Entries by Laura Carbonell

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Is Your Marriage Destined to Fail?

Is there a predictor of failure in relationships? According to marriage expert John M. Gottman, PhD, there is. We are often blind to the obvious, and keep hoping for things to get better when our relationship holds all the signs of heading south. Of course, there is no perfect relationship, but there are many things […]

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Why I’m Happy with My Small Breasts

I was 13 when that life-changing moment occurred. I was at the cinema, watching “Superman.” I got my first period right there in the theater! My Spanish stepmother hugged me and congratulated me. What for? I wondered, for growing up? I didn’t want to become a woman! I was a tomboy, with an awful fear […]

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How I Make OCD Work for Me

The National Institute of Mental Health claims that living with an obsessive compulsive mind can be debilitating in its most extreme forms. But in milder forms, you can actually make OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) work in your favor. My OCD is not so great that I cannot function. And once I understood it is part […]

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Why I Said No to Free Botox

As much as aging is not something anyone looks forward to, it’s an inevitable process we have to either suffer through or learn to accept. At a young age, we seem to be convinced that wrinkled, older people belong to a different species or social class. Then, those wrinkles start surfacing on our own faces […]

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After DOMA, Love Lessons from My Gay Friends

I dislike labeling people, especially regarding their sexual orientation. I don’t introduce people by saying: “This is my gay friend, Jay,” the same way I don’t say: “This is my straight friend Mary,” or “This is my sex-toy-loving, single friend Anne.” I allow people to come to their own conclusions, unless someone expresses a romantic […]

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Facing Midlife Without Kids

I never wanted children. My biological clock never seemed to start ticking. Even when my friends and family started having kids, all I could think was: Why would anyone want to go through so much suffering, all just to have their brood grow up and one day yell at them: “It’s all your fault!” However, […]

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Making Depression Your New Best Friend

Depression can be life-changing. It’s not your average case of the Mondays, or a bad hair day. It’s not sadness, or short bouts of typical depression brought on by life’s circumstances. It’s feeling like your body is made of lead, not wanting to get out of bed and shower, thinking your existence is meaningless and […]