As parents, it’s our job to give our kids the tools they need to face struggle without breaking. I’ve studied over 200 parent-child relationships, and I’m a mother myself. My goal has always been to teach kids how to process hard feelings and move forward. Mentally strong kids know how to regulate their emotions, trust themselves,…
When most people prepare for a newborn, they’re focused on baby names, sleep routines, and diapers. As a child life specialist, therapist, and mom of two, I did one other thing early on: I created an email address for each of my kids and started writing to them long before they’d be able to read…
You may be familiar with the “fight, flight, or freeze” survival responses. But there’s another “F” word: the fawn response, which is perhaps less recognized, but is the one I most commonly see as a psychotherapist, and one that I have experienced in my own life. Fawning is about appeasing a threat, either real or…
We’ve all been there: You’re nursing a mistake or wrestling with a tough decision when suddenly someone swoops in with “helpful” advice you never asked for. Instead of feeling supported, you feel judged and second-guessed. There’s a psychological reason why advice that we didn’t ask for often stings. Research shows that unsolicited advice threatens autonomy…
Burnout shows up as feeling constantly exhausted, emotionally checked out from work, and struggling to get things done effectively. Delmaine Donson | E+ | Getty Images Burnout is a growing concern across industries, but artificial intelligence is quietly changing the game. Recognized by the World Health Organization as an “occupational phenomenon,” burnout is more than…
No matter what your age is, you may have experienced an occasional memory challenge, like misplacing your car keys or walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there. These are normal incidents of age-related forgetfulness. But I’ve discovered that the key to excellent memory is to be intentional and proactive with cognitive-boosting activities every…
Being recognized as a resilient person feels great. Weathering the tough moments that build resilience is less glamorous. Developing emotional endurance, or the ability to withstand stress or discomfort without letting negative emotions overtake you, can help that process feel less grueling and more like an opportunity to learn and grow, Columbia University-trained psychologist Becky…
Sadie Salazar, therapist and COO of Sage Therapy, considers herself to be a Type-A, recovering perfectionist who can be prone to anxiety. To have the best day possible, she uses her mornings to ground herself. “What I found that really works well for me is making sure that I’m getting up early so that it…
Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku in its original Japanese, is a mindfulness practice that involves immersing oneself in nature. The decades-old practice pulls from research that shows that spending time in nature can help lower stress levels and improve focus. Recently, forest bathing is growing in popularity, thanks in part to social media where people are…
Nikolai Daskalov lives alone in a small house in rural Virginia. His preferred spot is a brown suede recliner in the middle of his living room facing a vintage wooden armoire and a TV that’s rarely turned on. The front of the white home is covered in shrubs, and inside there are trinkets, stacks of…
