I am about to tell you something you probably already know: Exercise is good for your mental health. Whether you have been an avid exerciser for years, currently exercise, or have exercised in the past, your body rewarded you with the hormones that improve your sense of well-being and mood.

Being mindful gives you more control over your behavior, reduces your emotional suffering, increases your sense of well-being, helps you make important decisions, makes you more effective and productive, and increases your compassion for self and others. 

I think about my impact on others. I also remember the people who have had an impact on my life by allowing me to make mistakes and grow with dignity. The professor who let me assert myself as a 20-year-old, colleagues who have tolerated my growing pains, parents who let thoughtless words pass. With the benefit of time and experience, their kindness is revealed to me, and I feel their grace in my life.

To overcome stigma, we need to be comfortable talking about mental health. It can start with simply asking, “How are you, really?” and then listening with an open, accepting attitude.

Healthy vulnerability means you don’t have to be perfect, 100% confident, and composed all the time. We’re human, we have emotions, we have demands outside of work. It’s OK to have doubts and make mistakes. It’s OK to not have an immediate solution to every dilemma. 

If you are navigating challenges and feel like you don’t have the time or energy to care for yourself, it is possible to prioritize your own well-being using the science of small habits.

Successful people find areas of interest, develop those interests into a passion, and keep going despite inevitable setbacks.

Empathy has no script. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It's simply listening, holding safe space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of “you are not alone.”

I grew up visiting Iowa’s field campus, the Macbride Nature Recreation Area, home to my earliest memories of exploring outdoors. It is the place with the “little house” in the forest, in which my sister and I would peer out the window at the bird feeders, counting the songbirds and making up names for each one we saw.

Early research on resilience emphasized the role of genetics. However, more recent research shows that some people become more resilient over their lifetimes—suggesting there are things we can all do to bounce back more quickly and effectively.