You have been canceled
Greta Thunberg, the twenty-year-old Swedish environmental activist known for her campaign for an immediate action for climate change tweeted last week “Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine...
War news and mental health
A colleague of mine says, "My wife constantly follows the news of the war in Gaza to the extent that she stays up late and never stops discussing what she sees in videos of destruction and killing....
Thriving in a changing world
The ancient saying “this too shall pass is believed to originate from the Persian Sufi poets who describe the temporary nature of the human coned and that neither the bad, nor good, moments in life...
You should talk to someone
The book titled “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by the American therapist Lori Gottlieb describes the personal and professional difficulties she experienced when her long-term partner broke up...
Once a bipolar
People with mental health problems often face multiple challenges in their lives, not only because of the symptoms they experience but by how people around them treat them.Ranging from being called...
What makes a successful awareness campaign?
Every September people interested in Alzheimer’s around the world conduct activities to mark World Alzheimer’s Month by sharing materials through social media while some conduct conferences and...
Achieving work-life balance
A few weeks ago, I was conducting a workshop on well-being at work and mentioned the importance of keeping a work-life balance when one of the participants told me that it’s something easy said and...
Would you rather work from home?
The last week of August marks the end of the school holidays and the traffic on that day is very busy causing stress and delays for people driving to their workplaces. Working from home, which became...
The battle against Alzheimer’s
September is World Alzheimer's Month, during which the focus is on raising public awareness about Alzheimer's and other dementias.This year's theme is dedicated to discussing strategies to reduce the...
You can call me anytime
In a recent action movie, we see the American actor Mel Gibson featured as a psychiatrist treating a psychopath who escapes FBI house arrest to attend his brother’s funeral, only to have a gang of...
We grieve differently
Ahmed — not his real name — was in his early forties when he attended therapy. He was married for over fifteen years but every time his wife gets pregnant she has a miscarriage in the first few...
You are being stalked
Last week I watched a movie about a young waitress who finds a handbag on the subway and decides to return it to its owner.The bag had a card with a name and an address which leads her to an eccentric...
Age is not but a number
When I conduct workshops about the elderly for medical or nursing students, I always begin by asking them about their thoughts and perceptions when they encounter an elderly person.The responses I...
Does the weather affect human behaviour?
A few weeks ago, a video of an Austrian news presenter pouring water over his head live on air went viral. The act was over a United Nations report stating that the past few days had been the hottest...
A life without regrets
People coming for therapy often regret some of the decisions they made which have impacted their mental health and life in general.Some wonder what would have happened if they have chosen a different...
Do we need another social media platform?
Last Wednesday the new social media platforms, Threads was released. I heard the news on the radio while driving to work and was curious to download it and try it out.I noticed many of my virtual...
Are we obsessed with current news?
A few weeks ago, millions of people around the world followed the news about the disappearance of the capsule Titan which was carrying five people to tour the wreck of the Titanic on the Atlantic...
Have you heard of ‘hikikomori’?
‘Hikikomori’ was originally described in Japan as a form of severe social withdrawal.This translates to ‘pulling inward’ or ‘being confined.’Concerned about his son, Ahmed was brought to...
Do we need virtual friends?
As if modern life - and relationships- are not complicated enough, we get introduced to virtual relationships where you chat with someone through social media messaging applications without having to...
WHO calls for action on global stress epidemic
June 10 was dedicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to mark the international stress day which aims to draw attention to this phenomenon that we all face in our life, one way or another....