Dating Yourself: the Benefits of Taking Time to Be Single
Being single is often looked at as a problem to be fixed. It has a negative connotation and is referred to as “being alone”. When you tell people you’re not in a relationship they automatically start listing off their single friends they could set you up with, or tell you “things will get better”. It…
Read More3 Things You Must Do Before Saying “I Do”
In addition to rising temperatures, rainy days, and budding flowers, springtime also marks the start of wedding season. Couples are in the midst of planning the final details of their nuptials, attending to each element of the wedding day with care and consideration. It is an exciting time, to be sure. While preparing to create…
Read MoreKeeping Score in Relationships: For a Partner to Win, the Relationship will Lose
An unhealthy phenomenon in many long-term intimate relationships is the tendency to keep score. It is not so much keeping score that is the problem but that when partners do keep score, they tend to unfairly focus on the negative. Rarely in couple therapy, my line of work, do I hear couples delineate all the…
Read MoreSigns and Strategies for Ending Toxic Relationships
There are toxic people in all of our lives, whether we are close to them or not. “Toxic” means someone who hurts you more than they help you, and tends to subtract from your life rather than add to it. This can be friends, family members, significant others, or even bosses or coworkers.
Read MoreHow to Communicate Well with Yourself
When you think of communication, what do you imagine? For most of us, we conjure up an image of two people talking to one another, engaging in a conversation. However, in addition to this interpersonal dialogue, we are also always communicating with ourselves. We sometimes do this through self-talk – the things that we say…
Read MoreDon’t Perpetuate the Unhappiness Cycle
Having a bad day? Fed up with a part of your life? Feeling angry with a loved one? It’s understandable that you may be suffering from negativity and in a bad mood. The problem is, not only does this bad mood affect you- it also affects those around you. When you’re feeling down and disgruntled,…
Read MoreThe Pedestals We Put Them On
Like women suffer as a result of society’s Madonna-whore complex, I believe that men also experience a contradictory prejudice—something of a “hero-wimp” complex. Men are expected to be strong, infallible, and stoic. When we think of a good dad, we imagine him playing sports, fixing the plumbing and chasing our ex-boyfriends with a shotgun. But…
Read MoreBeing with Your Partner: How Mindfulness Improves Relationships
Mindfulness is to psychology as CrossFit is to exercise. It is a current popular trend that leads to positive results, and you have probably heard or read about it before. Practicing mindfulness techniques allows you to be a better, more regulated, calmer, and focused individual. Mindfulness can also significantly improve your relationships. Here is a…
Read MoreFacing Down Insecurities
People all have their insecurities, even (or especially) those who appear the most confident. Suffering from the burden of insecurity can silence you when you want to be heard, engender painful feelings of shame, ignite anger and jealousy, and cause doubts and overthinking. Your goal should not be to get rid of insecurities, because that…
Read MoreThriving in the Transition to Adulthood
For most, the late teen years and twenties are a time of incredible change. Typically, you finish your schooling, look for and begin a job, move out of your family home, and maybe even relocate to a new town or city. While this may all seem exciting and full of opportunity, it also can carry…
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