Whether we realize it or not, the ways we were loved — and the ways we weren’t — continue to shape how we move through the world. Understanding those influences can change how we relate to ourselves and others today.

It’s comforting to believe that time heals all wounds. But sometimes healing requires more than simply waiting for time to pass.

Happiness rarely comes from one big decision. More often, it grows out of the small choices we make every day.

Every year millions of people set resolutions with the hope that this will be the year things change, and every year 91% of people fall short of keeping them. Real change often requires something deeper than motivation alone.

Many of us learn how to cope with life long before we learn how to truly live it. Here's what you can do if this is where you find yourself.

When life feels difficult, it’s easy to blame the circumstances around us. But often the deeper struggle is how we’re holding the emotions those circumstances are bringing up. Life is only difficult to the extent that you have difficulty with the emotions you feel.

Choosing a partner is one of the most important decisions we make, yet many of us don’t choose well. The partners we choose often reflect deeper emotional patterns inside us, and understanding those patterns can help us to shift them.

Trauma isn’t always dramatic or obvious. Many of the experiences that shape us most are small moments repeated over time. It’s these experiences that are in need of our loving, healing attention.

Children grow up surrounded by expectations about who they should become. Imagine what would happen if, instead of being raised not to disappoint, children were encouraged to be free to be who they are!

Many of us believe being hard on ourselves will help us improve. But harsh self-criticism often keeps us stuck in the very patterns we’re trying to change. And fighting it rarely brings the relief we’re hoping for.

Many of us grow up believing a good life means feeling good as often as possible. And even though chasing good feelings might seem like the path to happiness, sometimes it’s the very thing that’s blocking it.

A spiritual path can open the heart in beautiful ways. But sometimes it can also become a way of avoiding the parts of ourselves that need attention. True spiritual growth asks us to include our messy, human emotions — not rise above them.

Learning to love our bodies can be a long and complicated journey, especially in a world that constantly tells us we should look different. This is my story of how I grew to love my body more and more.

It’s easy to make decisions based on what others expect or what seems most logical. But the choices that feel most aligned often happen from the inside out.

The November 11, 2021 edition of Happy Mail — a few thoughts and reflections from my inbox to yours.

Emotional healing often begins when we start paying attention to the parts of ourselves that learned how to survive difficult moments. Here’s how you can begin to meet those parts of you with care.

Our early relationships leave traces in how we love today. But those early relationships don’t have to define the future of our relationships. With awareness and care, those patterns can begin to shift.

True happiness is rarely about adding more (money, love, success) to our lives. Oftentimes, it begins by reconnecting with the younger parts of us who carry the experiences that shaped how we see ourselves and the world today.

Insecurity isn’t something we’re born with. It’s something we learn — and what we learn can often be unlearned.

Willpower can help in short bursts. But real change usually happens when our goals begin to align with how our brain naturally works and with who we truly are.