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Mapmaker-turned-artist produces haunting portraits inspired by late sister's struggle with substance use disorder
DENVER -- If eyes are windows to the soul, then the eyes in William Stoehr’s paintings convey the isolation and despair that come with addiction and depression. They are lonely and haunting, especially in one of the pieces he painted of his late sister.
Her eyes are dark and sunken. Perhaps she has been crying. In the bottom left corner, ...Read more
Asking Eric: Husband punishing wife for her panic attacks
Dear Eric: I am a 63-year-old female who has been married for 45 years to a wonderful man. We’ve been blessed with a great relationship but the last two years I’ve developed a phobia about riding or driving a car on the highway. I’m fine on city streets and residential streets, but when getting on the highways I have started to have ...Read more
When Cutting Ties With a Parent Is the Only Way to Heal
Dear Annie: This is not a letter to play the victim, so please hear me out. My mother has caused me so much hurt for as far back as I can remember. When I was a kid, I was sexually abused by my brother. I told her, and she said I was lying. I used to think I was adopted because there was no way a parent could be so mean to a biological child. ...Read more
Single File: Tips for That
The situation has eased somewhat, but the divorced dads of this world are still having a tough time winning custody of their children. The role of primary caregiver is usually given to the woman, and the man of the house has no more house -- nor home. His children become part-time guests. His family role is decimated -- as is his bank account ...Read more
Ask Anna: My partner's family doesn't like me!
Dear Anna,
I’m a 21-year-old woman, and I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost two years. We’re really happy together, but there’s one huge problem: His family does not like me. I’ve tried everything to make a good impression — bringing thoughtful gifts, offering to help with family dinners and always being polite. But no matter ...Read more
Defining the relationship: Exclusivity, labels and commitment
Many of us have heard the phrase “define the relationship,” often shortened to “DTR.” One might say, “We had the DTR talk,” or “We DTR’d it.” But it turns out that one person’s DTR talk is another person’s confusion… often when those two people are in the same exact relationship!
Every Monday on Instagram, I host “Ask ...Read more
Asking Eric: After 50 years, friend wants to be done with the group
Dear Eric: I have a group of three girlfriends from middle school/high school. We stayed close during college and were in each other’s weddings, etc. I have known these women for more than 50 years.
There is one person in the group that I have been consistently close with over the many years. The other two I did not and there was a more than ...Read more
Seeking Closure When a Close Friend Disappears
Dear Annie: My adult daughter was very close friends with a woman, her husband and their two teenage daughters. When her friend moved across the country, my daughter was heartbroken. However, they continued to talk, text and email almost daily. My daughter even traveled across the country and considered the possibility of moving to a nearby ...Read more
How to combat the loneliness epidemic
ATLANTA -- Monica Imani McCullough was an extremely shy child. The Atlanta resident lost her father when she was a teen and years later watched her mother lose a battle with Parkinson’s disease. She survived an emotional divorce, and in 2022 she was diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Though she had written a book on loneliness ...Read more
Asking Eric: An update from grandmother who folded laundry ‘wrong’
Dear Eric: I don’t know if you are interested in follow-up letters, but here goes. I’m the grandma who was told she was folding her son-in-law’s T-shirts wrong (Clothes’d Off).
I had a conversation with my daughter one morning when we were out hiking. She confessed that she, too, had been told she folded his laundry wrong. Together we ...Read more
Breaking Free
Dear Readers: A great number of you wrote in about abusive partners and how you finally opened up the cage and flew out.
Here are two letters that I found especially interesting:
Dear Annie: While I respect "Married" for finally leaving her abuser -- I've been there myself -- I need to point something out. She mentions staying until her ...Read more
Tough reporter has a new assignment: help her 20-something neighbor get a girlfriend
PHILADELPHIA — When you see Lisa DePaulo's byline, you don't think of the Cupid beat. In her career writing for publications like GQ, Vanity Fair, and New York and Philadelphia magazines, this tough cookie's element has had more to do with thugs and scoundrels who whack their girlfriends than nice guys looking for one.
But when her neighbor ...Read more
Asking Eric: After 12 years of marriage, stepdaughter still won’t speak to stepmom
Dear Eric: My husband and I have been married 12 years and have known each other for 17. Both of our previous spouses passed, before we met each other. He has two daughters and a son. His son and one daughter make me feel welcome. His other daughter, from the time I met her, has never accepted me, said my name, or spoken to me directly.
I am ...Read more
How Can I Be Included in My Son's New Family?
Dear Annie: My son is married to a wonderful young woman, and they've recently started a family. She comes from a very large family; she's the youngest of nine. Our family is much smaller, consisting only of myself, my son and my daughter. We don't have any extended relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. It's just the three of ...Read more
Asking Eric: Wife fears it’s too late to leave abusive husband
Dear Eric: My husband and I are in our mid-70s, married more than 50 years. He has been physically disabled since our mid-30s, has some form of OCD (never officially diagnosed because he refuses), and now has symptoms of early dementia.
He has extreme mood swings, does not have a normal sleep pattern, is verbally abusive and demeaning, and ...Read more
Reclaiming Independence to Rebuild My Life
Dear Annie: I'm struggling to take control of my life. My parents have supported me through tough times, including addiction and an abusive relationship. I have three kids with my ex, and my parents were always there for me. After leaving my ex and moving back in with them, my mom took over the parenting responsibilities, which I reluctantly ...Read more
Asking Eric: Husband keeping wife in the dark about finances
Dear Eric: I’m a 62-year-old female and have been married to my second husband (a 65-year-old male) for 30 years. Empty nesters. Never once has my husband divulged to me what his financial situation is. Now that I am disabled and don’t work anymore, I depend on him financially. He just tells me to not spend so much. I don’t by any means. I...Read more
Jealousy Is a Red Flag
Dear Annie: I am a woman in my mid-30s, and my wife is in her early 40s. We met a little less than two years ago and haven't left each other's side since. We got married about a year ago. Needless to say, we both fell fast and hard for each other. When I met her, my whole world changed, and I look at the world in a completely different way. She ...Read more
Asking Eric: Wife fears she’s abusing husband with Alzheimer’s
Dear Eric: My husband of almost 60 years has Alzheimer’s. At this point, he does not know who I am other than “some nice lady” who comes to see him. I initiate and have sex with him. Our initial dating and marriage were very sexual but went on to deteriorate due to his multiple flings and affairs. By the time he was diagnosed, we had not ...Read more
Husband and Son Won't Stop Drinking
Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 34 years. We have two grown children, both of whom still live with us. They work and pay rent toward our mortgage. I have no problem with their living at home, and I don't think my husband does either. The problem I have is that both my husband and my son are alcoholics. They both work hard, but...Read more
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