Portfolio Archive - Dr. Meg Jay

Quarterlife by Satya Doyle Byock; The Defining Decade by Meg Jay reviews — how to survive your twenties

Two books (one tough-minded, the other sappy) offer Generation Z radically different advice

Are Bad Vibes Everywhere?

Young adults are likely to say so—but the experience of anxiety that’s punctuated by hopelessness and nihilism might also just be what it feels like to be a young adult.

What In the World: Are the 20s the Loneliest Decade?

Dr Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist and author of ‘The Defining Decade’, explains what’s happens in our brains, and why we may feel a little haywire.

Olivia Rodrigo Reading Cult-Classic The Defining Decade

What’s the Point of Your 20s? Ask the Patron Saint of Striving Youth.

Meg Jay knows it’s confusing to figure out what to do with your life. She also knows you need to get on with it.

What to Do When Your Mind (Always) Dwells on the Worst-Case Scenario

Not long ago, a medical student, let’s call him Paul, walked into my shift in the emergency room of a large university and told me that his life was ruined. I’m a clinical psychologist. And for the past 20 years, I have worked — in many capacities — with young adults. I’ve counseled them in private practice. I’ve taught them on college campuses. I’ve given talks at the companies where they work. And this day, I was staffing the emergency walk-in on a college campus.

Recent Grads Are Drowning in Uncertainty. Here’s How to Stay Afloat.

There are nearly fifty million twentysomethings in the United States, most of whom are living with a staggering, unprecedented amount of uncertainty. Most have no idea where they will work or where they will live in five years. They don’t know if they are a day or a decade away from a promotion, or when they will be able to pay their bills. And now, millions of new would-be workers have graduated, without the pomp and circumstance, into a global pandemic and recession.

Fathers Also Do Their Share of ‘Invisible Labor’

On Father’s Day, let’s acknowledge the unsung ways that men keep families running.

Congratulations Graduate! Now Read These 3 Books.

Class of 2018, here’s what you need to know about the real world, according to these 3 books: You can feel like an outsider and still be successful; life is better if you learn to laugh at yourself; and, despite the hype, 30 is not the new 20. Here’s how to make the best of these crucial years.

8 New Introspective Books That Will Lift You Up

The clinical psychologist and author of The Defining Decade looks at childhood-trauma survivors who’ve succeeded in life despite their circumstances. Interweaving reportage, research, and clinical insights, Jay identifies the strategies these “supernormals” developed to elude victimhood and thrive.