I’m in a continual state of alert regarding so-called cures for stress, depression and anxiety. I want to be aware of any new breakthroughs that happen and I also want to be equally aware of new solutions that simply offer false hope. Snake oils and magic bullets are offered to sufferers by the dozen, offering plenty of hope but little in terms of a permanent cure.

Snake oils and magic bullets are always associated with forms of quackery. More often than not it will be die…

Ever think the world is out to make you fail? Do you think that “If you didn’t have bad luck you wouldn’t have any luck at all ? ”
Wrong!
You make your own luck and your own failures and successes.
Are you one of the positive ones who think “Everything happens for a reason!” ?
Good for you! You are correct! Well, sort of…

A decade ago, I used to compete in Okinawan Karate.

Competitive karate is a roller coaster ride of glorious victories and bitter failure. There were days I found myself pummeled like a useless rag doll. And there were other days I scythed through opponents like an unstoppable juggernaut. Every punch broke through and every kick landed somewhere satisfyingly soft. (oooh how I loved that!) I would zip around the squared ring like Neo on steroids, launching a flurry of eye-bl…

Depression. It’s not just a word. It’s not just “the blues.” It’s a serious medical condition that affects countless individuals around the globe. In fact, some statistics put the figure of people who suffer the symptoms of depression in the millions. Regardless of your age, gender, social status, or location, you or someone you love could become a victim in need of depression treatment.

However, many people experiencing the rollercoaster aren’t happy about taking medicati…

According to the US National Committee for Quality Health Assurance, more than 11 million Americans (about 1 in 20) have major depression. Interestingly, only about half of these are still taking medication six months after being diagnosed. If these wonder drugs are so great, why do so many people stop taking them? Could it be that they are not getting the results they want or people are getting fed up with the unwanted side effects?

As no single antidepressant has been sh…

Depression is a very common word in our vocabulary. I think just about everyone over the age of about 12 years old knows a little bit about what depression is.

To define a depressive disorder officially: A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts by affecting the way a person eats, sleeps, feels about himself and thinks about things.

A true depressive disorder is not the same as feeling “blue.” For a person to be diagnosed with a depre…

In this article I write about how we can become content with life by learning to like ourselves and by appreciating what we have in life. There are far too many people who are comparing their lives to that of their friends and neighbours, and who then think that they are not good enough. This can make them become jealous and even depressed.

In the 37 years that I have been counseling individuals, I have worked with many people who have suffered from severe physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse in childhood. Many who have sought my help were suffering from fear and anxiety, depression, various addictions, relationship problems and sexual problems. Many of these people had no memory of their childhood and had no idea why there were so unhappy. Many had spent years in therapy yet had never remembered their abuse…

The most common underlying cause of anxiety, depression, addictive behavior and relationship problems is self-judgment. The antidote is self-compassion. In this article, learn how to move beyond self-judgment and into self-compassion.

Why try to make a distinction between perseverance and endurance? In both perseverance and endurance, we may struggle at times, feel fear of failure or rejection, or worry that we are not worthy of what we long for. So the distinction between perseverance and endurance can easily get blurred.

But perseverance and endurance take us down different roads so they are worth distinguishing. Endurance will lead us to a dead end whereas perseverance, although it may take us down a…