The Secret Ingredient to a Thriving Relationship: Turning Towards Each Other

As I’m writing this, my wife asks “Do you want to come try this?” referring to a new meal she just made. Do I really need to get up and try this now? I think to myself. After all, I’m writing for The Gottman Institute. Here’s what Drs. John and Julie Gottman say about these […]

3 Simple Words to Help You Feel Present, Grounded, and Nourished

“The little things? They’re not little.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn Remember Halloween, 2018? No? We wouldn’t, either, except that it happens to be the day our mindfulness journey—and our lives—changed forever. First, some background. We (Deborah and Willow) met when our boys played on the same fifth-grade soccer team. We connected quickly through our shared love of […]

Can You Have a Committed Partnership With a Friend?

All people have a basic need to be loved and cared for. But more and more Americans are living alone, according to the U.S. Census—often not by choice—and that’s creating a loneliness epidemic that can hurt our health and happiness.   While many of us consider family or romantic partners our first line of defense […]

How to Help Kids Deal With Obsessive Thoughts

Rohan’s nighttime fears of being robbed and abducted began at five years old. At nine, Rohan was still sleeping in his mother’s room plagued by nighttime obsessions. “I feel like we’re going to get robbed, and it’s probably real,” Rohan would tell himself. Then he had a second thought that made his fear even worse, […]