The long hours of my job, the late night pizza runs, the company cafeteria, and the constant barrage of baked goods in the office (not to mention solo midnight trips to the corner market for my favorite indulgences) had me quickly outgrowing my clothes and feeling increasingly moody and tired. For the first time in my life, I was truly overweight. Then one day, it dawned on me: the reason I couldn’t lose weight —or keep off the weight I did lose—stemmed from using programs that weren’t right for me....

Moreover, our relationship with ourselves is the only one we’re guaranteed to have for the entirety of our lives—and so it’s worth nurturing it so we’re able to enjoy our own company as much as we do that of our friends and lovers. This self-awareness and self-tending are vital to our daily functioning, as being disconnected from our own feelings and needs often comes at the cost of our health and well-being....

With cordial contact, we are mindful not to be too self-revealing. We make sure to keep conversations and emotions superficial, positive, and pleasant and largely about our toxic family members. Because they love feeling as if everything is about them, we can use this as a workable strategy, knowing we’re doing it on purpose as a way to keep ourselves safe from unwanted drama, at least to the best of our ability....

Many people tie their entire identities to their jobs. That’s because, growing up, most of us learn to define our worth by others’ approval of our looks, performance, and achievements. When we get the approval we’re seeking, we feel worthy. But when we don’t, we believe that we’re not OK. Are you thinking, “What else is there?” Everything that actually has true worth, actually! I feel worthy when: Or is it their kindness, caring, generosity, honesty, reliability, and their loving nature?...

See, the ego used to have an important job—getting us all hyped up and aware of our surroundings in case a saber-toothed tiger was lurking around the corner. These days we don’t run into dangers like that all that often. But the ego (industrious little thing that it is) needs to feel employed and important. It does this by inspiring fear, self-judgment, and judgment of others. All these future events your ego is worrying about?...

OK, don’t fret. Blemishes are, for many of us, just a part of life. But sometimes they come up during the most inopportune of moments—like, say, the evening before an important day. When this happens, keep finicky fingers as far away as possible: Popping it will only make it worse, create an open wound, and cause an even more obvious scab to form over by the next day. (Trust: It’s easier to cover up a zit than it is to cover up a scab....

That being said, some folks are more prone to blackheads than others. And clearing out clogged pores before they turn into full-fledged breakouts is one of the best ways to manage acne. There are more than a few ways to do this, so we’re going to break down the most effective options below. Let’s dive in. Because sebum is a sticky consistency, it easily clings to dirt and bacteria as well....