Six Strategies to Reduce Misery Stan Goldberg July 10, 2019 Chronic illness, Grieving and Recovery, Life4 CommentsEveryone wants to be happy. But it might make more sense to sneak up on happiness by reducing misery. Here are six proven strategies you can use today.
Feeling Helpless? Do Something Positive Instead Stan Goldberg October 30, 2018 Aging, Cancer, Chronic illness, End of Life, Grieving and Recovery, Life3 CommentsHelpless? Everyone at one time experiences it due to aging, declining health, shattered relationships, or deteriorating world conditions. The way we confront the feeling shapes our lives. I learned how to deal...
Depression? Four Simple “Non-Therapy” Strategies to Reduce It Stan Goldberg March 28, 2016 Aging, Alzheimer’s/dementia, Cancer, Caregiving, Chronic illness, End of Life, Grieving and Recovery, Life4 CommentsThere are more things that can cause depression as we age. I can’t run as fast or as far as I did ten years ago, my weight only fluctuates upward, I take more time to process information, and I feel under...
Five Ways to Help a Loved One Adjust to Chronic Illness Stan Goldberg August 21, 2015 Chronic illnessAn exclusive About.com caregiving article by Stan Goldberg I sat with my brother-in-law who lived with a chronic illness and reminded him of the enormous number of people he touched during his life. We both...
The Need for Stability: Part II-Its Role in Chronic and Progressive Illnesses Stan Goldberg May 6, 2015 Aging, Chronic illness, Life, Thoughts of the DayWe often underestimate the need for introducing stability in the lives of people living with chronic and progressive illnesses. In Part I of this three-part series, I explained the role of stability in aging....
Stability : Part I-Why It’s Critical for Successful Aging Stan Goldberg May 4, 2015 Aging, Chronic illness, Thoughts of the Day3 CommentsI came to an understanding about the need for stability when faced with two financial choices. Regardless what I chose either outcome would be fine, unlike a situation in the past were I was forced to choose...
Coping With Chronic Pain: The Willingness to Risk Stan Goldberg December 30, 2014 Chronic illness, Thoughts of the DayTHOUGHT OF THE DAY. For two years, the first thing I experienced when I woke and the last thing I felt before falling asleep was pain in my thigh from a less than successful hip replacement. I began a life of...
Living With A Chronic Illness: Creating a Legacy Stan Goldberg December 22, 2014 Chronic illness, Thoughts of the DaySomeone living with a chronic illness often can't think past today's pain or discomfort. If they can, their focus may be on wondering when the momentary relief will end or how soon the pain will...
Not Drawing Conclusions: Robin William’s Suicide Stan Goldberg November 19, 2014 Chronic illness, Thoughts of the Day1 Commentsuicide often involves facts we don't understand
Why Political Choice is Like Living With a Chronic Illness Stan Goldberg November 19, 2014 Chronic illness, Thoughts of the Day10/31/14-While filling out my absentee ballot I had the shocking realization that choosing politicians is like living with a chronic illness With chronic illnesses people often are forced to make choices...
When a Friend Wants to Talk About Something Uncomfortable Stan Goldberg November 19, 2014 Chronic illness, Thoughts of the Day06/09/14 A friend I know for more than 20 years asked to speak with me about a life-threatening illness. He didn’t want medical advise. He was interested in how he would be able to emotionally deal with a...
Now the Bad News:Living With Chronic Illness Stan Goldberg June 10, 2013 Chronic illness18 CommentsI was asked to join Thich Nhat Hanh, Jane Goodall, Norman Fischer, and other writers I have long admired in contributing to Shambhala Sun’s July 2013 special edition on the body. In my article, I relive...
The Psychology of Pain: It’s Not What You Think Stan Goldberg May 30, 2012 Chronic illness24 CommentsWhat would you do if you learned from this moment until you died you would be in pain? Not something mild like an occasional headache, but something that overwhelms every one of your thoughts, feelings, and...
I’m Different: Illness-based Identity Stan Goldberg February 15, 2012 Chronic illness24 CommentsHow we view ourselves—our identity—is based on what we do, the roles we play, activities we enjoy, affiliations we have, the values that structure our lives, our abilities, and relationships. When a...
My Brain is Fried: Inside Chronic Illnesses Stan Goldberg April 27, 2011 Chronic illness37 CommentsMany people believe that everyone lives in the same world. At an event, we all see, smell, taste, or touch the same things, and therefore, our experiences are identical. But when we crunch the information into something that goes beyond observations, unique worlds—ones we may not understand—are created.
Patient Choice: A Medical Cop-Out Stan Goldberg July 16, 2010 Cancer, Chronic illnessIt was an invitation that made no sense. I was asked to be a special guest of the South Korean Ministry of Tourism and KMI International, a company that markets medical tourism. Why me, I wondered? As I re-read the invitation, I remembered another strange offer I received in the 1970’s during a tense period in Israeli-Arab relations. “Hello Dr. Goldberg,” an official from the Jordan Ministry of Education had said. “We’d like to know if you would be interested in coming to Ramallah to conduct a seminar on stuttering therapy this summer.”
Understanding Chronic and Terminal Illness: A Guide for Healthy People Stan Goldberg May 3, 2010 Chronic illness6 CommentsA client who was dying once said to me, “Every day I feel as if I’m on one of those exercise boards that rest on a ball. Just when I steady the damn thing, it starts moving and I’m struggling again to balance myself. Why don’t people realize that’s what my life has become?”
Has the Music Stopped? Life After a Loss Stan Goldberg May 29, 2009 Chronic illness, Grieving and Recovery5 CommentsWhen a sleep disorder forced me to retire at 57, and six months later I developed prostate cancer, I reacted to life as if the music had stopped.