I used to call the night we turn back the clocks for the end of Daylight Savings Time my “Armegeddon” because it felt as though the darkness of winter descended on that very day—the depressing feeling when you pick up your kids from sports practice in the afternoon or leave your office and it’s already...

The American Psychological Association (APA)  just released a report that says more than half (52 percent) of all Americans say that the presidential election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress in their lives. And an APA survey released on September 14 found that one-fourth of American workers felt less productive and more stressed at their jobs because...

Middle schoolers aren’t the only ones who feel the jitters as school reopens every year. Most people I know have trouble as summer draws to a close and autumn begins. All of the stress and transition required to accommodate new schedules, activities, and schools can throw off the limbic system (your emotional center) of even the...

This post is from my archives. Nine years ago I decided to wean off all my meds and take natural supplements instead. One evening I was fixing a magnesium concoction, chatting with a friend. We were talking about my depression, and this new holistic route I was taking. “You have everything you need inside you...

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people,” wrote Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. “It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and is the main obstacle between you and a [crappy] first draft.” Today’s culture encourages perfectionistic behavior — as if it’s synonymous with being...