Alfred Camus and the Haters
photo courtesy of Lionsgate Pictures I get some interesting emails as a columnist and psychotherapist. Here’s one on a subject you might [...]
How To Retire Happy (The R-M-O Method)
What does it mean to retire? Let’s expand the definition beyond “to stop working”. After all, maybe our grandparents wanted to stop working entirely, and [...]
Are you dating, hanging out or hooking up?
photo by youngjun koo for nymag.com Dating: the word sounds ancient, doesn’t it? Instead, we usually hear “hooking up”, a phrase that sounds [...]
Too Much Texting; Not Enough Love
As a psychotherapist, I’ve been noticing more-and-more relationships end by texting. In all too many situations, texting is winning out over love. It’s not hard [...]
Why can’t I be happy and grateful?
Dear Michael: I feel like such a fool. I have a great job, good health, a loving husband, great kid and a good group of loyal [...]
The power of humor
photo by Madigan Heck for nymag.com Perhaps only God Himself/Herself is more important than humor. Seriously. Psychological research has found that when people list [...]
Why Do I Drink?
It’s popular in psychological/treatment circles to focus on how much (alcohol) we drink, how much is too much, what to do about it, etc. In [...]
Self-esteem
Dear Michael: My friends encouraged me to write to you, but I don’t know if you can do much. They say I have lousy self-esteem. Maybe [...]
Love or infatuation?
photo by youngjun foo for nymag.com Remember back in Junior High, when you had a “crush” on some hot guy or girl? How [...]
Stop hating yourself: the joys of getting older
photo by youngjun koo for nymag.com It seems like an epidemic: we’re all becoming older and feeling that we’re becoming more-and-more invisible. I get [...]
For men, depression is melancholy on steroids
Is it a weakness to feel depressed? What is depression anyway? Does it show up differently for men than for women? Many people talk about depression without really [...]
Letting go of a toxic parent
photo of a Mark Rothko painting, courtesy of Sothebys You can divorce an abusive spouse. You can call it quits if your lover [...]