For many people the holidays are filled with joy and excitement. Others have mixed feelings about it and some suffer from holiday depression. There are a host of reasons why someone might not enjoy the holidays due to grief, stress or other overwhelming feelings. You might feel like you have to put on a happy ...
One of my favorite topics to write about are boundaries. They are crucial to our mental health. It is like a cell membrane that protects us from outside forces. We allow what is healthy to cross the membrane, and keep things out that are toxic. If only it were this simple. Some people have cell ...
Most families are unique and different, yet they don't engage in dysfunction. Others may seem a little weird. Or perhaps they seem weird simply because they are different from our own. You may wonder which category yours falls into. In dysfunctional family systems, the physical or emotional well being of the members are at risk. ...
Do you have a friend or family member who is just exhausting to be around? Perhaps you feel zapped of energy after being with them and aren’t sure why. These are a few signs that you are dealing with difficult people. My guess is that they in some way push your boundaries. I recently read ...
Are you someone who feels anxious all the time? Do you spend hours worrying about things that never happen? Perhaps you are doing some things that increase anxiety, and you don't even know it. Many people struggle with anxiety and it is the main reason people come to therapy. Of course you have tried everything ...
Are there things you put up with in your relationship that you shouldn’t? If so you might be in a toxic relationship. How do you know if your relationship is healthy vs. toxic? In the therapy world we refer to healthy aspects of a relationship as green flags, and unhealthy behaviors as red flags. If ...
While the holidays with family can be wonderful, they can also be very challenging. Some have a toxic family that is filled with chaos, especially when you get certain people together. Maybe you are the one who is the scapegoat or the butt of jokes. While some people may just laugh it off, it can ...
Holiday Survival We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. This year is even more stressful. Thus some holiday survival tips will help. In addition to the usual activities and hustle and bustle, we have a pandemic to deal with. Many people had to alter their normal Thanksgiving festivities this year. The ...
Affluenza Many of you have heard about the recent affluenza case. I had an interesting experience with the media regarding this issue. First of all there is no actual psychiatric disorder called affluenza. Psychologists and psychiatrists use something called the DSM, which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which we use to diagnose disorders. The ...
Many people come to see me due to problems that arise from lack of boundaries in relationships. It leads to a lot of dysfunction. Boundaries keep us safe. They protect our physical and emotional boundaries. There are many areas that it is important to keep them. You may not realize how many boundaries you set ...
