If you are like me you have found yourself putting off things to do that you know would be good to get done. We procrastinate on exercise, getting the taxes done, cleaning the house, making that phone call and getting our work done. You tell yourself, "I know I should...

If you are like a lot of people, you know that there are things that you should be doing, but can't seem to get yourself motivated to do them. Whether it's exercise, dieting, getting work done, cleaning up your home or getting in contact with people you know, you simply...

Everyone knows that the current unemployment rate is high (9.2 percent) and has been high for over two years. Adult men are more likely to be unemployed than adult women (9.1 percent vs. 8.0 percent), with teenagers (24.5 percent), whites (8.1 percent),...

Alcohol abuse is one of the most insidious, destructive and self-defeating habits that millions of people struggle with. Many thoughtful, kind, intelligent and good people get caught in the web of alcohol abuse and dependency. You don't have to be an "alcoholic" to have a drinking problem -- but you...

Many people feel after a few years of marriage and kids that the spark is gone, they have gotten stuck in a routine, the wife is busy with the kids and her work, the husband is tired and frazzled when he gets home and there doesn't seem to be any...

You find yourself taking forever to make a decision, complete the work in front of you or even get dressed in the morning. One woman spent two hours getting her makeup just right, finding the right combination of clothes. Another man bored his friends with his continual indecisiveness about what...

A day doesn't go by that you don't hear that nasty, contemptuous, nagging voice saying, "You can't do anything right. You're a loser. You're not good enough." Then you notice that voice is your voice. You are your own worst enemy.

Do any of these statements sound familiar to...

The news seems overly-focused on the antics of actor Charlie Sheen, who has been described by some commentators as suffering from bipolar disorder and who is viewed as currently in a state of mania. Because I have never met Sheen, I am not in a position to diagnosis him --...

Millions of people are out of work and many more will lose their jobs. Even in good times there are large numbers of people who get fired, usually due to nothing about their own performance at work. Losing your job can be one of the most difficult experiences that you...

Worry has a mind of its own.

A negative thought pops into your head, you pay attention to it, you feel you need the answer right now, you think you have a responsibility to do something about it and you can't do anything else until you finally...

Well, my recent post ("Why Men Don't Listen to Women") on HuffPost drew a lot of comments. The article was a follow-up to an earlier posting on "What Not to Say to a Loved One Who is Upset." In the earlier article I suggested some simple...

In a recent posting I identified a list of the wrong things to say to someone who is upset. Interestingly, this led to a lot of comments on The Huffington Post, which got me thinking. The first thought I had was, "Why do men find it so hard...

In cognitive therapy we focus on the way that you think about things. When we are distressed, we have automatic thoughts -- that is, thoughts that come to us spontaneously, seem true and generally go unexamined. Sometimes your thoughts are accurate; sometimes they are biased. But the first thing to...

It's one year now since Haiti was devastated by a horrific earthquake that destroyed homes, killed over 250,000 people and changed life forever for hundreds of thousands of survivors. Aid was late and insufficient, and many still remain homeless. How can one survive this kind of devastating trauma? How can...

Imagine that the person that you love is upset about something -- her job, his health, her feelings about the relationship. Let's say she is worried about her health, worried that she might have some terrible illness -- and that even if you think she is going to be OK,...

You are sitting at home and your mind keeps going over the negatives -- over and over. You keep reviewing what has happened to you -- perhaps a conflict with someone, something at work, your living conditions, your finances, your health. Whatever. You dwell on it. You are stuck.

What...

It's the holidays and you are wondering what to give those people in your life who are special. What's the latest gadget, the latest trend, the one thing you just can't live without? Or, you wonder what you might get. Is it the jewelry that you wanted? The iPad that...

Are you single and dreading the holidays? You may feel alone, but you are not. Forty-five percent of the adult population (104 million people) is single. Twenty-seven percent of households are a person living alone.

Many people who are single treat their "condition" as if it's a disease, a...

Depression is widespread and it is getting worse. Nineteen percent of Americans will suffer from depression at some time during their lives. Sadly, depression hits the young and old alike. Fifty percent of children and adolescents and 20 percent of adults report some symptoms of depression. Even though many kids...