Unfortunately, we have an overwhelming tendency in the health profession to address diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking over the simple fact that just having a solid relationship is more important. Dr. Debbie Stoewen, a veterinarian and registered social worker, has observed that of the eight aspects of wellness, only two are commonly addressed in medicine; physical and environmental. As a result, I unintentionally spend much more time talking about them on this site and in my office to my patients. The other six components are intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, and financial. 3 These remaining aspects of wellness have a high degree of overlap and interconnectedness. In this post, we will take a brief look at them.
Read MoreHave you noticed that fear is consuming a large segment of the population lately? Initially, we directed our worries at the virus. However, more and more, we are focusing our fear and anger on the unvaccinated. The same goes for anyone with an opinion that differs from the mainstream; they get labeled as misguided purveyors of vaccine hesitancy. All the while, the media seems bent on stoking fear and hatred. Prevention and treatment are nowhere to be found in their narrative. Dr. Mattias Desmet is a psychologist and professor at the University of Ghent who believes that the conditions of loneliness and isolation, coupled with free-floating anxiety associated with the frustrations and agitation, plus no sense of life's purpose, can have explosive consequences. For example, large numbers of dissatisfied, fearful, confused, and isolated people can suddenly band together in common cause against a sudden event that they identify as the sole cause of their misery. The sudden focusing on a single apparent threat provides immediate and palpable relief from the myriad longstanding pressures of isolation, confusion, and free-floating anxiety and discontent. Dr. Desmet calls this phenomenon mass formation.
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