Watch out for people who lean on you to validate their pain and misery. They may be using you to justify their unconscious decision to hold on to their brand of suffering. Sometimes, of course, we can help others in their suffering as we listen to them and comfort them. … [Read more...] about Desperately Seeking Validation
Being Seen in a Negative Light
Many of us have had experiences of walking into a social situation and feeling shy, awkward, hesitant, and even fearful. Other times we can feel that people are scoffing at us because we apparently said something silly or foolish. We can also believe that our physical appearance … [Read more...] about Being Seen in a Negative Light
The Need to Believe in Yourself
This week’s post consists of comments on a reader’s email. This reader (I’ll call him Tony) presents some details of his life and his struggle to find happiness, and he asks for my thoughts and suggestions. In this post, I interject my comments as if we’re having a dialogue. … [Read more...] about The Need to Believe in Yourself
Why We Dither on Climate Change
I’ve been trying for some time to fathom the psychology of educated and supposedly sophisticated people who, in paralysis and resistance, are unwilling to respond rationally to the perils of global warming. We need to look deeply into the heart of this issue. Why haven’t … [Read more...] about Why We Dither on Climate Change
Avoidable Miseries of the Workplace
Work, paradoxically, is a blessing and a curse. It can torture us when we have it and depress us when we don’t. What’s worse, loading “Sixteen Tons” of manure from “9 to 5” on “Maggie’s Farm” after “A Hard Day’s Night,” or having to beg, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” in … [Read more...] about Avoidable Miseries of the Workplace