Validating your partner is a skill that is essential to establishing and maintaining intimacy.  When you validate your partner, you are letting them know that you see how they are feeling, their feelings are important to you, and you are giving reassurance that they feel that way.  Everyone has a different experience, and those in distress may experience painful feelings for different reasons.  What is hurtful for one partner may not be the same for another.  Validating your partner is not the same as being in agreement, you can still disagree and validate. 

Infidelity in marriages has been a topic of interest for many years, with many studies conducted on the topic. Recently, with divorce rates being what they are in the United States, there has been an increase in the amount of research focused on understanding the causes and effects of infidelity as well as possible ways of minimizing the probability of it occurring.

Cognitive development in teenagers is a fascinating topic.  As teens develop both socially and cognitively, they are also able to think more deeply about complex ideas and concepts, and they begin to understand the world around them in a more complex way.  This however, does not come without its share of successes and challenges for the teen and those committed to supporting them.

Picture this: it is a Saturday morning, and your child has a soccer game. You spend the morning rushing to make sure your child eats breakfast, puts on their clean uniform, and has a bag packed of necessary items. As you are pouring your coffee in a thermos before you run out the door, your child gets comfortable on the couch and turns on the television. You remind your child as you approach the door, “we are getting ready to leave, turn the TV off, and let’s go!”. Your child, who is zoned into their favorite show, does not listen, and continues to watch the TV. Frustration sets in and all patience disappears as you are looking at the clock and opening the door, “Bye! I’m leaving without you!”. Those simple five words then causes your child to begin crying and screaming, a full-on meltdown. The frustration grows bigger, and a fight begins, causing you to then be late for the soccer game (which you were trying to avoid happening). The result: you are agitated, your child is upset, and now you are late. Many have been in this position, when you express to your child that you are leaving without them. While this expression may come out of frustration, it can be considered a fear tactic which may invoke long term stress or fear of abandonment within your child. It is important to avoid invoking this fear because it could foster mental health and emotional difficulties. Getting your child ready to leave the house can become a positive experience to foster the growth of time management and responsibility by making a few changes to that morning routine.

Words and the language we use in our daily lives have a significant impact on how we view ourselves and the world around us. As many of us have seen or experienced, even how something is worded can influence our interpretation and reaction of what was said. However, this is not only the case for the person listening. The language we use can shape and reinforce our own views, thoughts and mood, for better or for worse. In both scenarios, whether we are listening to someone else or saying something ourselves, the language we use can contribute to how we respond or behave in any given situation.

Mental health and physical health have commonly been considered two entirely different and separate things. However, the two are very closely related in many different ways. At the broadest level, poor mental health negatively impacts one’s physical health and poor physical health may negatively impact one’s mental health. However, positive physical health promotes improvements in mental health and vice-versa. Many factors contribute to both one’s physical health and mental health; however, the benefits, or consequences, one has on the other are significant.

The mind and body are often seen as separate, but mental health and physical health are closely related. Having good mental health can positively affect your physical health, as well as the reverse.

You would not be alone if you are concerned about the possible negative effects on your mental health around the winter season. Many people label this season as one of the most stressful times of the year, while some stress is unavoidable, too much stress can challenge your ability to cope.

As we begin to prepare for the holidays, this is also the time we turn back our clocks to standard time. In order to remember which way the clocks move, we’ve named it “fall back” & “spring forward.” Falling back means changing the clocks back one full hour, resulting in earlier sunsets & later sunrises. This ultimately means more darkness throughout the rest of Fall & Winter. Darkness can feel increasingly isolating & is known to exacerbate already existing mental health problems such as depression & anxiety. Changing back the clocks also negatively impacts our circadian rhythm (body clock), disrupting our sleep/wake cycle & the production of melatonin. Darkness increases the production of melatonin, thus leaving us to feel more tired, sleepy & fatigued in the winter months. In essence, sunlight is directly linked to our circadian rhythm therefore it is no surprise that when the sun goes down, we begin to get sleepy, even if it’s only 5pm!

Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of our environment, bodily sensations, thoughts & feelings. It is a minute-by-minute sense of awareness that is often overlooked, ignored & unnoticed. It is the idea of stopping to smell the roses! Additionally, mindfulness is a form of acceptance. Acceptance of our current thoughts & feelings in a judgement free, unbiased zone. We are usually so quick to judge our thoughts & feelings in a way that can be harmful, therefore mindfulness encourages us to be kinder & more accepting of ourselves.