Seven Ways to Spread Love in the World in the New Year
Each morning after meditation and prayer, I envision the encounters that I anticipate at home or at work, and I ask myself: “How do I need to manifest love for this particular person today?” As a medical school leader, I rarely hear the people around me talking about “love,” per se, but they often have […]
Four Ways for Parents to Manage Their Emotions
When toddlers melt down and teens snap back, it’s natural for us to have emotions. Some parents feel overwhelmed or out of control. Others try to push their emotions away. Emotions, after all, can be quite painful. Whether it’s joy, fear, rage, or anxiety, emotions affect parents every day. How we manage our emotions influences […]
Eight Ways to Support Your Employees in Uncertain Times
Employees who usually get along well are blowing up at each other. Managers are reporting that employees are having emotional outbursts in meetings and they’re not sure how to respond. That was the start of my call with a chief human resources officer (CHRO) at a reputable nonprofit recently. They reached out looking for resources […]
The Top 4 Ways to Improve Body Image
Body image is one of those quietly persistent struggles that many people carry daily, like background noise that affects everything but is rarely named out loud. As a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders, I often hear clients say, “I just want to feel at peace in my body,” or “I don’t want how I look […]
Six Ways to Respond to Your Child’s Tantrum
My daughter Carys was two when she discovered the devastating injustice of gravity. She’d been carefully stacking wooden blocks into a tower. It was higher than any structure she’d built before, but the whole thing suddenly tumbled down. Within seconds, she was on the floor unleashing a wail that seemed to shake the windows. My […]
Four Ways Making Art Can Help New Moms
Maternal well-being is an important public health issue. A 2022 report by the World Health Organization explains that one in five women experience Mental health challenges during pregnancy and one year after the birth of a baby. There are many government policies, workplace benefits, and other supports that could help mothers during this transition—but a […]
Three Ways Cooking Is Good for Your Well-Being
Food is more than sustenance. Whether cooking at home or sharing a meal with others, I’ve learned that food can be a powerful pathway to greater well-being. Yet for many years, I’ve observed that food, particularly cooking, occupies a paradoxical space. On one hand, we romanticize cooking as a wholesome, nourishing activity. On the other, […]
Find Ways to Say “Yes”
In theory, most people agree that it’s a good idea for both partners in a relationship to have influence in decision-making. You imagine you’re good at working as a team, compromising, and going back and forth—if only your partner would be more flexible. Research conducted by Drs. Gottman and Jacobson showed that men who accept […]
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 […]
Eight Ways to Bring Families and Schools Into…
While there are certainly many bright spots to celebrate, our public school system is struggling. At both the school and district levels, there are unprecedented levels of divisiveness, overwhelm, and fatigue for both families and educators. Politics and culture wars have increasingly entered the classroom and, with them, a cloud of mistrust has descended on […]