How to Manage Runaway Emotions

When you enter an unfamiliar social setting, does your heart start to pound and your palms begin to sweat? Are you worried about saying the wrong thing and embarrassing yourself?. Are you more focused on whether others are judging you than on the actual conversation? Do you try to make...

Our most developmentally important relationships begin in our formative years and come from our teachers, mentors, friends, and our parents or parental figures. How we connect with others is, in some ways, tied to what we are taught in these early years. Caregivers who themselves have a secure attachment will...

The Window of Tolerance is a helpful and important nervous system regulation concept. Everyone's Window of Tolerance looks a little different depending on their personality, background, and a host of other factors. Increasing the Window of Tolerance is often a critical task for relational trauma survivors. What is the “Window...

For those with social anxiety disorder, everyday social interactions can cause significant impairment, fear, and self-consciousness. Signs include fear of being judged and avoiding social situations that may cause embarrassment. Clinical research has redefined social phobia as a form of paranoia. Feeling nervous in social situations is something we all...

Emotional validation is the core of a healthy relationship. Dismissing the feelings of others can cause them to feel invisible and unimportant. When your partner denies your feelings, listen to your inner wisdom and trust it. Understand and accept that your feelings matter. Your most fundamental relationship in life is...

Megan Fox wants her kids to express themselves however they please. In a wide-ranging interview with Glamour U.K. for their April cover story, the 35-year-old actress opens up about how she teaches her children, Journey River, 5, Bodhi Ransom, 8, and Noah Shannon, 9, about gender identity and encourages them to be confident in who they are.

You can calm anxiety by exercising regularly, getting outside, and sticking to a sleep schedule. You can also see a therapist or try meditation.

About 40% of your happiness is genetic, but the other 60% is determined by factors you can control like your hobbies, environment, and lifestyle.

Reduce stress by identifying patterns of self-defeating behaviors and choosing healthier alternatives. Decrease the feelings of shame and self-doubt that you've carried around for years by setting realistic, achievable goals. Create rebuttals to the negative, critical voice in your head to lower its volume and influence. Use a growth mindset...

Insensitivity and disinterest are common traits of emotional unavailability. Here’s how to recognize it in a parent and how to cope. Being able to identify and respond to another person’s emotional needs can help you connect with them. Feeling connected can encourage relationship building. It can lay a...

Reading can foster connection and empathy, while helping people with anxiety feel less isolated and more engaged. Have you ever recognized yourself in a book you are reading — whether in a character or situation — and thought, “wow, I’m not the only one?”. It is...

TikTok user Ashly Burch shared helpful tips for stress management that she learned from a psychologist that can hopefully improve mental health!. Ashly explains that the amygdala plays an important role in stress management. It’s part of the body’s limbic system, which helps you process emotions and fear specifically. Ashly uses the example of seeing a lion. If this were to happen, your body would immediately release adrenaline, signaling your flight or fight response.

People typically use one of two systems when they think and make choices. System 1 is a fast decision approach that relies on intuition, while System 2 is a slow decision approach that relies on conscious deliberation. System 1 thinking leaves you vulnerable to bias, but System 2 thinking comes...

Children are hard-wired to protect their attachment relationships. A narcissistic co-parent who plays the victim automatically positions the other parent as the "bad guy." A narcissistic co-parent controls a child by giving love when the child does what he or she wants. A narcissistic co-parent influences a child in two...

Finding a balance between depending on your partner and standing on your own can be a struggle. Healthy dependency involves a willingness to be vulnerable, admit flaws, and explore a partner's perspective. Healthy independence means that both partners are free to address their needs and goals as individuals while also...

Start by creating space for the child to actively grieve. Create a present, continuous yet patient, and open connection with the child. Simplifying is good too, but be careful not to oversimplify. Regular social interaction with friends or family during child development helps broaden their understanding of their own social...

Do therapists become emotionally attached to their clients? The answer is often contextual and complicated. By Eva M. Krockow Ph.D. on May 24, 2022 in Stretching Theory. Being “slow” isn’t always a bad thing. Research shows that a slower approach to thinking can reduce bias and increase accuracy.

A positive family environment is one in which family members get along well and are supportive of one another. A positive family environment can lead to better health and happiness as an adult. Individuals growing up in less supportive, high-conflict families may see the world differently. How important is the...

The word "hate" conveys meanings with different emotions and varying emotional intensities. It is firmly rooted in shame, fear, and humiliation. "Splitting" is often the major defense associated with hate and involves idealization and demonization. Strategies to move past hate include identifying positive aspects of an individual and clarifying your...

During an 18-month period from 2005 to 2007, I suffered a major depressive episode with intense suicidal ideation which required six inpatient psych admissions. I’d just started working with a psychiatrist, Dr. Lev, who specialized in TFP or transference-focused psychotherapy, a treatment designed to treat BPD or borderline personality disorder. We didn’t get too far into TFP, when in session I began detailing how I intended to go home and kill myself, so Dr. Lev had no choice but to hospitalize me. During one or more of those admissions, I received a course of ECT or electroconvulsive therapy, which helped for about a month, but then we couldn’t find a medication or combination of medications to sustain the improvement.