Jocko Underground: Getting Over Overwhelming Sadness and Guilt from Tragedy.

Do you prefer to listen to sad songs? Do you seek out beauty in everyday life? If so, you may have a bittersweet disposition. In Bittersweet, Susan Cain defines bittersweetness as the state of experiencing intense joy, sadness, and yearning simultaneously. She argues that you can glean greater meaning and wisdom from life when you embrace bittersweetness, even if you don’t naturally have a bittersweet disposition.

In this guide, we’ll explore different facets of bittersweetness, starting with the link between bittersweetness and our yearning for love and belonging. We’ll also discuss the hidden power of sadness for fostering empathy and creativity. Finally, we’ll examine how awareness of life’s impermanence can help us find deeper meaning in our relationships and everyday lives. In our commentary, we’ll discuss the science behind bittersweet emotions, different perspectives on how to think about impermanence, and further suggestions for coping with grief.

In Come As You Are, author Emily Nagoski uses scientific research and her years of experience as a sex educator to change the negative way that women talk, think, and feel about their sexuality due to years of misinformation and harmful cultural messaging surrounding sex. Arguing that a scientific perspective on sexuality can free women from unrealistic standards and help them to appreciate their individual experiences, Nagoski considers sexuality from every biological angle while dispelling cultural misconceptions along the way.

In this guide, we’ll follow Nagoski’s exploration of topics ranging from basic anatomy and the mechanics of sexual response to individual experiences of arousal, desire, and orgasm. As we discuss each of these concepts, we’ll compare Nagoski’s arguments to those of other experts in her field, discuss additional research on human sexuality, and add historical and cultural context to her ideas.

The human brain responds to loss in ways that surprise, confuse, and often distress us, which can make it difficult to navigate the grieving process. In The Grieving Brain, psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor explores the neurological basis of grief and how our brain’s learning systems grapple with understanding and adapting to the permanent absence of someone we love. She emphasizes that grief is not simply an emotional state to “get over,” but rather a complex learning process during which our brains must literally rewire themselves to accommodate a new reality.

In our guide, we’ll explain how grief works in the brain and how it manifests in our lives and our thoughts. We’ll also provide insights into how you can make navigating grief easier. In our commentary, we’ll add other theories, research that supports O’Connor’s ideas, and advice for how to put her ideas into practice.

How can you cope when life throws unexpected changes your way? To find out, Bruce Feiler traveled around the United States, interviewing hundreds of people about the ups and downs of their life stories. In Life Is in the Transitions, he discusses his findings, arguing that although popular wisdom tells you to expect one major midlife crisis where you’ll deal with upheaval, most people actually face dozens of life-changing events over the course of their lives. During his research, Feiler discovered that life's disruptions follow a particular pattern, and by understanding this pattern, we can better navigate these changes.

In this guide, we’ll explore the types of changes we encounter, why these transitions can be so challenging, and Feiler's advice for navigating them more effectively. We’ll also explore how other experts define life changes, discuss insights from people whose lives have changed dramatically, and provide psychological perspectives that can help you deal with both positive and negative life events.

Do you struggle with mental health challenges and wonder if there are simple things you can do to improve your mental health without having to see a therapist? In Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Dr. Julie Smith, a clinical psychologist and social media influencer, shares the essential skills you need to navigate common life challenges and take charge of your emotional and mental well-being. She covers how to identify and challenge negative thoughts, why self-compassion is essential, and how to lessen the power of strong negative emotions.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Smith’s practical tips for managing difficult emotions and thoughts, improving your self-confidence, and increasing your motivation. Along the way, we’ll also provide additional context to help you better understand the book’s concepts, and we’ll compare the author's insights and advice to those of other psychology, self-help, and mental health experts.

Death remains life’s greatest mystery, since no one who’s experienced it can tell us what it’s like. But across the centuries, scientists, philosophers, theologians, and artists have offered their best guesses as to what happens when we die. In this article, we’ll compare seven Great Thinkers’ ideas about dying.

Someday, you’re going to die. This is an obvious, unavoidable fact of life—yet almost everyone in modern society has implicitly agreed to ignore it. According to spiritual teacher Sadhguru, this reluctance to acknowledge death leads to enormous and unnecessary suffering. He argues that if you form a peaceful relationship to your own death, you’ll be empowered to live a more balanced, joyful life. More than that, it’ll help you prepare for your death—and what comes afterward.

In this guide, we’ll explain Sadhguru’s vision of the universe, including the nature of the human spirit and the afterlife. We’ll also detail some of the spiritual practices he suggests to soften and overcome death-related fears. In our commentary, we’ll compare Sadhguru’s spiritual ideas to those of major Eastern religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, to build a bigger picture of what people believe about death. Additionally, we’ll draw on psychological research that offers a more secular perspective on Sadhguru’s ideas.

What if your deepest fear—the fear of death and nonexistence—is based on a misunderstanding of reality? In No Death, No Fear, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how our conventional views of birth and death create needless suffering; instead, he offers a liberating alternative: We are not separate, permanent selves that begin and end, but manifestations of an interconnected reality that continuously transforms without ever really disappearing.

Nhat Hanh shows how recognizing our true nature beyond birth and death can transform anxiety into peace. Our guide distills his wisdom into accessible principles that you can apply immediately, whether you’re confronting your own mortality, grieving a loss, or seeking freedom from existential fear. We explore how Nhat Hanh’s insights on impermanence and inter-being relate to modern neuroscience, parallel other spiritual traditions, and find applications in health care and grief counseling—helping you discover that true freedom lies not in denying death, but in transcending the boundaries we place between life and death.

In The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware shares the most common regrets her patients expressed in their final weeks. She argues that to avoid end-of-life regrets, you must overcome societal expectations and limiting beliefs with courage and self-reflection. By learning from her patients’ reflections, you can gain clarity on what truly matters and make positive changes before it’s too late.

In this guide, we’ll explain why these regrets are so common and how to avoid them. We’ll also explore Ware’s strategies for cultivating the courage to make choices you won’t regret later in life. Along the way, we’ll supplement Ware’s insights with psychological research on regret and provide complementary tips from other self-help experts.

Do you prefer to listen to sad songs? Do you seek out beauty in everyday life? If so, you may have a bittersweet disposition. In Bittersweet, Susan Cain defines bittersweetness as the state of experiencing intense joy, sadness, and yearning simultaneously. She argues that you can glean greater meaning and wisdom from life when you embrace bittersweetness, even if you don’t naturally have a bittersweet disposition.

In this guide, we’ll explore different facets of bittersweetness, starting with the link between bittersweetness and our yearning for love and belonging. We’ll also discuss the hidden power of sadness for fostering empathy and creativity. Finally, we’ll examine how awareness of life’s impermanence can help us find deeper meaning in our relationships and everyday lives. In our commentary, we’ll discuss the science behind bittersweet emotions, different perspectives on how to think about impermanence, and further suggestions for coping with grief.