Relationships
Surviving the Holidays with a Difficult Family: A Guide to Protecting Your Peace
If you are like me, the holiday season often comes wrapped in a mix of emotions—joy, nostalgia, and, for many, stress. If you’re heading into family gatherings knowing there will be tension, it’s important to prioritize your well-being. Here are a few tips for moving through the holiday season so you feel at peace and…
Read MoreGetting What You Actually Want from your Partner— Part Three: “MAN”, how to increase the likelihood of getting our request met with three more easy steps
This is part three of the series, “Getting what you Actually Want from your Partner”. To read part one, start here. To read part two, click here. Now that we have our priorities set and most of our script completed with “DEAR“, it is time to complete M is for being Mindful Being mindful is…
Read MoreGetting What You Actually Want from your Partner— Part Two: Creating a Script to Use in Conversation
This is part Two of the series: Getting what you Actually Want from your Partner. To read part one, start here. Once you have your goals prioritized, it is time to think about and write what you want to say in the conversation. DBT provides a great template to assist us in asking for our…
Read More4 Subtle Signs of Emotional Abuse
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, emotional abuse includes “non-physical behaviors that are meant to control, isolate, or frighten you“. This may present in romantic relationships as threats, insults, constant monitoring, excessive jealousy, manipulation, humiliation, intimidation, and dismissiveness, among others.” It can be challenging to see the signs of emotional abuse as they are…
Read MoreThe Differences Between Assertiveness and Aggressiveness
Someone recently asked me the difference between aggressiveness and assertiveness, specifically in asking your partner or children for something. Often we mistake the two, and depending on our upbringing, the two may be similar or are the same thing. In some families (like my big Italian family), aggressiveness and loud communication are a way of…
Read MoreGetting What You Actually Want from your Partner— Part One: Clarifying and Prioritizing Your Goals
We’ve all been there; we ask our partner to take out the trash, be more spontaneous in bed, or even remember that we have that dinner party on Saturday. And sometimes, it happens. Though other times, they fall short of our expectations. We may blame this on our partner. We may say, “If they were…
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