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Fear and Courage: Unlikely Bedfellows In the aftermath of the recent election, I found myself grappling with a profound sense of fear and anxiety. It was as though the very fabric of our country was unraveling, and I couldn’t shake the nagging fear that we might be veering dangerously close to a dictatorship. As I …
Psychologist Robert Strock examines how our relationship with wealth and power shapes political dynamics and influences societal division ahead of the US Elections. While it is true that both sides in the US election currently lack some key elements in psychology, economics, and general world concerns, it’s also important to note that this election could …
When you accept what you’re feeling and learn to identify your feelings (rather than rejecting or ignoring them), they can actually become guideposts to show you what you need. Today, let’s talk more about how developing a sense of humility and an awareness of your negative feelings can help you expand your quality of life. Look closely at your inner life, primarily focusing on where you have repeated suffering. Is it easy or hard for you to identify your emotional state? Do your best to identify it without judgment. Read More . . .
“Would you try to feel worse than you already do?” I ask this (seemingly) absurd question whenever a friend, a client, or even I am experiencing and feeling deep suffering. I ask them this question to help them understand their current attitude about their suffering — and that there’s potential for them to learn and emphasize a friendlier, more self-compassionate dialogue with their negative feelings. Read More . . .
Most of us have an area of our life that we give a dominant part of our energy where we might be most gifted. We could dominantly like to interact with people, devote ourselves to our work, or do something centering on the arts, nature, academics, family, pleasure, success, fitness, beauty, or being likable and unique. But sharing so much energy with this part of our life can lead to an imbalance.” Read More . . .
Almost half the people I’ve met in my life, whether as a therapist, family, or friend, have great difficulty asking for help. You might be similar to them when it comes to seeking help, or you may be good at asking for help when you need it. Still, I would venture that there are certain areas in your life where it’s harder for you to recognize that you need help and ask for it. Fear of rejection, distrust, a false self-image of self-sufficiency, and inadequacy are some reasons we shy away from asking for help. Read More . . .
It seems like an incredible opportunity lost to not include education about death and mortality from our early childhood. It is clear that curiosity about this naturally arises for most of us when we’re between the ages of 4-8. Innocent questions about death from kids at that age can be met initially in many ways — in addition to the standard pat religious answers we often offer. Yes, we could say that in death, people go to heaven or to God or whatever we believe. Read More . . .
There is immense value in learning how to respond to life situations where you are natural when you don’t have to perform. This requires being in touch with what you feel and also being open to seeing your experience with acceptance and clarity. This is not something you can learn in a day or short time as, unfortunately, in our world, we haven’t been taught to just be open even toward ourselves as to what we feel, let alone be able to accept whatever it is. Read More . . .
In our culture, it’s significantly more desirable and respectable to know vs. not know about something. Our society has continually supported the importance of knowing what we’re talking about — there’s little room for uncertainty and not-knowing. As we explore this prejudice, it will become more obvious that the more we stay on the superficial life issues, the easier it is to remain in a knowing state. Read More . . .
Take a look at what you know about yourself emotionally. Especially the things that you don’t share with others or at least with almost no one. You very likely believe that this is something that you take care of on your own or that even if you don’t, these are aspects you would rather not have anyone else’s input on because it would either be too dependent, feel invasive, or too vulnerable. In my observation, when considered in moderation, it represents potential areas where we could grow, be more intimate, and still maintain our independence. Read More . . .