Tag: Stress Management
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The Practice of Radical Acceptance
Acceptance is the only way out of suffering. For thousands of years, religious and spiritual traditions have advocated acceptance and surrender as a way to manage the challenges and stressors of life. This deep spiritual wisdom has helped people survive and thrive during periods of turmoil and upheaval. As a psychologist, it would be foolish…
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One Mindfully @ Work
In today’s fast-paced world, stress can feel overwhelming and constant. One simple but powerful practice—“One Mindfully in the Moment”—offers a way to regain calm and focus. Dr. Christine E. Dickson recommends this ancient Zen technique as one of the most effective tools for managing stress, helping to reduce overwhelm, improve concentration, and bring balance during…
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The Perils of Perfectionism
When I was young, I was proud of the fact that I was a perfectionist. People rewarded me for doing things “perfectly.” It seemed the more perfect, the better. I remember in graduate school that my friends and I regularly joked about being perfectionists. Perfectionism as a concept is not problematic. The idea of striving…
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My New Hobby is WORRYING?
Suddenly I realized that my new hobby was worrying about the coronavirus and checking the news several times a day. I also developed what I called a “hypochondriacal corona cough.” But for the past three weeks, I never associated feeling preoccupied, overwhelmed, or abandoning my hobbies with worry. It was only after noticing the changes…
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Working from Home with Kids During a Lockdown
As a psychologist, I’ve identified 8 strategies to help parents more effectively work from home with their children. With children out of school, no sports, no camps, no activities, and no playdates it is a tremendous upheaval and disruption. At first kids will enjoy having no school or activities but in the coming weeks it…
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Understanding Thought Addictions
When we think about an addiction, we usually think about addictions to drugs or alcohol, gambling, sex, video games or even food. We rarely think about addictions to our thoughts. Many of my clients have thought addictions.
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Managing the Cognitive Distortion: Overgeneralization
Overgeneralization can contribute to a restricted thought process and lifestyle. This form of distorted thinking intensifies feelings of shame and unworthiness as well as thoughts of inadequacy.
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Navigating Conflict with Unreasonable People
Everyone knows that it’s impossible to avoid conflict in our personal and professional life. At times, the people in our lives can be completely unreasonable when it comes to conflict. If you are facing conflict with an unreasonable person, it is critical to find effective conflict management strategies. As a psychologist, I spend countless hours…
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Changing Emotions by Acting Opposite
Most of us don’t realize how often our emotions control our lives — keeping us stuck, fearful, or reactive. In this article, Dr. Christine E. Dickson explains how the powerful DBT skill “Opposite of Emotion Action” can help you break free from fear, guilt, sadness, or anger and take back control of your life.
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Increasing Positivity and Optimism in Analytical People
In today’s post, I will discuss how to increase positivity and optimism in analytical people. For analytical people, it’s easy to develop a pessimistic attitude. We review, study, and examine our circumstances to figure out the best course of action. We take pleasure in thinking and analyzing. However, if we are not careful, our amazing,…