ASK THE DOCTORS
DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently got into a heated argument with my dad, and it’s been bothering me ever since. The fight started when I told him I wanted to move to a different city for a job opportunity.
When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, he faced a widespread public perception that he was callow and inexperienced, even though he was 54 years old and the governor of Texas. That’s not an unheard-of situation in presidential politics; the solution is for the less-experienced candidate to pick an older and more experienced running mate to give the ticket some gravitas. That is what Bush did.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My friends and I made plans to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art last weekend to visit the rooftop before it closed (not just for the season, but for the next five years due to upcoming renovations). I was really looking forward to it since it felt like a once-in-along- time experience we’d all share together.
• Among the most annoying things when painting a room are all of the drips along the edges of the can. It can become extremely messy and make it difficult to reseal the can when you’re finished. To prevent drips, do this: Stretch a rubber band over the paint and across the center of the opening. Each time you dip the brush, run it across the rubber band so excess paint drips back into the can and not over the sides. How easy is that?
Dear Doctors: I am interested in the DASH diet you mentioned recently.
Abraham Lincoln made the presidency a pulpit. Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt transformed the office into an engine of big government. John F. Kennedy made it a platform of inspiration. Presidents routinely take the office they inherit and reshape it to their own tastes, focus it on their own priorities, remake it in their own images.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend is upset with me because I didn’t defend her during a heated argument in a group chat with some of our mutual friends. I didn’t feel I should get involved. The conversation had escalated quickly, and I thought it was better to stay neutral. Now she’s distant and barely responds when I try to reach out.
As the government shutdown approaches the longest in history – 35 days during Donald Trump’s first term – one word explains the dynamic and duration of the paralysis: trust. Washington today suffers from a Trust Deficit.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been a therapist for over 20 years, and while I’ve found deep meaning in helping others heal, lately the work has become emotionally exhausting. I listen to people’s pain all day, and I can feel it sinking into me. Sometimes I come home completely depleted, with nothing left to give to my own family or myself. I’ve tried taking breaks, going to supervision, even attending therapy myself but the burnout doesn’t seem to lift. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve simply given all I can in this field.