Relationships

Feeling helpless is not something that feels good. It feels inhuman. To be helpless is seen as weak, to forego control. When the feeling grows too large, it can inspire depression or avoidant disorders like alcoholism or other types of addiction. Until you can accept feeling helpless or find a way to gain control, you feel lost. Yet we put ourselves in situations where we are helpless all the time. We surround ourselves with loved ones who…

Love exists in many forms that complement a variety of relationships. Think of the love you feel for your partner versus the love you feel for a friend, relative, pet, or hobby. It is restrictive to think that there is a “right” kind of love to strive for, which may lead you farther astray from the type of feeling you desire in a relationship. For example, if you think that you must not love your partner of…

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 is assumed that if you’re single, you must not be happy. And maybe you’re not. Being single can be hard- there’s no…

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.

The art of a good apology is difficult to perfect, and is not a widely known or practiced craft. Apologies are very vulnerable- it requires that you humble yourself to another person. It may be embarrassing to own up to your wrongs, causing you to want to talk about it as little as possible and hope it goes away. You may feel like apologizing to someone will give the person some power over you, or make you…

The end of a romantic relationship can be like riding a roller coaster of emotions. Depending on the circumstances, you may be feeling relieved, heart-broken, resentful, or shocked. It may seem like the road ahead is unclear for you, and it can be difficult to know how to “get past” this difficult time in your life. It is easy to focus on the negatives at this stage. Although it may feel insurmountable, you can help yourself to…

There is no denying that we live in a technology saturated world. It can be hard to imagine a day going by without responding to an email, sending a text message, or checking the latest updates on Facebook. Our intimate relationships are even tied up with technology. Some of us meet through an online dating website or live long distance and connect with our loved one via video conferencing. It is becoming increasingly important, therefore, to consider…