As kids, we don’t have the capacity to meet our own emotional needs or think in abstract terms. So how do we go about letting go of these old beliefs and rebuilding our sense of self worth? 

Here are some tips for how to support someone who really needs help right now—and hold on to yourself in the process.

The holidays. For some, it’s a season to be jolly. For many of us, it’s the most stressful time of the year. A time when emotions and expectations reach a fever pitch, when the potential for emotional conflict hits its peak. Why do the holidays tend to be so stressful? And what can we do to move through this time of year with more calm and compassion – both for ourselves and the people around us?

How do you respond when the people in your life keep making the same mistakes over and over again and it’s driving you crazy?

It might be easier for some of us to admit than others, but here’s a truth: we all have imperfect parents/caregivers. And another truth: our imperfect parents/caregivers were raised by imperfect parents/caregivers.

What is the "tyranny of the should" and how do we let go of it?

The closer you come to making big changes in your life, the more your negative mind tends to resist those changes. This is what happened to my client Chloe, whom I wrote about in Part I of this post. A s soon as she started to take steps toward building the life she wanted, Chloe came up against some serious inner resistance. Over time, though, she developed the skills to cope with that inner resistance and lower the volume on her negative mind. But even then, her struggles didn’t go away because of the external resistance she faced.

If we grow up believing we’re responsible if anything upsetting happens at home—or in moments when we don’t get the emotional support we need—we gradually lose pieces of our sense of self-worth.

We make up stories and false beliefs about ourselves to support the idea that there’s something wrong with us. And we tell ourselves this is why we’re not getting what we need emotionally. For example: “I’m not loveable” or “I’m not good/smart/talented enough.” Over time, we develop coping mechanisms to back up our false beliefs.

Is anger hurting your relationships or stopping you from creating the life you want? If so, how can you deconstruct anger and cope with the emotions underneath it?

I’m sharing with you a 4 step process on how to communicate better with your loved ones, even when it’s a hard topic to discuss.

Do you spend time ruminating about something you did to someone else that hurt their feelings? That you just can’t let go of? Here’s how to get yourself out of the Blame Game loop.

I just finished reading Mark Manson’s book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,” and one of the points he talks about is “The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it.”