Emotional Health and Well-Being

A few days ago, I heard from a friend who shared that her young teenage child was on the receiving end of some less-than-thoughtful commentary on a well-intentioned community project she was a part of.  It seems that these days, no cause or age group is exempt from being targeted by keyboard warriors who are eager to politicize everything.

Having had an online presence for close to 20 years now, I am thankful that I learned long ago that as soon as I get even the faintest whiff of toxic behaviour, the best move is to press delete and carry on. Read more

Hey Dr. Ben,

Your vlog made me wonder if you've covered the importance of apologizing when you've done something wrong and how to apologize?  If not, I'd love to know your thoughts on this topic.  My fiance and I don't argue very often but when we do, the issue of who owes who an apology is usually a point we have tension over. Read more

Transcript

What keeps us healthy and happy as we go through life? If you were going to invest now in your future best self, where would you put your time and your energy? There was a recent survey of millennials asking them what their most important life goals were, and over 80 percent said that a major life goal for them was to get rich. And another 50 percent of those same young adults said that another major life goal was to become famous. Read more

The challenge with those who regularly make selfish choices is that typically, they are unaware of the pain and hurt that they create for others. For the purpose of streamlining these thoughts, let's call such people egoists: those who are preoccupied with their own interests.

My life experiences have led me to believe that the vast majority of egoists behave the way they do because they carry significant unresolved pain within, often some combination of not having received sufficient love and being put down by those they most needed to be nurtured by as youngsters. Read more