Ideas on Mental Health & Meaning
On Anticipation and Joy
During this time of year, many cultures, religions, and individuals are celebrating, or anticipating the celebration of, joyful holidays. It is also a time of year that many people find most stressful, overwhelming, anxious, and possibly even sad, for a variety of...
Bah Humbug! – Decaying Traditions & Values…
Viktor Frankl famously wrote that part of the modern "existential vacuum" was due to the decline of traditions and values - that in the absence of guiding principles, humankind was left adrift as to how to behave or think in a moral and meaningful way. This...
Feelings of the Season
It's that time of year where we all might feel a little down - maybe a little sluggish or depressed. It's the time of year where many people feel SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder. There are quite a few ways to experience SAD - and even more ways to prevent it from...
Meaningful Giving
I hope you have returned to daily life after an enjoyable and restful Thanksgiving! Today, "Cyber Monday" we enter into what should be a "joyful" holiday season, but one that may sadly leave people feeling stressed and depressed. In order to avoid the "Holiday...
Finding Happiness
At least once each week, often more, I come across a distraught individual who bemoans the fact that they just can't find happiness. You may have heard me say this before - or even read it here, but life is NOT about finding happiness. I guess you could say,...
Responsibility and Right Action
"It does not really matter what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us. We need to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who are being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in...
How’s Your Vision?
It's easy to get up in the minutia of everyday life. Does this sound like your life? Wake up, brush teeth, pour some coffee, get the kids off to school, get to work, work (meaningful work hopefully), come home, dinner, tv, bed. Get up and do it all over...
“Looking for a Sign”
This article could just as easily be titled, "Honor Thy Father and Mother," - you'll see why as you read on. As I write this, I am preparing to embark on a brief road trip with my Dad tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a bittersweet adventure as we honor my Mom's passing...
Is CBD for Me?
As a social scientist, I am trained to be skeptical; to be a critical consumer of research. As a Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor, I'm extra skeptical of most substances - I do quite a lot of research before I recommend people put anything into their bodies for...
“That’s Not Good” – JBP’s Rules for Life
"There is no enlightened one. There is only the one who is seeking further enlightenment. Proper Being is process, not a state; a journey, not a destination. It's the continual transformation of what you know, through encounter with what you don't know, rather than...
Stress is Good for You
Stress is a sense that we have something to do that we haven't done yet. In manageable doses, stress is a healthy motivator that propels us to get stuff done. When we are in a position to choose our own stress - to choose projects we want to do, work we find...
Better Living Through Self-Transcendence
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13 This may be a Biblical statement, but the same sentiment can be found throughout recorded history, mythology, and even our modern story-telling. 300 Spartans laid down...