Articles

Our relationships have the power to enrich our lives. Trusting, stable relationships connect us to ourselves and the world around us, as well as give us a sense of purpose. In fact, research continues to demonstrate that people who are in connected relationships with others live longer, are more physically healthy, and experience more meaning and positivity in their lives (Waldinger & Schulz, 2023).

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!)

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is an opportunity to honor the long, complex, and deeply influential history of AANHPI communities in the United States. May was chosen for this observance in part to commemorate the arrival of one of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. in May 1843 and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in May 1869, a project made possible in large part by Chinese laborers.

At age 69, my mom received a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, and for the remaining three years of her life, doctor’s appointments, medication side effects, and ultimately metastasized cancer cells stole all that she loved.