Do Relationships Make You Happier? 7 Reasons the Answer is Yes!
Everyone wants to know the secret to happiness. You may think that more money or losing 20 pounds will make you happier. But you could be looking for contentment in the wrong places. Money, weight loss and possessions can provide pleasant feelings for a while. But it...
After the Abuse: What to Do with the Guilt and Shame
The abuse you suffered wasn’t your fault. You’ve finally gotten yourself out of the situation to a place of safety. Yet, you can’t help feeling guilty, as though you’ve done something wrong. If anyone should feel ashamed in this situation, it’s the abuser—not you. But...
Is Your Smartphone Fueling Your Eating Disorder?
Smartphones make it easier than ever to keep track of our health. Apps on your phone include My Fitness Pal, which helps you to track your calorie intake, and Endomondo, which helps to track your progress on exercise goals. These apps quickly monitor how well you’re...
Warm Weather, Swimsuits & Body Shaming: How to Prepare your Mind
The weather is heating up. As we get closer to summer, most of us want to dress in cooler, shorter, more revealing clothes. Unfortunately, this can usher in a season of self-consciousness if your body doesn’t match society’s ideal. It’s this time of year when you’ll...
How EMDR Can Help You Conquer Social Anxiety
An estimated 15 million Americans live with social anxiety. If you’re one of them, you know about the challenges it presents. You may feel afraid of interacting with others, expecting to be judged or disliked. You would love to have more friends, but thinking about...
Quit or Recommit? How Couples Counseling Can Help You Decide
Most people think couples counseling is only used to try to save your relationship. But if you’re in a position where things feel too good to leave but too bad to stay, couples counseling can offer an impartial guide. Couples counseling can help you make up your mind...
Overcoming Overwhelm: 10 Strategies to Keep Yourself Calm
You’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed. Our busy modern lives pull us in multiple directions at once, making it feel nearly impossible to keep everything in balance. Although we have a limited amount of control over our circumstances, we can manage our responses to...
Eating Disorders are Equal Opportunity Destroyers: Are You in Danger?
Do you have a picture in your mind of the typical eating disorder sufferer? Many people stereotype eating disorder patients as young, Caucasian, upper-class females. While certainly some people do fit this description, far more people are at risk than you may realize....
Headline Headache? How to Cope When World Events Feed Your Worry
When you turn on the TV news, the world can seem like a scary place. Violence and war rage in countries around the world. Some commentators and political figures even claim the same could happen here. It doesn’t take much exposure to world news to feel like your...
EMDR: Why You Might Benefit More from Saying Less
The lasting effects of trauma can be difficult to overcome. Many people try to bury the hurts of the past, thinking problems will go away if they ignore them. Unfortunately, that is rarely true, especially when it comes to major trauma. Some trauma survivors try to...
Mutual Satisfaction: 7 Ways to Cultivate Happiness as a Couple
Your relationship is going strong. But you know there is always a way to make it better. A happy marriage doesn’t just happen by accident, and you will likely find that your relationship will decay if you don’t nurture it. Here are some ways you can cultivate...
Free to Move Forward: 10 Reasons to Seek Trauma Treatment
By Linda K. Laffey, MFT Many people are walking around, wounded by untreated trauma. They try to put on a brave face and hide their problems from the rest of the world. And, most of the time, they succeed in this mission. You, too, may think that you can keep...
How to Help Your Loved One with an Eating Disorder
It’s natural to worry when someone you love appears to have an eating disorder. The situation can feel terrifying and like it’s out of your control. You can’t make someone else get better, but you can be an ally in their recovery. Here are some of the things you...
How to Bounce Back Better than Ever After a Breakup
If you’ve recently faced the end of a relationship, you know that it’s a painful experience. You may be sad and disappointed as you let go of your hopes and dreams. Your self-confidence may be in a bit of a slump, too. Fortunately, you can recover from a breakup and...
7 Ways to Curb the Anxiety That’s Killing Your Confidence
Does self-doubt tend to creep into your mind at the worst possible times? Does it convince you not to pursue opportunities? Why? You’re bright. You’re talented. You have a lot to offer. Yet, you sometimes feel so anxious that you know it’s holding you back. You could...
Ways Therapy Can Help You Break Free From Your Eating Disorder
An eating disorder is more than just a diet that has gone too far. A true eating disorder is destructive to both physical and emotional health. But, because it often develops slowly over time, it can be difficult to tell the difference between normal dieting and...
Why Unresolved Trauma Makes You Feel Like a Square Peg Trying to Fit into a Round Hole
Sometimes it feels like you’re just watching the rest of the world from the outside. You don’t feel like you fit in with other people. Do you feel numb or like you don’t know how you’re supposed to act in certain situations? Are you worried that you just don’t feel...
What to Do When You’re Scared to Death of Being Alone
It’s human nature to seek connection with others. We are social creatures. But even though we may desire to be in a relationship, there are seasons in our lives when we must be alone. Unfortunately, being alone is an extremely unpleasant state for many people. Do you...
Worried at Work? How to Deal with Anxiety on the Job
If you deal with anxiety, you’re certainly not alone. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults have an anxiety disorder. While most people with anxiety try to cope on their own, some circumstances are more challenging than...
You, Me and Us: Why Your Relationship Needs All 3 of You
Our culture holds a lot of high ideals about relationships. Some of us still think that a relationship is two people becoming one. While this is a nice thought, it’s difficult to maintain and it doesn’t work. It is not a healthy goal. Truly healthy relationships...
