A meditation on wealth, envy and who we associate them with.
Collecting versus connecting the dots
We are all familiar with the phrase, “Connect the dots.” And yet we spend far more energy collecting dots. Why is that, and what can we do to change it?
Anxiety disorders: Alarms gone wrong
If you think of anxiety as an alarm system I was recently trying to explain to a patient about the panic attacks they were having and to help them understand what the issue was without making them feel like I was saying, “It’s all in your head.” (Which she had already heard too many times.) [...]
Coronavirus, communication and connection
Our relationship to tech is changing—and with it our relationships, period—since coronavirus made the jump from medical textbooks to everyday language.
Power trips in relationships
Let’s talk about the threefold power rule I once heard a preacher say people are never jealous of your success; what upsets them is your showing off. It was one of those statements that grab you like the glint of gold catching a miner’s eye, indicating a rich vein of treasure beneath. In this case, [...]
Therapists are the new priests
Some say we all need therapy—but do we?
Words actually speak louder than actions
It’s never been a better time to traffic in words, but the responsibility has also never been greater.
Why mental health—and what’s it like?
The story of how I came to choose to specialise in mental health
What’s so funny?
Why we laugh and how we can make the most of humour Humour is one of the things that’s unique (or as close to it as we can find) to humans, whether it’s rooted in physical comedy, or as is more often the case, communicated through language (another human superpower). There are mammals who make [...]
Two kinds of strength
What do we mean when we say people are “strong”? What are we really saying?