Articles of Interest

5 Love Languages
5 Love Languages Quizzes
Reflections Communication
Assertive Communication
I Statements
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise
Mindfulness Exercise: Emotions Mindfulness Script How to process emotions and feelings
Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive
Resource : Distress Intolerance: Facing Your feelings
Feelings Charts
Self compassion resources
Healthy boundary-setting strategies
Learning your body signals
Grounding Techniques
Grounding exercise
Mindfulness Techniques
Mindful eating
Mindful eating exercises
Pause between breaths
Body scan exercise
Practice mindfulness while traveling

Do you notice that your partner is constantly unhappy and discontented? Falling short of what you might consider a form of depressive disorder, it may be that your partner just seems to lack joy in life.

As long as defense mechanisms remain involuntary, they can’t be changed. But once you know enough to make them voluntary, you’re granted the opportunity to alter or extinguish them.

Of course, before attempting this strategic shift, you need to assess whether, in whole or part, the defense might still be required. Or whether (and frankly, much more likely) the defense is outmoded or self-defeatingly exaggerated. For if so, it’s probably leading you to sabotage yourself.

Satisfying and sustainable romantic relationships take work. We all know that patience, understanding, and flexibility are important qualities to practice for lasting love. And many of us add to that list the age-old pro-social behavior of sacrifice to improve our relationships..

Cognitive distortions are irrational ways of thinking that aren’t helpful. Everyone has them from time to time, but when they become excessive, they can cause distress or negatively impact your quality of life. They can also lead to maladaptive behaviors and increase your risk for mental health disorders like depression.

Today, I’ve asked Ken Duckworth to share his Tip of the Week.

“You’re depressed and need help.”

“Not going to happen.”

So begins and ends countless discussions when we ask teens to open up about mental health. I have seen so many loving parents fall into this pattern—urging action but getting resistance in return. Sometimes this direct strategy works, but often it does not.

When you seek information from your partner, chances are you assume that no matter how you ask the question, you’ll get the same answer. You and your partner may even pride yourselves on your ability to read each other’s minds so that the exact words you use may seem irrelevant. However, if you stop and think about these assumptions, it might occur to you that there is more to question-asking as a strategy than you realize.

You start the workweek ready to tackle your tasks, feeling confident, but then, it happens.

You don’t speak up during an important meeting, and the critical voice in your head starts.

“They’re going to think you’re not engaged. How could you let that opportunity go by?”

You try to brush it off. Then you catch a typo in a report you submitted. “Can’t I get anything right?”

It is a perplexing human response: Survivors are frequently stricken with profound guilt if they were in the company of others who were not so fortunate during a traumatic event. This can happen when there is no rational basis for feelings of failure; indeed, even those who respond heroically and saved others’ lives are frequently overwhelmed by survivor guilt.