Depression

In this article, I discuss steps you can take to address matters which are not urgent but important in your relationships, your mental health and your career. In my last article, I discussed why it is important to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important in your relationships, your mental health, and your career. I provided many examples of the positive effects of attending to these tasks and of the negative consequences of failing to attend to them. Given how important it is to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important, it is essential to know how to attend to them. In the following sections, I will discuss steps which you can take to do just that...[more]

In this article, I discuss various strategies you can use to manage disappointment and other emotions stemming from lack of success by a sports team which you support. I recently appeared on the Toronto radio show called The Naz and Wally Sports Hour. On the show, I discussed various strategies which supporters of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team could use to deal with the disappointment of yet another failed attempt by the Leafs to win a championship. In the following sections, I will focus on these strategies which you can use to deal with disappointment you experience from failures by teams which you support...[more]

In this article, I discuss how pursuing two different types of goals can have different effects on your mood. In my last article, I discussed the psychological benefits of pursuing goals. These included providing meaning and purpose, boosting self-esteem, facilitating structure, improving time management, managing stress and fostering positive social relationships. It should be noted that the extent to which pursuing goals leads to psychological benefits depends on the type of goal which you are pursuing. In this article, I will discuss one example to illustrate this point—whether the goal you are pursuing involves a change in your circumstances or entails you performing an activity on an ongoing basis. In the following sections, I will delve into the differential psychological benefits of pursuing these two types of goals...[more]

In this article, I discuss strategies you can use to ‘get the job done’ when you’re not at your best. Athletes and teams in sports sometimes give great performances when they feel ‘on’. The PGA golfer who shoots a 7 under par round, the pitcher who throws a shutout, no hitter or a perfect game, and the basketball player who scores 50 points in a game are examples from the individual side of sports. When teams are on, they romp to easy victories over their opponents as they execute plays as a group effectively and easily. As impressed as I am by individual athletes and teams when they are ‘clicking on all cylinders’, I think I am even more impressed when I watch them find ways to get the job done when they don’t have their best stuff. Individual examples include a golfer who scrambles to shoot even par to remain in contention in a tournament, a pitcher who manages to win the game despite his go-to pitch not working for him that day, and the basketball player who contributes with good defense when his ability to shoot is not there that day. Good teams manage to eke out victories over their opponents when they don’t have their best stuff. It’s not just in sports that individuals and teams have or do not have their best stuff. Getting through the day at work, school or in relationships sometimes comes easy but at other times it feels like a grind when you’re not feeling ‘on’ that day. In the following sections, I will focus on strategies you can use when you don’t have your best stuff so that you can get the job done like athletes and teams in such circumstances...[more]