“I am so depressed. I really wanted these boots but they don’t have them in my size!” “It was sunny this morning and now it’s stormy! This weather has been so schizophrenic.” “I was having a total panic attack last night. I thought I wasn’t going to make it home in time for The Walking Dead.” At some time or another, many of us are guilty of this: using words related to serious mental illnesses as colloquial terms to exaggerate a point. On the surface, this would appear to be

Have you ever logged on to your favorite social media website to see — or make — a status update like this? “I can’t stand when so called friends trash talk behind your back!” “Today I realized how much I hate certain people.” “Why can’t people just mind their own business?” Well, it may be true. You may be feeling distressed over a betrayal in friendship. You may be feeling angry at a friend or loved one. You may be feeling overwhelmed or intruded upon. But what is it that y

Have you ever declined an invitation? If you are a human on planet earth, there is at least a decent chance that your answer to the above is “Yes.” Assuming you did respond in the affirmative, now answer this: Do you ever feel like you have to provide some kind of explanation or excuse for your declination? One of the traps we often fall into in our social lives, and perhaps even professionally, is feeling the need to EXPLAIN our actions or decisions to others. For example, i