It’s important for you, your children, and your partner to be clear and honest about your desires and boundaries. More likely than not, you will have differing expectations when it comes to important aspects of your relationship with your grandchildren. Discussing them can prevent resentment and help you find effective compromises and solutions (If you’re a new parent looking to open one of these conversations with your own parents, we recommend checking out this article).
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Unhealthy Relationship Patterns
As infants, we are completely dependent on the responses of those around us. Our attachment to caregivers begins during the first 18 months of our lives, with instinctual behaviors like crying or clinging when we need help or attention. As stated by Positive Psychology, these behaviors are thought to be evolutionary mechanisms that help infants increase their chances of survival.
Unlike the relatively similar behaviors of infants, caregivers may respond with a whole range of reactions. Their responses to our behavior teach us what is “acceptable” and what isn’t. This has a huge impact on how we interact with people going forward.
How To Get a Stronger Relationship? Gratitude
Over the past decade, studies have honed in on a particularly potent relationship booster: gratitude. More specifically, scientists have found that gratitude is an essential component in maintaining and promoting healthy romantic relationships. We’ll take a deeper dive into how you can use that knowledge to benefit your friendships, partnerships and other loved ones.
Self-Care For Caregivers
As caregivers, we are not only responsible for getting ourselves through this difficult time, but may also have to support our loved ones in innumerable ways.
Not So Happy Holidays
For several of us, the holidays summon feelings of stress, irritability, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. A 2014 poll conducted by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America suggests that the majority of people feel more anxious or depressed at the holidays.
4 Ways to Cope With Memories of Loss
Coping with the loss of a loved one is never straightforward or easy, and one particular challenge is knowing how to cope with our memories of the person who has passed. Memories, mementos, and anniversaries can, at times, be lovely reminders of the person we’ve lost; but at other times, dealing with them can be… read more
Why We Need Unconditional Love and Acceptance from Caregivers
We’ve all heard that the best type of love comes with no strings attached. The idea that we might come to love someone so intensely that we can forgive them all of their faults is a popular one That being said, few people would encourage you to overlook any and every wrong a loved one… read more
Improving Our Relationships With Our Parents
It happened again. You just got off the phone with your parents, and you can’t shake that annoyed and slightly exasperated feeling. Maybe they changed the subject when you tried to describe your stress, or made a passive comment about your relationship status. You’ve been trying to improve your relationship with your parents, but for… read more
Mastering the Art of the Difficult Conversation
We’ve all been there. Whether it’s with a roommate who keeps leaving out dirty dishes, a friend who borrows money without paying us back, or a significant other who isn’t pulling their domestic weight, at some point, we’ve all had to start an uncomfortable conversation. These topics can be difficult to navigate, but it’s essential… read more
Staying (Or Becoming) Close With Our Siblings As We Age
Studies suggest that satisfactory sibling contact later in life correlates to increased health and positive mood. Yet it’s not easy to gain or maintain closeness as adults, especially when our lives take us physically and emotionally far away from one another. Most of us are no longer able to simply walk across the living room to see a sibling—now, we might need to take a plane. Further, longstanding conflicts can prevent us from getting in touch even when we’d like to.
