Essays and unfinished thoughts.https://yatan.co/enhttps://yatan.co/writing/emotional-battery-against-sundowning/https://yatan.co/writing/emotional-battery-against-sundowning/My mom's Alzheimer's symptoms came paired with agitation in the evening - called sundowning syndrome. Out of many things we tried, the emotional battery analogy is what helped most.Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://yatan.co/writing/systems-beat-emotions-in-parenting/https://yatan.co/writing/systems-beat-emotions-in-parenting/After a year of arguments about walking the dogs, a simple system with clear consequences worked where guilt, threats and scolding hadn't.Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTparentingsystemshttps://yatan.co/writing/what-you-resist-persists-avoiding-discomfort-makes-it-worse/https://yatan.co/writing/what-you-resist-persists-avoiding-discomfort-makes-it-worse/A friend's quiet withdrawal during a trip in Mexico taught me something I keep relearning: the thing you're avoiding is usually exactly what needs to be said.Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTreflectioncommunicationhttps://yatan.co/writing/what-if-caregivers-could-contribute-to-alzheimers-research/https://yatan.co/writing/what-if-caregivers-could-contribute-to-alzheimers-research/Six years caring for my mother with Alzheimer's left me with a lot of data and nowhere useful to put it. What if that could change?Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTcerebrumdescibrain healthhttps://yatan.co/writing/a-simple-self-compassion-practice-that-changed-my-inner-dialogue/https://yatan.co/writing/a-simple-self-compassion-practice-that-changed-my-inner-dialogue/Up to age 30 I treated my emotions as a distraction. One practice slowly changed how I talk to myself — and made me a better learner.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTpersonalmindfulnesshttps://yatan.co/writing/acceptance-patience-and-fun-in-caregiving/https://yatan.co/writing/acceptance-patience-and-fun-in-caregiving/Caring for someone with cognitive decline is exhausting. These are the things that actually helped.Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTcaregivingfamilyhttps://yatan.co/writing/how-i-spent-2-years-on-not-writing-a-blog/https://yatan.co/writing/how-i-spent-2-years-on-not-writing-a-blog/I tried every editor, every static site generator, every hosting setup. The only thing I didn't do was write.Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTwritingreflectionhttps://yatan.co/writing/the-importance-of-asking-yourself-what-you-want/https://yatan.co/writing/the-importance-of-asking-yourself-what-you-want/I studied Social Sciences because my parents did. It took years to realize I hadn't actually asked myself what I wanted.Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTreflectioncareerhttps://yatan.co/writing/why-i-go-for-a-meal-with-someone/https://yatan.co/writing/why-i-go-for-a-meal-with-someone/A shared meal isn't really about the food. A short guide I originally wrote for my 16-year-old on what it actually means to show up at a table.Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTrelationshipsreflectionhttps://yatan.co/writing/what-if-your-family-was-more-like-a-team/https://yatan.co/writing/what-if-your-family-was-more-like-a-team/Moving in together with two teenage stepdaughters, a baby, and my 76-year-old mother, I tried running our blended family like a facilitated team workshop.Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMTfamilysystemshttps://yatan.co/writing/a-simple-guide-to-being-a-great-guest-with-any-kind-of-host/https://yatan.co/writing/a-simple-guide-to-being-a-great-guest-with-any-kind-of-host/After hosting many guests I noticed my idea of being a good guest wasn't universally shared. Here's what came out of actually talking about it.Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMTrelationshipstravelhttps://yatan.co/writing/the-mountain-and-the-bench/https://yatan.co/writing/the-mountain-and-the-bench/Three months into quarantine on the tenth floor of a Bogotá apartment, two small things became the most meaningful part of my day.Sun, 18 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMTpersonalmeditation