
We have heard it before. New Years Resolutions. At the stroke of midnight, we kiss our loved ones, wish them a happy new year, and set some goals for ourselves to be better. If you are someone to abandon that shortly after you set your sights on change, you might be reading this blog. Why is it easier for people to trail off with their goals and revert back to their old ways? Changing habits is actually hard work and because that work requires more time, attention, and commitment, it’s easier for us to let go of that and be where it is comfortable, our “old” self. Perhaps you have reached a point where you are entirely fed up with who that person is.
Blending two families can be a complex and challenging process. With some basic skills and commitment to ideas like being patient, having open communication, and a willingness to compromise, it is possible to create a harmonious and fulfilling family dynamic. Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you are in the process of blending two families:
Anger is a very common and natural emotion that everyone experiences regularly throughout their lifetime. However, anger can spike and become intense and difficult to manage, this is when it can have negative consequences on both in the short-term and long-term. If struggling with anger management is something you can relate to, there are several skills and tools you can use to manage anger spikes and express your true feeling effectively.

Coping skills are a set of behaviors or actions that have positive benefits to one’s mental health. They can be used in situations to help alleviate any difficult emotions (ie: anger, sadness, anxiety, etc.) or they can be used daily to assist in maintaining a positive mood.
The unique thing about coping skills is that they are different for everyone! Where one skill may be helpful for you, it may be something that does not work for someone else. It may take trial and error of varied coping skills to see what is unique to helping you. Try out different hobbies or interests to see if they are helpful in alleviating those difficult emotions, commonly these hobbies/interests can also work as coping skills. Additionally, try out coping skills that you may be skeptical about because they could surprise you in a positive way. As time goes on and you begin to learn more about yourself, it can become easier to recognize the coping skills that help you to manage these difficult emotions best.

What is anxiety? Emotionally, anxiety is a state of inner turmoil often marked by intense worry, fear, orunease. It can show up as racing thoughts, dread about the future, or a constant feelingthat something bad might happen—even if there’s no obvious reason. Physically, anxiety activates the body’s stress response. It can manifest physically in arapid […]

Strange title, right? Everybody knows how to breathe! However, there may be more to breathing than we may realize. Everybody has gone through moments of nervousness and worry, be it when taking a test, thinking about the next sports game, or even choosing a gift for someone you care about. When feeling anxious or generally […]

When we think of having a healthy diet, we naturally think of how this will impact our body. What we often overlook is how our diet impacts our mental health. Research continues to support this idea that our very diet can leave us more susceptible to negative moods and even our overall mental health (Firth […]

The term “gaslighting” was one of the top searched terms of 2022. So what is gaslighting? And how can you identify it?

Many people struggle with body image, especially with societal pressures and constantly seeing perfectly photoshopped celebrity bodies online. However, it is important to remember that there is no standard of beauty and you are beautiful just the way you are.

What is anxiety? Emotionally, anxiety is a state of inner turmoil often marked by intense worry, fear, orunease. It can show up as racing thoughts, dread about the future, or a constant feelingthat something bad might happen—even if there’s no obvious reason. Physically, anxiety activates the body’s stress response. It can manifest physically in arapid […]

Strange title, right? Everybody knows how to breathe! However, there may be more to breathing than we may realize. Everybody has gone through moments of nervousness and worry, be it when taking a test, thinking about the next sports game, or even choosing a gift for someone you care about. When feeling anxious or generally […]

When we think of having a healthy diet, we naturally think of how this will impact our body. What we often overlook is how our diet impacts our mental health. Research continues to support this idea that our very diet can leave us more susceptible to negative moods and even our overall mental health (Firth […]

It is never an easy process to acknowledge that we may be struggling. Oftentimes in our struggles, we may seek quick relief. Substances are a popular choice for finding this quick relief. Unfortunately, some may fall victim to the dark side of substances and face addiction. When we think of addiction in general, substances are […]

Many people struggle with body image, especially with societal pressures and constantly seeing perfectly photoshopped celebrity bodies online. However, it is important to remember that there is no standard of beauty and you are beautiful just the way you are.

New Years has recently passed and many of us have set resolutions or goals we want to accomplish in 2023. For many of us, as great and important as these goals may be, we might find it difficult to stick to and achieve them. Many times we might find it difficult to start working towards our goals, or if we start, we might stop shortly after beginning. Although there are several factors that may contribute to our difficulties in achieving our new goals, one common one is that these goals are often too large or too vague. One strategy we can use to help us toward reaching our goals is by setting “SMART” goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timebound. These components work together to help to keep us motivated as we start and progress toward our goals.

Whether it be with our partners, friends, family or a stranger in a grocery store, disagreements, arguments and conflict can happen. They are a normal part of our relationships and even the healthiest of relationships experience them. However, just because everyone experiences them, does not make them any easier to deal with. In fact, in the heat of the moment, even the smallest of disagreements can feel like they begin to spiral out of control and end up turning into a much bigger problem. To navigate these disagreements, there are some strategies we can use to reduce the intensity of the disagreement and possibly even end it in a better place than it began. Although it “takes two to tango”, just one person changing their behavior and responses in a disagreement can change the course of the conversation.