On my toughest days, gratitude has been a lifeline. It shifts my attention from what’s wrong to what’s right.

Gratitude gives me energy and courage. It anchors me in what I have instead of what I lack, helps me see possibility, and keeps me moving forward when life gets hard.

When I answer gratitu...

By Adam Gragg, Licensed Clinical Marriage & Family Therapist

Most couples don't drift apart because they stop loving each other. They drift apart because they stop being curious about each other.

I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist, and I've sat with couples for more than 27 years. One patt...

I've noticed a pattern in my own life. When I'm not sleeping well, it's often because I'm not at peace. And when I'm not at peace, it's usually because there's a decision I keep putting off.

It follows me around all day. It's still there when I turn off the light.

Almost every time, the decision inv...

You've rewritten the email four times. The presentation has been "almost ready" for two weeks. There's a decision you keep circling because you can't be sure you'll get it exactly right.

If that sounds familiar, you're not lazy, and you're not broken. You may be dealing with perfectionism, and it's ...

I didn't sleep for 5 nights straight. I was consumed by worry and desperate for some rest. The guy who helps others with anxiety, the experienced mental health professional, was in a bad place. Thank God for my friends and the doctors who helped me. I was neglecting too much on the checklist below. ...

Making choices between potentially good options can be one of the biggest challenges in life. Getting stuck in indecision leads to lost opportunities, leadership failure, damaged relationships, and tremendous anxiety.

Few things bring as much relief as getting decisions made. With practice, you c...

As your self-confidence improves, other parts of your life improve as well. Often relationships strengthen, you see opportunities you missed before, and your focus & creativity improve. You CAN improve your self-confidence by taking action.

While you might believe that self-confidence is something y...

History is filled with examples of people who overcame the most challenging of circumstances. Learn as much as you can from those who overcome. What you'll find is that you CAN improve your self-confidence if you work at it.

People who build self-confidence are committed to not avoiding things, to k...

I’m a middle child from a loud and emotionally expressive Italian family. Growing up, almost everyone seemed comfortable expressing what they felt.

Except me.

I decided early on to hide my emotions and live inside my head. I thought that was safer. It was not.

I have used unhealthy ways to cope with...

The healthiest couples are not perfect. They are self-aware. They are willing to look honestly at themselves, accept feedback, repair quickly, and make changes before small issues become major problems.

After more than 25 years as a family therapist, I’ve watched the same core issues quietly erode m...

In 1998, I was on a flight with severe turbulence. It probably lasted fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours. When the plane landed, I assumed I was fine. I wasn’t.

A few months later, I had another trip scheduled. Flying had always been exciting to me, something I genuinely enjoyed. But this time,...

Most of us don’t avoid conversations because we have nothing to say. We avoid them because we’re afraid of where they might go. 

We are biased, focusing on what can potentially go wrong in the interaction, forgetting what can go right. 

We often assume people won’t care, won’t listen, will judge us,...