Tag: survival

Have you ever known that a situation wasn’t good for you, or that a change in a situation would result in something better, but still found yourself hesitant to make the change? If so, congratulations: you’re totally normal!

Humans are hardwired against change. According to evolutionary psychology, human beings are wired to act in ways that keep us safe and increase our chances of survival. This served us very well while we were living in caves and running from mountain lions, and it probably still comes in handy when we find ourselves out in an alley at 4:00 in the morning.

Married people with cancer have better survival odds than their single peers—and not for money reasons, a U.S. study suggests.

Unmarried men were 27 percent more likely to die of their tumors, and single women were 19 percent more likely, the study found.

Married people generally had better health insurance and lived in better neighborhoods, but single patients still fared worse even after accounting for these financial reasons for the marriage advantage.

"It seems that the major contributing factor is greater social support, and less social isolation, among married patients," said study leader Scarlett Lin Gomez of the University of California, San Diego.

As Father’s Day approaches, many of us take time to contemplate just how powerful the paternal influence can be. For good or for ill, the lessons fathers teach impact their children for the rest of their lives. My own father was not only a great dad, but his unmatchable fortitude taught me how to overcome incredible odds and survive my own devastating illness.

Six years ago, I was diagnosed with the gene for Huntington’s disease, a hereditary illness that presents like a combination of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and schizophrenia combined. John Mattinson, my father, who also has HD, has been diagnosed for 25 years, but also had symptoms for many years prior.

It’s bad out there, no question. The headlines scream at us, "The worst failure… Not since the Depression… Never before in our history..." Of course, you’re feeling upset. These are horrible things to hear.

So how can we survive this economic crisis and catastrophic predictions of the future? Turn inward. In tough times, look back, look around and look inside. As a licensed marriage and family therapist and a former journalist who spent more than two decades covering people and crises, I have some suggestions for getting through the current meltdown.