Caveman Circus

Look, I know your phone is your precious little baby. It’s your lifeline to the world, your source of endless entertainment, and your faithful companion through every boring meeting and awkward social situation. But let’s be real – constantly checking your phone is making you a jittery, distracted mess.

You’re not alone. We’re all hooked on these little dopamine-dispensing devices. But just because something’s common doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Cigarettes, heroin, reality TV – all popular, all fucking terrible for your well-being.

So how do you break free from your phone’s seductive grip?

[Read more…] about How to Stop Checking Your Phone Every Five Goddamn Seconds

I’m a 19 year old dude, who’s lately been feeling really bad about my height. I’m just about 5’1 ft and it really makes me insecure about the way I’m perceived by society. I’m fairly buff and I do amateur bantamweight MMA, but I still find myself self-doubting my masculinity.

I sometimes have extreme periods of self-hatred where I trash my room or feel the urge to punch in mirrors that reflect my image. I can’t for the life of me get over my height; I feel that I’m unlovable.

[Read more…] about “I’m 5’1 and it really makes me insecure about the way I’m perceived by society.”

I have been married for 13 years to a wife who is in most ways a wonderful partner – smart, organized, good mother to our two children, generally respectful and not overly controlling. We’ve been on wonderful trips together.

She is however, a bit high strung, and does a real hot temper, and when she gets mad about something, will occasionally punch or slap me. Now all the time, but sometimes — say, a few times a year.

I’m a lot larger than her and so I can take it (I played contact sports as a kid) but I don’t exactly like it. (The yelling isn’t great either) I’ve told her that I don’t like it — and I don’t think she’s exactly proud of it and I think she is ashamed at her temper. That said she can also be somewhat self-righteous and isn’t highly apologetic. That may be because some of the stuff she gets angry about isn’t trivial but objectively anger-inducing (say, totally forgetting about something I’d repeatedly promised to do, or relentlessly pushing for things or reopening decisions like more or longer vacations when she wants to work more). I just want to admit I’m not a perfect husband who is yelled at for no reason.

In marriage therapy I mentioned it as well but for some reason the therapist didn’t make a big deal of it, but focused more on what I am doing to make her angry. It would be a lot to throw away a long marriage over a few slaps here and there.

[Read more…] about “My wife who occasionally hits me”

Most of us are walking around with our heads so far up our own asses that we wouldn’t know our authentic selves if they bit us in the face. We’re so busy trying to be who we think we should be, who society tells us we should be, that we’ve completely lost touch with who we actually are.

[Read more…] about The Gritty Work of Self-Discovery: Why Facing Your Demons Is the Key to Authentic Living