On Caring What People Think of You

woman with many bagsI have a Google alert set up to fetch every new page on the Internet that contains my book title, Constructive Wallowing.

Usually the automated search will find me quoted in an article that cites the book, which is what I’d expect.

But sometimes it comes up with pages I never dreamed existed.

I recently got a hit on a nonsensical article that resembles something put together by a robot, or maybe a baboon. A robot would have better grammar. Read More

The Surest Way Not to Teach Kids Respect

ashamed girlI’m still on holiday this week, but in my absence I wanted to leave you with something nutritious to chew on.

Since I’m too busy whooping it up on vacation to moderate comments, they’re not available for this post.

However, you can leave comments over on PsychologyToday.com:

Shaming Children Is Emotionally Abusive

Next week I’ll share something on the lighter side.

Photo courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Early Experience Affects How We Deal With Feelings

adult not understanding kid's feelings“Why do we find it so hard to sit with our own emotions?” asked one of the audience members at a talk I gave last Tuesday about constructive wallowing.

I think there are two reasons:

1. We’re hard-wired to avoid pain. If a feeling is unpleasant, we automatically try not to pay attention to it and hope it goes away.

Example: You’re reading on the patio when a thought strays into your mind … something about a letter from the IRS and unpaid taxes. Read More

Still Waiting For That Gold Star?

On your day off, do you feel guilty if you lie in bed all morning?

Do you get up early even when you don’t have to be anywhere, just to avoid feeling lazy?

Do you make yourself do things that aren’t necessary and that don’t affect anyone else, because they’re “the right thing to do”?

If so, you may still be waiting for an imaginary gold star.

As shocking and dismaying as it may seem, there is no gold star for policing your behavior. Read More