Stonewall Strong

What gay men's struggles and successes reveal about resilience and community

John-Manuel Andriote

Life is all about change, and resilience helps us navigate the change.

9 Tools to Stay Resilient During Your Life’s Transitions

Are you going through a major transition? Is life, or someone, putting you through changes? Tools are available to help you get through it all intact.

We’ve all been emotionally banged up by the pandemic. Time to focus on healing.

7 Steps to Adapting After the Pandemic’s Trauma and Stress

Grief, loss, stress, sorrow, and fear of infection have made it harder than ever to maintain good mental health. But there are practical steps we can take to counteract the impact.

Learning How to Honor a Departed Loved One’s Memory

Living your life in a way that would make your departed loved ones proud of you may be the best way to honor their memory. Here’s how I learned this truth.

When a Leap of Faith Is the Best Way Forward

Unsatisfied with your life? Maybe it’s time for a bold step forward, a leap of faith. First, gather information and support to make sure your faith isn’t blind.

Spring Can Bring New Growth If We Don't Block the Light

Spring reveals the power of light and warmth to stimulate new life, and holds an important lesson on how we grow, too.

Facing Our Life’s “Monsters” Is How We Become Resilient

We all face traumatic experiences that threaten to overwhelm us. Choosing to be brave, knowing you’ll “live to tell about it,” helps get you to the other side.

Self-care is more important than ever during, and after, COVID-19. It helps keep the parts of us in their right, healthy place.

How to Stay Mentally Resilient During and After the Pandemic

COVID-19, like past pandemics and disasters, will continue to affect our mental health. But there are things we can do to protect ourselves against the impact.

Forgiveness strengthens our resilience by keeping us in control of our emotions.

Forgive Those Who Trespass Against You, for Your Own Sake

Holding onto unforgiving emotions corrodes our hearts and minds. Forgiveness is a powerful, proactive choice that can clear away the corrosion and free us to be our best.

The sky is pure azure beyond the storm clouds, in North Franklin, Connecticut.

Hope Keeps Us Going, But We Have to Get Ourselves There

You can hope until the cows come home that your life will be better than it used to be or still is. But until hopefulness spurs you to take action, nothing will change.

Are Scars Evidence of Our Wounds or Our Healing?

Our scars reveal where we have been. Are they evidence of the awful things that happened to us? Or proof that we are survivors?

My footprints in the sand at Herring Cove Beach, Provincetown, Mass.

What’s Stopping Me? It’s a Good Slogan to Live By

Don't make life harder with a list of must-dos and don'ts for the coming year. Find a slogan you like that will remind you of what you want to accomplish. Then watch it work.

The author's own 40-year-old teddy, the gift of a beloved friend and mentor.

Why We Need Our Teddies and Winnie-the-Pooh, Too

The nursery magic that makes playthings real in our imagination can still ease our fears and worries.

Christmas lights illuminate the dark night on Boston’s Union Park.

How Holiday Glitter Helps Keep Us Going

I called my little Christmas tree my “Tree of Life” after a medical diagnosis plunged me into darkness. It’s why I’m all for lights and sparkles at this COVID-19 Christmastime.

How Should We Thank Our Heroes This Holiday Season?

One thing to be grateful for in this difficult year: The decency that drives people to act heroically.

Past Traumas Prepared Us for COVID-19’s "Before and After"

The pandemic is traumatizing everyone. But we can consciously tap into the emotional resources that got us through our earlier traumas to get through this one.

7 Ways Hiking Benefits Your Body, Mind and Spirit

One way to get away from politics, the pandemic, and the world is to go hiking. You’ll be amazed what it can do for your health and well being.

Chrysanthimums in many cultures symbolize longevity and immortality.

What Long-Term HIV Survivors Teach Us About Resilience

Meet three men who have “lived to tell about it.” They know a few things about thriving after you’ve already managed to survive.

Solitude and loneliness aren't the same. You can be alone but not lonely. Loneliness thrives on social isolation.

COVID-19 Blew Up an 'Epidemic of Loneliness'

Americans lived with high rates of loneliness even before the pandemic. Fortunately, there are effective ways to address its impact on our health.

One-month old "Johnny" is welcomed by Mom's family on November 16, 1958, the day of his christening.

How Scanning Old Family Photos Can Remind You You're Loved

Do you have boxes of old family photos to organize "someday"? You may be missing an excellent opportunity to feel connected to "your people" and support your resilience.

Sometimes a mask is just a mask. It can "mean" whatever we want. Why not let it mean we are protecting our freedom?

Wearing Face Masks "Means" Only What We Want It to Mean

Resilient and responsible people wear face masks in order to remain coronavirus free and protect others. That's real freedom.

Seize Control of Your Own Black Story to Help Fight Racism

A straight white friend's casual racism got me thinking about how words are used to demean those of us who are "different" from his view of “normal.”

Many of us are experiencing heightened anxiety and fear in COVID-19. But there are ways to lessen their impact.

How to Prevent COVID-19 From Making You a Victim

Even when life seems to be "all COVID-19, all the time," we get to choose how the pandemic defines our lives. A devastating medical diagnosis taught me that.

The beauty of flowers and plants helps sustain our hope as it lifts our spirits.

How to Stay Sane While Sheltering in Place During COVID-19

Is the COVID-19 pandemic stirring up anxiety and wearing you down? Here are simple steps to keep you resilient and hopeful during this challenging time.

The novel coronavirus is a real threat, but we have ways to live with such threats.

Lessons for Living Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gay men had to learn in the "dark years" of the HIV pandemic how to protect ourselves while getting on with our lives. It's a model for living with the novel coronavirus.

Half of all black/African American gay and bisexual men will become HIV-positive in their lifetime iif nothing changes.

How Black History Can Help Protect Young Black Gay/Bi Men

Community and family histories offer rich stories of adversity and survival. Connecting to their lessons in resilience can even help the most vulnerable among us to avoid HIV.

Only Connect and You, Too, Will Find a Key to Resilience

Claiming our inheritance of courage and heroism offers a sense of meaning, purpose, and belonging. It’s also key to living authentically and with resilience.

Poinsettias on the author’s father’s grave.

How Personal Rituals Help Sustain Us

Old photos, cemetery visits, and a grandfather’s ID bracelet become powerful tools in supporting good mental health.

The Holidays: Take What You Like and Leave the Rest

Old, unhealthy family dynamics can wreck our nerves during the holidays. A shift in focus and healthy boundaries can help us enjoy our family of origin without going insane.

Gratitude is a Powerful Healing Ointment, Even Amidst Grief

Being grateful for our blessings every day is key to making us more resilient and less prone to being swept away by challenges.

John-Manuel Andriote with his mother Anna Andriote, in December 2017, while she was in the midst of a protracted medical ordeal.

A Loved One’s Suffering Summons Our Resilience

Healing from a traumatic experience requires learning to reframe the story of what happened. It’s work. But the payoff is when you are healed enough to be “strong” for a loved one.

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