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?...

It only makes sense that methods of understanding our own and others’ thoughts and behaviors could also be incredibly useful tools for enhancing our sex lives and potential for pleasure. Enter: the erotic blueprint. The concept was developed by somatic sexologist Jaiya from her two decades of study and clinical research into sexuality, arousal, and pleasure. Throughout her work, Jaiya noticed certain patterns in desire and arousal, which she conceptualizes as five sexual archetypes, or “blueprints....

Today I’m in a monogamous relationship with a different person, and we’re not too interested in introducing non-monogamy into our relationship. That said, there’s one tool I learned from my polyamorous days that I’ve brought with me into every subsequent relationship, even and perhaps especially the monogamous ones. The concept is called compersion. Consider how you usually feel when your partner gets a big promotion at work or accomplishes a new fitness goal, or how you feel when your best friend tells you about a new guy they’ve been dating that they’re really clicking with: You’re genuinely, totally stoked for them, right?...

If you’ve ever questioned why it’s hard for people to leave painful partnerships, it’s important to understand the concept of trauma bonding—which points to an abusive and distressing relationship with brief moments of positive reinforcement. “Trauma bonds are the attachments we have with our abusers,” psychotherapist Jourdan Travers, LCSW, tells mbg. “It’s when we have fond feelings or miss individuals who have abused us because we’ve developed a connection to them....

Beyond highly processed junk food, another trap some vegans fall into is ignoring the need to supplement intelligently. This is not a limitation of the vegan diet but represents the state of the world with depleted soil and indoor lifestyles resulting in uniformly low vitamin intake. Most of the adults I seen in the clinic, whether their diet is vegan or otherwise, lack important nutrients that show up on the advanced testing I perform....

But shopping for a new supplement, especially one like a greens powder, can be overwhelming because there are so many kinds, with lots of variation in the formulas and ingredients. Not to mention, it’s important to know that not all greens powders are as good for the environment as others. “The ones that seem to be the biggest deal these days are the organophosphates, which are just a kind of pesticide,” explained Rountree....

“Women cheat for many reasons, just like men do,” AASECT-certified sex therapist and licensed counselor Tammy Nelson, Ph.D., tells mbg. “Women cheat because the relationship at home is cooling off,” Nelson says. “If there is tension or boredom at home, excitement on the side can be a distraction, a temptation too great to avoid.” “Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, affairs happen because of opportunity,” Nelson adds. “Women can act impulsively and then regret it....

This cycle of aggressive treatment was only minimally effective, as my skin would be acne-free for a couple of weeks and then, boom—the flaky, dry, dehydrated state somehow triggered more breakouts. It was an exhausting hamster wheel that I had to get off, and I had to learn not only what triggered more breakouts but also about how to care for my skin and nurture it with creams and specialty products....

Maybe you created the habit of eating something sweet after meals, even if you didn’t particularly crave it, and now it’s an automatic habit. Or your meal lacked completeness or pleasure, so now you are looking for more. Did your meal hit umami? Was it colorful and appealing to the eyes? Did you enjoy it? Did it fill you up? It could be because you suffer from wildly swinging blood sugar levels and your body and brain are seeking the next sugar high....

play hookie (verb): Skipping school, missing classes, taking as extended lunch, skipping out of work for the day/afternoon just to have fun. If you are going to play hookie once in a while, and I highly recommend that you do, you must do it like a pro. So, here’s how: Playing hookie is good for the soul. It’s important to duck out every once in a while and take a “sick day....