Just three letters, s-e-x, and yet that one little word packs an explosion of thoughts, feelings, memories, and beliefs. It’s a loaded word that we would do well to redefine. Your immediate reaction to it probably carries either an undercurrent of embarrassment or intrigue, possibly both.

We have turned into a people of consumption, so much so that we have a hard time not filling our entire day with it. The downside (well, one of the many) is that we have left little to no room for waiting, quiet contemplation, and thought.

the whole time you’ve been forced to rest up, you’ve been grouchy and mad about it because you know the longer you rest, the more progress you lose in what you were working toward, whether that’s running a certain distance or winning a competitive sport. 

Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder can include difficulties in communicating, rarely sharing enjoyment of activities with others, speaking for long periods without the awareness that others aren’t interested or being given a chance to speak, and making facial expressions that don’t match what they are saying (NIH).

“I can’t sleep. When I close my eyes, it’s like I’m back in that house. I can’t go back.”

“I can’t breathe. I just had a flashback. He was there, I saw him.”

“The holidays are hard. It just brings me back to those same feelings and hurt I went through 10 years ago.”

Discussing your physical relationship with the important person in your life is perhaps awkward, but definitely healthy for both of you. This conversation is important no matter your age or relationship with the important people in your life.

Teachers and administrators often say the same thing. But for whatever reason, the words “do your best” often translate to “don’t screw up” inside our heads.

“I need to rest.”

What’s the first thing that comes to mind for you? Is it a nap in a quiet room or a vacation to some far off locale?

I found it a chore that I’d rather not do. It just seemed silly, writing a note and thanking someone when I had already told them thank you in person when I had received the gift!

One of the greatest tools for battling anxiety and depression that can be brought on by quarantine turns out to be curiosity and engaging in what the researchers referred to as “flow.” These are activities that are completely absorbing such as running, painting, writing, or gardening.

I slid down onto the bathroom floor, cell phone tucked against my ear while tears streamed down my face. On the other end of the line, my husband did the best he could to comfort me. It had been an emotionally brutal season.

There is an episode in the show, Friends (season 2), where Joey and Chandler get these Barcalounger chairs. They simultaneously sit down, pull on the lever, put their feet up, and groan in bliss as they relish in the comfort of the chair.

Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night while your mind swirls around something again and again to the point where you feel paralyzed to do anything about it?

And you know what? That’s okay. It’s no fault to have simply not lived long enough. I wish we talked about this more. I wish we acknowledged that there is no 5-step manual that can ever match or make up for actual living.

Few things in this world define us more than music. Not just as individuals, but entire generations. Music has a unique way of telling our stories, helping us communicate, and navigating our victories and our failures.

It’s choices you’ve made, not who you are. Why do we always talk about this like when you do it, that’s it? Like that’s how people will know you and remember you forever? As a bully.

People complain on social media, the news, etc. all day every day. Memes are created from complaining, people go viral ranting about something petty. We’ve been raised to complain. 

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming not about something that might happen in the future but about something that already did in the past?

While women are born with it, it does need to be mastered. And once mastery is achieved, she is exalted into a different stratosphere among her peers. Some guys will argue they have similar skills, but the reality is they are just fooling themselves. 

Research is currently being conducted on what is referred to as “smartphone dependence” and one study reports that 60% of 2,097 American smartphone users cannot go one hour without checking their smartphones, a condition now called nomophobia (Hussain, et al., 2017).