Barb had been trying for years to improve her relationship with her mother, Sandra. Barb tried everything. She would go over there for a quiet dinner with Sandra and then find herself being criticized for neglecting her husband and son. Barb tried staying away. She caught hell for that too.
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Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger August 5, 2020
If you are out of touch with your feelings or so stressed that you can only pay attention to a limited number of emotions, you won’t be able to understand your own needs. If you don’t understand your deep-seated needs, you will have a hard time communicating with others and
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 28, 2020
When people are upset, the words they use rarely convey the issues and needs at the heart of the problem. When we listen for what is felt as well as said, we connect more deeply to our own needs and emotions, and to those of other people. Tips for being
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 28, 2020
Anger is like fire: it cannot survive without fuel. Like fire, unchecked anger can grow out of control and cause enormous damage and pain. But also like fire, anger can be recognized, controlled and managed in our lives. The fuel that keeps anger burning can come from many sources –
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 14, 2020
Our brains are naturally wired to focus on the negative, which can make us feel stressed and unhappy even though there are a lot of positive things in our lives. We learn immediately from pain—you know, “once burned, twice shy.” Unfortunately, the brain is relatively poor at turning positive experiences
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 9, 2020
Who are difficult people? – people who irritate us – people who make us lose control over a situation – people who use manipulation to get what they want – people who make us feel anxious, upset, frustrated, angry, etc. Dealing with difficult people means dealing with difficult behavior! If
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 2, 2020
One day a wise and respected king decided to humble his son, whom he saw as arrogant and unfit to take over the thrown. The king said to his son the prince, “My son, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 2, 2020
We all have a running inner dialogue of thoughts. Sometimes this inner self talk is pessimistic, critical or blaming. By attending to our inner self talk, we will notice critical thoughts intruding, and that’s ok. We need to look carefully at our angry thoughts and try to see if we
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger July 1, 2020
At some point in your life, you probably learned the golden rule, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. There is a phrase in Exodus 21:23,24 that many cite as a religious basis for the golden rule “a life for life, eye for eye, tooth for
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 28, 2020
Everyday, somewhere in America, violence erupts. Each night on the news there are people telling their horror stories of injury and trauma, testifying to the terror that occurs in big cities and small communities. Yet this country seems to say with a shrug, “What are you gonna do.” To address
Read More Shared by Aaron Karmin, LCPC, Contributing Blogger June 28, 2020