Safety-Seeking and Chronic Illness
Staying safe is an important goal in chronic illness management, but are there times when safety-seeking impedes a fuller life?
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J.R.R. Tolkien on How to Fall in Love with Life
In 1964, Pantheon Books invited J.R.R. Tolkien (January 3, 1892–September 2, 1973) to write an introduction to George MacDonald’s The Golden Key, which he had praised in Tree and Leaf — the small, splendid essay collection that gave us his uncommonly insightful meditation on fairy tales, the language of fantasy, and why there is no…
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Mental Illness or Evil?
When someone does a terrible thing that seems senseless, such as murdering children, others will try to explain it. Some will say the person is mentally ill because a sane person would not do something so terrible and senseless. Others claim the person is evil because non-evil people would not do something so terrible and…
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Thomas Bernhard on Walking, Thinking, and the Paradox of Self-Reflection
“There is nothing more revealing than to see a thinking person walking, just as there is nothing more revealing than to see a walking person thinking… Walking and thinking are in a perpetual relationship that is based on trust.” “I: how firm a letter; how reassuring the three strokes: one vertical, proud and assertive, and…
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The Peace of Wild Things: Wendell Berry’s Poetic Antidote to Despair, Animated
On where to seek refuge from the forethought of grief. UPDATE 2022: For more soulful animated poems, see my collaboration with On Being on an animated season of The Universe in Verse. Two hundred years ago, in a prophetic book envisioning a twenty-first-century world savaged by a deadly pandemic, Mary Shelley considered what makes life…
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Seneca on True and False Friendship
“Ponder for a long time whether you shall admit a given person to your friendship; but when you have decided to admit him, welcome him with all your heart and soul.” “Friendship is unnecessary,” C.S. Lewis wrote, “like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself… it has no survival value; rather it is one of…
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The Moving Story of the Dawn Redwood: How a Fossil Came Back to Life to Bring Humanity Together in the Middle of Our Deadliest War
How an ancient survivor of the unsurvivable became a triumph of the human spirit in a divided world. Sixty million years ago, when tropical climes covered the Arctic, a small redwood species developed an unusual adaptation that shaped its destiny: Despite being a conifer — needle-leaved trees that are usually evergreen — it became deciduous,…
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How to Recognise Addiction Triggers Gently
Learn how to recognise addiction triggers with curiosity, notice patterns before they build, and create a calmer, safer plan for difficult moments too.
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Seven Post-Divorce Dating Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
As a therapist who supports people navigating divorce, I’ve seen successful dating scenarios and disastrous ones. Follow these dating tips if you are ready for a new relationship.
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Gym Body, Pilates Princess, or Yoga Bod?
Several different fit body ideals, such as the gym body, the Pilates princess, and the yoga bod, circulate on social media. Are they realistic for women with diverse body shapes?
