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Is Parenting Overwhelming You?
Being a parent is rewarding—and also incredibly challenging. No two children are alike. The first born may be happy and content, and then the second child arrives… Sleep becomes a distant memory, patience gets tested, and parents desperately seek answers: what are we doing wrong?
Even though no guidebook exists to seamlessly shepherd you through the parenting experience, there are resources available. If you’re struggling with your role as a parent, if you find parenting overwhelming, here’s something that can help.
Support Kids Mental Health This Season
Wondering how you can support your kids mental health this season?
Seasonal changes can affect everyone—including children.
As adults, most of us are aware of how seasonal change plays out, and understand that typically the pangs and unease are transitory in nature.
Children—especially if they haven’t experienced something like it before—may not know what’s going on, and may be ill-equipped to process or understand should feelings of unease occur. Just like most things, when it comes to mental health, knowledge is power.
The transition from summer to autumn and winter can be especially challenging as loss of daylight and colder weather means more times indoors.
Here are some of the ways you can attune yourself to your child’s mental health this season, and support them in the process.
Unlock Intimate Conversations
When you hear the word “intimacy,” what comes to mind?
Most people correlate the word with sex, and they’re not wrong. However, intimacy is also defined as closeness, affinity, and togetherness.
Having the type of intimate conversations with your partner that make you feel more aligned with them—you know, the discussions that reveal who you are on a deeper level—benefit all aspects of the relationship… including your sex life.
Think of intimate conversations as providing the nutrients that help sustain the relationship.
All this being said, it’s pretty easy to neglect taking care of a relationship in this manner, especially since the importance of intimate and personal conversations is something that’s often not mentioned in those how-to articles, aimed at helping revive ailing relationships.
Let’s change that, shall we?
It’s time to have intimate conversations.
Characteristics of an Abusive Family Upbringing
Many adults wonder why they feel anxious, depressed, lonely, struggle with addictions or troubled relationships. You may wonder why you are self-...
Top Couples Spats: Guess the #1 Reason!
Want to know the number one reason for couple’s spats?
Any guesses?
Here’s a hint: Shakespeare knew…
This is the reality: Most couples make much ado about nothing. Not to say that what’s being discussed is inconsequential, of course it matters. It’s the delivery and emotion—coupled with how healthy or unhealthy the communication and relationship dynamics are—that escalates a conversation into an argument.
Let’s take a deeper look at what causes these spats, and tricks couples can employ to communicate more effectively.
Communication Tips: How to Truly Listen
We have relationships in all areas of our lives. With ourselves, with loved ones, with family (whether they are good or not), work colleagues,...
Spice Up Conversations: Let’s Talk Intimacy
The way sex evolves within a relationship is fascinating. In the beginning, it’s basically the only thing couples actually do.
Yet as the months lead to years, sex and sexual desire tends to wane—or at least it becomes less of a priority. Without all the “love” chemicals that were present during the early stages, over time sex can begin to feel like more of a chore.
If you’re looking to spice things up, here are some great conversation starters designed to help you do just that. And don’t worry, if the prospect of “talking dirty” or discussing ways to heat up your sex life with your partner makes you squirm or blush, we’ve got some fairly neutral conversation starters as well.
A Couples Counselor Explained Why Conflict Resolution Is Only Possible In A Safe Space
In a recent article by Writer: Emma Patterson of Dating News.com on A Couples Counselor Explained Why Conflict Resolution Is Only Possible In A Safe Space
The Scoop: Couples who find themselves in therapy usually want to solve an acute issue in record time. But as Nancy Ryan, LMFT at Relationship Therapy Center, told us, conflict resolution can’t be rushed. It’s all about listening, emotional regulation, and creating a safe space where conflict resolution is possible.
Master Building Positive, Lasting Relationships
If only people knew: the secret to mastering a lasting and fulfilling relationship is a lot easier than many are led to believe.
The key lies in prioritizing the relationship. In order to keep it alive, it needs to be tended to with small gestures often.
For anyone looking to tune up their relationship, here’s what you need to do.
How to Recognize Red Flags When Dating
Ah, the dating pool. A chaotic confusing place full of mixed messages and red flags.
The optimist in us believes red flags are easy to spot, yet that’s typically not how it works. It’s easy to see them in other people’s relationships, sure. It’s just way more challenging to perceive them in our own.
So, to ensure you don’t become so distracted and hyper fixated on someone that you miss all their red flags—or worse, see the red flags and hastily try and paint them white—it’s important to have a clear understanding of what they are.
Before getting into the red flags though, let’s briefly go over why you might miss them in the first place.
How to Recover from Narcissistic Abuse
Recovering from narcissistic abuse is complex. There can be multiple layers to the healing process, and a huge part of it involves forgiving yourself and reestablishing trust.
If the narcissistic abuse was endured during childhood, recovery can be even more complex. Especially if the perpetrator was a parent or primary caregiver.
Family members who live with a narcissist can describe their loved one as having controlling behavior, being very critical or superior, feeling entitled, can become enraged when they don’t get their own way, can neglect children and family members for their own gain, and be very manipulative. They might twist the facts, or use your own words against you to make you question your understanding of the situation, otherwise known as gaslighting.
If you are emerging on the other side of narcissistic abuse, here are some important tips that can help you heal.
What Does it Really Mean to be Narcissistic?
Today, the word narcissist is used to describe pretty much everyone. It is used casually because someone read something from the internet somewhere.
There’s that vapid attention seeker on your social media feed who’s constantly posting pictures of themselves—heavily filtered, let’s be real. There’s also your friend’s ex who jumped into a new relationship, days after dumping them.
But… are those people true narcissists?
Do they meet the clinical definition?
And are we able to diagnose them?
Hardly.
Let’s take a closer look.
Nine Common Myths of Therapy
Many who could benefit from therapy may still be avoiding it because of inaccurate preconceived notions.
For those who only know about therapy from what they’ve read in books or seen in movies, well—who can blame them for being hesitant?
Let’s peel back the curtain a little, shall we? It’s time to dispel some of the nine most common myths of therapy.
How to Gently Tell Someone They Need Therapy
It’s awful seeing a friend or loved one go through a tough time, especially when resources exist that could greatly reduce their suffering.
How to Gently Tell Someone They Need Therapy – If someone you care about could benefit from therapy but you’re unsure how to broach the subject with them, here are some ways to nudge them in the right direction.
How to Rebuild Trust After Infidelity
Trust After Infidelity – The emails, the texts, the lies. The brutal pain of betrayal and heartache that occurs after discovering your partner was unfaithful can be so massive, so all-encompassing, that it often feels as though the only way forward is divorce.
For some, that may be true. For others, well, life is complicated. There may be a lot of extenuating circumstances which ultimately make black and white decisions tricky.
Rebuilding trust after infidelity is possible. It’s not easy, but it is possible.
If you’re reeling after infidelity but want to explore all options before making any hasty decisions, this piece provides insight into reestablishing trust and healing after infidelity.
Reach out to start your healing journey today