You know your friend is struggling with depression or anxiety or some other mental health issue, but you don’t know what to say. You feel like anything you think about saying just sounds stupid and patronizing. You also aren’t sure what to do. After all, you don’t want to intrude.
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 31, 2019
You see a Facebook post with a picture that immediately gives you pause and—as cliché as it sounds—your stomach plummets. It’s your close friends at a party, and you’re not there, because you weren’t invited. Or maybe you get to work, and everyone is talking about the cool event they
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 26, 2019
How often do you find yourself wondering if you may have simply misunderstood the context or meaning of a text message? Most people are pretty adept at transmitting factual information – names, dates, numbers – to one another. But how about your feelings, wishes, understanding, concerns and decisions? That’s when
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger March 21, 2019
When you’re a people pleaser, setting boundaries can feel painful. We worry we’ll hurt someone’s feelings. We fear we’ll fracture the relationship. We think saying no is rude or cruel or not compassionate—and we see ourselves as the opposite of these things. And we simply don’t have much practice with
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 20, 2019
Healthy communication about a difficult subject doesn’t have to end in agreement. In fact, one benefit of regular conversation with someone who doesn’t agree with you is the discovery that your disagreement can actually be stimulating to both of you. But open-mindedness is essential. Each of you must be willing to
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger March 19, 2019
When you take someone’s anger-provoking behavior personally, you feel offended and disrespected. Your reaction to your uncomfortable feelings is either to defend yourself or to submit passively to what the other person seems to think of you. Either way, you view the other person’s behavior as a literal, serious, personal
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger March 19, 2019
To sustain an intimate relationship, we must be able to communicate with one another. Our communication needs to go beyond the events of the day to truthful, heartfelt conversation that explores feelings and issues within and affecting the relationship. Much of what passes for communication in daily life is far
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger March 19, 2019
Saying no to someone makes you very uncomfortable. So you don’t. You’re always available to everyone. In fact, you tend to put others’ needs above your own. Without hesitation. You rarely express a differing opinion (even when you clearly disagree). You apologize. A lot. You hate when someone is upset
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 4, 2019
Bipolar disorder affects men and women in equal numbers, and the symptoms are essentially identical. But some key differences do exist—differences that might be due to biological factors, and social ones, too. For starters, research has consistently shown that women have higher rates of bipolar II disorder, “which typically presents
Read More Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger March 2, 2019
Jose and Tina were at it again. She saw Jose looking at his phone and turning his back to her. Tina thought the worst, “He is texting other women, he is planning to leave me.” As soon as he put his phone back on the charger and walked away, Tina
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger March 1, 2019