Recovery from over-controlling and over-planning: guidance from dreams, ancient philosophy, and the embrace of being adaptable and responsive.
“The Tao does nothing, yet nothing is left undone.” —Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching
I. Here I Am Right Now
There’s a particular fatigue that comes from having too many plans and projects competing for my mind’s attention, all of which seem important to process and either bring to a satisfactory conclusion or let go of. That’s where I have been living lately. Unfinished projects and mental schemes stack on top of each other like an unsteady pile of gadgets on my desktop, with my shallow intention to get to them when the time comes. The layering and complexity didn’t arrive all at once. It accumulated like nasty sediment in a pipe until it blocked the water flow.
I encounter many people who are beginning or entering their careers and who face very different societal and economic issues than I did when I started mine. I was just in conversation with a couple in their early thirties. They were thinking of getting married but were grappling with the insecurities of finding the right careers and achieving financial security. They had both trained in tech and information-related technologies as undergraduates and then earned graduate degrees. Each had interned at different companies heavily invested in artificial intelligence to expand their customer base and grow their businesses, helping them remain competitive and sustainable. Sometimes people approach me for collaboration or to talk about career choices. In this situation, I was glad it was just a casual conversation, and I expected it would be quite challenging for them, given the current developments and rapid changes in our society, to plan or make the optimal choice. This couple had the same sort of interests and goals that I perhaps had when I was first dating my wife and preparing for my career in the medical field, which also involved a lot of insecurity for me. From our discussions, what came to mind was that in the past, there was also a time of great worry when major societal changes, including wars and other catastrophic events, threatened to destabilize society and basic security.
A call to remembrance and words from a survivor, the poet Iren Steier, that bring the reality of the past to inform the present
My Family’s Journey Through Loss, Reunion, and Remembrance
I recall a poignant personal story I wrote about my reunion with an aged cousin of my mother during a visit to Israel, who was believed lost in a Nazi death camp. Her location was revealed through a letter my mother gave me before her death. The realization now is that it was the deepest and darkest proximity I’ve experienced to the heart of tragedy, human cruelty, and the depravity of others toward humanity, the evilest side of humankind, inflicted on vulnerable people by one of the most sinister forces in the history of our civilization. It also shows the resilience and the beaming forth of the human spirit, and our greatest strength and power to reach the highest state of enlightenment and pure spirit.
As a child in the late 1940s, my mother took me to a local shoe repair shop on Upshur Street in Washington, DC. The shop was near the row-house community where we lived. The struggling shoemaker, among his buzzing machines, appeared to be a quiet, humble man, his face worn by years of struggle and hardship. He had an unfamiliar accent. My mother knew he was from Hungary, where her parents had lived before migrating to this country in the late 1800s. My mother showed him letters she had recently received from a cousin, Iren, her age, whom she had visited as a small child with her mother while seeing their family in Hungary before the war years. I understood that a terrible war had occurred in Eastern Europe, and it was over with the German defeat.
Cultivating Lifestyle, Connectedness, and Embodiment for Sustainable Change and Transformation
A Beginning and the Foundation
Early in my career, I completed a residency in internal medicine and then in psychiatry. The most notable aspect was the teaching and academic component, which required absorbing a large volume of information and concepts about the practice and administration of care and treatment, based on the consensus of the day’s educational and scientific community. The second component, initially interwoven with the first, involved working with patients, practicing the art of diagnosis and care, and setting up treatment plans—mostly centered on the psychotherapies considered mainstream at the time, and prescribing medication and other physical-oriented therapies.
There was hope and intention on the part of the residency programs and senior faculty that the teachings, concepts, and wisdom from experienced teachers would be incorporated into our memories for future application. It was further expected that the blending of the remembered with hands-on experience would be more deeply embodied and shaped into remembered, actionable, and ethical behavior to best serve future patients.
The recent knife attack that resulted in the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, shocked the global community. Both were widely known and admired for their remarkable contributions to the entertainment industry, their generosity to various causes, activism to support others’ rights, and their advocacy for democratic organizations. Rob Reiner was especially beloved for his memorable acting roles and the classic, creative films he directed. Despite their public successes, the Reiner family faced personal challenges familiar to many families with disabled or emotionally struggling members—especially those dealing with substance use disorders and related mental health issues.
My father, then in his seventies, was sitting a short way off from me on the sandy, gravel-like beach that bounded a wide, rapid-flowing river that ran from the mountains through the bottom of the national park where we were staying. The impressive, mighty flowing river absorbed all your thoughts into its splendid displays of power, freedom, nature’s natural beauty, and almighty presence. The morning light emanating from the sky, awakening the senses to the river’s enormity and nature’s presence, seemed to softly filter through curtains of mental fog and preoccupations, like a whisper. He appeared for the first time in weeks to release his tension and despair, the sense of loss, and hopelessness. Now he radiated the spirit of someone who had found his soul and regained his footing and sense of purpose.
Active Lifestyle, Healthier Life: Science-Backed Reasons to Keep Moving
Nov 24, 2025
The talk and the article
I had an interesting talk with my son about the benefits of physical activity, as he works with me on many projects that sometimes involve research or editing. He is very skilled with technology and usually gets to the core of things after spending a lot of screen time on the computer. Our conversation focused on the many advantages of being more physically active and exercising. It occurred to me to write a compelling article to support my case, backed by research literature. I also thought this would be a grand strategy since my son often does the final edit on many of my articles. Since he would likely read it, I might get some validation that I am convincing in my advocacy for a healthy lifestyle and exercise.
Brain fog, fatigue, focus, ADHD, and stimulants: Lessons from Life and Medicine
My worst fear, the crush of reality, and holistic medicine
During my childhood in Washington, DC, and nearby rural Montgomery County, I experienced a deeply traumatic yet eye-opening event. It occurred in the early 1950s during the frightening polio epidemic, before the polio vaccine was available.
Finding sensible solutions to common cognitive complaints that could otherwise lead to problematic treatments or substance misuse behaviors1
Above lead in photo collage is captioned: “Answers for brain fog, fatigue, and focus—RRP design with Canva and stock photos”
Brain fog, fatigue, and poor concentration
Brain fog, fatigue, and poor concentration are overlapping symptoms that can range from mild and transient to severe and chronic, impacting daily functioning, productivity, and overall quality of life. Their underlying cause may stem from a combination of lifestyle, medical, psychological, and environmental factors, which can help recognize, address, and potentially prevent these unpleasant or impairing symptoms.
Embracing Neurodiversity: Navigating Differences and Challenges
Jul 22, 2025
Personal reflections on neurodiversity
When I was growing up, I was three years younger than my brother Benton. As I recall, I was more successful, outgoing, social, and focused. In daily life, things seemed to go more smoothly for me, while Benton often faced harsher criticism from our father, especially in school when he struggled to keep up and pass to the next grade. He was always in some special education or tutoring program. Once, my father sent him to a military school where he might get more discipline and better support to meet his learning and organizational needs. It turned out that, aside from experiencing more bullying and having the cookies and gifts my mother sent stolen, the only benefit he gained from his year there was a gray military-style uniform and a more stoic demeanor, having survived the experience.
