-
The Cost of Engaging With the Miserable
Every morning, I wake up and grab my doom machine. My phone is a piece of revolutionary technology that puts the entire world a scroll away, its every pixel an industrial miracle. It’s also a
-
How to Help a Loved One Through Sudden Loss
Over the past several years, the husbands of three of my friends died suddenly at the age of 50. These experiences helped educate me on how to be supportive in the face of an unexpected
-
Gift Giving: Is It Really the Thought That Counts? Psychologists Weigh In.
As I scrolled through a friend’s Secret Santa wish list recently, I felt conflicted. I’ve always believed that a good gift requires thought and effort. If I just got him something on his wish list
-
What We Kept, What We Ditched, What We Cooked: How COVID Changed the Holidays
Mary-Liz Lichtenfels got burned in last year’s pandemic Christmas tree shortage. And instead of hosting 19 people for the holiday, it was just her, her husband and their three millennial children. It was a quieter
-
We’re Living Through the ‘Boring Apocalypse’
It could have been a scene straight out of an apocalyptic horror movie. When the World Health Organization declared the Omicron variant of the coronavirus a “variant of concern” in late November, borders closed, markets
-
I’m Not Alone In Feeling Lonely. There Are Ways to Fight Loneliness.
I am lonely. Okay, not all the time. I do have good friends, and a loving family. Heck, I even have a puppy. But I’m divorced, and several close friends — including a beloved ex