The Benefit of Keeping Your Feelings to Yourself
Whenever Abraham Lincoln felt the need to give someone a piece of his mind, he would fire off a harsh letter. Putting pen to paper was...
The Problem With Labeling People as ‘Toxic’
Toxic is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. As a psychiatrist, I hear it frequently during therapy sessions—to describe parents,...
Forget Work-Life Balance
Have you ever met someone who has actually achieved work-life balance? I haven’t. As Oliver Burkeman wrote in the best-selling book Four Thousand Weeks: Time...
When It Comes to Venting, Sharing Is Not Caring
It is no wonder that my patient felt drained after spending a weekend with an old friend who was known to be a relentless...
Conflict Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
The Good Fight
Call me cynical but I worry whenever I hear a couple say, “we never argue.” Tiptoeing around disagreements might feel good in...
An Antidote for Wound Collecting
“Being impacted by being what happened to you isn’t victimhood, it’s human.
Making an identity out of it is victimhood.”
— Seerut Chawla
The stories we tell...
A Case for Sweeping Negative Emotions Under the Rug
Suppressing negative thoughts might improve mental health. This isn’t a typo. Nor is it a lingering belief from my WASPY upbringing. It’s the findings of a new...
The Perils of Certitude and the Joy of Being Wrong
While it might be human to make mistakes, we are often reluctant to admit to them. When it comes to taking responsibility, we waffle, come...
3 Phrases to Use More of in 2024 and 1 to Use Less
Words hold power. The more we talk about what inspires us, the more inspired we become. The more we talk about what diminishes us,...
8 Ways to Make Meaningful Small Talk
Does the thought of making small talk fill you with dread? You’re not alone. Most people dislike idle chitchat because it feels fake and...
Don’t Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle — 8 Ways to Dial Down Holiday...
For as long as I have been practicing psychiatry, helping patients navigate the stress of the holidays has been a primary focus during the...
The Secret Sauce of Gratitude: Look for the Gift Behind the Gift
Before my kids could even talk, I was telling them to say thank you. I must have sounded like a broken record.
🗣️ Say thank...
8 Counterintuitive Strategies for a Happier Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Here are a few tips to help you and your family keep the peace and make the most...
Forget Bed Rotting—There’s a Better Way to Recharge
“Take it easy for a few days.” My doctor’s instructions were straightforward. I had just had a lumbar puncture and was supposed to chill...
Here’s What You Can Do When the World Feels Upside Down
One of the best parts of my job is getting to hear what’s on your mind. Below are answers to three questions I am...
An Antidote for Overthinking
Feelings aren’t facts.
A basic principle of every non-pharmaceutical treatment for depression and anxiety involves putting some distance between oneself and one’s emotions. Psychodynamic therapy,...
7 Habits That Can Cut the Risk of Depression in Half
“We are what we repeatedly do.”
—Aristotle
Your answers to these seven questions have serious implications for your mental health:
Do you get between 7 and...
The Difference Between Feeling Anxious and Having an Anxiety Disorder
What does anxiety feel like to you?
Here are a few descriptions I have heard over the years:
From the literal:
Queasy
Revved up
On edge
...
How We Talk About Mental Health Matters
The practice of seeking support when we’re distressed is typically associated with emotional well-being. It makes sense: Most of us believe that having somebody—a...
How to Stop Jumping to Conclusions
What makes you tick?
This is the question that drew me to psychiatry in the first place. What interested me most was not what people...