Emotional Health and Well-Being

Updated on March 10, 2009

A few days ago, I was flipping through an Oprah magazine that my wife borrowed from our public library when I came across a short piece on forgiveness by playwright and actor Tyler Perry.

Here's the part that I felt a strong connection to:

I definitely agree that forgiveness is often more about freeing oneself from limiting, painful emotions than it is about releasing the person who hurt you from responsibility for their actions.

Many times the people who hurt others are so unconscious of their own inner processes that they will continue to behave in the same or similar ways throughout their lives. They are simply too damaged and too ignorant to be able to do what it takes to recover and become sane, caring human beings.

As parents to two preschool boys, my wife and I are deeply concerned about our boys running into bullies at school. At the same time, we realize that bullying tends to stem from a lack of care and education at home, and that those who bully need as much compassionate guidance as those who are bullied.

Why do some men stray from their marriages, while others seem content to stay with one partner for life?

The answer may come from an unlikely source: the vole. A vole is a rodent, and it comes in several species. Prairie voles mate for life. Mountain voles do not. Research has shown that prairie and mountain voles have different versions, known as “alleles,” of a particular gene (AVPR1A).

In March of 2006, I received the following letter from someone who consulted with me for a skin condition:

Dear Dr. Kim,

I wondered if you would have any advice because I'm having a very hard time emotionally. I'm having a problem with low self esteem and self confidence, mainly because of my (health condition).

I don't have any friends or acquaintances (in my local area), and I've had a huge problem with loneliness over the past year.

I feel too embarrassed to meet other young people because of the (health condition), and I feel my emotional state has taken a large toll on me. It seems like a catch 22 situation.

A short time ago, a visiting relative asked my wife and me what we thought about the idea that the cure for cancer was already established, but was being hidden from the general public for various reasons. Being a pharmaceutical sales representative, her idea of the cure for cancer was a drug or procedural treatment that could be received from a doctor, and used right away to experience a complete recovery from cancer.

Have you ever considered the possibility that if you are depressed, you should be?

Popular media and our society in general tend to teach us that it is normal to be perpetually happy. But is it normal to be happy all of the time?

What’s In A Diagnosis?

How do you know that you are depressed? Is it just plain obvious to yourself and those who are closest to you? Did a doctor diagnose you with depression?

Nutritional Considerations for Chronic Depression

What follows are a series of questions and exercises that are intended to strengthen your capacity to deal with life circumstances that can cause chronic depression.