Truthfully, the relationship between perfectionism and anxiety is pretty complicated and one can very easily fuel the other. For example, striving for perfectionism can come as a method of coping with anxieties that then fuels further anxiety by crafting standards...

Even if it is not talked about that much in the media or mainstream culture, emotional scars and low self-esteem are often the most devastating products of abusive relationships — even above physical damage. When people hear the term “abuse” they will often...

Most of us are probably familiar with the three styles of communication — passive, assertive, and aggressive. But, in order to understand fully why assertive communication is the goal we should all strive for, we need to first establish what behaviors we need to...

What is a microaggression? A microaggression is a subtle behavior that ostracizes or otherwise negatively affects the members of marginalized groups. Oftentimes these actions are deemed “harmless” because they are often small issues, but over time these issues can add...

Summer is closely approaching and we’ve already seen quite a few beautiful, sunny days where the outdoors seems to be just begging us to put down our computers and go for a stroll. It is time for us to open our windows and feel the soft breeze flow through our homes,...

We all function as part of society — whether we classify ourselves as introverted or extroverted — and within that society, we learn, grow, work, and dream. The truth is, we choose which societies we want to interact with, which communities and groups of people we...

Dissociation is being disconnected from your surroundings, others around you, and even yourself in a moment. In the simplest terms, it is being disconnected from the moment. Now, all of us have times that we are disconnected from our current moment when we are...

Have you ever spent hours, days, or even weeks sharing a longing for togetherness with your partner, only to find that when they actually get home from their workday or a trip you don’t want to be near them? Or worse, you find yourself blowing up about the simplest...

When most people hear the word grief they think of the period of time after a loved one has passed when family and friends grieve. Everyone handles this grief differently, some see the time after a loved one has passed as only the time to mourn that passing, some see...

When most people hear the word “trauma” they think of veterans who come home from their time at war having lost dear friends and battled for their safety (and ours) or they may think of the many brave women who have stepped up in the #MeToo movement as survivors of...

When people think of the word “abuse” they oftentimes think of physical or sexual abuse before the idea of emotional abuse comes up in their heads. Unfortunately, though, emotional abuse is actually one of the most common types of abuse, with about 50% of Americans...

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, on average, nearly 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner every minute. This equates to over 10 million men and women being abused by their partners in a single year.   While these...

Over the past few years, we have seen an awful increase in the number of gun violence cases, such as mass shootings. In just the past 3 years (starting from January 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic first started dramatically shifting our daily lives) there have been...

There is nothing unusual about feeling a bit nervous or anxious about meeting your partner’s friends. Whether you’ve been with them for years or you’re just starting your relationship, meeting their friends can be stressful — after all, you want them to like you. ...

Going on a first date is stressful. Whether you’ve known your date since you were five years old swimming in the pop-up pool in your backyard or you have never met them before, simply the idea of a first date is enough to queue the butterflies in our stomachs. But,...

Sexual anxiety can happen to anyone.  Whether you’re exploring sexual intimacy in a new relationship or you’ve been in the same relationship for years, sexual anxiety (yours or your partner’s) can greatly impact your relationship.  In this article, we’re going to dive...

Let’s be completely honest here, the idea of a stranger judging your worth based on your appearance and ability to “sell yourself” in a single conversation is terrifying.  It is no surprise that so many of us feel tremendous anxiety around interviews. Luckily though,...

When you were a kid you probably didn’t even want to think about whether or not your parents were still having sex. But now that you’re older and feeling like you might not be getting the level of physical intimacy from your partner as you’d like, you might be...

Whether you suffer from social anxiety or the past few years of isolation have made you a hundred times more self-conscious of your conversation skills, there is nothing unusual about feeling anxious in social situations. Especially in social situations where you are...

We’ve all had days when we know logically “I’m awesome, I’m good enough, I deserve rest and joy,” but what we feel is more like crap, worry, and mean voices having a party in our heads.  I’ve heard great pep talks. I still remember my elementary counselor coming to...

A lot of us grow up not fully understanding what being in a healthy sexual relationship means. Whether we had “the talk” after we’d already become sexually active or didn’t actually learn anything from the mandatory “sex ed” class, most of us go into physically...