A couple years ago, I became a liar. I lied to my ex-husband, my friends, and my family. I was ashamed of something I was doing. Instead of stopping it, I kept it hidden. But in the dark, it became harder to hide. In the dark, I became desensitized. …

Some emotions demand to be felt, especially our earliest experiences with them: your high school sweetheart breaking it off to date other girls, the first death of a family member, or the loss of your childhood pet. For the sensitive types, it seems like feeling the full weight of grief…

For years, I believed I was incapable of navigating painful emotions — My mom had a heart attack. I just typed the words ‘“heart” and “attack” as one word because I didn’t know it was two. I’ve never had to type it. …

I have a hard time trusting happiness. It’s an unreliable feeling. Irresponsible. Indulgent. Naive. Probably an indication that trouble is right around the corner because doesn’t happiness always fall apart? Doesn’t joy have a shelf-life? I’ve seen the “pursuit of happiness” abused, used as a justification to shirk responsibility, take…

I thought forgiveness worked like this: I will cancel your debt so you don’t have to pay for how you wronged me. But what I’ve learned is that forgiveness is less about paying a debt and more about embracing your own pain. When you tell someone you’ll forgive them, you’re…