Why It’s OK to be Devastated After a Single Date

I was asking H about a date she had been excited to go on. She said it had gone great for her but clearly not for him because he had not reached out for another.

Ugh, I responded. How do you feel?

It’s fine.

Ouch.

relationship, partnershipKaren GurwitzJanuary 15, 2019dating, blind datesComment

It's True: Being Thin is Easier

Having money is easier than not having it.

Being happy is easier than being grief-stricken.

Being healthy is easier than being sick.

But…

self-inquiry, self-loveKaren GurwitzJanuary 8, 2019resolutions, skinny, fat, lose weight, being rich, get richer, be a winner, stop being a loser, be kind to yourself, self-compassion Comment

Who Does Your Year-End Review?

It’s time for your year-end review. The one where you go over all the stuff you got done (or didn’t), the weight you lost (or gained), the promotion you got (or got passed over for). It’s time to go over all of the things that happened this year (can you believe it?) and reckon with the fact that the year is now over (can you believe it?).

self-awareness, self-trustKaren GurwitzDecember 18, 2018year-end, resolution, no resolution, pausing, inner critic Comment

Asking for What You Want

Tis the season for gifts and giving and, by that count, receiving. We are well-instructed in the art of giving and somewhat practiced in the grace of receiving but know little about how to ask for what we want.

desireKaren GurwitzDecember 11, 2018what do you want, asking for what you want, what do you really want, hard to ask for what we want, hard to receive Comment

A Case for Distraction (aka The Problem with Being Present)

My nails are perfectly painted in Essie’s Limited Addiction.

I know this because I keep looking at them as if I am a scientist studying the art of manicure. When in actuality I am a writer practicing the art of distraction. (In fairness, I don’t need much practice in this, I’m pretty good at it.)

permissionKaren GurwitzDecember 4, 2018distractions are good, a case for distractionsComment

Family's Fatal Flaw

The holidays are here and with them a melange of magical moments and frantic frenzy. Nowhere else is this mixed messaging as decidedly pronounced as in our interactions with our family.

relationship, parentsKaren GurwitzNovember 27, 2018family is flawed, fantasy of family, black sheep, outlier, suffering family during the holidays Comment

Not Wanting What You Want

My friend L and I caught up last week. Her nanny had left to tend to family matters, and L hadn’t hired a new one yet. “What surprises me is not how much I’m enjoying being home with the kids, but how much I want to be home with them. I’ve always loved working - I never thought I would want that.”

desireKaren GurwitzNovember 20, 2018desire, yearnings, what do you really want Comment

The Hitch to Helping

This weekend I hung out with a dozen parent volunteers at a campsite: preparing fire, food and fun for 150 campers. The kids had a great time and so did we - enjoying the instant camaraderie that comes when you’re volunteering.

I should know, I am a chronic volunteer.

boundariesKaren GurwitzNovember 13, 2018volunteering, the problem with volunteering, the hitch to helping, addicted to volunteering Comment

You're Not Alone (Even When You Are)

On Saturday, more than 3,000 students lined up outside New York’s Fame! school for a chance to audition. (A total of 18,000 will have auditioned by the end of the process.)

loss, relationshipKaren GurwitzNovember 6, 2018aliens, not alone, loneliness, Fame, LaGuardia high school Comments

The Angst of Optimism (aka It's a Hard Time to be an Optimist)

I stopped reading newspapers years ago. Being up-to-date in domestic and international news was critical to my job, but detrimental to my personality. You see, I am an optimist.

self-awareness, self-inquiryKaren GurwitzOctober 30, 2018 Comment

Permission Granted

Sometimes you just can’t.

permissionKaren GurwitzOctober 23, 2018Nike for SNL, athleisure, permission granted, cant think of anything to write about Comment

When Positivity is Problematic

Hi! Did you see me this morning? I smiled at you and you smiled right back. Two strangers sharing a moment of human connection. The kind that says Namaste and have a nice day! Positively lovely. I know that positivity can be positively uplifting. But it can also be problematic.

self-trustKaren GurwitzOctober 16, 2018problem with positivity, positivity is problematic Comments

The Upside of Anger (aka The Power of Pissiness)

SCOTUS confirmations. Climate Control. Kanye West. There’s plenty to be pissed about right now. But when you are highly self-aware and emotionally intelligent — getting pissed can be problematic.

angerKaren GurwitzOctober 9, 2018anger, wonder woman, gal gadot, unleashing your anger, the power of pissiness, righteousness, #makeupsex, unleashing your angerdownside of anger management, dont manage your angerComment

The Risks of Running with Earbuds (aka How to Tune Into Yourself Without Tuning Out Everyone Else)

Hunky hubby took my earphones to work today. We share everything and taking my earphones was not a problem, but feeling the moment of panic when I realized that I might not have earphones for my morning walk, was.

self-awareness, self-trustKaren GurwitzOctober 2, 2018tuning in, tuning into yourself, tuning others out, running with headphones, running with earphones, running the NYC marathon, running with Macklemore, listening to yourself Comments

I’m Too Much. Are You Too Much? Here’s How to Cure It.

I am too much. I am too loud, too brash, too direct. I am also too deep, too intense, too intuitive. I know all of this because I have been told all of this, time and time again.

self-awareness, self-hateKaren GurwitzSeptember 25, 2018being too muchComment

The Softer Side of Self-Awareness: A Reflection on the Day of Atonement

My mom did her Masters in Comparative Religion. Since English was her second language, she asked me to proofread her papers, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This fostered in me an appreciation for world religions and an affection for my own.

self-awarenessKaren GurwitzSeptember 18, 2018softer side of self-awareness, self-awareness can be rough, Forgoing Day of Atonement, a different take on Yom Kippur, a reflection on Yom Kipput, Self-awareness can be rough, Gmar Hatima TovaComment

Ten Things I Say to Myself to Avoid Saying No

Honestly, it’s not that big a deal. I’ll just do it and get it over with.
I can do this and they will really appreciate it (or not), but that’s OK, I don’t mind.
It’s easier for me to do this than the resistance I will have to deal with if I say no.

boundariesKaren GurwitzSeptember 11, 2018peple pleasing, how to say no Comment

Ready, Set, No! (A Word from Future Me)

I had a great summer. Long walks on the beach, sunrises over the ocean, meals prepared by someone else and served to me poolside. Aaaah. I feel relaxed, rejuvenated and ready to go.

Which is a problem.

boundariesKaren GurwitzSeptember 4, 2018boundaries, self-care, stress management, how to say no, ready, ready set no!, demanding schedule, super-exhausted Comments

Summer Rules (specifically Rule #7)

For my sixth birthday, my grandmother bought me an Olivetti typewriter. I rolled in a sheet and began what would become a daily habit: writing rules for my adult self to follow. (Rule #4 - Don’t yell at your kids! I yelled at future me).

parenting, boundariesKaren GurwitzJuly 31, 2018breaking the rules, creating your own rules, olivetti typewriter, emancipation into adulthood, making your own rules, Rules for Living Comment

Am I Doing it Right? (A peek behind the choices we make.)

My eldest is entering her senior year and going on college tours. Recently she joined her friend whose dad offered to bring her with (thank you, C!). They came back with mixed reviews. I asked C what he thought the differences were in our daughters. That’s easy, he laughed.

parentingKaren GurwitzJuly 24, 2018making choices, choosing colleges, am i doing this right, i am doing this wrong, parenting problems, messing up the kids Comment

parenting

Why Parenting Sucks Some More (The Graduates)

Bittersweet too small a word for when fierce pride and immeasurable joy crash into inconsolable sadness. But it’s all I’ve got for now. Congratulations, Graduates.

anger

When Hate Can Be Great

I know that love is all the rage, but hate is great in its own way, and here’s why.

When you’re curious about who you are and how you feel, hate is a shortcut to informing you what works for you and what most decidedly does not..

self-inquiry

How Self-Love, Self-Care and Self-Compassion Are Different (and also irrelevant)

With summer around the corner (in this corner of the world), there’s a lot of talk about being your best self, which somehow links to self-care and self-love, both of which can lead to self-meanness, which then calls for self-compassion. So before we drive all of our selves completely crazy, here’s a breakdown of what’s up, and why it doesn’t really matter.

self-inquiry, self-trust

Why Being Yourself is so Much Harder Than Becoming Your Best Self

The answer is right there - in the grammar.

There’s a word that separates Your and Self - a word that allows you to set your goals, commit to your workout, juice your greens, save your money, hit your target, meet your soulmate, meditate to keep calm and carry on in pursuit of your best self. Whereas being yourself doesn’t require anything - not a dash, not a comma, not a space.

self-inquiry, self-trust, self-awareness

I Am (still) a Swinger. Not *that* kind of swinger. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

My swinging occurs almost everywhere else — in my food, in my mood, in my parenting, in my productivity. Some days I️ go full throttle, others I️ stay down low. Also known as black-and-white and ‘woah, you are too much!’ what I️’ve never been called is middle-of-the-road.

desire, fear

On Feeling Full (aka The Fear of Not Wanting Anything At All)

Panic is how I would describe it. The feeling I had when presented with my cake and candles and the moment to make my wishes (oh yes, even at fifty, I take my birthday wishes très seriously). Panic because nothing came to mind. I felt full. Full of food and drink, yes, but also full in that place that always has a yearning. That low-level hum of wanting more. That irritating itch of desire that feels unscratchable. That void which drives my drive, my ambition, my force. Devoid of the void, I am...fine?

That’s no way to live.

self-awareness

How a Facebook Post Changed My Perspective on Turning Fifty (When Gratitude is Not an Attitude)

I’ve been reflecting on my fiftieth for some time now. Taking stock of my life, going over what I have accomplished, grieving all that I have not, reflecting on time that has past that I will never get again. Some say age is just a number, but in the game of life, resources are limited, and age is a barometer of time, a measure of how much has gone by and what is still left.

body image, the body

Why I Weighed Myself This Morning (and Won't Again for Many Months)

Let’s play a game. I’ll name a day and you tell me how much you weighed:

this morning,
your last check-up,
in ninth grade,
when you were nine years old. How many did you get?

Why It’s All In Your Mind (aka The Story of Our Lives)

I once asked Claude how she kept her jeans and tees so crisp and white. “I bleach the fuck out of them,” she said.

Claude is a brilliant artist with a great sense of humor, but of all our exchanges over after-school pick up, this is the one I remember.

Reconnecting to Your Self (Whatever That Means)

I got married 21 years ago today. That’s 21 years of struggles and stress, celebrations and surprises (some more pleasant than others). 21 years of my belly growing, my heart expanding and my tolerance increasing as I learned to make room in and around myself for the (amazing) people that I share my life with.

21 years of figuring out how to compromise, to share, to think of others without losing myself.

desire

The Problem with Getting What You Want (Let's Talk About Desire)

The problem with getting what you want is that there is always more want underneath. Once you satisfy your appetite for food or for things or for power or for experiences, your desire becomes unleashed. There is more to want. More to yearn for, more to long for.

grief, mourning

The Right to Mourn

Grief has no rationale. It doesn’t care how old they were, how ill they were, how close you were.

Grief grabs you at your chest and squeezes relentlessly, just a moment longer than you think you can hold with a sudden and momentary release so that you can inhale sharply before you’re squeezed again. (Best to have a paper bag nearby to help with breathing.)

self-worth, self-awareness

What I Want to Say to the Dog-Walker But Haven't (Yet)

Ten years ago we moved back to NYC from the suburbs. While there, I had promised myself that when we returned, I would run in Central Park every day. On our first day back I stepped into the park at West 79th street. That’s when I saw her.

self-love

You’re Better than the Cheesecake Factory (What LA Taught Me About Turning Fifty)

I haven’t been to LA in 25 years. It’s not personal - we’re just not a match(a). I used to come here for work and race back home when I was done. The place was pretty, but fake, plastic-y, a watered down version of its magical onscreen presence. The people felt the same as well - all smiles but little more - with one of my least favorite questions making me feel like work is the worth here, and little else. I opted for New York and its absolute reality.

self-trust

The Cost of Trusting Myself (i.e. What If I Am Wrong About Everything?)

Every evening, hunky hubby and I play a game (or best of three) of backgammon. The other night, I laughed aloud at something he said and told him what I assumed had led him to say it.

You’re wrong, he said.

permission

Permission Granted - Again

Permission always granted — for no reason at all. But doubly so during flu season, which has made its way into our home. Hope you and yours are well.

self-inquiry, self-awareness

Why You Never Want to Know Exactly Who You Are (aka Un-Know Your Self)

Lest this be our first meeting, let me bring you up to speed: I spend hours thinking about my self. I mean, I spend hours thinking about others as well, but overall I am pretty self-ish (and proud of it, too - it took me a long time to get this way.

relationship, partnership

self-inquiry, self-love

self-awareness, self-trust

relationship, parents

boundaries

loss, relationship

self-awareness, self-inquiry