Is joy possible? Finding your purpose through active living

Do you believe joy is possible? Many people I work with feel they passively exist without joy. Depression, anxiety, trauma, etc. may initially cause this, but then it is perpetuated by a lack of engagement in life. People do better when they are actively living. In the last post, we talked about what is the meaning of life and finding your purpose in life. Today we will talk about ideas to get started increasing engagement and enjoyment even if you aren’t feeling well. Active living can kickstart positive feelings and bring in new clarity about life purpose and meaning. read more

Life in Search of Meaning: Finding Your Meaning and Purpose of Life

People that are suffering can sometimes lose sight of the meaning and purpose of life. At times, they begin to question the meaning of it all and the reasons why they would choose to continue to struggle. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the meaning of life as it is up to the individual to decide. The good news is that there are endless amounts of individual missions, destinies, roles, and dreams that are possible. So what is the purpose of life?



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How to stop ruminating: Ruminative thinking doesn’t solve problems!

Do you get a thought stuck in your head and then can’t stop thinking, analyzing, and worrying about it? Are these thoughts negative and focused on possible mistakes you have made? Do you let problems eat away at you? These are examples of ruminating thoughts. Ruminative thinking is not problem-solving that is productive, it is the tendency to repetitively think about situations that are upsetting. Figure out how to stop ruminating by first learning the rumination definition to recognize them when they are occurring. read more

Esketamine (Spravato) for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Will it Live Up to Expectations?

The FDA’s recent approval of Esketamine (Spravato by Janssen Pharmaceuticals) has been met with much excitement (and some controversy) for it’s potential to help people with treatment-resistant depression. Despite it being a potentially life-threatening condition treatment-resistant depression medication options are limited. 12-20% of people diagnosed with major depression don’t respond to conventional antidepressant treatment.



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Light Therapy for Seasonal Depression: What works?

It’s that time a year again! How did it come back so fast? With summer winding down and fall weather returning, depression can rear its ugly head for those who experience seasonal dips in their mood. Light therapy for seasonal depression works. Often called “light box therapy” because historically it required sitting in front of a large box of light to get treatment. Nowadays, there are more options for light therapy treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder. The best light therapy is the one that you will actually use! read more

What is Self-Respect?

WHAT IS SELF-RESPECT? In my profession, I see lots of people who feel broken. Some have been struggling for years with depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc…. but others are broken because they are afraid to be themselves. I wish I had a magic wand or even a magic pill, anything to make it easier for people to push back the blinds, stop hiding, and live true to themselves. I see self-respect as just that. Not hiding. Imagine the freedom that can come with self-respect. Let me define self-respect better for you. read more

Suicide Prevention Plan: 5 Tips to Deal With Thoughts of Suicide

Preventing suicide does not happen by offering simple platitudes (“You have so much to be grateful for”) or by saying comments like: “It’s wrong”, “It’s selfish”, etc…but by coming up with a focused suicide prevention plan. Suicide and suicide thoughts are a response to incredible pain. The pain seems unending to the person experiencing it. Some people experience recurrent thoughts of suicide. Coming up with a plan for dealing with suicidal thoughts is essential and takes hard work in order to prevent suicide. The pain must be addressed and a safety net put in place. read more

A Psychiatrist’s Take on Suicidal Thoughts and Suicide Prevention

As a psychiatrist, part of my job is to talk to people about suicide. In my profession, hearing about suicidal thoughts is not uncommon. Read this post if you need help with suicidal thoughts or if you want to learn how to help someone who is suicidal. Suicide prevention hotline: 800-273-8255



Suicidal thoughts are a symptom like all other symptoms that I consider in my assessments. Often people are fearful that if they admit to feeling this way I will instantly hospitalize them against their will. (Not true — there are only certain situations when I have to which I will explain later). read more

11 Effective Interventions for Depression

Are you looking for ideas how to beat depression? There are many interventions for depression that can help. Don’t let your brain trick you into thinking it will never get better and that you will always feel this bad. This isn’t true! You may not believe me but I see people get better all the time! Instead of staying in bed or giving up, incorporate these treatment tools for depression and start on your path to recovery. The more you use coping strategies for depression the quicker you will feel better. read more

30 Healing Mantras For Depression

Our thoughts help shape how we feel. Depression can cloud people’s outlook with negative thoughts that focus on everything that feels wrong. When thoughts are shifted toward the positive, outlooks change and the light can start to shine through. Postive, healing mantras can be used as one tool to help fight off depression and shift thinking patterns. Powerful mantras can help turn thinking around. This post includes 30 mantra examples to get you started. When you catch yourself in the spiral of gloom and projection- fight back by using mantras for depression. Pick a couple of healing mantras that resonate and use them throughout the day. It takes daily mantras for positive thinking to begin to emerge. read more