How a Sad Person (Me) Keeps My Sadness Under Control

'How Am I Going to Get Through the Day" Advice for the overwhelmed

I can’t myself out of bed. It's hard even to think about everything I have to do:. Ugh: Get dressed—I’ll skip the shower. Sit in the gridlock; I can’t stand it. And mass transit takes much longer still, as I smell the B.O. of the other sardines on the train who didn’t shower.
Then I’ll sit there, pushing paper, covering my ass, smiling at those phonies, so I can keep the records for this non-profit, no different than keeping the records for that widget company I worked for before. Whether they donate to us or the other charity, buy our widget or the competitors, BFD. Then I have to deal with the kids, help make dinner, help with the homework .Clean up. Uuhhhhhh.

The reverie is broken by the kids busting in:

I’m hungry
How come you’re not up, again!
What should I wear? 
That’s my toy!
Anthony is hitting me!
Where’s my lunch! It’s late.
You gotta drive us to school! Dad had to leave for work early!”

With the kids there, you manage to resist doing what you want to do: pull the covers over your head,. You murmur, “In a minute.”
Of course, many people can't even imagine feeling that way, but it's more common than you may  think. As always, there are no pat answers but perhaps one of more of the ideas I offer in my PsychologyToday.com article today might help:

The Big Decisions: education, career, marriage, kids.

My PsychologyToday.com article today offers some thoughts on six of life's major decisions, regarding education, career, marriage, and children.

What to Ask About: A checklist for psychotherapists and counselors

Every two weeks, a psychotherapist consults with me about his practice. Today, he asked me,

I have a client who keeps coming back and every session says everything’s fine. He comes back because he likes reporting on what happened that week and telling me his plans for next week. I feel okay about continuing to take his money but I’m bored just listening to him and am wondering if there’s a way to add more value. Do you have any suggestions?

I asked if he had queried the client about a wide-enough range of life’s aspects that might unearth a fertile area for exploration. The therapist asked me if I had a list of such aspects. When I gave him one, he suggested that other therapists and counselors might benefit from seeing it, so I provided it as my PsychologyToday.com contribution today.

10 Useful Questions: Queries that have helped my clients move forward.

The effective counselor asks good questions. Of course, many of the best questions derive from what the client says. But I’ve found 10 questions quite valuable in many circumstances. I list and describe them in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Getting and Succeeding in an Internship

For better or worse, an internship is increasingly a prerequisite to getting hired. 

Plus, a good internship can provide real-world learning experience that will make you more confident and competent as a professional and, at minimum, reduce the Imposter Syndrome that’s pervasive among new graduates who feel longer on theoretical than practical learning.

My PsychologyToday.com article today aims to help you or someone you care about to land an appropriate internship and how to make the most of it

The Voice: Key to getting more of what you want done...in less time

I gave a talk yesterday at UC Berkeley on time management. What generated the most enthusiasm was the concept of The Voice.  
 
I explained that many of my most successful clients and those most contented with their life have a little voice ever whispering in their ear, asking four questions. I describe them in my PsychologyToday.com article today.