After a hard day, you are often tired, hungry, stressed out, and desperately needing to unwind.  The truth is, all day long, you have been meeting other people’s needs. By the end of the day, it’s only natural to want a little quiet time for yourself. So, how can people meet their own needs as well as the needs of their partner, friend or family member?

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”  William Arthur Ward

To many people our country and the larger world is feeling upside-down, unlike anything that they have experienced in their lifetimes.  Clients have expressed confusion and hopelessness in the face of what they see.  But all is not lost.  There is something that we can do every day to help us feel better.

Holidays are often a natural recipe for stress: Take the family member who aggravates you the most, add too many parties that you feel obligated to attend, tack on an uncalled for remark, stir in a wailing child, be sure to include a relative who’s imbibed a bit too much, and baste with a heap of judgment about your food, decorations, or gift choices.

It is not uncommon for people to have problems communicating effectively. In fact, it is the #1 issue that most people say they want to change in my therapy practice.

When you became involved with your partner you might not have realized you were also getting your in-laws and extended family members with the relationship.

We all deserve to feel safe and secure in our lives and having a healthy relationship with money is part of that process. We are taught about how to think about and manage money as children. Coming to understand these attitudes will help you to begin to change the views that may not be serving you as you try to move forward in life.

Most people believe that saying “I’m sorry” is all that is needed for an apology, but that is decidedly not so. Apologizing is about understanding the other person’s feelings, saying you are sorry that your actions hurt them and then stating how you intend to do something different in the future.

No matter how hard you try, at some point in your relationship you are going to feel hurt by something your partner said or did. You may be lied to, misunderstood, or feel rejected. If not addressed, these hurts will lead you further away from the loving relationship you want and keep you locked in the past.