It’s only recently that emotional maturity has been the focus of attention and this is great news. Emotional immaturity has been the cause of so much distress in our lives and relationships and now we are learning to do better. The operative word is learning! Check out some of the indicators of emotional maturity...
One of the Most Underrated Relationship Skills
Throughout your life you will connect with people you encounter at school, work, and in your personal life. As you develop relationships with different people you will need to utilize a variety of skills to maintain positive, healthy relationships that make life more enjoyable. In the age of blocking + ghosting, there is one...
The Fine Line Between Self Awareness and Intellectualization
If you’ve read self development books, been to therapy, studied psychology or follow emotional intelligence, therapy or trauma informed accounts on social media, chances are you’ve developed a good deal of self awareness about your “stuff”. We’ve all been handed experiences or circumstances in our lives that are traumatic or deeply challenging in some...
What Are Defenses? Do I use them?
If you’re human, you use defense mechanisms even though you might not consciously know it; and so does everyone you know. And when you can actually see them, your communication, problem solving skills, emotional health and relationships improve. Let’s break this down – what they are and how they work – so you can...
What is Self Abandonment?
There’s a lot of information out there about abandonment issues, but what about self abandonment? And why is self abandonment a problem? Abandonment issues are essentially the fear of being left. Usually because an important figure was not present when you were young. The way this shows up is through having an anxious attachment....
What is Good Girl Conditioning?
Asking a child to be “good” or telling them to be “good” slips out so easily. It’s just so ingrained in us to use these words, and the truth is they are words that carry some really strong conditioning that we don’t even know is being transmitted. Being “good” essentially means “well behaved” or...
How to Recover When You’re Emotionally Drained
Being emotionally drained and physically drained sometimes feel the same but they are not! Because they are not the same, we are often left wondering what’s wrong. We ask this question because being THAT tired and overwhelmed doesn’t make sense when you add up all the “activities” or “requests” that are happening. I first...
Signs You (or your kids) Are Emotionally Drained
Being physically drained and emotionally drained are not the same thing. Even though they can sometimes look similar. Why is it helpful to know if you’re emotionally drained? It can save you a fight and it can help you take better care of yourself because being emotionally drained is not something we really know...
Let’s Talk About This Strategy: Ignore Your Child’s Tantrums or Big Feelings
This is a big parenting technique that has been taught for decades about how to deal with tantrums and big feelings: just ignore them. And, if we’re being honest, it makes sense coming from a behavioral perspective – reinforce behaviors you want to see more of and ignore behaviors you want to see less...
I know Fight or Flight, But What is A “Fawn” Trauma Response?
There’s a lot more information about trauma out there on social media now, which is great because it elevates collective awareness around trauma and how it impacts our daily lives. You’ve probably heard of flight or flight as responses to trauma triggers, but you may not have heard so much about what the “fawn”...