What’s the difference between healthy caregiving and codependent caretaking? It’s natural to express love by taking care of others, especially when you see a loved one struggling or hurting. However, the difference between codependency and caring isn’t clear. Certainly, not all caregiving is bad or unhealthy. When trying to determine if our caretaking is […]
We usually think of personal boundaries as a way to communicate our needs to others; a way to tell them how we want to be treated. But we also need boundaries with ourselves. Boundaries are guidelines or limits An integral part of being a responsible adult is establishing limits for ourselves – making […]
What is codependency? Codependency is a broad term and it can manifest in a variety of ways. Below are some of the most common symptoms of codependency. You don’t need to have them all to consider yourself codependent. I find it’s helpful to think of codependency on a spectrum – some of us experience more […]
Have you been short-changing yourself on self-care, saying critical or hurtful things to yourself, or setting unrealistic expectations for yourself? Are you ready to embrace your worthiness and start treating yourself with love? Why You Need Self-Love Loving ourselves and prioritizing our needs is often very challenging. Unfortunately, many of us didn’t receive […]
Setting boundaries can be hard! Do you struggle to set boundaries? Well, you’re not alone. Mental health professionals and self-help gurus put a lot of emphasis on boundaries because they’re the foundation of healthy relationships and a strong sense of self-worth. Boundaries serve two main functions: Boundaries tell others how you want to be treated […]
Most of us lead busy stressful lives. We’re overloaded with information. We struggle to make decisions. We can’t focus. We rush and multitask because there never seems to be enough hours in the day to do it all. We always feel behind. We do things last minute because we forget or aren’t organized. We […]
What is perfectionism? Perfectionism – the relentless pursuit of being flawless in an effort to prove our worth and avoid criticism — adds unnecessary stress and pressure to our already demanding lives. When we strive for perfection rather than excellence, we’re never satisfied. We always feel deficient because we’re comparing ourselves to an impossible […]
Being close to your family is usually a good thing, but it’s possible to be too close. Enmeshment describes family relationships that lack boundaries such that roles and expectations are confused, parents are overly and inappropriately reliant on their children for support, and children are not allowed to become emotionally independent or separate from […]
Codependents often focus on other people and their problems – sometimes getting obsessed with or fixated on helping or fixing things outside of their control. Not only can this lead to self-neglect, but it’s also frustrating and largely a waste of time and energy. Instead of focusing on things that we can’t control or […]
Perfectionism seems straightforward, but it’s often misunderstood. Many people think perfectionism helps them achieve their goals and get better results. American culture continues to encourage perfectionism despite all of the research that indicates perfectionism is associated with increased anxiety, depression, suicidal behavior, eating disorders, relationship and health problems.* The fallacy that perfectionism is helpful […]