When you think about going to a therapist, at least on a broad spectrum, the question ‘how does that make you feel?‘ might come up for you at some point. Albeit a little stereotypical, it’s a really powerful question. Asking yourself how you feel is essentially what happens when you tune in. When you pause and check in with yourself, you see how you’re feeling in the moment – with the goal of responding appropriately and consciously. This question helps you to know how to tune in to your emotions for personal growth. “How do you feel?” may be the most important question you ask yourself. Knowing how you feel…
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The less you expect from someone, the more space you allow for them to be themselves. In any relationship, we often have expectations. Whether those expectations are of a certain moral, ethical, emotional, or physical standard – sometimes we just want people to do what we want them to do. It’s natural for humans to want to control their situation and environment; it makes us feel safe. However, if what you’re looking for is a real, authentic connection, letting go of the need for control is key to achieving that. Let go of your expectations for a specific outcome, and allow the universe to meet you there. What happens when…
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Abuse is not something that’s easy to write about, I want to be sure I am compassionate to those who have and are experiencing abuse. Abuse comes in a lot of different forms, happens to different degrees and can be experienced by anyone. As such, this particular perspective might only apply to a few folks specifically, and that’s okay – please use this information at your discretion. Being a survivor of domestic abuse growing up, this insight comes from my own experience both at home and in other environments. My hope is that you might find the following concepts to be helpful and empowering. Consider the signs listed below and…
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How to Have Difficult Conversations with Honesty, Empathy, and Emotional Intelligence I have learned a few things throughout my roughly ten years of working in sales. After talking with lots of people from different ages, ethnicities, backgrounds – you name it – the biggest takeaway has been this: you can say anything to anyone, you just have to say it the right way. It’s a mindset that’s guided me through conversations both big and small, uncomfortable and necessary. Whether it’s setting boundaries, expressing needs, or offering feedback, this principle has shown me how to communicate in a way that is effective for both me and the other person. The context…
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I’m not sure who all can relate to this, but for most of my life I assumed that just because someone was being nice to me – that also meant they were my friend. People are nice to other people for all kinds of reasons, and unfortunately no, it doesn’t make you friends. Sometimes someone might be nice to you as a way to manipulate you, use you to manipulate someone else, or they might just be nice to you because they are nice to everyone. Just because someone is pleasant to be around doesn’t mean the two of you have a connection. It doesn’t make them trustworthy and it…
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When we were little, we were taught to say “sorry” when we did something wrong. For some of us, somewhere along the way, we picked up the habit of apologizing constantly – just moving through life. People go to therapy because they need to talk about their desire for an apology. I know in the past, I’ve held the belief that an apology needed to happen before I could move on, and I’m not alone. Some folks wait years – sometimes their whole lives – for an apology. They stop speaking to loved ones, they hold grudges. They rearrange entire parts of their lives because they feel an apology is…
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For too long, many of us have confused being nice with being good – and being liked with being worthy. We do our best to smile, to be pleasant, and we see that as the baseline for acceptable behavior. As long as the people around us approve of what we’re doing, saying, or even who we are, we assume we’re worthy. We trade our emotional awareness for the perceived approval of others. This way of thinking skips the most important questions:How are you feeling?What do you want? Are you okay? People-pleasing can become so ingrained that we lose sight of our own emotional wellbeing altogether. If you’re a people-pleaser, you…
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People-pleasers are often described as “nice”. Beyond nice, however, people-pleasers are sensitive, emotionally attuned and often deeply empathetic. The problem occurs when empathy becomes your way of survival; when you unconsciously believe that other people’s comfort is more important than your truth – it gradually depletes your self-worth. People-pleasing is a survival strategy, and we do it out of fear – fear of disappointing others, fear of abandonment. Fear that if we don’t make other people happy; we aren’t lovable. The Unseen Burden of Pleasing If you were conditioned to view approval as the same as love, you likely learned that disappointing someone meant you would lose connection. In the…
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Emotions are an essential part of the human experience, in fact, it’s our emotions that make us human. We feel our feelings all throughout the day, but how often do we really take time to understand what we’re feeling and why? Most of us have been conditioned to categorize emotions as “good” or “bad,” but the reality is, emotions are far too complicated and nuanced to use such a binary approach. Moving beyond the “good” vs. “bad” emotional framework allows you to better identify and understand your emotions, and get to know yourself in the process. In this post, we’ll explore how to let go of the judgements you make…
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Falling in love with yourself is not one-time event. It’s not a grand, cinematic moment where you look in the mirror and suddenly feel like you’re enough. Real self-love is based on the ongoing relationship you have with yourself. Like any relationship, the one you have with yourself also requires time, patience, and a whole lot of emotional healing and learning. It’s messy, raw, and sometimes it feels like everything is in the way of you and the love you could have for yourself. Read more for some perspective on how to fall in love with yourself. What It Really Means to Love Yourself If you don’t already, getting to…
