Leadership Lessons From the Mat
Several years ago, my daughter and I enrolled in an Aikido self-defense class for women. We expected to learn how to protect ourselves through forceful, strength-based martial arts mindsets, skills, and strategies. Arriving at our first class, we were primed to practice blocking, striking, and overpowering opponents. Instead, we were introduced to a philosophy of […]
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Knowing the Score
Eat healthfully, exercise more, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, practice sleep wellness… These lifestyle interventions are commonly recommended by doctors as part of the treatment or prevention of serious and common health conditions such as heart disease, obesity, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. The evidence shows that these lifestyle interventions and changes in one’s daily habits […]
Staying Too Long in a Bad Thing
It’s a story many of us know all too well—staying in a relationship long past its expiration date, holding on despite the mutual inability to evolve, the unhappiness, or the gut feeling that something just isn’t right. Even when we recognize it’s over, we often struggle to walk away. Why do we do this? And […]
How to Navigate Mental Health When You’re…
As a child of an immigrant, I’ve often found myself questioning my place in the world, navigating two identities, two cultures, and two religions—one from my mother, who was born in Mexico, and one from my father, who was born in the United States. Along the way, I frequently wondered: Am I too American? Do […]
How to Get to a Better Mental State When You’re Overthinking
Every anxious person knows the feeling of an event sending their ruminating mind into turbo drive. You feel deeply upset, and your thoughts keep looping back to what happened. You’re scattered, distracted, exhausted. The event feels like it has a grip on you. For this post, I’m going to assume the upsetting event involves being […]
The Hidden Gap in College Student Mental Health Care
by Rachel Conrad, MD, and J. Wesley Boyd, MD, PhD Imagine being a college student like Alex, who was experiencing increasing anxiety and depression as the academic year progressed. During the spring semester, Alex finally found a psychiatrist in their college town, and after months of waiting, they began treatment and started to feel better. […]
Is Emotional Outsourcing the Future of Our Relationships?
Imagine having a funny yet inspiring late-night conversation with someone who just gets you. They ask thoughtful questions, remember details about your day, and send you a message to wish you good night and a virtual hug that makes you feel warm, fuzzy, and appreciated. Let’s zoom back and consider that this special someone is […]
What Happened When I Stopped Blaming and Embraced Radical Responsibility
“I can respect any person who can put their ego aside and say, ‘I made a mistake, I apologize, and I’m correcting the behavior.’” ~Sylvester McNutt I remember I was a teenager when I went through this horrible breakup. I had never experienced heartbreak before, and the pain was excruciating, impacting many areas of my […]
Five Ways to Show Love to Your Community on…
Valentine’s Day is usually considered a day for celebrating romantic love. Couples go on dinner dates, shower each other with affection, and give romantic cards and gifts. But Valentine’s Day is clearly not just for lovers. School-aged kids often give everyone in their class valentines with notes of kindness, helping to create a loving classroom […]
The Rise of Cosmetic Surgery in the Social Media Era
Recent studies reveal that 70% of young adult women and 60% of young adult men are unhappy with their bodies. This troubling statistic coincides with the increasing normalization and availability of cosmetic surgery. In 2023 alone, Canadians underwent 35 million aesthetic procedures—a staggering 40% increase from four years prior. But what’s fueling this sharp rise? […]