Ask The Therapist
Irene Rubaum-Keller is a licensed psychotherapist who has practiced on the Westside for over 20 years. She specializes in treating people with eating/weight/body image issues as well as motherless daughters. In addition to her private practice, Irene has been on staff at UCLA’s Risk Factor Obesity clinic for the past 15 years where she works with some of the most esteemed leaders in the field of obesity research and treatment. She has published numerous articles in professional journals and for the popular media and currently writes a weekly weight loss blog for The Huffington Post. Her television appearances as an expert guest include: World News Tonight, Penn and Teller’s Showtime Original Series, 9 on the Town, UPN, KTLA and NBC news.
By Irene Rubaum-Keller | May 17, 2009
Dear Irene,
I’m feeling down. I don’t recognize the Westside anymore and it is really starting to affect me. Businesses I have loved are closed or closing. I used to go to LeMarmiton on Montana and it’s gone. Many shops I loved are out of business. How can I stay hopeful when it’s gloom and doom everywhere?
Sad in Santa Monica
Dear Sad,
I loved LeMarmiton too. I had a friend who practically lived on that patio. I think most of us on the Westside feel your pain.
In the past, when landscapes changed, it was generally due to new construction. The type of change we are seeing now is more like a death, than a birth. As this recession/depression grinds on, more and more of us are affected and more businesses, that were able to hold on for awhile, are having to close.
I think we need to look down the road more long term in order to stay hopeful. One way to do this is to look back. For example, my house was built in l927. When the previous owner was under it, fixing something once, he found a small section of the paper dated l927. He didn’t pick it up but read a listing from the real estate section. It was a 5,000 square foot, five bedroom, 4 bath house in Monterey Park (huge house for the time) listed for $5,000. When he tried to pick up the paper it disintegrated.
By looking back perhaps we can look into the future with hope. Things will change, eventually, and times will be good again. It’s cyclical, up and down. I also think we have all learned a lot from this downturn and will carry these lessons with us from here on out.
Hang in there!
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