Grief is a universal human experience that we will all face at some point in our lifetimes, in some form or fashion. Understanding grief doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to go through, but it can normalize the process. Here are some important points to keep in mind when you’re grieving a loss. 

Grief is a universal human experience that we will all face at some point in our lifetimes, in some form or fashion. Understanding grief doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to go through, but it can normalize the process. Here are some important points to keep in mind when you’re grieving a loss. 

The journey of self-confidence is not linear, and it’s also not a “one and done” process.  There isn’t a state of perfect confidence any of us can arrive at—rather it’s a developing process that’s never complete. The ongoing effort to address these different areas of life can help boost self-confidence.

Being a parent is one of the most difficult and simultaneously rewarding roles we can be in as humans. It’s commonly discussed that every parent’s goal is to give their child a better life than they had. Unfortunately, it’s also often the case that patterns repeat themselves when we aren’t aware of the hard work it takes to make changes. Even when we are aware of the changes we need to make, the act of actually changing is incredibly difficult. 

One day you’re reading bedtime stories and pushing them on the swings, the next they start to grow distant and listen to weird music. You may find yourself wondering where your little girl/boy went, and how to maneuver a relationship with this new version of them. These are some thoughts you may be having:

Answers to questions I get regularly about therapy

The human brain has two sides, each of which has an important function. Depending on one’s personality and extenuating circumstances, one side may become more active than the other.

When we hear the word “affair”, a variety of different things may come to mind. Many of us associate this with a physical relationship. That is not always the case, but excluding the physical aspect of an affair does not automatically eliminate all damage. Here are some things to make note of about emotional affairs:

It is such a common misconception that self-care always feels good. Socially, self-care can start to be identified by things like retail therapy, bubble baths and Netflix-binges. In therapeutic terms, self-care simply means leaning into the things that feed our physical, emotional and mental health. Unfortunately, that’s not nearly as glamorous. True self-care requires mindful effort and at times, frankly, just isn’t all that fun

Jealousy is more complex than one may think, and the more we understand it, the more effectively we can respond and take care of ourselves when we feel it.

In the midst of a huge movement in our country, many are unsure of how to help, what to do, or how to process. Each of us has a unique skillset and ability to make a difference in our society. These are just a few of the hard-hitting qualities that help facilitate change and encourage others.

You managed to find and marry your absolute soulmate—lucky you! Nothing can come between the two of you now. 

I don’t believe many of us are strangers to heightened stress levels in today’s time. Productivity, success, and achievement are guiding principles of our society, which can create a very real sense of pressure. Not only do we need to create boundaries surrounding our work, but we also need to ensure we are being kind to ourselves when we fall short or feel stress. Remember—we are humans, not machines!

Ah, burnout—I can guarantee most of us know the feeling, but what does it really mean? According to helpguide.org, burnout is “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress”.

The Enneagram is a test used to understand and describe personality that has been around since the 1900s—though it is certainly becoming trendier lately.

Whether you were able to maintain a fairly consistent standard of living through quarantine or whether your future felt 100% uncertain, it cannot be ignored that the first half of 2020 has created a large impact on society. Physical, financial, emotional, mental, and social changes occurred overnight in a complete loss of control.  As we have adjusted to a “new normal”, there are a few things to keep in mind.

The term codependency has such a negative connotation, I’ve found. Traditionally, codependency has been viewed as an uneven dynamic between two individuals, one being more of the “giver” and one being the “taker”.

Ah, the blended family. Every parent’s dream, right? Obviously when we start our lives, we don’t count on ending up in a situation like this. The happily ever after in our minds rarely includes things like divorce and blending two families. This doesn’t mean we can’t make the most out of these situations and create a healthy loving environment.

This time of year can be hard—the holiday season brings varied reactions and some very mixed feelings for a lot of people. Wintertime is tough: it’s gray, it’s cold; it starts to seem smarter to hibernate until Spring.

We each have a level of both secure attachment and insecure attachment within us. These are formed by early experience and the way we are affected by our bonds with caregivers. The main attachment style that we exhibit as children largely stays the same throughout the lifespan, though behaviors may vary. This means our adult relationships are indeed affected by early attachment experiences, and we can benefit from learning about how we tend to display our attachment style.