We often hear statements like “the past is gone,” or “forget your past and move on — after all, you can’t change it.” While it is true that you can’t change the past, your past does influence you today. Whether you are aware of it or not, your past doesn’t simply evaporate. It continues to operate in the background, influencing your present intimate relationships. This includes who you are attracted to as well as your behaviors in relationships. If you keep finding yourse

Why fear of change may be the reason you feel stuck in an unhealthy relationship There’s a saying that change is the only constant in life. Yet many of us find change very difficult. Leaving what is familiar can feel terrifying — even if the change means having a better life, a healthier relationship, or a more-fulfilling career. Change means facing the unknown, and the uncertainties that go with it. So, we stay where we are — not because it’s good, but because it’s famil

Did you know that most people who are or have been in a toxic relationship do not realize it? If you answer yes to any of the following...

Everybody knows that taking a toxic substance, even in small doses, can be very damaging to one’s health, and may eventually lead to death. What most people may not know or fully realize is the harm that is done by a toxic relationship. A toxic relationship — whether with your romantic partner, a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or anyone else — is one that harms your mental and perhaps your physical health. In a toxic relationship, one or both people may behave in w

The other day I was speaking with someone who asked me how I would sum up self-esteem. I said, ”It is the relationship you have with yourself. It is the most important relationship you will ever have. This relationship is everything. It is the GPS of your life.” Your self-esteem determines how you live your life, what you will accomplish, even the quality of your relationships. So, what is self-esteem? Your self-esteem is your self-perception. It is the identity you have take

Did you know that anxiety – a widely used term – is almost universally misunderstood? “Anxiety” is a term that encompasses a broad range of symptoms. How these symptoms are experienced depends on many factors, such as the nature of the experience that triggers anxiety, individual traits, degree of ability to tolerate intense feelings, ability to self-soothe, adverse life experiences encountered — especially those experienced in early childhood, how a person adjusts to novel e