As we grow, we become prone to negativity bias. This means we register and process negative experiences more than positive outcomes. This pattern is rooted in human evolution, as our earliest encounters as a species required it for survival. However, today’s world rarely calls for the hypervigilance that our ancestors needed. With that knowledge, I ...

Before I had the language for mental health, I didn’t have the words for what I felt inside my mind. Years of therapy allowed me to name my worries. Once doctors diagnosed me with OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, my anxieties lost power. Dealing with this, I’ve had many mental dialogues structured this way: “That pain ...

Pixar movies should come with warning labels before seeing them. It could read, “Will experience intense emotions and thoughts. BEWARE.” Once again, the franchise hit it out of the park with “Inside Out 2.” Like everyone else, I saw the critically exclaimed movie, and it got me thinking. The storyline created a dialogue for conversations ...

Life would be simple if every task was a straight line from A to B. The paths ahead are clear, with no forks or decisions to be made about the direction to follow. Alas, reality is more complex. More often, every problem involves multiple solutions and requires us to make complicated decisions. Success does not ...

We all have a list of the things we need to do. Adulthood is full of them. Our days are full of work, chores, and responsibilities. What’s your passion? What fills you with joy and gives you purpose outside of normal day-to-day productivity? It’s time to give your passion the attention and purpose it deserves. ...

Anxiety is a friend of mine. Friend may not be the right word; we have a love/hate relationship. Why? Anxiety is a liar. The constant thread of information filing through my brain is anything but reliable. Since my anxiety is here to stay, it is my job to see the truth and speak logic into ...

It’s been a chaotic few weeks. I had to find a new psychiatrist in two days due to insurance issues after feeling like I was making progress. I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned, but change is hard. Especially when you made progress, and you realize the techniques that helped no longer work. There are new ...

When life sets a problem in your lap, are you a half-full or half-empty type of person? My goal is to see the glass is half full and figure out how to fill the rest. Then it happens. An out-of-the-ordinary conflict sits before you. At every turn, rather than filling the glass, your efforts seem ...

Every organization needs a leader. Fortune 500 companies have a CEO. My family has me. I am mom—the queen of logistics, the finder of lost objects, and the keeper of the schedules. This amazing title comes with a long list of responsibilities and an endless ticker tape of tasks to do. The mental load of ...