Finding the right activities to soothe a stressed-out nervous system isn’t always easy. Sometimes we need the safety of routine and familiarity, and sometimes we need something new to break out of unhelpful habits. Sometimes we don’t realize we’re in a fight-or-flight state until we’re spiraling into a full-blown meltdown or we’re already absolutely burnt out, and other times we’re able to heed the warning signs and prevent that from happening. Either way, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which has the power to override stress and bring the body back into balance, is the best defense for our overall health and well-being. Here are some ideas for keeping your nervous system regulated, your peace of mind intact, and your daily life in flow.

Do affirmations really have the power to change our lives? A practice of creating and reciting positive statements in order to manifest or affirm a positive reality, affirmations have been used in spiritual practice for a long time. They are also integral to many therapeutic practices, such as Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping therapy), and becoming more common in clinical therapies like CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Because neuroscientific research confirms that affirmations work. Using an affirmative statement such as “my life is joyful” as part of a personal practice can, it seems, make life more joyful. To understand how, it helps to know about neuroplasticity.

Self-reflection is a powerful practice that can help us better understand ourselves in many ways – from our values and purposes to our relationships and careers. Read on to learn about how it can help you recalibrate your life towards your goals, figure out what you truly want out of your life, and discover ways to make intentional decisions that can pave your way to success.

The art and science of persuasion have been exploited for profit and personal gain by advertisers, politicians, scammers, and the like for a long time. Social psychologists have studied persuasion for decades and their research identifies certain techniques that have tremendous power to manipulate us into buying or behaving in certain ways. Yet there are times in life when we really do need to be persuasive, without the intent of being manipulative or unscrupulous. From job interviewing to dating, and teaching to selling, plenty of circumstances involve having to convince someone that we have something valuable to offer. So here’s how you can harness the persuasive power of these common psychological techniques, without sacrificing your soul or integrity.

Receiving criticism isn’t exactly a fun experience. Whether it’s from mentors or peers, teachers, colleagues, or friends and family, being told that what we’re putting out there is less than perfect (or even good) can really sting. But getting feedback from others is how we learn and grow. Constructive criticism can help us see things in a new perspective and think outside the box. It can spark creativity, encourage critical thinking, and drive us to push further than we might have gone without it. Being comfortable taking criticism is important for artists and creatives, entrepreneurs, students, and in many other professional spheres. So how do we make it less scary and stressful?

Fun fact: there are more than 50 hormones in the human body. Our hormones can affect everything from our metabolism and sleep habits to our sex drive, blood pressure, and reproduction. They can also impact our moods, and our growth and development. But the idea that we must simply remain at the mercy of our hormones at all times is an outdated one. Just like we needn’t let our emotions control us (rather, we can learn to be more in control of our emotions), we can also take a more proactive approach to handling the way we react to – and impact – our hormonal cycles, and the effects they can have on the rest of our lives. This idea has even been given a name in the modern day: cycle syncing, which is when individuals tweak different aspects of their lives – from their working habits and exercise schedules to dietary choices – to flow more naturally with the phases of these cycles, and the ways they can affect the body. 

Pablo Picasso once said that art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Everyone has their own “dust”. Yours could be the unpleasant news you read on the internet, or a micromanager who never leaves you alone. Perhaps yours comes from within – that tiny little voice that doubts your worth, or exhibits your lack of self-confidence. No matter what you’re struggling with that’s weighing you down, Picasso's metaphor suggests that art can serve as a therapeutic tool, helping you to feel better when you’re going through difficult times – that’s the healing power of art. 

Manifestation is often referred to as the process of making your dreams and goals a reality. It's based on a principle that you will attract into your life whatever you focus on. This concept maintains that if you focus on positive things, you will attract more positivity into your life. But the flip side is just as true: Negativity attracts the unfavorable.

Like most things in life, following the crowd has its pros and cons. We can be swayed by so many different influences – our family, our peers, religious institutions and educational ones, political movements, popular culture and so on. We conform because we need to feel a sense of safety and belonging, but doing so can have its dangers. Our desire to fit in is how bullying and abuses of power go unchecked. Conformity can leave us feeling stifled and inauthentic as individuals, afraid to stand out – but on the flip side, rebelling against the norm can leave us feeling lonely and rejected. So is it a good or bad thing to conform? And why do we do it? To help understand ourselves better, here are the three types of conformity that humans are susceptible to, according to social psychologists.

How much time do you spend each day explaining yourself? It might be on those lengthy work emails detailing everything that’s happened at home and the office that got in the way of your immediate reply (it’s called life). Or those message streams pinging into your friend’s DMs to lay out all the reasons you’re unable to meet for that coffee you’d both penciled in (again, life). Or perhaps you find yourself apologizing again and again throughout the day – reaching for the defense of explaining exactly why you were so slow, fast, loud, quiet, absent, in the way, or anything you could possibly be judged, attacked, or deemed less than superhuman for. It’s called “worthsplaining” – a new term that was coined by life coach Kate MacGowan - and many of us are guilty of it. But this compulsion is a symptom of low self-esteem – and it might be making things worse.

Dating is difficult. And while we hope that once we find “the one” that things get easier, sadly that’s not always the case. Just look at the United States, where over 40 percent of first marriages, 60 percent of second marriages, and over 70 percent of third marriages end in divorce. It seems that falling in love is easy, then. It’s staying in love where we encounter hurdles.

There are four main types of adult attachment, according to attachment theory: secure, avoidant, anxious, and fearful-avoidant. Attachment refers to the way we bond and form connections with other people – such as romantic partners, friends, parents, our children, and other family members. Understanding our attachment style can help us understand ourselves, our actions, and our motivations more deeply – as well as those of the people we love. It can help explain why we might struggle in romantic partnerships or feel insecure in our friendships. It can help us see how we are blocking ourselves from the intimacy we desperately crave, or why we may have unrealistic expectations about what it means to be in a relationship. Here are the four main attachment styles for you to see what resonates.