Shifting Out of Survival Mode: Healing Happens One Choice at a Time

Q: “The voice in my head can be my worst enemy. I tell myself I won’t be late, yet I’m always late. I tell my spouse that I’ll pick up the groceries or dry cleaning, and then I forget. I beat myself up for mistakes big and small. How can I stop this destructive thinking when I mess up?”What you’re describing are the negative self-defeating default mindsets many of us with ADHD have endured most of our lives.

Why do we find so many neurodivergent thinkers at the cutting edge of innovation? Because our brains light up when we dig deep into ideas that spark our interest. Our hyperfocus and our unique perspective and vision are traits that fuel entrepreneurship — and the freedom to explore our passions on our own terms seals the deal.Rarely, however, is launching a new venture simple.

Q: My teen struggles massively with rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). She has big reactions to situations that don’t always justify such a response. She doesn’t seem to realize the degree to which RSD impacts how she interprets the world. How can I help her understand and recognize RSD without further triggering her?RSD wouldn’t be RSD if it didn’t alter people’s perceptions.

$13.99The Swiftie in your household will love channeling their favorite ‘era’ and testing their Taylor Swift prowess with The Unofficial Eras Activity Book. Inside, kids will find 50 pages of word searches, coloring sheets, mazes, and more. Just cue up their favorite Taylor’s Version and watch them get to work!Buy The Unofficial Eras Activity Book (#CommissionsEarned)$24.99Squeeze, cuddle, play — there’s no wrong way to love a Squishmallow.

October 27, 2025Children with ADHD and behavioral disorders face an elevated risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) and depressive symptoms like high suicidality, whereas those with ADHD and autistic traits experience more irritability and poor sleep, according to recent research findings published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.1The study identified three distinct clusters of depressive symptoms in children with ADHD: ‘low symptoms,’ ‘irritable/poor sleep,’ and ‘high symptoms.’ Data from 696 children, aged 6 to 18, from the Study of ADHD Genes and Environment (SAGE) and latent profile analysis of 34 depression symptoms rated by caregivers in follow-up questionnaires formed the basis of the profiles.Nearly half (48.5%) of the children in the study were placed into the ‘low symptoms’ profile, meaning they presented relatively minor depressive symptoms in 26 of the 34 parent-rated questions. Members of this profile exhibited slightly elevated levels of restlessness, indecisiveness, unhappiness, poor sleep, and tiredness.

In 2016, Mark Manson released The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, a brutally honest, thought-provoking book that redefined self-help for a new generation.It quickly became a global phenomenon, selling millions of copies and cementing Manson as one of the most influential voices in modern personal development.Since then, he’s been featured on top podcasts like The Diary of a CEO, How I Write, and The Iced Coffee Hour, sharing insights about success, psychology, and the messy art of living well.Here are 11 powerful lessons from Mark Manson that can help you thrive in the digital age.Great writing never goes out of style.Mark Manson’s success began with his blog. His sharp, relatable writing style and storytelling ability helped him build an audience long before he became a best-selling author.

Opportunities are like sunrises, if we wait too long we miss them.Too often we waste our time waiting for the ideal path to appear. But it never does of course. Because we forget that paths are made by walking, not waiting.

Love, in its purest form, is both a teacher and a mirror, revealing not only the beauty we seek in another but also the hidden dimensions within ourselves. This Spiritual Art Fiction is a journey through that sacred mirror, where affection, pain, growth, and transcendence intertwine in the dance of two evolving souls. It is […]

You can’t lift a thousand pounds all at once, yet you can easily lift one pound a thousand times. Tiny, repeated efforts will get you there.I have witnessed people reinventing themselves at all ages — 48-year-olds starting families, 57-year-olds graduating from college for the first time, 71-year-olds starting successful businesses, and more. How did they all do it? In a nutshell, they started being more mindful about making progress in their lives, step by step.

And use them yourself too to have a couple of good laughs, to not take things too seriously and to reduce those stress levels.“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.” – Bill Watterson“It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.” – Dylan Thomas“For every snowflake that falls, an idiot forgets how to drive.” – Unknown“The problem with winter sports is that – follow me closely here – they generally take place in winter.” – Dave Barry“Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.'” – Robert Byrne“It was so cold I almost got married.” – Shelley Winters“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.” – Sinclair Lewis“As winter approaches – bringing cold weather and family drama – we crave page-turners, books made for long nights and tryptophan-induced sloth.” – Sarah MacLean“It was so cold today that I saw a dog chasing a cat, and the dog was walking.” – Mickey Rivers“A lot of people like snow.

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” ~Kahlil Gibran

“I have seen and touched and danced and sang and climbed and loved and meditated on a lifetime spent living honestly. Should it all end tonight, I can positively say there would be no regrets. I feel fortunate to have walked 90 years in my shoes. I am truly lucky. I really have lived 1,000 times over.”Those are the opening lines of the final entry in my grandma Zelda’s journal—a 270-page leather-bound journal she wrote small entries in almost every morning during the final decade of her life.

“Menopause is a journey where you rediscover yourself and become the woman you were always meant to be.” ~Dr. Christiane Northrup

“What day is it?” asked Pooh. “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favorite day,” said Pooh.When you first awake, be mindful and take a second to think about what a privilege it is to be alive and relatively healthy. Breathe onto the bathroom mirror just to see how amazing your breath looks. The moment you start acting like life is a blessing, I assure you it will start to feel like one.If you’d like to practice starting your days more mindfully in the weeks ahead, below you will find 52 morning quotes.

Winter can be a tough one. And the longer it goes on the heavier it can feel.With the short and cold days.

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Noah sat on the edge of his bed, his heart pounding. His mom had just asked a simple question: “How was your day?” But it was like a switch had flipped. He felt the heat rise in his chest, and before he knew it, he snapped: “Why do you always […]

Every great achiever has one thing in common: discipline. Behind the novels, inventions, discoveries, and masterpieces are small, consistent habits repeated daily.From Benjamin Franklin to Maya Angelou, and from Charles Darwin to Stephen King, history’s most successful people lived by structured routines that fuelled their creativity, clarity, and productivity.Daily rituals aren’t just habits. They’re systems that transform ordinary individuals into extraordinary ones.Success is not about luck.

If you live with chronic pain, you already know how exhausting it can be. Not just the physical sensations but the constant trying—trying to push through, trying to find answers, trying to explain something that feels invisible to others. The search for relief can become its own full-time job, and it’s easy to feel discouraged or alone.

“Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow.”Ever feel a little overwhelmed? Or really overwhelmed?This quick read is for YOU…Once upon a time there was a man who had been lost in the desert for three whole days without water. Just as he was about to collapse, he saw what appeared to be a lake a few hundred yards in front of him.

October 23, 2025Almost all (94.4%) hypermobile Ehler-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) patients were incorrectly diagnosed with a mental illness by a non-psychiatrist prior to receiving their hEDS diagnosis, and 88% reported being told by providers that they were “making up” their symptoms, according to new research.1 Findings from another, related study published this month revealed that patients with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) are at higher risk for 18 neuropsychiatric disorders including ADHD; female MCAS patients are three times more likely to have ADHD than are controls. Rates of OCD, bipolar disorder, suicidality, and anxiety were also significantly higher in patients with MCAS, who reported improvement of symptoms after MCAS treatment, including with antihistamines.

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ~Rumi

Many of the conditions that co-occur with ADHD, such as anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and addiction, are well understood. Less clear is ADHD’s curious association with asthma, allergies, autoimmune disorders, gut issues, and hypermobility.Can the overlap between these diverse physical health problems and ADHD teach us anything about the condition and its underpinnings? A growing body of research seems to highlight the role of chronic inflammation and dysautonomia, a disordered autonomic nervous system function that controls heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and body temperature.Central to understanding these connections may be ADHD’s strong overlap with joint hypermobility, caused by overly elastic connective tissue.

I know many of us are yearning for a simpler and selective range of life experiences right now — the happier days, the normal times, the settings and experiences that make us feel more comfortable. And yet, the full range of our reality often brings something very different.

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~Lao Tzu

In today’s hyper competitive economy, the mindset of a successful CEO is one of the most sought after assets, not just in corporate boardrooms but across startups, creative industries, and the fast evolving tech sector. Understanding how top executives think, define success, operate, and adapt has become crucial for entrepreneurs navigating complex business environments. Among […]

I hope you’ll find something here to lighten your mood, lower your stress levels and make this a happy and positive month for you.“December is the toughest month of the year. Others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, October, August, and February.” – Mark Twain“December is the month when kids stop being nice and start being perfect angels.” – Stephen Colbert“It is December, and nobody asked if I was ready.” – Sarah Kay“A lot of people like snow.