Our priorities tend to shift during an unexpected crisis, whether we want to our not. And yet the problems of our life can’t remain on hold forever. How do we handle this added anxiety and navigate the issues we continue to face?
[Read more…] about Taking Control During a CrisisTherapy Resources and Support for Your Mental Health
How Do I Know What I’m Feeling?
Feelings and emotions are central to being human. Sometimes we enjoy them and at other times we are afraid of them in ourselves and others. Understanding emotions allows us to succeed in the areas that matter most to us: Home life, career, and friendships. Yet this doesn’t work the same for those of us that are smarter or more intelligent. Oddly enough, this has nothing to do with luck or the right “connections”.
[Read more…] about How Do I Know What I’m Feeling?Why Don’t I Feel Normal Unless I am Crying or Upset?
What is a normal way to respond to problems? While this varies from person to person, sometimes our response itself creates and contributes to more of the chaos in our lives. Identifying a few key points may help smooth things along.
[Read more…] about Why Don’t I Feel Normal Unless I am Crying or Upset?Why Are Other People So Incompetent?!
Have you ever noticed how other people seem to get in your way, cause more problems, or just seem to be so stupid and incompetent that it “makes your blood boil?” Having to deal with such people, and situations, is very upsetting. It seems like “there are so many of those incompetent people” out there. Understanding how to deal with these situations is critical to your own health.
[Read more…] about Why Are Other People So Incompetent?!How Shame Can Warp Our Lives
The dynamics of shame and embarrassment are central issues in the development of the self in those individuals who have come from dysfunctional families. Understanding a few issues can be helpful in making changes so that these fears will lose their great power in your life.
[Read more…] about How Shame Can Warp Our LivesHow to Tell if You are a Victim of Verbal and Emotional Abuse
Abusers can be either male or a female. This article is therefore inclusive as the cycle of abuse is the same whether the abuser is a male or a female. These stages of the cycle of abuse are important to know about if you are going to manage your safety.
[Read more…] about How to Tell if You are a Victim of Verbal and Emotional AbuseConsequences of Not Having Personal Boundaries
We all want to be fair, kind and loving to the people that we care about. Sometimes that means going out of our way for them. At other times, it means putting up with a certain amount of crap. In the long run, we hope and bet on the odds that it’s worth it for our relationship to have a little give-and-take. However, giving out love without any personal boundaries can be extremely dangerous and carries extreme risk to our own sense of self and others.
[Read more…] about Consequences of Not Having Personal BoundariesImposter Syndrome
Do you feel like a fraud who just “fakes it” and is in danger of being found out? Most adults have struggled through their lives to develop themselves in some way that allows them to function in the world as “normal human beings”. As a result, we have had to overcome our insecurities and “act as if everything is okay.”
[Read more…] about Imposter SyndromeCaretaker Burnout, Compassion & Fatigue
When a member of the family experiences problems, an illness, injury or disability, we tend to forget the impact that any of these problems have on other members of the family. Even short-term crises and problems can drain us as we try to be strong in our efforts to be caring and helpful.
[Read more…] about Caretaker Burnout, Compassion & FatiguePerfectionism: The Stress Personality
Stress, burn-out, and coping requires that we come to understand our own perfectionistic traits. Perfectionism forces us to take on too much, to be impatient, angry, hostile, and competitive. We feel that we must have things done a certain way. It drives us to work all the time, making it difficult to relax and have fun and relationships.
[Read more…] about Perfectionism: The Stress PersonalityNatural Supplements for Mental Health
Many people are interested in using natural supplements to help their depression or anxiety. In fact, there are quite a few choices for over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements for mental health. Keep in mind that these are not as closely researched as prescription medications, and their side-effects and interactions with other drugs may be not as well understood.
[Read more…] about Natural Supplements for Mental HealthGrowing Up with Emotional Abuse
When children’s development of self-esteem, social skills or capacity for intimacy is jeopardized by their parents’ behavior or neglect, they may be the victim of emotional abuse. Whether it is alcohol or other drugs, mental illness, compulsive behavior (eating, working, religion, etc.), or any one of a thousand other things that deplete a family’s emotional life, the results are the same.
[Read more…] about Growing Up with Emotional AbuseHow NOT to Talk to Your Doctor
In order to understand how to best talk with your doctor (or psychiatrist, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, or other medical provider), you need to know one very important concept: Your doctor wants to help you!
[Read more…] about How NOT to Talk to Your DoctorHow to Choose a Good Psychiatrist
At some point, you may find yourself in need of a good psychiatrist. There are three critical rules in doing this. Understanding the terminology in distinguishing between a psychiatrist, psychologist, and psychiatric mental nurse practitioner is the most important step. Setting your expectations appropriately and not sabotaging your approach is second. Third is the rule of not forgetting your ultimate goal.
[Read more…] about How to Choose a Good PsychiatristWait, I’m not Crazy?! Adults Who Grew Up in Dysfunctional Families
If you grew up in an unhealthy or dysfunctional family, it has drastically and permanently altered the course of your life. It is absolutely vital to understand how, specifically, this affects you so that you can stand a chance to change patterns of unhealthy choices and behaviors that plague you and your adult life. Left unchecked, these patterns can drastically sabotage everything you hold dear in this life.
[Read more…] about Wait, I’m not Crazy?! Adults Who Grew Up in Dysfunctional Families