Surviving Life's Riptide

Dear Derek, Sometimes I feel as if my capacity to feel genuine emotion is stunted. Occasionally I feel as if I go through life with a set of pre-meditated responses to those around me, carefully calculated to achieve the result I desire. I haven't cried in a very long time, even after deaths of those close to me, and fear that I have lost some part of my ability to feel joy as well. Do you have any advice on how to confront this fear of emotional falseness? - - MH, VT.

Dear MH, First and foremost, I must say that you may have already stumbled upon the reason that you may be feeling (or not feeling) the way you have described ...

PostedMarch 31, 2013

AuthorDerek Schoffstall

Tagsadvice, emotion, control, conscious

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Dear Derek, So for the past couple of years I have changed my mind about what I want to do with my life. I am not asking what I should do, but how do I know for sure that what I choose is what I want to do? It seems like every few months I get really into what I want to do, and then I start to question that choice. I am starting to become afraid that I will never know what I want to do with my life. What can I do to make sure I know what is right for me? - - JCA

Dear JCA, Do not let your fear stop you from questioning what you want to do with your life. For a long time, before my undergraduate studies, I attended ...

PostedMarch 15, 2013

AuthorDerek Schoffstall

Tagsfuture, career, socrates, prayer

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Dear Derek, How do you encourage friends who are struggling with self-image issues and eating disorders when it doesn't appear that telling them their beautiful makes all that much of a difference? - - JH, CA.

Dear JH, Your desire to encourage your friends who are struggling with self-esteem issues is admirable. While the right thing to do, attempting to change the mindset of someone with low self-esteem will take a long time (possibly years) to fully deal with. So my first word of advice is do not give up! Though the road is long, and though it seems ...

PostedMarch 3, 2013

AuthorDerek Schoffstall

Tagsmedia, beauty, self-esteem, eating disorders

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Dear Derek, About four years ago my childhood best friend died. We lost contact over the few years preceding his death, but I attended his funeral nonetheless and emotions hit me like a ton of bricks. As the years have passed I have begun to blame myself for his death because I wasn't there with him or in contact with him the years before his life ended. It sounds kind of ridiculous, but it took me the last three years to get over this thought and realize that death can come to any of us at anytime. The anniversary of his death is coming up ...

PostedFebruary 21, 2013

AuthorDerek Schoffstall

Categoriesadvice

Tagstime, death, past, present, emotion

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Surviving Life's Riptide

Emotional Falseness

How do I know for sure?

Improving Self-Esteem

Past & Present