It’s not just in your mind. There’s a reason why early summer heat is hard to take. — A few days ago, I was standing on a subway platform in New York City, feeling faint from heat. Ninety-degree heat here is never ideal. Don’t even get me started on the smells. I shifted in my plastic Birkenstocks, sighing in discomfort. My husband stood a few feet away from…

Your skin may be reacting to something different than you think — I have pale skin. Like translucent. The kind of skin that burns beneath cloud cover. The kind of skin that shows sun damage from sporadically forgotten hats on summer days. I also have sensitive skin. And I’ll spare you the descriptive list, but let’s just say that I have reactions…

A new study just ruled CBD safe. But can it help heal your body and mind? — A few weeks ago, I was complaining to a friend about feeling especially stressed out. (Shocking in this era, I know.) Later that day, she sweetly dropped off a care package, including a bag of peach-flavored CBD gummies. For those with a vague sense of what that means, CBD is…

The first time I ate at a restaurant after COVID hit was in September 2020. That seems wild from this late pandemic vantage point — six whole months of eating solely at home. No, thank you. It was nothing fancy. A glorified foot truck cluster on an apple-picking farm upstate…

Soaking is easy, necessary therapy — In my travels, recently, I’ve noticed an unsettling trend: even the swankiest new hotels are installing rain showers in place of bathtubs. I consider this both a travesty and a personal affront, since one of my great joys is running a hot bath and partaking in whatever scented body washes…

Advice from the experts on how to reap the full benefits of sleep — This morning, when my husband nudged me awake, I groaned. “How’s it going?” he asked, already irritatingly showered and changed. I groaned again. Despite having turned off Love Is Blind mid-episode (a Herculean feat) and gone to sleep at a decent hour the night before, I still felt exhausted. Sound…

It’s less intimidating to communicate our grief by sharing stories of loved ones — Not long ago, my husband’s uncle died. It was the first time we had to break the news of someone’s death to our then six-year-old daughter. “I’ve got this,” my husband, Andrew, promised as we stood side by side. He called my daughter in. “Hey,” Andrew said as she entered…

Observations from a reluctant exerciser, in a pandemic — I have always been a sporadic exerciser. And, yes, that’s euphemistic. My periods of regular exercise historically come in fits and starts, then disappear as quickly as they arrive — replaced with dark chocolate and binge-watching. In fact, years ago, I pitched and was hired to write a “reluctant exerciser”…

Group Texts Have Kept Friendships — and Spirits — Afloat in Covid Era “Everything is impossible,” texted my friend Rachel. She’s usually the upbeat one. The one with a solution. …