How to Change Your Bad Habits by Accepting Them

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” ~Mary Engelbreit “So, what do you think?” my husband asked, the dinner table lit by the soft glow of the overhead light. He’d been talking for a while, and I knew I should have been listening. […]

Why Is Loneliness So Bad for Your Health?

Human beings are inherently social. We thrive on connection, communication, and shared experiences, which help shape our identities and foster a sense of belonging. Yet, in an increasingly digital and fast-paced world, feelings of loneliness and social isolation have become alarmingly common. The World Health Organization has stated that these feelings are widespread. About 25% […]

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 […]

There Are No Bad Kids

Thirty years ago, right after completing my bachelor’s degree in psychology, I spent a summer teaching kindergarten at a Columbus, Ohio, school designed for children with behavioral disorders, many of whom were diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The student body was overwhelmingly BIPOC and had endured extensive trauma: separation from family, various forms of […]

Transitioning Into Deep Old Age: The Good News and the Bad

I just read two fascinating articles about aging, one of which confirmed my deepest hopes and the other of which activated my deepest fears. I’ll start with the optimistic research: Under the headline, “Study finds slowing of age-related decline in older adults,” ScienceDaily reported on a new study from England which found that “older adults […]