This was originally published in the Palo Alto Weekly on May 20, 2023. My whole life I have struggled with depression, anxiety, and — at my lowest — suicidal ideation. When I was a kid, some mornings I’d need to lie down on the couch before I could muster up…

a poem by Dave Cortright — <sigh> I sense your struggle — I’m fine It’s ok to struggle We all struggle from time to time You don’t have to go through it alone — I can manage myself I understand I am here for you When you are ready [later] …

In order to talk about depression, we need to first talk about emotions in general. Why do we have emotions? What is their purpose? Emotions are the signals our body sends us to communicate how we are in relation to the world around us. They enable us to survive, thrive…

We revere creativity in our culture. We praise children for having vast imaginations and we reward adults who craft the best art and entertainment. But there is a dark side to creativity. Creativity is essentially the rejection of the truth. Of what is in the world vs. some vision of…

This is a partial transcript of this video embedded below. I encourage you to watch the 2-minute video; his performance really brings it to life. I have a mental illness called Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which, is often associated with anxiety and depression problems. I try to talk about that sometimes because…

The Easterlin Paradox states that at a point in time, happiness varies directly with income—both among and within nations; But over time the long-term growth rates of happiness and income are not significantly related. The principal reason for the contradiction is social comparison. At a point in time, those with…

Mindfulness is a misnomer*. The goal of mindfulness and meditation is to let go of thoughts of the past and the future—to be fully in the present moment, with complete attention on our sensory input. You want to get out of your head and into your body and senses. In…

The Harvard Study on Adult Development has been going on for nearly 100 years. It started following 268 Harvard University male graduates from the classes of 1939–1944 throughout their entire lives in parallel with 456 men who grew up in low-socioeconomic Boston households. The study has tracked their major life…

Every moment, you make choices in your actions. You are modeling for yourself and others what you consider to be proper, appropriate behavior in your given situation. Likewise, you observe others and their actions. They are modeling to you what they consider to be proper, appropriate behavior in their situation. …