When you’re in a new relationship, your hormones are racing and the newness of your love can be intoxicating. It can be tempting to feel like you have met your “soulmate,” the one person who is made for you and only you. Even though this idea is very appealing and romantic, there are also down sides to thinking this way. The soul mate paradigm can raise your expectations to an impossible level, ironically making you feel less satisfied with your partner overall....

Updated 11/15/23 If you’re new to therapy or exploring different options for treatment, it’s natural to have questions about the first steps. A common but often misunderstood initial step is the psychological or “psych” evaluation.It might sound intimidating, but a psych evaluation is a simple way for your therapist, psychologist, or other type of health care provider to understand what you’re going through right now. Read on to learn more about psychological evaluations, including when it might be time to get one, what types there are, and what you can expect from the process....

Updated 5/12/2022When you think of a healthy support system, you might imagine yourself as a character inFriendsorHow I Met Your Mother. You and your five best buddies, hanging out at your favorite coffee house or bar, ranting about your day. That’s a support team — right?Yes, friendships are an important element of a strong support system. But the roots must go deeper, touching both your personalandprofessional lives and providing a wide range of outlets if one element isn’t working....

We’d gone through this before. I knew we had. I was staring at a co-worker with a flabbergasted look on my face wondering how a pivotal project had encountered a significant delay…again. I could feel my blood pressure rising as my heart raced,propelling me toward a full-blown melt down. I started to formulate my retort, laced with a condescending tone, but after a few words left my mouth, I caught myself....

While there are effective treatments available, many individuals with known mental health issues never seek help from a professional due to stigma, discrimination, a lack of resources, or a combination of all three. Even if you don’t struggle with mental illness, you have the opportunity to inspire others to raise awareness and take part in the sharing of information, tools, and support for mental health issues. You can make a legitimate difference andhelp change the narrative from negative to one of positive affirmation....

You may wonder: Is your mental health dependent on your neighbor’s (and vice versa)? In some ways, yes — there is, in a way, a mental health ripple effect. Just as when a pebble is thrown into water and causes ripples, your words, actions, and feelings affect those around you, who in turn affect those around them, and so on. How Your Actions Affect Others So, while there area lot of sources that impact mental health, what you say and do can have an impact on, not just your wellbeing, but also on those around you....

Updated 9/20/2021 There’s a misconception that psychology andpsychiatryare the same fields. In reality, there are significant differences between the professions. True, there’s some overlap between practices. This is why it’s important to truly understand thedifference between psychologist and psychiatristbefore you begin searching for help. Mental health is arguably one of the most pressing health-related concerns we face today. Multiple research studies have shown that conditions — likedepressionandanxiety– are becoming more common every year....

I’ve seen many relationships whereone person abuses substancesand the other partner has no idea how to deal with or provide support. Here are some typical situations that I see in my practice: In cases like this and many others, people are aware that their partner has issues with substance use, but has no idea how to approach them about it. They are worried that their partner will be hurt, angry, defensive, or outright deny that there is an issue....

Masculinity is a hot topic these days, but it is also difficult to adequately define, leaving many people wondering — what is healthy masculinity? Why Healthy Masculinity? Understanding what healthy masculinitycanbe is important on both individual and societal levels. Men, across backgrounds, die more prematurely than women. Men, more so than women, also tend to struggle with maintaining meaningful friendships throughout their lives. When youcombine life stress with less support, as well as less health-seeking behaviors (another trait more prevalent in males) you get a large portion of men who are less healthy than they ought to be....

Growing up with a single mother and a sister, I spent most of my life feeling a bit intimidated and cautious around men. And the fact was, many of the stereotypes I’d heard about the male gender turned out to be true. Most of the boys and men I met were macho, tough as nails, and it was rare to meet a man I felt I could open up to and feel emotionally safe with....

No matter who you are, where you live or what you believe, there’s one thing that unites all of us Earthlings: complaining about relationships. Whether you’re in one, looking for one, or have sworn the whole charade off, you’ve probably heard someterribleadvice from well-meaning friends. Here are our least-favorite snippets ofrelationship wisdom— from outright lies to misleading half-truths. 1. If You Fight, You’re More Passionate No matter what platitudesyou might read on Instagram, frequent fights don’t make your relationship “passionate....

As life goes on and my previous relationships recede in the rearview, I still can’t stop thinking about my exes — and not about how much I hate them. It’s quite the opposite, actually. I’ll find myself remembering the good times we shared together, how amazing it felt to fall in love and be loved back, and how much I cared for them. I catch myself looking back on my partners as though they — and everything about our relationship — were perfect....

Many clients come in to therapy telling me that theydon’t feel happy or fulfilled in their relationship. Instead of being excited to be with their partner, they feel stuck, bored, and trapped. When we discuss the idea of leaving, though, many of these clients feel anxious or outright terrified at the prospect. Why do people settle for less in relationships? Why do they end up stuck in loveless or conflicted relationships, feeling like there’s no way out?...

When you are feeling down, it is natural to want to turn to your partner for love and support. Our partner is the person who often knows us best, and who can be counted on to take our side and have our back. This can make us feel very loved and taken care of, but it can also mean that,under times of stress, we rely on our partner too excessively....

The beginning of a relationship is likely when you feel the mostchemistrydrawing you and your partner together, making you feel like you’re on cloud nine. The struggle for an ongoing relationship that lasts – the real deal – is finding a balance between chemistry and consistency to keep the relationship strong. But how do you determine if what you’re feeling is more than just sparks and if it’s a relationship worth pursuing?...