We all have instruction books for the people in our lives. These are the ways we want them to be different than they are. Maybe you want your partner to be more considerate, you’d like your boss to be more appreciative, your kids to be more respectful or your friends
Do you call yourself any of these in the privacy of your thoughts? Failure Success Loser Lazy Worthless Broken Fool Stupid Hopeless Defective When frustrated, overwhelmed, or stressed it’s easy to resort to name calling, especially with ourselves. This tendency is a common cognitive distortion known as labeling and, if
How often do you feel aggravated, impatient, or exasperated Marco? Your answer reveals the extent to which you believe yourself responsible for your own happiness or lack thereof. Brains have a sneaky way of turning us into victims of our own self-crafted lives and if we’re not careful, this hidden
Recently I had a social gathering where one friend left early without explanation. My brain concluded she left because she wasn’t having a good time without considering other possibilities. Eventually, I learned her departure was about unexpected personal news she wasn’t able to talk about at the time so my
Of those who seek help for anxiety 70-80% of cases are due to suppressed thoughts and feelings about current life circumstances, according to David Burns, MD. He says we suppress these feelings out of a desire to be nice or protective of others. As a result, these feelings show up
It’s natural to want to help the people we care about when they’re in distress, but knowing the best approach can be confusing and awkward. It’s common to want to cheer someone up in these moments, but it can backfire. Here are some types of cheer likely to leave your
Do you know you can disagree with someone and still stay connected with them? When we disagree with someone we care about it can feel like a threat to our connection, which motivates us to get them to change their mind so we can be on the same page. The
Do you repeatedly give up in defeat and self-blame when a plan to change a habit falls apart? When something doesn’t go as planned, do you devolve into defeat and negativity? If so, resiliency may be a skill worth building. Here are some common obstacles to resiliency and how to
Decision-Making Tip #1: Open Your OptionsWe often overlook many viable options in favor of only a couple that are easy to see when trying to make a decision. Even if they aren’t ones you want to pursue, allow yourself to consider all possible options before narrowing them down. Start by asking yourself,
Do you have a difficult time making decisions? If so, you probably also believe in right and wrong decisions. But what if there’s no such thing? How do you know when a decision is right or wrong? The brain loves to put things in black and white, to see things