Snow White Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Self-Esteem

Self-Compassion and Self-Pity: What's the Difference?

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on May 31, 2023

I do poorly on the Self-Compassion Scale, which makes me just terrible about myself. 

I do poorly on the Self-Compassion Scale, which makes me just terrible about myself. 

Guilt

Which Board Game Sums Up Your Life: "Aggravation"? "Risk"?

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on February 23, 2023

“Sorry!” is designed for players aged 6 and up. You learn to apologize for anything you do that helps you achieve your goal. Guilt and success become forever intertwined. What fun! 

“Sorry!” is designed for players aged 6 and up. You learn to apologize for anything you do that helps you achieve your goal. Guilt and success become forever intertwined. What fun! 

Suicide

Don't Put Me on an Ice Floe: What to Do With the Elderly

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on February 13, 2023

Dying with dignity is one thing. Having somebody under 40 tell me to seriously consider the nuanced act of dying in a convenient fashion is something else. 

Dying with dignity is one thing. Having somebody under 40 tell me to seriously consider the nuanced act of dying in a convenient fashion is something else. 

Wisdom

10 Things to Stop Doing Today!

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on October 18, 2022

Lesson No. 1. I will stop purchasing objects from flea markets, antique fairs, and online dealers in a thinly disguised quest for my long-lost and occasionally misspent youth.

Lesson No. 1. I will stop purchasing objects from flea markets, antique fairs, and online dealers in a thinly disguised quest for my long-lost and occasionally misspent youth.

Relationships

Camilla as Queen Consort: The Second Wife Wears a Crown

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on September 9, 2022

We can revise fairy tales if we choose. Intimacy, companionship, a shared sense of humor, and love can become more meaningful choices in relationships than securing primogeniture.

We can revise fairy tales if we choose. Intimacy, companionship, a shared sense of humor, and love can become more meaningful choices in relationships than securing primogeniture.

Career

Finding a Therapist: The Best Professionals Work With You

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on June 30, 2022

My therapist could read my mood when I walked into her office; it was as if she were a meteorologist and I was my own weather system. She knew and understood my inner landscape.

My therapist could read my mood when I walked into her office; it was as if she were a meteorologist and I was my own weather system. She knew and understood my inner landscape.

Loneliness

Writing on Bathroom Walls: Loneliness and Unseen Others

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on May 30, 2022

Those who care about us deeply can wound us if they don't pay attention to our true feelings. Yet a brief remark by an unknown entity can offer an authentic sense of connection.

Those who care about us deeply can wound us if they don't pay attention to our true feelings. Yet a brief remark by an unknown entity can offer an authentic sense of connection.

Anger

Buffalo: Angry, Bored, Frustrated, White Gun-Lover Murderers

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on May 16, 2022

If the Columbine shooters were known as “Strawberry Muffin and Lemon Cake," maybe the mythology surrounding them wouldn’t have appealed to the next generation of disaffected youth.

If the Columbine shooters were known as “Strawberry Muffin and Lemon Cake," maybe the mythology surrounding them wouldn’t have appealed to the next generation of disaffected youth.

Sex

Roe v. Wade, The Supreme Court, and Feminism

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on May 4, 2022

Unless human beings have control over their bodies, they are enslaved.

Unless human beings have control over their bodies, they are enslaved.

Resilience

Why We Need Jane Austen Now: A Plea for Humor and Sanity

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on February 28, 2022

Jane Austen reminds us of what traits we need to strengthen in a crisis; her works provide an excellent way to keep ourselves steady. Austen is often read during times of war.

Jane Austen reminds us of what traits we need to strengthen in a crisis; her works provide an excellent way to keep ourselves steady. Austen is often read during times of war.

Relationships

The Problem with "It's a Wonderful Life"

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on December 18, 2021

Jimmy Stewart's character realizes that his life was meaningful because he saved people from death, ruin, and becoming a book-loving single woman.

Jimmy Stewart's character realizes that his life was meaningful because he saved people from death, ruin, and becoming a book-loving single woman.

Empathy

Writing a Memoir? Your Stories Need a Heart

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on December 12, 2021

"The point was to write, to break through whatever was stopping me from creating," says the author of a new memoir. What's in your way?

"The point was to write, to break through whatever was stopping me from creating," says the author of a new memoir. What's in your way?

Gratitude

Who Is Thankful for You? Accepting Gratitude Can Be Tough

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on November 22, 2021

Why is it easier for many of us to accept blame than it is to accept appreciation? We’ve grown accustomed to displaying gratitude but not accepting thanks.

Why is it easier for many of us to accept blame than it is to accept appreciation? We’ve grown accustomed to displaying gratitude but not accepting thanks.

Relationships

What to Do When Someone You Love Is in the Emergency Room

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on November 18, 2021

He flatlined, but no alarm sounded. Because I wouldn’t let myself leave him, I stood at the door, yelling, “My husband is dying!"

He flatlined, but no alarm sounded. Because I wouldn’t let myself leave him, I stood at the door, yelling, “My husband is dying!"

Education

What's the Difference Between Knowledge and Information?

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on November 8, 2021

Everybody longs to take the tiniest bit of information—a bone shard or the small spot of blood—and discover the whole story behind it. We want to be seen as knowledgeable.

Everybody longs to take the tiniest bit of information—a bone shard or the small spot of blood—and discover the whole story behind it. We want to be seen as knowledgeable.

Marriage

Good Marriages Need Laughter and Patience More than Magic

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on October 12, 2021

A good marriage depends on developing a clear picture of our own lives, a difficult and painful process for many of us. A real marriage takes guts, honesty, patience all the time.

A good marriage depends on developing a clear picture of our own lives, a difficult and painful process for many of us. A real marriage takes guts, honesty, patience all the time.

Self-Sabotage

15 Ways to Ruin the Very Best of Vacations

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on September 22, 2021

Unless your destination is Lourdes, don’t expect miracles. Believing that everything that’s been wrong will be fixed is to throw self-determination to the winds. Expect turbulence.

Unless your destination is Lourdes, don’t expect miracles. Believing that everything that’s been wrong will be fixed is to throw self-determination to the winds. Expect turbulence.

Creativity

Are You an Original Thinker?

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on September 3, 2021

Originality dazzles us, makes us feel like children again because it makes the world new: Briefly but profoundly, we are intensely aware of our environment and our reactions.

Originality dazzles us, makes us feel like children again because it makes the world new: Briefly but profoundly, we are intensely aware of our environment and our reactions.

Relationships

The 10 Worst Things to Say at the Start of a Conversation

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on August 26, 2021

4. "No offense or anything."

4. "No offense or anything."

Relationships

Hoard, Collection, or Archive: Which Do You Have, and Why?

Gina Barreca Ph.D. on July 28, 2021

You heart is your archive. You mind is your collection. Your soul is your lost-and-found. Make an inventory.

You heart is your archive. You mind is your collection. Your soul is your lost-and-found. Make an inventory.