Mental Health Tips

Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson called it generativity — the human drive, especially as we move through midlife and beyond, to invest in and guide the next generation rather than simply protect what we’ve built. He set it against its opposite: stagnation, the sense of holding on so tightly that nothing new can grow through you. Generativity…

Psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar called it the “arrival fallacy” — the feeling of letdown after getting what you want, or the false belief that reaching a specific goal will bring lasting satisfaction. In reality, when we finally reach the arrival gate or achieve the milestone, the anticipated happiness fades or fails to surface at all, leaving…

Most of us have heard the advice: keep a gratitude journal, write a thank-you letter, name three good things before bed. And the research behind those practices is real. But there is a side of gratitude that gets far less attention — and that may matter just as much. Receiving gratitude. Recent research suggests that…

Journalist Jennifer Wallace’s recent book “Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose” offers a framework that’s particularly relevant for caregivers navigating sustained crisis. Wallace argues that mattering—the feeling that we are valued and have an opportunity to add value—is a fundamental human need, as essential to our wellbeing as food and…