You can access all my advice and information about Newsbreak here. — With so many Medium writers already hired as creators by New Break or hoping to be, I have collected all my articles about the platform here in one place to make it easier to find them. Being one of the early hires in starting in the first month, these articles…

Is happiness a basic human right we all automatically deserve or does it depend on what it is that makes us happy? — When working with counseling clients, at some point I always include the statement, “You deserve to be happy,” or “You deserve to enjoy life,” something along those lines. I never really sat down and thought about it before as to whether everyone actually deserves to be happy or if there…

Unless the medical emergency is related to COVID-19, you cannot call an ambulance in Shanghai — I had been waiting for over 48 hours to hear from ESL student, Nyah, after she’d unexpectedly cut the connection while having medical problems and being unable to breathe (original story). I was becoming quite worried. The only way we have of reaching students is through the message system for…

What I learned about how the younger generation in Egypt views their own self development vs. their place in politics — I have gotten a few Egyptian students over the months since I started tutoring ESL classes. I always love hearing from them about their country as ancient Egypt is a culture I’ve always found fascinating, from a mythological standpoint, as well as from an archeological one. The person I spoke…

China’s COVID crisis and lockdown is leading to complex stress situations and in some cases trauma, resulting in even the most competent among them beginning to fall apart — Tonight, I watched as one of my ESL students, Nyah (not her real name), began having trouble breathing, then started gasping for breath. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in the room with me where I would have been able to call 911. She wasn’t even in the same country as me, but…

Narrowing your eyes is the feline version of smiling and it can communicate happiness to your cat — Dog people are used to their pets greeting them lavishly when they walk in the door. Cats however, tend to be more standoffish, and often won’t approach new people or sometimes even those they know well. But research provides a way to increase the positive connection between cats and their…

Is it just me or is Russia beyond narcissistic expecting they can attack the Ukraine but demand of NATO and the EU that no one helps them? I was floored reading the news that Russia has called on EU and NATO countries to stop “pumping weapons” into the Ukraine. Evidently…

All looked darkly In empty rooms and separate stars Remembering Light tilted nearby Unreachable and yet we reach Outer night familiar Consigned to broken moon Blue-black cold splinters Austere and lonely All now shifting with a jolt Soulful, subtle sweetness Ripping outward, gaily runs And dark now flees the land Where fields will green Each day to lengthen In its own season Within both light and…

There is a large literature that incorrectly suggests that forgiveness must be given for trauma recovery to be successful. Sometimes it is more a matter of “letting go,” “moving past,” and “moving on.” — Many people firmly believe forgiveness is a necessary step before one is able to begin healing from trauma. It’s become a part of our culture in recent years and is a tenant of most religions. In the mental health field, many professionals also encourage this idea. But sometimes you may…