We’re in the midst of a movement against “overapologizing”—especially for women, who tend to apologize more often than men because they have a lower threshold1 for what counts as offensive behavior. To be clear, caring about how your actions affect others is rarely a bad thing. But the deeper problem seems to stem from the lack of understanding around why we apologize. Sometimes it’s just a reflex. And sometimes, it’s not coming from a place of concern at all....

Here, we take a closer look at the history and significance of this flower, plus how you can work with its symbolism in your own life. As assistant professor of religious studies at Colorado College Steven Vose, Ph.D., tells mbg, “The lotus flower appears on some of the earliest Buddhist and Jain imagery we have in South Asia,” going as far back as the time of Emperor Ashoka around 250 BCE....

Perhaps your partner is distant. Or chaotic. Or continues to hurt you in some way and make excuses for it. Whatever it might be, there is not true intimacy and care between you. However, you convince yourself that “one day” this relationship will give you what you actually want, and your partner will grow to be able to treat you well with a little work or when circumstances change. It might look like one of the above-listed phrases, or it could take the form of something a little more ordinary: People might wonder, Does this mean I can’t be hopeful about change in my relationship?...

Many people are able to do this automatically, but it never hurts to have a little breakdown of what exactly the different forms of listening are and when you should employ them in your life. Having the skill to work through information and building your own opinions is essential within your work but may even extend to your personal life if you’re put in a sales situation. “Critical listening is also important when evaluating the claims of someone trying to persuade you of something or sell something to you....

To help break it down, mbg chatted with doctors, pharmacists, and researchers about how long they last, and the best tips for storage and disposal. Ferira explains, “Potency simply means that the ingredients in the product remain at or above the dose they are listed at on the ‘supplement facts’ panel on the back of the product.” Other companies may choose to list a manufacturing date instead. “If stored properly, most vitamins have a shelf-life of up to two years,” holistic pharmacist Joanna Lewis, PharmD, says....

Your brain’s limbic system—the primitive part of your brain wired for survival—flips into fight-or-flight mode. Maybe you’re strong and have weapons, so you fight. Or maybe there’s no way you’ll survive that, so you run away. You might even freeze to see what the tiger is planning to do, just in case it doesn’t become interested in you and simply walks away. For example, with freezing, we play dead so the enemy will leave us alone....

You may be familiar with compression clothing—in particular stockings worn by people who are pregnant or stand all day for work—but it’s not the only way to improve circulation. The best compression boots are an equally (if not more) effective way to increase blood flow and improve circulation. Already popular with many professional athletes and even performers like Lady Gaga, compression boots can benefit a much wider audience than just the pros....