Robert E. Ralph

4 days ago | medium.com | Dominic Ng |Robert E. Ralph

The ancient Ayurvedic practice you probably shouldn’t be doingWhile modern medicine celebrates its evidence-based marvels, the history of healing is also richly decorated with practices born from… let’s call them alternative understandings of available resources. Among the most striking is urine therapy — the deliberate use of bodily waste for perceived health benefits.

5 days ago | medium.com | Sajid Ali |Robert E. Ralph

Ever finish a piece of writing and think, “Why does this feel so… heavy?”You have likely experienced this as well. You look at your screen, proud of your sentences, but it still feels hard to read. You know you’re supposed to be clear. Concise. Impactful. But what does that mean in practice? Here’s the problem: Most writers mistake more words for greater value. That’s the lie I believed for years. I thought good writing had to sound smart, elaborate, and poetic.

6 days ago | medium.com | Prabhat Mishra |Robert E. Ralph

Stop Shrinking for People Who Can’t Handle Your FireI used to shrink myself for people who couldn’t handle the full version of me. Whenever someone said, “You’re too emotional,” I’d get quieter. Each time someone pulled away from my honesty, I’d swallow the truth I was aching to say. I thought love meant being easier to be around—so I smiled when I was sad, nodded when I wanted to scream, and laughed even when anxiety had me in a chokehold. I did all of it just to seem like less. But they still left.

1 week ago | medium.com | Robert E. Ralph

Memories from springtime visit"I have two and a half hours before catching my flight," said a woman, probably in her late fifties. "Then I would definitely recommend visiting this museum; you can cover it in about two hours," replied the service desk receptionist. The woman hesitated, uncertain about visiting a museum with four floors and two wings per floor, all within the limited time she had. But her doubts were gently countered by the receptionist’s calm yet persistent encouragement.

1 week ago | medium.com | Robert E. Ralph

The truth is, you’re not broken, you’re patternedYou meet someone. You feel that spark. You start to imagine a future or maybe just a next date and for a moment, hope blooms. But then, something small happens. They take a little longer to text back. They seem a little distant one night. And suddenly, your heart drops through the floor. You overthink every word, every emoji, every pause. You wonder if you said too much or not enough. You start pulling back or clinging tighter without even realizing it.