The holiday season often comes with loads of invitations to attend social gatherings. It also means there will be some gatherings you’d prefer to skip. Why? The reasons are many, yet, this year, you may prefer to say “no” to events based on Covid vaccination status. At best, the evidence is mixed and evolving as to how risky dining, parties, … [Read more...]

Why is what you don’t know more important than what you do know? Let me give a couple of examples. When walking home in Manhattan during a recent heatwave, I saw an older woman who had fallen on the concrete at the bottom of a short flight of steps. A crowd had gathered, and I asked if anyone had called 911. A young man shook his head and … [Read more...]

So much for “two weeks to flatten the curve..."  The age of COVID is here to stay — at least, for now. Though we may disagree about the specifics, the constraints, and the way out (and most people do), we're all in this together. But there’s one thing that is universally accepted. We must all cultivate the resilience we need to negotiate this … [Read more...]

Do you need a mask or not? Are vaccines or boosters mandated? What economic help is still available? Can you go to school or work in person? From state to state and city to city, it seems everyone is at odds these days. Behind all these official pronouncements, you have a simmering volcano of opinions and emotions. The conflict is real and, for … [Read more...]

Any September, in any year, new college students feel anxiety about the big transition. Even under “normal” circumstances, the pressure can get to you. Up to 32 percent of new college students report feeling stressed and anxious. Two out of three feel lonely. And 17 percent experience full-blown depression. Post-pandemic, you may have all of … [Read more...]

From our parents, we inherit an incredibly wide range of characteristics. There are plenty of conversations to be had about eye color or the timbre of one’s laugh. But this process also means that emotional baggage can be passed down, through generations. Think of it as the gift that keeps on giving, until and unless it is understood through … [Read more...]

There are so many things that can cause you to feel stress. You might be anxious about a job interview. Then again, you might be in the midst of a global pandemic. To your brain, it’s all “stress.” That’s the catch. Regardless of the source (real or imagined), your brain will initiate the stress response. Such communication between your … [Read more...]

Anxiety at night is very similar to anxiety during the day. But there’s one big difference. Throughout the day, you’re usually preoccupied with tasks, interests, and responsibilities. By the time you prepare for bed, however, you typically have more space for fixation and worry. Add to this the likelihood that night anxiety will impact your sleep, … [Read more...]

The "fake news" phenomenon is not limited to just news. Inaccuracies run rampant all across all forms of media. From pop culture to social media, we are falling victim to artificial intelligence algorithms. The deceptions are convincing. The fallout can be bad news. Let’s take, for example, media depictions as they relate to mental health. The … [Read more...]

How quickly things change. A little more than a year ago, you may have been stressing over what we now distinguish as an "in-person" work meeting. What should I wear? Will I be asked to speak? Am I prepared? Today, you can have all the same questions — and more — when attending a Zoom meeting. You now have to factor in the reality of what’s … [Read more...]