The Many Different Ways that Trauma Can Affect Our Lives
Trauma is the emotional effect of terrible things that have happened to us. We can experience trauma at any time of life but when it happens early on, it has the most damaging effect on us.
Winter is Coming, But You Don’t Have to be a Slave to Your Food Cravings
You don’t need to snack: A colleague of mine asked me a question the other day. Given that winter is approaching and he anticipated gaining some weight over the colder months, he wanted my advice for losing ten pounds. I gave him a few suggestions and then he asked another question: “What do I […]
The Fourth Wave is an Opportunity for Parents to Teach Their Kids Resilience
The fourth wave is tough on younger kids—and their parents: As the fourth wave of the pandemic descends this autumn on parts of Canada and the United States, parents of young children are left not knowing how to deal with their increasingly frustrated younger kids. What are they supposed to tell their six-year-olds and […]
The Dirty Truth at the Heart of the Bachelor Franchise
A show that’s all about love has become all about the money: These days, it looks like most everyone who goes on a reality TV show is looking for more clout, which will then transfer to online sponsorships and dollars. The good news is that most of these reality show contestants are still choosing to […]
Back-to-School During COVID’s Forth Wave Creates Mental Health Challenges for Parents and Children
These are uncertain times: I think the word for these times should be “uncertainty.” As the back-to-school season begins and children are returning to the classrooms, neither the kids nor their parents know what to expect. Here, in Toronto, we have a pretty high — close to 80% — vaccination rate, among eligible candidates, but […]
How Elections, Talking Politics and the Pandemic are Creating Big-Time Stress
Politics can drive us crazy: In the New Year, shortly after the Capitol Insurrection in the United States, I wrote an article about how political polarization is terrible for our mental health. I had also written just prior to that about how the politics of division are driving people crazy. These days, with the fourth […]
Do People of Colour Face Racism in the Health Care System?
Note: This previous article was updated in August 2021 Black Lives Matter Despite the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests are ongoing. And that’s a good thing. It reminds me of the #Time’sUp and #MeToo movement, when things reached a tipping point and there was no turning back. No-one could pretend […]
Should Blake Be Worried About Katie’s Unresolved Issues With Greg? Probably
Human interactions at their most fascinating: Watching the Bachelor franchise is always fun, because it provides an endless stream of fascinating human interactions. Last night, Katie’s Bachelorette journey came to a close with an engagement to Blake. I wasn’t sure what to think of this ending because the circumstances leading up to it were so […]
Why You Need To Walk Away From Your Abusive Relationship, Right Now
Abuse isn’t only physical: Everyone wants good relationship, whether in their personal life or at work, but sometimes it’s hard to realize that you’ve gotten yourself into a bad one. If your partner is physically assaulting you, it’s clear that you’re in an abusive romantic relationship; if your boss is constantly screaming at you, it’s […]
Constructive Confrontation: A Necessary Skill in the Post-Pandemic Era
Anticipatory dread: Confrontation. Doesn’t the word send chills down your spine? When you contemplate talking to a friend, family member or romantic partner about something they did to upset you or something you need them to do differently, does it fill you with dread? You might imagine the other person becoming upset or angry — […]
