What makes you angry?  Anger is a good thing when it is justified, clearly expressed, and leads to negotiation. It may lead to much-needed changes in relationships and society; anger over their lack of voting rights gave women the vote and anger from a parent keep a 3-year-old from running into the street.  Anger also…

Depression is not a character flaw. It is often the most normal response to a stressful situation: the death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, health problems, and even happy events that bring back sad memories. During the pandemic, many events that should have been happy had to be deferred, including weddings, family reunions,…

Burnout is not inevitable, and it can be conquered. The bad news is that burnout is easy to fulfill. All you need is to be pressured at a job you hate, with not enough time or management support, a confusing role with unclear expectations, lack of any control over decisions, and unfair treatment. Pile on…

The way you eat, the amount and type of exercise you do, and the quality of your sleep all affect your health, including your ability to ward off and handle stress. Even SMaRT techniques work better if you are able to concentrate, fight off fatigue, and feel self-confident: proven results from healthy eating, exercising and…

Stress is a physical response: it releases hormones like adrenaline, causes quick and shallow breathing, tenses muscles, suppresses the immune system, and raises the heart rate and blood pressure. All of those reactions are great if you are facing a temporary emergency or difficult situation. These reactions give you the ability to take action and…

During a 20-year relationship, Frank complained every single summer about allergies, and George recommended a visit to an allergist—every single summer. Yet, Frank never followed through. One day, George lost his temper and walked out. During the walk, George thought, “What if I refuse to give advice and simply ask Frank, in a neutral tone,…

Have you ever received guidance or training in conflict resolution? Like 60% of employees in the U.S., your answer is probably, “No.” Yet research shows that conflict occurs at every level of the organization and costs billions of dollars and millions of lost working days—without generating any of the good that can come from conflict.…

How do we manage risk in a world that has already proven it can surprise us any time it wants with a new and overwhelming threat? According to a recent survey, over one-quarter of all companies have no enterprise-wide risk management (ERM) plan and over 60% never regularly monitor or address risk with their leaders…

Self-management of your emotions and thoughts is essential to self-efficacy (the ability to take action) and emotional intelligence (the ability to recognize your own and others’ emotions). When emotions overwhelm you, self-management brings you back into control so that you resume your ability to set goals and reach them in a productive and rewarding way.…

Do you take good care of your health? Do you feel you are helpless or do you keep going despite obstacles? Do you enjoy or avoid challenges? Are you strongly influenced by social norms or by perceived risk in your choices? Your responses are affected one way or another by your current self-efficacy. Self-efficacy as…