Resilience– also known as psychological resilience— is understood as our ability to recover from setbacks and remain relatively unruffled by what life throws at us. It’s not really something you can measure so much as feel. We all have it, but like most aspects of mental fortitude, some of us are better at it than […]
Life Coaching
4 Mental Health Bath Recipes (aka Hydrotherapy!) To Improve Wellbeing
Baths are an ancient healing practice in almost every culture around the world, from the hot houses of Scandanavia and banyas of Russia to mud baths in Ecuador, hot springs in New Zealand, and ancient Indigenous parajes of the American Southwest. The therapeutic use of water to soothe mental and physical ailments (also known as […]
Beautiful Life Lesson: Thom Yorke, Rothko, and How We Interpret Joy
Sometime in the year 2000, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke sat for an interview on Dutch television about the making of Radiohead’s Kid A and the rough time he had separating his personal life from the world of celebrity after the monumental success of 1997’s Ok Computer. In this interview, Yorke relayed an anecdote that has […]
A Prayer For When You’ve Hit Rock Bottom
So– you’ve hit rock bottom, you’re feeling scared and lonely, and this is what you consider to be your lowest point. Maybe you’re sick, maybe you’ve experienced massive loss, maybe your worst fear or greatest terror in life has been realized: now what? Even if you’re not religious, you can still use mindful self-talk– which […]
A Quick Breakdown of Byron Katie’s “The Work”, & How To Practice At Home
Byron Katie is a best-selling author and thought leader famous for her methodology of working with difficult emotions, which she calls “The Work”. She is most famous for this practice, which helps folks who are struggling or seeking greater mental wellbeing identify the root of what is bothering them. In a climate where many people […]
Why We Grieve People We’ve Never Met
The death of a beloved celebrity or public figure often brings with it intimate outpourings of grief— often from people who never met the departed. This begs interesting questions about the psychological impact of idol worship, public figures and relationships writ large, as well as our personal sense of wellbeing in the world. In the […]
Why Your Partner Shouldn’t Be Your Therapist
After one of our posts went viral on Instagram, we figured it was best to expound on the thread that Sandra from Twitter, below, so thoughtfully started. Why is it, exactly, that your partner shouldn’t be your therapist? The idea here is tempting. You can save money on therapy, allow yourself to be vulnerable and […]
The Art of Listening Better in 3 Easy Mantras
If you follow me on Instagram you know that I’ve been on this kick recently of really trying to be a better listener. What follows is a parable that sums up why. A few weeks ago, I heard a conversation between critically-acclaimed psychologist Harriet Lerner and shame researcher Brené Brown that piqued my interest with […]
12 Things That Are Better Predictors of Happiness Than Money, “Success”, or Accolades
If happiness is all that matters at the end of the day, then why obsess over money & success when everything you need to be happy is already within your control? This is the premise of what I call the “Dirty Dozen” of Happiness: 12 key attributes, circumstances, and personal qualities that are better predictors […]
Understanding Black Stress: Read Fast Company’s Sobering Article
Fast Company recently published a short, powerful article on the gap of black stress that’s worth reading– especially if you want to be a better mental health ally. “We’re in a terrible position because we don’t control what is necessary to change the circumstances that will alleviate our own stress,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones […]