"A lot of people don't want an affair to define the next 10 to 15 years of their life. They want to just move forward," says Lisa Chen, LMFT, on why forgiveness after infidelity doesn't always mean getting back together.

"To me, this isn't about forced positivity. The 'broaden-and-build' theory is about shifting your mood intentionally," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She explains how brief resets, like a few slow breaths before reacting, can widen your perspective and offer more clarity.

"This rule works because it provides a cut-off and psychological boundary for anxiety," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She explains why worries feel louder at night and how an evening cutoff moves the mind out of problem-solving mode and into recovery.

"Affairs are emotional side-projects," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. "Millennials already feel stretched with burnout, cost-of-living pressures, career, and political unrest." Taking on another relationship, she adds, "takes too much bandwidth."

"You're not just grieving a person, you're also grieving the potential of the relationship," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She explains why the unpredictability of an undefined connection can make a situationship feel more addictive than a relationship, and harder to leave.

"Puffer-fishing' is essentially emotional self-protection masked as avoidance," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She observes this pattern in avoidantly attached clients and emphasizes that "real intimacy isn't destroyed by vulnerability, but defenses against vulnerability."

"Scent has a straight line to emotional memory centers and can quickly shift our moods," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She shares small ways to boost your brain's feel-good chemicals, from smelling something tied to a happy memory to adding a little novelty to your day.

"Pushing your heels into the ground sends signals to your body and nervous system that you're grounded," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. Bilateral stimulation techniques like alternating foot taps can be calming to the brain.

"I often tell clients that the goal isn't to squeeze every last minute. It's to help your future self," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. "I consider the best Sunday evening routines to typically include all three things: something enjoyable, some rest, and a little preparation for the week ahead."

"Being in a committed relationship, yet still being involved in other women's accounts or liking their stories, is something that's brought up often," says Lisa Chen, LMFT, a couples therapist based in California. She notes that such actions can constitute emotional betrayal and undermine relationship trust.

There are a lot of people that come in already understanding their love language," says Lisa Chen, LMFT, a psychotherapist based in California. "It's such a relatable and easy concept to grasp."

"In some cases, the word can reinforce insecurity, pressures on physical or body images, or social status anxiety," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. "This can be dangerous for teens whose identity is still being shaped. In other cases, teens incorporate this word as a light form of competitiveness, more as a joke than an insult."

"You can be surrounded by people and still feel alone," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. "When clients understand that loneliness is often about wearing emotional armor or performing to feel acceptable, they can stop blaming themselves and become curious about what parts of them want to be seen but aren't."

“A sabbatical is something I highly recommend for burned-out professionals who are psychologically depleted," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She explains that burnout means "functioning in a prolonged state of nervous system overdrive, so a weekend off won't be enough to repair someone who's experiencing burnout."

The physical clearing is helpful not just for your mind, but allows for your body and nervous system to register the change." Lisa Chen, LMFT on why the empty-nest cleanout starts with the entryway, not the bedroom.

"Resilience isn't built through ease. It's built through challenges." Lisa Chen, LMFT explains how travel interrupts rigid coping patterns.

“Saying it out loud registers differently than typing it.” Lisa Chen on low-key gratitude practices that feel natural, not forced: voice notes tied to a daily habit, and a camera-roll album of small, happy moments.

Lisa Chen, LMFT explains “collective effervescence,” the surge of emotion that comes from witnessing connection, awe, and triumph at once, and why some people are far more prone to tears.

Why Thursday carries weekend energy without the weight of expectation, why Monday is the worst choice, and how the day of the week shapes a new connection.

How seasonal shifts prompt people to reassess what's been weighing them down, including relationships that felt manageable all winter.