Conflict is something we all have in life. No matter how good the relationship, people disagree. Typically, we do everything we can to avoid conflict. Some people use aggression to blow the conflict up while others use passiveness and run away. Probably most of us fit somewhere in the middle of those two positions. But…
The measure of a healthy relationship is not how quickly conflict is resolved. A better measurement is how long conflict can go unresolved and not become personal. (27)
I want to lose 50 pounds…. I want to write a novel… I want to travel to France… I want to help children in Africa… I want to start a small business… I want my marriage to be better than it is… I want my relationship with my child/parent to be restored… We all have…
What is Emotional Security Emotional security is knowing it is safe to know and be known. Completely known by the people in your life. I know a woman who is beautiful. By any definition, she contains all of the outer signs of beauty. She is also smart, articulate and funny. I met her because…
Sometimes, when I go out to eat I embarrass my family. Well, mostly I embarrass my kids. I love to ask the server one of two questions. And now, I would like to ask you one of those questions. Your answer to this question will impact how you treat other people in your life. Your…
Let me tell you what this post is not. It is not a slam on video games. In fact, I bought the video game in question yesterday. I intend to play at some point in the next two days. I was in a meeting with a number of other counselors yesterday and one of them…
I was having a conversation lately with someone who was stuck in a really bad story. She is dating the same guy over and over again. And while his name has changed, his character has been the same. It’s messing with her head.It’s keeping her up at night. It’s making her feel hollow inside. Then…
A constant theme in mental health that I have written about is that what happens to you is less important than how you make sense of what happens to you. This is a very important concept. So important, I want to write it again. What happens to you is not as important as how you…
I wrote earlier this year about the idea of being the one who wronged someone. That post can be found here. That post deal with five specific things that someone who has wronged another can do and some issues to be aware of during the restoration process. But what about the person who was wronged?…
One important aspect of living authentically is living in truth. From the standpoint of relationship, this means not living in state of denial about the conditions that surround a relationship. It also means not passively accepting the negative aspects of the overall circumstances that surround us. With regard to friendships in particular it means not…
