Life Advice
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Ask Anna: Help! My partner always skips social gatherings and I'm tired of going alone
Dear Anna,
I've been with my boyfriend for over six years, and I'm exhausted from constantly attending family gatherings and social events alone while he stays home playing video games. Every wedding, birthday party or holiday celebration, I'm the only one without a partner while everyone else shows up as couples. I've started making excuses ...Read more

Asking Eric: Spanish-American tired of questions about heritage
Dear Eric: As a Spanish-American, my ancestors from Spain have resided in the United States since long before the first Thanksgiving.
When one acquaintance inquired about my origin, I assumed he meant the city I recently relocated from. He clarified by asking if I was from Guatemala. In a social context, that question is exclusively directed at...Read more
Trust, Space and Sisterly Grace
Dear Annie: My fiance, "Mark," and I have been together for four years and are set to get married next spring. We live together in a small house we bought last fall. For the most part, things are good. But lately, something's been bothering me.
Mark has a weekly "guys' night" every Thursday with his two best friends from college. It used to ...Read more
Love -- And All That Good Stuff
As long as we're on the subject of partnership in love -- aren't we always? -- and the difference it can make, this might just be the right time to look at what it is that's prodding you toward commitment. The most common reason, of course, is to banish loneliness forever. Many of us enter (and stay in) a relationship primarily to avoid being ...Read more

Ask Dating Coach Erika: What are my clients like?
I often get questions from friends and potential clients alike: “What are your clients like? How old are they? What kinds of things do they ask you?”
Let me let you in…
My client base is about 70% women and 30% men, ranging in age from mid-20s to mid-70s. But most are in their 30s, 40s and 50s. In general, I believe that women are more ...Read more

Asking Eric: Brother wants to travel together, but he talks too much
Dear Eric: My sister-in-law is ill and not expected to live much longer. My brother has already commented that he is looking forward to traveling with my wife and me after she passes since we have common interests (think golfing vacations) and all get along well.
The problem is he isn’t comfortable with silence, and he always has to be ...Read more
Parental Panic
Dear Annie: My father has always been a deeply anxious man. If there is nothing to worry about, he invents something. Growing up, this often meant high-stress evenings when my siblings or I were out with friends or running late. I still remember one night when my dad woke my mother in a panic, convinced my brother had been in an accident. She ...Read more

Asking Eric: Former co-worker ghosts decade-long friendship
Dear Eric: We are a group of three female former co-workers who have gathered regularly for 10 years to celebrate birthdays and Christmas. We have taken turns at each other’s homes and always had a nice time eating, laughing and reminiscing together.
This year, one member of our group ghosted the other two of us. She will not respond to ...Read more
Funerals and Feeling Forgotten
Dear Annie: I've always prided myself on being a good friend. I'm the one who shows up at weddings, baby showers, birthday parties and even moving day. I donate to friends' fundraisers, send thoughtful messages, and make the effort to call, check in and extend invitations. In short, I've always been there when it mattered.
But three months ...Read more

Asking Eric: Nephew’s ‘save the date’ came after vacation was paid for
Dear Eric: Several months ago, a group of friends and I planned a vacation trip for this coming fall. We pre-paid the hotel costs, all-inclusive fees and paid for round-trip airline tickets. A few weeks ago, I received a "save the date" postcard from my nephew and his fiancée.
The wedding will be held in a state fairly distant from where I ...Read more
Guilt, Grief and Grown Children
Dear Annie: Last October, my son and I bought a home with a pool. My fiance's son, who had not visited his father in years, offered to drive the moving truck. My fiance could not lift much due to a shoulder injury, but his son helped unload a few items. After the move, they visited once, and I welcomed them with food and hospitality. That was ...Read more
Millennial Life: When Quiet Isn't Enough
I used to believe in quiet resistance. You choose the right moments to slip wrenches into the gears without drawing the guard's attention. Movies love a covert operator like the whistleblower or the silent saboteur who knows that noise gets you caught. But we're not in the movies.
Lately, the vibes, as the kids would say, feel different. There'...Read more

Asking Eric: Yoga teacher picks on longtime student
Dear Eric: I've been taking yoga classes for at least eight years from a woman who teaches a small group in her yard. I'm friendly with most of the students in the class, but the instructor apparently doesn't like "the cut of my jib."
Example: She singled me out in class one time, saying I looked like "someone's mom in the '70s doing yoga." For...Read more
When Vacation Feels Like Work
Dear Annie: Every summer, I plan a trip. I picture my family on a peaceful beach, laughing together, toes in the sand, drinks in hand. But the reality? Total chaos.
I'm the one who books the flights, finds the rental, makes sure everyone has sunscreen, passports, snacks, chargers and swimsuits -- and still gets blamed when something goes ...Read more

Asking Eric: Husband’s emotional affair upends relationship
Dear Eric: Several months ago, I discovered my husband was having an emotional affair with a coworker. He shared significant things with her he didn’t share with me, sought her advice on how to hide his alcohol abuse from me and talked to her about our arguments, while she fueled the negativity against me and trashed me. He also discussed ...Read more
A Doctor in Training With a Family in Crisis
Dear Annie: My daughter "Theresa," now 46, always wanted to be a doctor. I divorced her father when she was 4 and her sister was 2-and-a-half. When it came time for college, her father refused to help, and I couldn't afford to pay for it as a single mom.
Determined, Theresa joined the Army and used the GI Bill to earn two undergraduate ...Read more

Asking Eric: Wife continually interrupts husband
Dear Eric: I have been married to a wonderful woman for many years. She is educated and has many years of practical experience. But if there is anything that makes me “bite the bullet” it’s her interruptions mid-delivery from me. I have dared to call her out for interrupting me and she will say I'm taking too long to make a point, even in ...Read more

Ask Anna: My partner won't step up--am I helping or enabling?
Dear Anna,
I’ve been with my boyfriend for three years, and I love him—he’s funny, supportive and kind. Right now, we’re living at my sister’s place while saving for our own apartment. He’s 29 and I’m 27. I work full-time as a freelance writer and make a comfortable living, but his part-time retail job barely covers his own ...Read more
Single File: Healthy Brainwashing for You (Part 1)
Trust me. What I'm about to suggest is beneficial. Yes, it may fall into the category of auto-suggestion, but it's the healthy kind. So healthy, indeed, it may very well make you stronger and abler to bring your life in line with your deepest wishes. And isn't that what we all want? Now that we're agreed on that, let's move on to the good stuff....Read more

Ask Dating Coach Erika: How do I make sure I'm mastering first dates?
While a lot of the advice I give revolves around how to get the first date, even more important is how to nail that first date.
Let’s take a look at some tips for the all-important first date:
What not to do on a first date:
1. Be late without notice
2. Be excessively late, with or without notice
3. Have your phone out or text ...Read more