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Life Kit

Life Kit

Tools To Help You Get It Together
A photo collage shows three surreal characters isolated in a green landscape with clouds in the background. Each character has a human body depicted in black-and-white but a head that is replaced with a colored shape containing a large black-and-white eye, mouth, and ear, respectively.
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Life Kit

LISTEN: Give your body a fall reset with these head-to-toe health tips

It’s not just school kids who could use a back-to-school reset. Your body could use one too. This episode of Life Kit, medical professionals share advice to help you care for your ears, eyes, teeth, feet and skin. We hope these tips leave you feeling healthy and strong as the fall season begins.

A head to toe check in for the fall

Listen · 22:54
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How and when to keep your children aware of scary news, without traumatizing them.
LA Johnson/NPR

Life Kit

What to say to kids when the news is scary

Whether a school shooting or a deadly tornado, scary events in the news can leave parents struggling to know when and how they should talk with their kids about it. Child development experts share tips.

What To Tell Kids When The News Is Scary

Listen · 25:50
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A young student struggles to carry a large heavy backpack, symbolizing the worries that can accompany the transition back-to-school.

Today's teens struggle with big feelings and their parents struggle to have hard conversations with them, according to a Gallup poll. Teen psychologist Lisa Damour explains how parents can better support their kids as a new school year begins. Annika McFarlane/Getty Images hide caption

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Annika McFarlane/Getty Images

Want to help support your Gen Z kids? Talking really helps

Today's teens struggle with big feelings — and their parents struggle to have hard conversations with them. A psychologist explains how to help your kids cope with pressure and stress.

A Luma Energy crew works on restoring power as Category 3 Hurricane Erin leaves the region in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, on August 16, 2025. The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin briefly strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm before its wind speeds weakened.

A Luma Energy crew works on restoring power as Category 3 Hurricane Erin leaves the region in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, on August 16, 2025. The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin briefly strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm before its wind speeds weakened. RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images

Prepare yourself for Hurricane Erin with these survival and safety tips

Hurricane Erin is expected to grow as it moves over the Western Atlantic region through the week. These emergency tips can help you prepare for flooding, power outages and a potential evacuation.

A studio photograph of three basic phones, the Nokia 6300 4G, the Cat S22 Flip and the BLU Z5 -GSM, propped up on clear display shelves. They sit on a table covered with celestial-patterned cloth and behind them is a light blue backdrop. A white hand with blue finger nails reaches in from the top left corner to take the Nokia 6300 4G phone.

Opting for a basic phone can help you take control of your time. There are many different models with different capabilities and price points. The three pictured here are the Nokia 6300 4G, the CAT S22 Flip and the BLU Z5 -GSM. Photo illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

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Photo illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Switching to a flip phone isn't as hard as you think. But you might miss having GPS

These lower-tech devices do not include many of the apps typically found on smartphones. And that may be appealing if you're looking to spend less time online.

A rearview photograph of a person holding a rolling suitcase as they stand on a stone pathway facing a yellow cottage with a quaint front porch. The person walks along the stone path, which is framed by lush foliage, approaching the house where they will stay as a houseguest.

As long as you're close enough with someone that you'd feel comfortable hosting them, you shouldn't feel sheepish about asking to stay with them when you're passing through their town, says etiquette expert Elaine Swann. wanderluster/Getty Images hide caption

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Why good houseguests don't actually 'make themselves at home'

Etiquette expert Elaine Swann tackles tricky questions about staying at a loved one's place. Is it OK to borrow their car? Extend your stay? Show up empty-handed? Advice on how to be a star guest.

This illustration shows a person standing at the top of a very tall, steep, green mountain while holding a pile of packages and shopping bags that obscure their face and most of their body. The person is depicted against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset, alluding to the concept of impulse spending and compulsive shopping for nonessentials.

Buying something new can be thrilling in the moment, but will you still be glad you bought it after the fact? NPR readers share their top tips for mindful shopping to avoid regret and overspending. Westend61/Getty Images hide caption

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Westend61/Getty Images

Your Life Kit for better personal finance

11 ways NPR readers resist the impulse to shop (plus, a poem for inspo)

Buying something new can be thrilling in the moment, but will you still be glad you bought it after the fact? NPR readers share their top tips for mindful shopping to avoid regret and overspending.

A person taking a gift and throwing it in the trash.
Malaka Gharib/NPR

If compliments make you feel super awkward, this comic is for you

When someone says something nice about us, it can make us feel awkward and uncomfortable. Researchers explain the science behind those emotions — and make the case for accepting genuine praise.

Why it's so hard to accept compliments

Listen · 21:59
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This photo shows many pills, tablets and capsules of varying shapes, colors and sizes arranged in the shape of a question mark on a blue background.

Almost 7 in 10 consumers were misled into purchasing counterfeit items online at least one time in the last year, according to a 2023 study from Michigan State University. Kirill Greshnov/Getty Images hide caption

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Kirill Greshnov/Getty Images

To avoid fakes when shopping online, watch out for these 4 red flags

Counterfeit products, especially medicines and safety gear, can be dangerous. Here's how to spot them on e-commerce platforms like Amazon.

How to avoid counterfeit and unsafe products online

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This photo collage shows a pair of hands in black-and-white holding an open journal. Handwritten cursive script is visible on the leaves of the open pages, and three red tissue paper flowers grow from the open book. Three butterflies hover around the flowers, and a pencil pointed downward hovers to the right of the open book.
Deagreez; Pravokrugulnik; paladin13; Israel Sebastian/Getty Images

The transformative power of keeping a daily journal

In a new book, writer Suleika Jaouad explains why journaling is a form of alchemy — and offers tips on how to reignite your practice if you're feeling stuck, bored or uninspired by your own writing.

How journaling can help you through hard times

Listen · 19:35
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A photo collage shows a cut-out of a person's head in half-tone style as they rest their chin in their hand. The top of their head above the nose is cut off, and neon yellow squiggles represent feelings of jealousy and confusion as they process. The background of the image is cobalt blue.
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Dear Life Kit: My friend says ugly things about her body and it makes me anxious

Body-acceptance advocate Katie Sturino and Ronald Young Jr., host of the podcast Weight for It, answer listener questions about body image, weight loss drugs and bullying.

Dear Life Kit: I'm jealous of my partner's weight loss

Listen · 18:23
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A triptych of photos that shows David Nayfeld making pancakes with his daughter in their kitchen at a wooden island. The first photo shows them putting vanilla extract into a metal mixing bowl. The second photo shows David cutting pancakes on a plate. And the third photo shows his daughter feeding him a bite of pancake.

David Nayfeld, the chef behind the cookbook Dad, What's for Dinner?, makes a recipe called "stressed-out weekday pancakes" together with his daughter, Helena. Eric Wolfinger hide caption

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Eric Wolfinger

How to embrace the mess and stress of cooking with your kids

Chef David Nayfeld has been cooking with his kid since she was 2. In a new book, Dad, What's for Dinner?, he shares easy ways to involve kids in meal prep, and a weeknight recipe for meatballs.

How to embrace the mess and teach your kids to cook

Listen · 18:50
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A photo collage showing a pair of outstretched arms donning pink sleeves. The person holds a phone out in front of a pair of lime-colored sneakers. The lime sneakers are in the center of a lineup of identical sneakers in varying bright colors. The image is set against a gradient background that changes from aqua to purple.
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Your Life Kit for better personal finance

Should you buy it? If you answer 'yes' to these questions, probably not

Sometimes we want to buy things we want, not what we need, and that's OK. When you're unsure whether to swipe that card or walk away, this guide can help you make a mindful decision you won't regret.

Should I buy it? A framework to help you decide

Listen · 17:47
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Illustration of two people. One is standing, facing the viewer, the other is walking toward the left side of the frame. They both have smartphones in their hands, but they look up at each other and make eye contact. They stand in front of a large illustrated heart and are surrounded by smaller hearts, symbolizing the concept of dating and flirting in real life.
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Done with dating apps? How to meet people in real life

Does talking to a cute stranger make your palms sweat? Confidence coach Regina Bonds offers advice on to how to put yourself out there, including how to show interest without coming off as creepy.

Grow your dating confidence and ask someone out IRL

Listen · 20:50
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An illustration shows a person with tan skin and long brown hair lying on their side on a bed with silky, peach-colored sheets. The figure's back is to the viewer, and they wear a dark pink bra and underwear. In the dark sky above hangs a bright full moon. In the foreground is a large pink tulip, closed tightly.
Sol Cotti for NPR

Her love life was in chaos. The solution? Giving up sex

After a bad breakup, writer Melissa Febos decided to abstain from sex and dating for a year. She didn't realize how much it would change her life. She tells her story in a new book, The Dry Season.

What a break from sex can teach you

Listen · 22:20
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