But I’ve heard a few that come darn close. I understand that some of the people who ask them are genuinely confused about brain illnesses in all their variety. But some of them — I just don’t know. …Mental Health4 min readMental Health4 min read
May 21Member-onlyTerms of Endearment“What’s for dinner, Ler?” “I don’t know, Doodle. See what’s in the freezer.” Conversations like those are what keep our marriage strong. Back when my husband and I were dating, we had a reputation for inspiring a need for insulin in everyone around us. To say we were sickening would…Relationships3 min readRelationships3 min read
May 14Member-onlyEmotional NumbersWhat’s the relationship between mood and emotions? How is the mind involved? Is it even possible to sort them out? These days, people talk a lot about one’s Emotional Quotient, or EQ, also known as emotional intelligence, or EI. EQ is defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control…Emotions4 min readEmotions4 min read
May 14Member-onlyLife (Not Death) By TBRBy now, everyone’s seen that cartoon where a grieving widow and a coroner are looking at the squashed husband, saying, “It was his TBR pile.” …Books4 min readBooks4 min read
May 7Member-onlyWrecks and ResurrectionGordon Lightfoot died this week, which made me and many others sad. I remember listening to “Sundown” when I was in high school, which got me hooked on him. (The song had just come out. My friend Kathy was listening to Stevie Wonder and Elton John, so we heard a…Music3 min readMusic3 min read
May 7Member-onlyDistract Me!I recently saw a meme that said being happy was different than being distracted from sadness. I couldn’t deny that they are different. But it seemed to me that it was saying that being distracted from sadness was a bad thing. And I don’t believe that, necessarily. Sure, happiness is…Psychology3 min readPsychology3 min read
Apr 30Member-onlyDoes It Matter What We Say?Words matter. I preach that all the time. Language is what gives our thoughts reality and how we make essential connections. Ideas become more concrete when they have words attached to them. It’s hard — perhaps impossible — to convey a thought without language of some kind. …Psychology4 min readPsychology4 min read
Apr 30Member-onlyChill Out, Kitty!My husband’s big orange-striped cat, Matches, was so chill that Dan once put the creature into an empty birdcage and hung it from the ceiling. Amazingly, the cat voiced no objections. He just looked around calmly from his unique new vantage point. Not many cats are that agreeable about being…Cats3 min readCats3 min read
