I’ve recently been exploring more deeply different kinds of meditation, including a classic of the Buddhist tradition called metta, or loving kindness, meditation. The basic principle is that over time, you extend thoughts of well being (happiness, safety, health) outward, starting with yourself and moving towardread more

“More tea?” My best friend at work ping each other with this message countless times every day, so much so that when I try to search my inbox for a real work-related email by her name it’s a hopeless quest to find the relevant message.read more

Marie Kondo’s sometimes ruthless tactics toward sparking joy in one’s home—especially one’s closet—seemed wildly original in their frankness when they first hit the US. Take everything you own out of its place and touch it, making sure you really love it, before putting it backread more

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. Although it’s no longer on the pedestal of Most Important Meal of the Day, how you start your day inevitably has a major impact on how the rest of your waking (and sleeping) hours unfold. Considerread more

I’m a vegan, and I eat honey. As I type that sentence, part of me cringes in fear at the thought of the Vegan Police descending like storm troopers into my apartment to arrest me for breaking the law. For the most part, such “laws”read more

1 When I was in school, my extended family members used to mock me during the summer for the stack of books I always had on my nightstand, which often extended pool-side. I’d get deep wrinkles on the backs of my thighs from sitting onread more

Is it too late to make a New Year’s Resolution? Okay, how about just an Anytime Resolution (the better kind, in my experience, since they lack all that silly pressure and arbitrariness)? Mine isn’t something quantifiable, or even nutrition or health-based (I’m all set onread more

I recently came to the oddly satisfying realization of having reached a new stage of New Yorker-dom when I attempted to wear something red for International Women’s Day last week. Searching through my closet and dresser drawers that morning, I found myself swimming in a sea ofread more

This post almost didn’t happen. For several weeks, I’ve been running uncharacteristically late for things, a new trait I attribute to any or all of the following on a given day: slow computer/MTA/doctor’s-office receptionists/generalized anxiety/acute high-functioning depression/wet nail polish/wind/too many unreasonable work deadlines/mid-life-crisis brain/muscle strains/early-March winds.read more

There are a lot of skin metaphors out there: beauty is only skin deep; have a thick skin; feel (un)comfortable in your skin; you’re getting under my skin. What they all speak to is the fact that our skin is the most important barrier of, orread more