Self Improvement

Curated by our editorsStories to fuel your mind

Uncertainty Is Part of Being Human, So How Can We Learn to Live With It?

A professor of statistics explains that living is about taking risks and not knowing the outcome, and why it’s important to accept and embrace that.

Do Affirmations Work? a Psychologist Explains Why They’re So Effective

Wait — do daily affirmations even work? A psychologist explains.

Pattern’s Hair Steamer Has Made My Curls Softer & Bouncier Than Ever

An honest review of Pattern’s Hair Steamer, which makes the luxury salon treatment user-friendly and easily accessible — and has upgraded my curly hair routine.

How to Get a Party Buzz Even When You’re Not Drinking

These tips for sober socializing may not have you dancing on tables, but they’ll help you have plenty of fun.

Six Ways to Break Your Creative Blocks

Unlocking your creative potential starts with setting up your environment and cultivating the right attitude.

A Year in Reading: The Dark Side of Progress

Living through cultural shifts is an odd experience. You may know at some level that all things are transitory, but you rarely think how “all things” includes the constants and variables of day-to-day life.

The Pure Liberation of a Personal Urination Device

The device appeared on the front porch for my birthday: seven inches of sturdy pink plastic shaped like a deep-bowled spoon. “Happy Peeing!” my friend — who, like me, is an avid hiker — had written on a note tied with a ribbon.

What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets Wrong

“You have to read this book,” my new psychologist informed me. As a teenager, I was raped by a hostel employee. For years after, I spent every waking moment trying to avoid the gruesome memories—which instead haunted me at night.

4 Todoist Templates to Streamline and Organize Your Life

If you’ve never heard of this task management app, check out my full write-up about Todoist. It’s amazing! (I’m not affiliated with the company in any way, just an enthusiastic user.)

I Was Eating Alone When A Man Came Up And Said 4 Words That Have Haunted Me Throughout My Life

The 20-something man approached my table, the corner of his mouth curving up. He looked away and rubbed his chin before making eye contact and telling me: “I just wanted you to know that if you’d come in sooner, my girlfriend and I would’ve invited you to join us.” I smiled at him.

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Will You Fall in Love With This Poem? I Did.

Let’s talk about love. That’s what the people in this poem seem to be doing. The author and her friend, a scholar, are debating the crushworthiness of a certain “Romantic Poet.” In the scholar’s expert opinion, the guy is emphatically not a suitable object of romantic interest.

I Finally Got a Penis Implant. But I Was Not Prepared for My Wife’s Reaction.

How to Do It is Slate’s sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Jessica and Rich here. It’s anonymous! Years ago, my wife and I were involved in the swinger lifestyle.

Dear Therapist: No One Wants to Host My In-Laws for the Holidays

My husband’s parents are divorcing, and they are worried about being alone. My husband and I have been together for five years. In that time, his parents have separated and are now divorcing.

5 Creative Ways to Use AI Chatbots (With Prompts)

It’s been some time since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with Google's Gemini and Claude also released a year later. The era of AI chatbots is here, and it has really shown us a new wave of possibilities, and we’ll go into five creative ways to explore their potential.

Automakers Thrived in the Pandemic. Many Are Now Struggling.

A few years ago, automakers were celebrating record profits as the pandemic created shortages of new cars, allowing them to raise prices. Now the hangover is setting in. Nissan, the Japanese automaker, is laying off 9,000 employees.

Curated by our editorsStories to fuel your mind

Uncertainty Is Part of Being Human, So How Can We Learn to Live With It?

Do Affirmations Work? a Psychologist Explains Why They’re So Effective

Pattern’s Hair Steamer Has Made My Curls Softer & Bouncier Than Ever

How to Get a Party Buzz Even When You’re Not Drinking

Six Ways to Break Your Creative Blocks

Popular with Pocket readersStories from across the web

A Year in Reading: The Dark Side of Progress

The Pure Liberation of a Personal Urination Device

What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets Wrong

4 Todoist Templates to Streamline and Organize Your Life

I Was Eating Alone When A Man Came Up And Said 4 Words That Have Haunted Me Throughout My Life

Discover More Topics

Will You Fall in Love With This Poem? I Did.

I Finally Got a Penis Implant. But I Was Not Prepared for My Wife’s Reaction.

Dear Therapist: No One Wants to Host My In-Laws for the Holidays

5 Creative Ways to Use AI Chatbots (With Prompts)

Automakers Thrived in the Pandemic. Many Are Now Struggling.

Discover More Topics