Instead of thinking about all the things you SHOULDN’T say, here’s what’ll work. There are a lot of lists out there about things you should never, ever say to a single mom. Those lists are pretty long, I know. But here’s one that could help you out! Seven things you should TOTALLY say to a […]
My body positivism does not hinge on the idea that all bodies are perfect as they are, because for some of us, this isn’t true to our experience. I love body positivism. What’s not to love? I’m all about any movement for self-acceptance and being a little kinder to ourselves. And after the last few […]
The laying-on of hands is one of the oldest healing capacities, available to everyone. But physical contact is often frowned upon here. What are the consequences of that? “Mom, I am so sad. I am forgetting how to love.” “What do you mean, sweetie?” “When I go to hug or kiss my friends here, they […]
I’m not looking forward to the part where everyone wants to talk to me about my pregnancy, my body, touch me, offer me advice and criticism. It’s not that I’m averse to attention. I’m not—I love attention. But I only want it for things that I have earned. My husband, Devan, wants to know when […]
While it can be hard to find anything positive about trauma, one way to grow from it and to heal is to find meaning and purpose in it. The news is regularly filled with stories of sexual abuse, assault, and molestation. Sadly, a new global study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that […]
I call this happiness by proxy: the idea that our own happiness can be measured by the happiness of the people who surround us. But what about our own needs? I was watching the pilot of the British sitcom Pulling the other day, which revolves around a woman who’s about to get married but is […]
Perhaps we hold certain stereotypes that prevent us from recommending mental health treatment for our elders. Do we believe change is only possible for younger generations? A few years ago, my mother-in-law, Joan, developed an infection following a root canal. Her dentist prescribed penicillin, which triggered an awful allergic reaction—she actually stopped breathing. “Joan, stay […]
Conditioning girls to minimize themselves physically could be part of the underlying psychology that eventually casts women as victims. I fell off my first horse when I was 1 year old. No, I don’t mean that metaphorically—I literally fell off a horse, or rather, I was thrown off, along with my grandmother, who held on […]
