High functioning anxiety is not a diagnosis, but we recognise that people who function well often need help. They may ‘soldier on’ in spite of their anxiety. This is part of a series on high functioning people and mental health. We’ll look at high functioning anxiety, high functioning depression, healthy vs unhealthy stoicism, beating anxiety,…
We come to the last minute, the last question and the last brain area of this Morning Mental Fitness Program. It involves a specialized part of your Limbic System, the Anterior Cingulate Gyrus (sometimes called the Anterior Cingulate Cortex). Anatomy: The Anterior Cingulate Gyrus The Anterior Cingulate Gyrus simply means “the front part of the…
Often when we prepare ourselves for the day, we prepare ourselves to invest in our assets, for what we can get out of the day, for what we can produce, for how much of an influence we can be, or for how much further we can get in our careers. There is nothing wrong with…
But what if people hurt you? Yes. People can hurt. When I first presented this Morning Mental Fitness Program, somebody asked what about my amygdala? The Amygdala generates our pain. A healthy Amygdala doesn’t get in the way of life, but most of us have an Amygdala that’s experienced some pain, so it does get…
You’ve got to have friends. That’s what friends are for. You can always count on me. Many songs and many movies extoll friendship. I extoll friendship, you probably do too, we all do. Friendships are important but are hard to come by and keep. Are friendships harder to keep these days? Studies say “yes”: over…
A “Useful friend” is a work colleague, college buddy, or someone who is a useful part of your life’s purpose. A “Pleasure friend” is someone you share fun with: someone you go to the movies with or share sporting or artistic interests. A “Good friend” is a “real” friend: someone with whom you share mutual…
When you first meet someone, you’re looking for common ground: Do you like retro art too? Are you into Indie Rock? So what do you do for a living? Ever been to Europe? Have you been hurt too? All of these questions look for one thing: common ground; a common basis on which to communicate…
“Them” is anyone you have as a friend, want as a friend or meet as a person. We all like to have good conversations, but listening is different. A conversation is a two-way street: you can let fly with your beliefs, judgments and opinions just as much as someone else can. That way you share,…
To empathize is perhaps the most important step in acceptance of another person. We are wired to empathize with others, feel other’s pain, and to respond to them however we decide. With empathy, we grow close to another person. Empathy makes for deeper friendships. Our brains are designed to empathize, to feel with another person….
Has someone close to you ever done something hurtful? Something you just couldn’t get over? Sometimes friends prove not to be friends, but users and stealers; most of the time, however, friends can be hurtful just by being themselves, by saying the wrong thing, by doing something silly, by being thoughtless, or just by being…