One of the funniest lines from Seinfeld was when Jerry asks; How do you break up with a friend? You can’t say ‘let’s be friends.’ In fact, when you don’t want to be friends at all, what do you say? ‘Let’s just BE?’ The famous (or infamous) line, ‘let’s be friends,’ used in break-ups is [...]
Category Archives: Relationships
Thick head or thin skin
If a subordinate makes a mistake do you always point it out? How do you deal with someone who reacts badly to criticism? Do you continue to criticize? Do you address the person’s hypersensitivity? Or do you step back? The fact is, the best answer depends completely on the person being criticized. If the person [...]
Why is that guy looking at me like that?
I suppose a little paranoia is good. It keeps us on our toes. As threats become more real, paranoia becomes an ally. The problem is that in normal times, the hyper-vigilance caused by paranoia and fear can seriously ruin what we are trying to protect. In my column of May 3, using an analogy of [...]
The browser and the browsed
Hi folks. Here’s something I wrote last week. It explores the modern day reality of internet dating. Computer dating and the shoemaker (source: Trouver chaussure à son pied. Journal Métro, April 5, 2011) Gluttony of choice. That’s what its all about these days. No matter what you are looking for, the choices usually seem limitless. [...]
People don’t like me. I don’t like people.
Ahhhh…look at all the lonely people. That’s my attempt at singing a Beatles lyric in print. Today’s post is about people who have few or no friends. There are many such folks. Some are happy about it and some aren’t. In clinical practice you meet many people who are relatively isolated and it doesn’t take too [...]
Abuse begets abuse
Today’s column was inspired by the many clients I have met with over the years who felt abused of neglected by their parents. In exploring their histories, the question of what made their parents into the people they became always comes up. Often the impact of an abusive experience can last far longer than one [...]
Love me, love my broccoli
It’s always amazing to see what triggers someone off. Every once in a while a seemingly innocuous event or statement can really get to us, resulting in a strong emotional reaction (anger, depression, anxiety, etc.). In most cases, this emotion is stirred not so much by the event as it is by the assumptions it [...]
I hate you, I miss you
“When angry, count to ten before you speak” “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” In my Metro column last week, I decided to explore the effect of the passage of time on our emotions and how this impacts relationships. The two quotes above help explain why some people constantly live with on-again off-again relationships. In [...]
He said WHAT about me?
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to write for a while but as you know, the world was in celebration mode last week. While the French were celebrating Bastille Day on the 14th, we in Canada and the rest of the world were commemorating a much more significant day. I am referring, of course, to Saint Camillo’s day. [...]
