Deliberately harming yourself or having an impulse to is a sign of emotional distress. It is not uncommon, especially in adolescents, to self-harm. On the surface, it may appear to occur only when you have difficulty managing emotions and don’t have proper coping skills. This is too commonly used [...]
Grief is one of those universal life experiences from which a person never really recovers but learns to cope with and grow through. When we lose people we love, the world is permanently changed. This is the price we pay as humans for the richness that our loved ones bring to our lives. Although[...]
Gender identity is a spectrum that describes to which degree a person perceives and recognizes their inner knowledge and outer expression of gender. Generally, this is the consistency between anatomical sex and the person’s internal maleness or femaleness or combination or neutrality. There are [...]
It’s my responsibility as a mental health professional to remember the history of the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual. Sexual orientation and identities were considered diagnoses that came with stigma and suffering. Homosexuality was considered a diagnosis until 1973, and [...]
Humans experience stress as a natural reaction to meet a demand or challenge. This “fight or flight” survival mechanism slows normal bodily functions like immunity and digestion to focus on breath, alertness, blood circulation, and muscle movement. The degree to which we react can be [...]
Intimate bonds are vital to happiness and wellbeing. By feeling isolated from others physically or emotionally, the feeling of loneliness may creep in and overtake your happiness. It’s common to be physically close to others, yet lonely, because there is no intimacy, trust, or connection, or [...]
What Is Self-Esteem? Self-esteem is your confidence in your worth, abilities, or perceived value. Healthy self-esteem is a precious psychological resource that correlates to good relationships, achievement, and satisfaction. Positive self-esteem can motivate you to navigate your life with an [...]
People would cease to exist without relationships. The sense of self dissolves without relationships with others, and by contrast, people are created and sustained within their social situations. Sometimes relationships are the primary reason a person enters psychotherapy, yet they are always an[...]
Narcissistic personality disorder may appear as extreme confidence, because of an inflated sense of importance, a need for admiration, a lack of empathy, and a sense of grandiosity. The cause may be genetic, neurobiological, and/or environmental. Under the mask of this extreme confidence is usually [...]
Our family structure helps us develop relationship expectations, communication skills, life outlook, the way we show our love, coping skills, and many traits through conditioning. Chronic family conflict can negatively impact your physical, emotional, and mental health. Tension and ongoing conflict [...]