Whether it’s the bittersweet joy of watching another year pass into history or a whole lot of champagne, there’s something about a fresh new year that inspires us to turn over new leaf. And even though some of those resolutions will crumble by March, we’re still determined to start the new year on the right foot. […]

Saturday afternoon, I watched my hairdresser as she flitted around getting my “recipe” ready. She seemed different: Her step was lighter, her head a little higher, her smile less strained. “The energy here is different,” I noted. “You like it here.” I swept my eyes across the room. There was a Christmas tree in the […]

Dear younger me, You’re short. Accept it. When the pediatrician said that you’d be a good 5 foot 4 he was off – by like 4 inches. Also, being the person I know you are (smart, stubborn, obsessive, creative, bored, compassionate, analytical, emotional), I’ve come up with a few pieces of wisdom to ease you […]

Moms are guilt-trip ninjas. They’ll bend over backwards to do nice things for you and will insist that they don’t want anything in return – and honestly, most of the time, they don’t. But miss one dinner or phone call, and they’ll whip out the “Fine. I mean, I did give birth to you, raise […]

I’m convinced that Victorians (i.e. people who lived through the Victorian era) must have been bloated and constipated on a regular basis. Not because of the skin-tight breeches or the “breathe-and-you-die” corsets. Do you have any idea how many rules of etiquette they had to follow? Here are just some of them, as per avictorian.com: […]

Some social etiquette rules are pretty obvious: Don’t interrupt people, don’t offer your opinion unless a person asks for it, don’t double-dip your chip, don’t drunk dial an ex, and don’t lick the icing off an Oreo cookie and then put it back in the box and leave the grocery store. In last week’s blog, […]

There are just some things you don’t do in social situations: Intentionally, voluntarily pick your nose or pass gas in any place where you are not alone. Yes, bodily functions are natural. No, setting them free is not. Farts are not endangered species. Ask a woman if she’s pregnant, even if she looks it. Unless […]

I never really joke about therapy. I think it can be extremely useful, especially since some doctors are a little trigger happy when it comes to doling out prescriptions (I don’t oppose drug therapy. If a person is suffering from a debilitating disorder, medication is often required to help the person achieve a degree of psychological balance. But […]

Therapy is a major investment, which is why it’s so important to find someone who is worth investing in; someone whose values and personality complement your own. I conducted 3 months of research before purchasing my first car, so as you can imagine, I wouldn’t insist on anything less if I was looking for a […]

Role-play – with yourself Set up a chair next to your couch, like you’re sitting in Freud’s living room. Lie down on the couch and tell the chair everything that’s been bothering you. Pressures at work, difficult relationship with your in-laws, lack of romance between you and your partner, your concerns that your child’s part-time […]

In a previous blog, I talked about how unhappiness is often a consequence of a lot of the little things we do every day that keep us trapped in self-limiting, self-defeating, and self-destructive behaviors. I also believe that there are a lot of little things we can do every day to pivot away from negativity. […]

I am not a big fan of celebrity gossip and don’t eat it up like chocolate. I hate chocolate. But for the sake of research, I wanted to find out which celebrities are likely to have hissy fits when criticized. Hollywood and criticism go together like chocolate and strawberries, after all. If you can’t handle […]