Articles

There’s a kind of goodbye that doesn’t need words. It happens on the couch at 2 P.M. on a Sunday, when your child wears a jersey with the same number you wore at their age and watches the same player you did, not knowing it’s the last time. You know. That’s the ache—you’re holding onto an ending your child hasn’t noticed yet, and for a few minutes, you both sit with that quietly.

With the summer season in full swing, many of us are looking for ways to soak up the warmer weather, longer days, and chances to savor opportunities for relaxation. There almost seems to be a paradox that many of us experience in the summer months: having a desire to relax while simultaneously juggling countless demands and expectations.

As we watch friendship betrayals play out on our screens, in reality TV, on social media, and in the shows we can't stop talking about, it's a reminder that this kind of pain is real, relatable, and worth taking seriously, no matter where we witness it.

One of the most common questions I encounter is: Is my partner, parent, sibling, employer, or ex emotionally immature – or are they a narcissist? Embedded within that question are two assumptions: that emotional immaturity and narcissism are distinct concepts, and therefore the answer must be either one or the other. The answer is not quite that simple. To that question, I offer a simple but important distinction: Not everyone who is emotionally immature is narcissistic.

What does it mean to be a father? Is it to stand tall in the face of adversity? Suck it up when things are hard? Smile through pain? Refuse to lose at all costs? Provide for yourself and your family while making it look effortless? Potentially. Or could being a father mean something different, something more expansive and colorful, something that offers more space, softness, compassion, and opportunity for connection with yourself and others?

During the month of June, I find myself thinking about the upcoming events that take place within the LGBTQIA+ community. These events bring members and allies together to honor its history, embrace culture and identity, and continue the fight for equal justice and rights.

"Codependent." It's a term frequently used to explain why someone remains in a difficult relationship, prioritizes another person's needs, suppresses their own feelings, or struggles to leave. But what if the label tells us less than we think? What if, instead of helping us understand the behavior, it causes us to overlook the context in which it developed? What happened that made this necessary? A child who learns that needs lead to criticism.

The term "self-care" has gained popularity throughout the years. It seems like everywhere we turn, we are being encouraged to practice self-care. These encouragements come to us in books, movies, or in conversations with friends and coworkers. But what really is self-care? How do we practice it and what's the end goal? Let's start with breaking down what self-care actually encompasses (hint: it's not always about treating yourself!)