Do you want to stop being codependent? It can feel like an overwhelming task and you may not know where to begin. This article will help you change specific codependent behaviors and with continued practice, you can overcome codependency and be emotionally healthier. Codependency includes unhelpful or unhealthy ways of thinking and acting. Codependents tend […]
Approximately 25% of us have an Avoidant Attachment Style. In my earlier post, What’s My Attachment Style and Why Does it Matter?, I explained the three primary attachment styles (secure, anxious, and avoidant) identified by psychologist Mary Ainsworth in the 1970s. Understanding your attachment style can help you create happier, healthier adult […]
In my previous post, What’s My Attachment Style and Why Does It Matter?, I gave you an overview of the three primary attachment styles (secure, anxious, and avoidant) and how attachment styles become the blueprint for our adult romantic relationships. Securely attached people tend to have happier, longer lasting relationships built on trust. They […]
Being at home during the COVID-19 quarantine (stay-at-home order) presents different challenges and benefits for each of us. For some people, extra time at home allows them to enjoy quality time as a family that they wouldn’t ordinarily have. And for others, being with family 24/7 is exhausting, frustrating, and demoralizing. Or you may be […]
How to cope when life doesn’t go as planned. Life rarely goes according to plan. I used to think I could make a plan, work hard, and accomplish what I’d set out to do. I’m a planner. I like routines and consistency. I like to know what’s going to happen. I like it […]
Guilt keeps many people stuck in dysfunctional or codependent relationships because they prioritize other people’s needs and happiness above their own. Generally, we hope or expect that relationships will last forever. We idealize close family ties, soulmates, and decades-long friendships. But sometimes this unrealistic expectation – that our relationships should last forever — […]
Challenging common myths about codependency Codependency is a confusing term. And regardless of whether you like the term or not, it’s become a popular way to talk about a group of traits and inter-personal relationship dynamics that are usually the result of childhood trauma (such as growing up in a dysfunctional family) or generational […]
Do you back down from your boundaries and allow others to mistreat you? Do you ignore your needs so you can satisfy someone else’s needs? Do you ignore or minimize your feelings? Do you skip self-care because you’re busy taking care of everyone else and think you can do without? In other words, do […]
Some children don’t get much of a childhood. When children have to act like adults – taking responsibility for their siblings, parents, and running a household– there are lasting effects. What is a parentified child? A parentified child is one that has taken on some or all of their parent’s responsibilities. Out of […]
Healing from an unhealthy or toxic relationship involves learning to trust yourself again. Unhealthy relationships erode your ability to trust yourself Unhealthy or toxic relationships can destroy your trust in others. For example, if your partner cheated on you or called you derogatory names, it makes sense that you may have trouble trusting […]