Remembering
At 10:00 AM this past Tuesday, across Israel, a siren wailed for two minutes as it does each year on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day – it is two minutes out of the day set aside to remember the approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. When it starts,
Parenting Changes our Brains
Witnessing two of my sons become fathers has been a uniquely transformative experience. I hoped they would be good parents. I knew they would be good parents. Over these first few months of observing my sons as fathers, the reality is more inspiring than I could have imagined. Much has
Headaches
Having never been prone to headaches, the experience of having one on and off every day for the past two weeks has been quite a jolt to my system. A well-documented by-product of COVID, these headaches can last from a few days to several months. The headaches are fatiguing. At
Teens, Sleep, and Mental Health
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about night owls and heard from many of you who join me in savoring the quiet of those dark hours when others are sleeping. But if staying up late means not getting enough sleep, it can spell trouble for our mental health. This
Night Owls
We have all heard it. The early bird catches the worm. Early to bed, early to rise… So what is a night owl to do? I love staying up late. I always have. I write late at night. I read late at night. I plan menus and research vacation ideas.
It’s Scary Out There
I was talking with a friend the other day about meeting for coffee. We are both vaccinated. It didn’t seem reckless, but as we anxiously confirmed the details, it sounded like we were complete newbies to the coffee meet-up. A friend’s kid who is in high school told me he
Heart Health & Mental Health
This Sunday is Valentine’s Day, and Valentine’s Day is all about love, cupid and fluttering hearts. All year long, another story about our hearts is taking place – the story of heart health and mental health. While mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide, heart disease is the
Punxsutawney Phil & Superstition
Punxsutawney Phil is the seer of seers of groundhogs. Each year, his singular job is to emerge on February 2nd and predict whether we are in for another six weeks of winter. If he sees his shadow, we need to brace ourselves for frigid temperatures and more snow. No shadow
Hugs
2021 is here. It’s been a rocky start. Expletives of dismay, exasperation, despair, disgust, and fear fill the airwaves of personal conversations, social media posts, newspaper articles and televised broadcasts. Surely there will be thoughtful and important analyses of the vaccine’s slow and fragmented rollout, the new strain of the
Light
We lit the first candle of Hanukkah yesterday. White match head pressed against the rough side of the box. Swift strike. Flame ignites. Gentle touch. Wick burns. Candle glows. The light is mesmerizing. Hanukkah is in good company. Around this time of year, all over the world, people are also
Roman Tritz
World War II bomber pilot Roman Tritz died earlier this year at the age of 97. He was the last known survivor of a U.S. government program that lobotomized combat veterans who suffered from treatment-resistant forms of mental illness, including profound depression, anxiety and psychosis. As we honor our veterans
The Rabbit Effect
What do rabbits have to do with mental health? In her recent book, The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness, Columbia psychiatrist Dr. Kelli Harding makes the connection quite clearly. We were fortunate to have Kelli join us for a Zoom discussion of
