My cousin is generally a mellow, quirky teenager. She watches Japanese anime with subtitles and recently decided that she wants a t-shirt with Bob Ross’ face. So imagine my surprise when her parents recently confessed that she missed the first 3 weeks of school because of debilitating anxiety – and I mean hyperventilating, turning-blue-ready-to-pass-out anxiety. […]

Few will offer a disparaging word about Winston Churchill. If asked who deserves to be on the list of the world’s greatest leaders, he would likely turn up in the top 5. But behind that stoic gaze was a man who knew he wasn’t perfect and who, according to several historians, suffered from bouts of […]

I’m a unique emotional eater. If I’m anxious or worried about something, my appetite is non-existent. Same goes for sadness or anger. My nemesis is idleness. If I’m bored, I’ll switch to the Food Network…and by that I mean my pantry. “Chip Battles,” starring me, with a special guest appearance by my love/hate partner, Chef […]

My relationship with my former best friend was tight-knit. I swore that I’d make her the godmother of all my children; she promised to make me the godmother of her, um, dogs (she didn’t want kids). We were even going to live next door to each other, go on family vacations together, and organize play […]

I have an acquaintance who is an accounting manager in a major firm with a salary of about $90,000 a year. She’s intelligent, fashion-forward, speaks three languages fluently, and can make an amazing Beef Wellington. Do I envy her? Kind of…with the exception of her absolutely horrible taste in men. She married someone whom she’s […]

I don’t watch much TV. In order to get me to watch any show, it would have to be so good that I’d be compelled to take the DVDs of each season with me to a deserted island (should such a thing be required). If you think that’s strict, you should see how stringent I […]

After breaking up with the third girl in six months, my friend begged me for advice. It was the same damn routine: He’d lament over the break-up, ask for some insightful input, agree with it, fail to follow it, and then come back for the same a month later. “What was wrong with this girl […]

I don’t have many fond memories of high school. I was bullied a couple of years, and then I simply became invisible. It took a great deal of effort to persuade myself to get out of bed every morning, especially since I wasn’t a good sleeper. No matter how heavy my mind was with worries, […]

“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her away, she adjusted her sails.” Elizabeth Edwards When I look back on some of the challenges I’ve been through – the health scares, the break-ups, the losses, the toxic relationships – I wonder to myself how I managed to survive and thrive […]

I am well-aware of the slippery slope that is rumination. You start off thinking about an issue that’s bothering you. If you don’t keep tabs on the twists and turns your thoughts make, one wrong turn, one negative thought, will breed another and another. You start to feel helpless. You start to doubt your ability […]

“Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up.” Ann Bradford I have an acquaintance who regularly posts pictures of herself on Facebook in various outfits – the kind of outfits I’d wear on a humid day walking around my apartment, not out in public. She also rotates her […]

When my great uncle died suddenly (one day he had a headache, the next day he was gone), my aunt struggled to cope. Upon visiting her GP and asking for advice, he immediately wrote her out a prescription for an anti-depressant. No questions asked, no recommendation for therapy. A few months later, her behavior became […]