The Year We Lost
When we look back on 2020, will we see past all the things that didn’t happen?
The Friendship Files
I’ve Been Secret Friends With My Son’s Ex for 30 Years
“I’ve realized that you have to look for friendship in places you would never expect it.”
Why Your To-Do List Never Ends
For many Americans, there’s more to do, and less mental bandwidth with which to do it.
Find the Place You Love. Then Move There.
If where you live isn’t truly your home, and you have the resources to make a change, it could do wonders for your happiness.
A Shift in American Family Values Is Fueling Estrangement
Both parents and adult children often fail to recognize how profoundly the rules of family life have changed over the past half century.
4 Numbers That Make the Pandemic’s Massive Death Toll Sink In
It’s difficult to fully comprehend the magnitude of 350,000 deaths. Other metrics can be more illuminating.
Dear Therapist’s Guide to Starting Over
Change can bring on a mixture of feelings; compassion is how you navigate them.
New Year’s Resolutions That Will Actually Lead to Happiness
Set goals to improve your well-being—not your wallet or your waistline
Dear Therapist: I Can’t Accept My Father’s Death From COVID-19
I was not there for his last breaths. I was not there for his last words. I’m trying to combat my guilt.
The Real Problem With the ‘Naughty List’
Kids’ presents are determined by their families’ resources, not their behavior—but Santa teaches otherwise.
The Last Days of Loneliness
Long-term-care residents who have been confined to their rooms for months have to wait a bit longer before they can finally receive a vaccine.
Dear Therapist: Christmas With My Divorced Parents Is Getting Harder
Every holiday season, my siblings and I divide our time between them.
The Life of a Little Black Boy in America
The joys and vulnerabilities of a Black childhood, as seen from a father’s gaze
Don’t Isolate Yourself This Holiday Season
The pandemic makes it dangerous to gather in person, but for the sake of your well-being, find connection however you can.
Dear Therapist: I Was the Other Woman
I know I sound naive, but this wasn’t like a “normal” affair.
The Friend COVID-19 Took From Me
“Baby and I would talk about growing old together.”
Is It Okay to Let My Dog Sleep in My Bed?
Yes, the hair gets everywhere, but is it actually bad for my sleep?
Dear Therapist: Should I Give My Adult Children More Money?
They’re both angry at me, and I want to mend our relationship.
Measuring Your Happiness Can Help Improve It
Are you a Mad Scientist, a Cheerleader, a Sober Judge, or a Poet?
A Fantasy-Football League Unafraid to Commit to the Bit
“We have a flag that we fly. We have a portable flagpole.”
Here Comes the COVID-19 Baby Bust
The U.S. could have hundreds of thousands of fewer births next year than it would have in the absence of a pandemic.
Can Children Be Persuaded to Love a Parent They Hate?
When one parent in a divorce has worked to prejudice the kids against the other parent, the last-ditch solution for some judges is to send the children to “reunification camp” with the mom or dad they can’t stand.