For many, the holiday season is a joyous time of year full of friends, family, and laughter; however, for some, the thought of spending extended time with certain relatives can evoke feelings of dread and anxiety. Dealing with difficult people can be a challenge, especially when those difficult people are related to you by either … Read more
Empathy is one of the most important tools that parents have in helping us to connect with as well as manage our children. But it is also a tool that is frequently under-utilized and/or misunderstood. What is empathy? Empathy involves understanding another’s feelings. It is related to, but different from compassion, sympathy, and/or pity. Being … Read more
From an early age, we are taught that once we fall in love we live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset with our perfect mate. This kind of message often creates the misconception that relationship difficulties are abnormal and a sign that a relationship must be doomed. In reality, relationship difficulties are … Read more
In all relationships, an important part of effective communication involves trying to understand where the other person is coming from and what they are feeling. Thus, when communicating with your partner, children, friends, or colleagues, listening is often more important than talking. Listening is not as easy as it seems; with a few useful tips … Read more
In today’s fast-paced world it is hard to find time to relax and connect with those who mean the most to us. Family members are pulled in a multitude of directions and by the time everyone is home from work or school it is time to run to either soccer practice or cub scouts, which … Read more
Most of us have been around people who bring us down with their negativity and pessimism and (let’s admit it) we all sometimes have days in which we, too, seem to focus on the glass being half-empty. As you might imagine, our tendency to see the glass as half-full or half-empty starts developing early in … Read more
