“Let’s just be friends.” Four words dreaded by anyone who’s been in a fading or unequal relationship with what turns out to be a short shelf life. The comedic English singing duo, Rocky and Balls, sing about it quite hilariously in this video: Though the whole topic is superb fodder for a strange variety [read more]
Dating After A Breakup
Breaking up is hard to do. And it’s not just the actual breaking up part either. Dating after a breakup can be very difficult and timing can be everything. Breakups can leave you feeling like you are on shaky ground. You have lost something that at some point was near and dear to you. Even [read more]
Toxic Relationships – What Are They and What Can Be Done?
David had been with Suzanne for so long that he forgot what it felt like to just feel good, or even okay, on a daily basis. He was in a toxic relationship but did not realize it. It was affecting his mental and emotional well-being. But he loved Suzanne – how could she be toxic? [read more]
Exit, Stage Left—What’s Your Strategy?
There are times in life when we need a good exit strategy. That awkward too-intimate moment with a co-worker at the water cooler, the dinner party where a bickering couple takes center stage, or the painful interview where the person applying for a job at your company spelled “university” wrong on his résumé. But in [read more]
Too Good to be True: Some Facts about Narcissistic Personality Disorder
You may be hearing the word “narcissist” more and more these days. When words seem to burst onto the scene you may be worried that it’s just “buzz”—the latest fad, catch-word or culturally “chic” concept. But in fact, there is some serious speculation that narcissism is, in fact, on the rise. While that might be [read more]
To Ex or not to Ex? Is it a Good Idea to Try Again?
Dave reconnected with his ex-wife a year after the divorce papers were finalized. They’d both been in therapy and seemed to have a lot more insight than ever before—into themselves and what went wrong between them. What they did not realize is that having insight into what the problems were does not mean those problems [read more]
What to Do Once You Know What You Know—Staying Too Long in a Relationship
Brita knew. But she didn’t. She woke up most days with a heaviness in her chest. A sense of unease, guilt, and hopelessness. How long had she had this feeling? Years. She was caught in the trap of staying too long in a bad relationship. Perry was exhausted all the time. He worried that his [read more]
How to Find the Silver Lining When a Relationship Does Not Go as Planned
It’s a cliché, for sure, the old saying about how every cloud has a silver lining. But often clichés are truths that have simply been spoken by many wise people for many years. This year, we want to take that ol’ dud-relationship cloud and turn it inside out so the lining will be visible in [read more]