For How Long Do You Need to Meditate?
Picture this: 71 adults signed up for a study comparing brief to longer mindfulness practice. Many had never meditated, while others had dabbled years before. Participants were divided at random into three groups: One group got 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation, a second group got five minutes, and the control group relaxed with audiobook excerpts […]
Who Do We Become When We Talk to Chatbots?
Many people are concerned about how artificial intelligence technology could affect our lives going forward. Will it create new jobs or take away people’s livelihoods? Enhance children’s learning or hamper it? Expand people’s views or homogenize our public discourse? Solve the loneliness crisis or make it worse? Sherry Turkle, a sociologist at MIT with an […]
How to Build a Habit by Starting Ridiculously Small
I love the idea of being a runner. In 75 minutes a week, I can reap the benefits of listening to uplifting music, getting out in nature, and getting morning outdoor light, all while exercising my dogs and getting enough cardio to measurably improve my health, happiness, and longevity. And at times in my life, […]
3 Ways Your Brain Adapts After Emotional Abuse
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ~C.S. Lewis I’m not sure why some of us have a tougher journey than others, but I can say I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t loved a narcissist. Most days now are […]
How to Deal With the Grief of an Aging Body
Body changes can raise disturbing feelings, such as looking in a mirror and seeing a reflection that may feel spiritually empty, unproductive, ugly, or weak. Unpleasant sensations such as pain, pins and needles, soreness coursing through limbs, and an inexplicable fog filling the head are a reminder that this body is not the same you […]
The Truth About My Marriage I Finally Had to Face
“You don’t have to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.” ~Unknown Tomorrow, a court will grant me a divorce after eleven years of marriage. I’ve spent the last several months rereading a decade of my own life like evidence in a case, trying to understand how I got here. What I found […]
How I’ve Stopped Letting My Unhealed Parents Define My Worth
“Detachment is not about refusing to feel or not caring or turning away from those you love. Detachment is profoundly honest, grounded firmly in the truth of what is.” ~Sharon Salzberg A few months ago, my father informed me that he’d been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although he seemed optimistic about the treatment, I knew […]
In the Face of Crisis, Psychologists Urge a Return to…
As numerous surveys suggest, people today often feel overwhelmed by new technology, global crises, and loneliness. What do the nation’s psychologists recommend? At the annual convention of the American Psychological Association last month in Washington D.C., that turned out to be a return to the basics: tending to our bodies, connecting in-person, and caring for […]
You Might Be Experiencing Rustout, Not Burnout, at Work
Some forms of distress at work are easy to recognize because they interrupt someone’s daily performance and the work of those around them: For example, a person on your team becomes visibly exhausted, they are irritable, or they’re frequently absent. But other forms of distress are harder to see precisely because the work continues uninterrupted. […]
From Hyper-Independent to Human: Learning How to Accept Help
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” ~Brené Brown It happened on a regular Tuesday night over the smallest thing. I was cooking dinner after a really long, exhausting day at my job. I spent the whole day […]