The misunderstanding that BDSM is necessarily linked to violence or portrayed as acting against someone’s will is dangerous, as it doesn’t account for the interpersonal dynamics that make BDSM a consensual practice. And many people are unaware of the playful, consciousness-expanding, and even healing opportunities that BDSM offers. From my coaching work with clients, and from exploring my own identity as a sex-positive woman, I know that BDSM can do a lot more than just add a bit of fun to an otherwise routine roll in the hay....

Understandably, this can feel like a personal stab to your skin care-loving heart. Don’t be so quick to toss that product, though. Cetearyl alcohol is a commonly misunderstood ingredient—and it’s not as bad as you might think. Chemically speaking, cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol. It’s made of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, two fatty alcohols also used in skin care. On ingredient labels, cetearyl alcohol is sometimes listed as cetostearyl alcohol, cetyl/stearyl alcohol, or C16-18 alcohol....

Basically, it’s a lack of positive mental well-being without a diagnosable mental illness or a major depressive episode, for instance. With the rise of mental health challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the term is receiving a resurgence of attention. As associate professor of human development and self-compassion expert Kristin Neff, Ph.D., tells mbg, languishing is similar to burnout in that it can contribute to feelings of numbness, lack of motivation, and exhaustion....

You might associate omega-3s with a big chunk of salmon or another fatty fish (they are, after all, the reason that dietitians, the American Heart Association1, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating fish at least twice per week as a baseline starting point). But whether you can’t get enough of your go-to spicy salmon roll, have a hard time incorporating seafood into your diet, or follow a vegan or vegetarian diet that doesn’t include fish at all, omega-3s—and their many benefits—should definitely be on your radar....

If so, you’ve likely heard these beneficial bacteria have a number of research-backed benefits, like supporting digestion and promoting gut health.* In order to maximize all these benefits, you may find yourself wondering: What’s the best time to take a probiotic? You’ve heard that fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed better when you take them with food or some healthy fats, but does the same hold true for probiotic bacteria? Experts set the record straight on whether or not there’s actually a best time to take probiotics and what other factors affect their effectiveness....

Culturally, the pendulum has swung from focusing on children’s behavior (in previous generations) to focusing on children’s emotions (today). With this, however, there has been an exponential rise in anxiety disorders in children and teens1. Although it’s extremely important for children’s emotions to be heard and validated, a parent still needs to be in charge to create a secure and stable environment for their kids. In particular, parents are responsible for setting boundaries in the household, in order to foster an environment where their children can be heard, but also encouraged to develop patience, self-awareness, and so on....

But when it comes to our relationships, having open and honest communication is necessary to creating a healthy, sustainable partnership. Here’s why honesty in relationships is so important. It involves a few key practices: never lying, never hiding the truth, and never purposefully omitting or misdirecting people from the truth. Honesty in a relationship means always telling your partner the truth and being totally open with them, both for the big things and the little things....