Building Resilience When the Future Feels Unsteady
Resilience—the capacity to adapt, recover, and keep moving forward—is a mental skillset that matters more than ever in a world defined by rapid change, economic uncertainty, and constant information overload. For people who feel anxious about what lies ahead, future-proofing the mind isn’t about predicting outcomes; it’s about strengthening how you meet whatever comes next. A Quick Orientation Before We…
Shifting Your Teen’s Relationship with Social Media
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of the book, Calming Teenage Anxiety: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teenager Cope with Worry, I am frequently asked about the relationship between adolescent anxiety and current social media use. While it is near impossible to disregard the impact of social media on teen mental health, I do not recommend prohibiting…
The Wellness Reframe: The Strategic Power of Doing Nothing
I used to think rest days were for quitters. Then plantar fasciitis—and too many injuries—taught me otherwise. In a fitness culture that glorifies the grind, doing nothing feels like giving up. But what if your rest days are the most important training days of all? Rest isn't weakness. It's wisdom. Learning About Recovery the Hard Way Mid-40s. Marathon training. Convinced…
The Resilient Athlete: Introduction to Aerobic Base Training
In a world obsessed with intensity—crushing workouts, rushing to the next appointment and hustling harder—it’s easy to get carried away. But when it comes to building a body & mind that’s resilient over the long haul, it’s good to remember that the most important work often happens at a light effort. Whether you’re training for a marathon, juggling a busy…
The Secret to Beating Seasonal Depression
As the days grow shorter and sunlight fades, many of us feel our energy, mood, and motivation dip. The lack of light, the chill in the air, and the long hours indoors can leave us feeling sluggish, disconnected, and blue. But in Sweden, a country that faces some of the darkest winters on Earth, people have learned not just to…
Tech/Life with Taino: A Letter from “Man’s Former Best Friend”
In today’s hyper-connected world, our screens often steal attention from the people—and pets—right in front of us. This column takes a humorous yet poignant look at how our digital habits, especially excessive screentime, impact not just our health and stress levels, but also our relationships with those who rely on us for presence and care. Told from the perspective of…
Resilience is Not Just Another Buzzword
Change causes stress, and stress is by its nature disruptive. Since we can’t avoid change, we can’t avoid the physical, emotional, and interpersonal consequences that accompany it. Most of us have been conditioned to look at stress as something harmful—a state of affairs to be minimized and managed with as much equanimity as we can muster. Unfortunately, this point of…
Are Screen Devices and Social Media Making Us Un-Social?
The Pace of Modern Life I spent last weekend in a big city and was, as always, struck with the higher pace (it literally seems like there is a high correlation between population and pedestrian walking speed!). What I was not prepared for, however, was the lack of human interaction. Now, it’s not like I live in the countryside where…
An Introduction to Tech-Life Balance
Let’s face it. Digital technology like the internet, smartphones, social media, laptops, tablets, email, wearables, streaming, has disrupted our way of living in just 20 years. With many upsides for sure, but at what cost? Global depression rates have been climbing; there's talk of tech addiction; we´re facing a stress pandemic and massive mental health challenges; increased loneliness; physical health…
The Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Menopause
In perimenopause and menopause, women experience an increase in inflammation due to decreased estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Typically, progesterone and estrogen have anti-inflammatory effects on the body, but when the reduction in these hormones occurs, this causes a general increase in inflammation in the whole body. This low-grade inflammation contributes to common menopause symptoms such as low energy, sore joints,…
Managing Your Mental Health in a Tumultuous World
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that times are hard. In modern society, we are triggered on a daily basis by various stressors: the news, driving to work, a call from the principal’s office, worrying about money, and so many more. There are endless life events—big and small—that can activate our body’s stress and anxiety responses.…
