We’ve all been there. We’ve experienced heartache, disappointment or grief that can feel unbearable. And one of the worst things about these strong emotions is that they leave us feeling depleted, as though a light inside us has flickered out. And damnit, we want that light back!

The key to getting your groove back, says San Francisco stand-up comic Alicia Dattner, is “to make joy your guiding light, and to let humor into your life in order to make yourself more resilient to those ups and downs.” By getting in touch with your playful side, you’ll uncover your funny, radiant self and have more fun in relationships, lower your stress and release more of those happiness-producing endorphins. … //READ MORE

When we were in our twenties, my husband and I moved from the D.C. area to Austin, Texas, at a time when Austin rents were still comparable to a mortgage on a small home (aaah, the ’90s!). So we purchased a two-bedroom house in Rosedale, a cozy neighborhood settled in the 1940s near the University of Texas where the mostly tiny houses lacked dishwashers, garages or sidewalks, but compensated with mature Live Oak trees and other natural charm. My grandparents from Dallas fell in love with our place on their first visit, because it reminded them so much of their “starter home.”

We were welcomed to the neighborhood by our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Gest. Frieda Gest was one of several seniors still living on 40th Street, which was a dirt road when her first husband built their home. At 91 and widowed twice, she would walk with her cane to the chain link fence that separated our yards to chat, sometimes offering us a cutting from her yard or something she had baked. Whenever I took her an extra serving of whatever we had made for dinner, she always returned the container with homemade vanilla wafers in it. (I later learned that she kept a freezer full of cookies so that she always had something to offer.) These exchanges were always occasion for conversation that would often end with her genial “Now don’t rush off” and my pangs of guilt, even after an hour-long visit. … //READ MORE

Admit it, there are times when you feel off-balance and frazzled. Maybe you’re running late for work, can’t find a parking space or just spilled a cup of coffee on your new skirt. Perhaps you just had an argument with your partner that left you flustered and overly emotional. Or maybe you’re stuck in traffic with a screaming baby in the backseat. Whatever the scenario, you feel like your world is spiraling out of control and need to pull yourself together—fast.

As a yoga practitioner and teacher, I’ve learned there’s no one formula for every person. But each one of us has the creativity and resourcefulness to come up with strategies to help calm themselves through life’s less-than-perfect moments. To get you started thinking about it, here are some simple strategies that can help most women quiet their monkey mind—the incessant chatter that goes on inside our heads—and regain clarity. Even when it seems like the universe is conspiring against us. … //READ MORE

My son Tobin was 6 when I decided to start a nonprofit empowerment retreat for foster youth. Being a mother had sparked in me a deep desire to speak up for kids stuck in the foster care system who couldn’t be with their mothers or families due to circumstances out of their control. The more I researched and the more I learned, I knew I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. I had to act.

But I was worried that my dream was going to take too much time away from Tobin. As both a mother and an entrepreneur, I found myself constantly being pulled in two directions. “How could I do both and do them well?” I asked myself. Could I take care of myself, be an amazing mother and start a nonprofit all at the same time?” … //READ MORE