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Life Kit Everyone needs a little help being a human. From sleep to saving money to parenting and more, we talk to the experts to get the best advice out there. Life Kit is here to help you get it together.

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Life Kit

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Life Kit

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Everyone needs a little help being a human. From sleep to saving money to parenting and more, we talk to the experts to get the best advice out there. Life Kit is here to help you get it together.

Want another life hack? Try Life Kit+. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks an exclusive sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/lifekit.

Most Recent Episodes

Piece together your family tree
Uwe Krejci/Getty Images

Piece together your family tree

If you're interested in learning more about your family history, genealogist Mica Anders says to get creative. Look through newspaper archives, census data, vital records and more. And who knows, you may find some unexpected gems in the process.

Piece together your family tree

Listen · 18:51
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Stressed about talking about finances with a new partner? This framework can help
Annelise Capossela for NPR

Stressed about talking about finances with a new partner? This framework can help

It can be awkward to discuss money when you're in a new relationship. Financial therapist Amanda Clayman suggests following what she calls the "five components of financial intimacy" to get the conversation started.

Stressed about talking about finances with a new partner? This framework can help

Listen · 18:50
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Dear Life Kit: My folks guilt-trip me into spending the holidays with them
Photograph by HuntImages/Getty; Collage by NPR

Dear Life Kit: My folks guilt-trip me into spending the holidays with them

Between long-held traditions, unfair expectations and clashing personalities, the holidays can be a perfect storm for conflict. Therapist John Kim helps untangle three holiday conundrums.

Dear Life Kit: My folks guilt-trip me into spending the holidays with them

Listen · 11:59
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The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident.
Annelise Capossela for NPR

The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident.

Improv comedy is about more than making people laugh. It can help performers be more creative and self-assured — and combat anxiety, both on and off stage.

The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident.

Listen · 22:24
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5 strategies to help you cope with a nagging feeling of dread
Sol Cotti for NPR

5 strategies to help you cope with a nagging feeling of dread

Worried about deadlines, errands or your holiday to-do list? Reframe your relationship with dread with these simple exercises, from drawing the things that scare you to scheduling worry time.

5 strategies to help you cope with a nagging feeling of dread

Listen · 20:30
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How much money do you need to become a parent? An episode from This Is Uncomfortable

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Courtesy of Marketplace

How much money do you need to become a parent? An episode from This Is Uncomfortable

A couple clashes about how much money they need to save before having children. This episode is from our friends This Is Uncomfortable's podcast series on fights about money.

How much money do you need to become a parent? An episode from This Is Uncomfortable

Listen · 17:58
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How to set boundaries with family — and stick to them
Cha Pornea for NPR

How to set boundaries with family — and stick to them

Maintaining healthy boundaries is a way of taking care of your closest relationships, but setting those boundaries can be hard. The process starts with asking yourself what you need. (This episode originally ran in January 2021.)

How to set boundaries with family — and stick to them

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Traveling for the holidays? 7 tips to help you keep your cool
Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop

Traveling for the holidays? 7 tips to help you keep your cool

There will probably be long lines, delays and overbooked flights, says aviation journalist Benét Wilson. So take steps to prepare for these situations and make the journey a little more pleasant.

Traveling for the holidays? 7 tips to help you keep your cool

Listen · 12:57
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Want to get better at being thankful? Here are some tips
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Want to get better at being thankful? Here are some tips

Showing appreciation can improve our mental and physical health. But we don't often express it in our daily lives. Here's how to make thankfulness a habit, from starting a gratitude journal to writing a letter to a loved one.

Want to get better at being thankful? Here are some tips

Listen · 18:51
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Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend's relationship with his coworker makes me uncomfortable
Photographs by Kelli McClintock, Fayiz Musthafa/Unsplash; Collage by Becky Harlan/NPR

Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend's relationship with his coworker makes me uncomfortable

My partner is constantly texting his former coworker and even spent the night at her house. He says they're just friends, but I don't like it. How can I trust him when he ignores my boundaries?

Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend's relationship with his coworker makes me uncomfortable

Listen · 12:43
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