How to be happy
Ask most people what they want in life, and they will probably tell you they just want to be happy. Happiness tends to be something we all seek. But what exactly is it? Of course, like many things in life, happiness will always mean different things to different people. It could depend on their culture,…
Read MoreHow to fix your life after a breakup!
People change, situations and circumstances change, and relationships change; life is an evolving journey where change is inevitable. And while change is ideally approached by welcoming it with open arms, the fallout from life can sometimes cause the acceptance of change to be a painful and difficult challenge. This is especially true following a breakup.…
Read MoreWhy you need to say a little more than 'I do!'
Love is in the air with thousands of brides and grooms exchanging vows today, promising an everlasting union. Some will make it, many won’t. Once the wedding party is over and the honeymoon tan faded, relationship reality bites; and for nearly half of all married couples their future has divorce written all over it. As…
Read MoreEmbracing yourself as "good enough"
How often do you wonder if you are good enough? Good enough as an employee, parent, child, friend, or spouse? When you look around, perhaps you evaluate yourself against those around you and simply wonder if you are falling short somewhere. Are your kids as happy as the neighbor’s children? Do you spend enough time…
Read MoreAn Affair Is Not the Beginning of the End
Couples too often split soon after infidelity, before considering alternatives or attempting to repair the relationship. (Continue reading … )
Read MoreConnecting with your partner in all moments
As a couples therapist, I fairly regularly talk to romantic partners about the different ways they feel distant from one another. Sometimes it is sexually, other times it is about a mismatch in coparenting styles, but mostly couples simply say they do not feel “intimate” anymore. For almost all couples, there was at some point…
Read MoreForgiveness – is it really worth it?
Most everyone has been hurt by others at some point in their lives; hurt or abuse can be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual. Very few, if any of us, are exempt from a variety of situations that cause us pain. Some people have managed to move on from these situations; even major transgressions like physical…
Read MoreBefore forgiving – the effect of anger and resentment on the body
We’ve all heard how beneficial it is to forgive those who have done us wrong, and we have been told time and again that we can’t really move on unless we have forgiven them. However, we all know that forgiving someone is easier said than done. Resentment is something that we find easy to hold…
Read More7 myths about grief
When someone we love – a partner, friend, coworker, or family member – dies, the aftermath can be one of the most challenging experiences of our life. Indeed, when someone you care about it taken away, it can bring about a difficult grieving process that, although natural, can feel hopeless, scary, lonely, and painful. Whether…
Read MoreWhat are reasonable expectations for relationships?
Expectations are attitudes and behaviors that we expect from other people. We are taught – explicitly and implicitly – that there are standards of behaviors, what we call the norms, when it comes to how we should treat each other. We see it being modeled in our family, and we also see it in school,…
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