Category: Life Advice

Life is constantly shifting, like the ebb and flow of the tides. One moment you feel grounded, sure of your place in the world, and the next, everything you thought was solid begins to slip through your fingers. It’s tempting to resist this—cling to the illusion of control, of certainty. But that clinging is where our suffering begins.

Impermanence is not a flaw in life’s design; it is the design. Everything is in a state of change, whether we like it or not. From the smallest blade of grass to the mountains themselves, all that arises will eventually pass away. This includes our experiences, our relationships, our very sense of self. When we open ourselves to this truth, we begin to see that our struggle comes from trying to grasp onto what is already moving away. The more tightly we hold on, the more pain we feel.

We live in a world obsessed with metrics. Whether it’s the number of followers we have, the title on our business card, or the digits in our bank account, we’ve been conditioned to tie our identity to external markers of success. But here’s the problem: when you let these outside metrics define who you are, you set yourself up for a life of constant chasing—and endless disappointment. No matter how much you achieve, it’s never enough, because your worth is always at the mercy of forces you can’t control.

”Some poor, phoneless fool is probably sitting next to a waterfall somewhere totally unaware of how angry and scared he’s supposed to be.” -Duncan Trussell

We all get baited into clicking on content that makes us angry, or fuels “our side” of a contentious topic. The problem is that once you start engaging with “rage bait” content (politics, culture war, news, etc) the social media algorithms, which aren’t that bright yet, assume this is ALL you want to see.

Let’s face it, life can be a real drag sometimes. You wake up, go to work, come home, scroll through social media, maybe binge-watch a show, and then hit the hay. Rinse and repeat. It’s no wonder that when we’re stuck in this hamster wheel, we might find ourselves reaching for a quick hit of excitement – and for many, that comes in the form of porn.

We all have an idealized vision of how our lives “should” be – the perfect job, relationship, body, house, etc. But constantly comparing reality to this fictional ideal is an express train to unhappiness. As writer Elle Luna said, “We unconsciously imprison ourselves to avoid our most primal fears. We choose Should because choosing Must is terrifying, incomprehensible.”

Using “should” gives us an excuse to avoid taking action or making changes. After all, if things “should” be a certain way, then it’s not our fault they aren’t, right? Wrong. Saying “I should start working out” or “I should be making more money” puts the responsibility on some nameless force instead of yourself.

As parents, we all want the best for our kids. We want them to grow up feeling confident, capable, and ready to take on the world. And let’s be honest, when our kids do something awesome, we’re bursting with pride and can’t wait to tell them how great they are. But here’s the thing—praise can be tricky. It’s not just about what you say, but how you say it and what your words actually do for your child in the long run.

Abuse in a relationship often doesn’t begin with a dramatic, visible event. Instead, it can creep in quietly, almost unnoticed, until it becomes a part of daily life. It’s easy to overlook, especially when the person you care about is the one causing the pain. But just because it’s subtle doesn’t mean it’s not real—or that it won’t grow into something much more damaging over time.