Author: Marlin Nelson


  • The Cruel Diary of Truth: What Have I Learned?

    IntroductionThe Incarcerated SlaveOf Course, Childhood TraumaManifest Parentification as an AdultThe Incarcerated Slave RevisitedEmpathic Depletion & Compassion FatigueConclusion & Lessons Learned Introduction I was in, no. I stayed in a fifteen-year โ€œrelationshipโ€; one that should have ended within months. But what can I say, die Eule der Minerva fliegt. The relationship officially came to an end…

  • Ataraxia for Mastering Your Reaction to An Arbitrary World

    IntroductionAtaraxia & AccomplishmentPractical ApplicationConclusion Introduction Ataraxia, the ancient Greek idea of serenity and freedom from distraction, catalyzes high-level accomplishment. With everything in todayโ€™s world vying for every bit of our coveted attentional space, true productivity requires a mind that can remain unperturbed. Conceptually, Ataraxia addresses this problem by transforming modern work from a series of…

  • Infographic: Habits & Strategies That Boost Mental Health

    Give your mental health as much care and attention as you do your physical health. The following infographic provides evidence-based guidance to help you improve your mental health and well-being.

  • ร‰lan Vital As the Inverse of Entropy

    IntroductionOn ร‰lan Vital, Aporia, & Feeling StuckPsychological EntropyOn ร‰lan VitalHave the Discipline for TransformationInterest as Purpose ReinventedAdvantage, CapacityReinvention: Itโ€™s Not What You ThinkConclusion & Key Takeaways Introduction We hear it all the time: When we get to a certain age, the central insight is always the same: โ€œstay active.โ€ That advice is like a cup…

  • Confronting Status Anxiety at Midlife

    Introduction Status anxiety is that quiet, persistent hum in the background of our lives. Itโ€™s the fear that we arenโ€™t measuring up, that weโ€™re falling behind, or that others see us as failures because we donโ€™t have the right job, car, house, or lifestyle. Itโ€™s disguised coercion because the drawing of invidious comparisons doesnโ€™t feel…

  • Fact Sheet: Brain Health

    The best foods for brain health are largely the same foods that support heart and blood vessel health. This Fact Sheet highlights several specific foods, the research behind them, and exercises and physical activities that provide complementary benefits. Click the image below to read or download the Brain Health PDF fact sheet.

  • The ‘Vette Won’t Stop the Fret

    IntroductionPerspective: Confronting the InevitableMaking Contact with RealityGrieving Past IdentitiesAging Is AsymmetricalEmpirical Evidence: What the Research ShowsThe Practical AdvantageConclusion & Key Takeaways Introduction We should approach this subject by distinguishing between the fear of aging and the fear of irreversibility. Aging is a visible phenomenon, but for many older adults, a deeper, underlying anxiety exists: The…

  • The Strategic Discipline of Letting Go

    Success in a dynamic world requires mastering what might be called โ€œthe discipline of productive destruction.โ€ That is to say, the willingness to destroy yesterdayโ€™s strategy to build tomorrowโ€™s success. This doesnโ€™t mean abandoning your purpose or betraying your commitment. It means committing to the outcome enough to abandon any particular path that no longer…

  • Staying Relevant In An Increasingly Irrelevant World

    IntroductionFear of Irrelevance as Status ThreatResponding Without PanicFrom Relevance to IntegrationSelf-Transcendence via IkigaiConclusion & Key Takeaways Introduction When the amygdala interprets a shift in social value as a threat to survival, panic often emerges. Many adultsโ€”Gen X and olderโ€”have experienced it at some point in their lives: They wake up one day only to find…

  • Guilt Holds Its Sermons In Silence

    Introduction Guilt is the uncomfortable certainty that we are not all that we could have been. This means the time that passes belongs to death. Adults over age 45 should be aware of this, because hereโ€™s another fact: Guilt holds its sermons in silence, in the brooding, morose miasma of rumination. This suggests that the…