Life Smarts

Psychoanalytic help for everyday hurts.

David Braucher Ph.D.

Having Thanksgiving with Members of the Other Party

The 2020 election can be seen as a referendum on the leader who makes each of us feel safe.

Obsessed With the Polls?

The comfort we get from the numbers is never long lasting—unless those numbers reflect living, breathing people.

5 Steps to Social Media Mindfulness

Our reliance on social media comes with a price: Feeling connected may leave us disconnected from our intentional and emotional lives.

The Lonely Losses of the Pandemic

If the mourning process is hindered by minimizing our personal losses or suffering them in isolation, we risk masking our grief.

Parental Expectations: The Helpful and the Harmful

Being mindful of our child’s uniqueness situates them in their rightful place at the center of parental concern and informs the necessary parental expectations.

How to Survive “Social Distancing” and “Shelter in Place”

One type of self-care that is particular to us individually is what we can do to reestablish our sense of self-continuity to overcome the traumatic loss of self-experience.

How to Deal with Envy and Jealousy

Determining whether someone is envious or jealous requires looking beyond the feelings expressed to the desires behind them.

Why Can’t I Get Over My Ex? Part 1

We are revealed to ourselves through our relationships and evolve through the variety of ways in which we can love.

Five Reasons a Partner Becomes Overly Critical

Criticism often expresses a discomfort with the relationship—and the cause of the discomfort may have more to do with us than our partner.

How Much Is Too Much Work in a Relationship?

Working hard on a relationship need not be fatal.

The Good News About Fighting with a Romantic Partner

An argument can be a way of coping with insecurities, and a good one reassures some of us that our partner believes the relationship is worth fighting for.

Four Ways to Improve Self-Esteem

Secure, positive self-esteem can be rooted in a commitment to accept that all of our feelings as valid—whether pleasant or painful.