In a nutshell, attachment theory is all about how our childhood experiences with parents/caregivers impact our relationships later in life. It looks at what we learned to do, and how we learned to survive, in response to our unmet emotional needs as kids. 

When people feel understood, accepted and loved first, their capacity for listening expands infinitely. When you’re in your place of power, the other person can be in their place of power, and your interactions become more fulfilling—for everyone involved.

I have two pieces of good news: 1. Your emotions are temporary. 2. You have the power to shift your emotional state. Learning to shift your emotional state can be life-changing. It’s also one of the most important practices to master on the road to becoming your best self.

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? 

As a therapist, I’m really glad our culture is coming around to the idea that we could all use some mental health support from time to time. If you’re thinking about starting therapy, here are 6 tips to help you make the most of it.

Have you ever felt rejected? Of course you have. We all have, and it’s not fun. So what can we do to make rejection sting less?

The more I practiced self-love, the more I could see what a difference it made in how I felt and how other people responded to me. In fact, the practice was/is so powerful that I continue to use it today.

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

I’ve spent years cultivating the “perfect” coping skills. Creating a strong emotional support system. Building a career that makes me feel purposeful and smart. Putting together a balanced exercise routine of yoga, cardio, and weights. Developing exceptionally healthy eating habits. And then I had a baby.

Though the results aren’t usually instantaneous or obvious, the effects of sitting with your emotions tend to show up in powerful ways.

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?

Equanimity is one of the most powerful tools I’ve learned from Buddhism. Almost every day, I find myself in situations that call for equanimity.

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.

Ultimately, letting go of my exit strategy allowed me to re-enter my life and figure out what I needed to do to create the kind of future I wanted. 

Though we tend to think of anxiety as a negative emotion, it isn’t always the bad guy. Sometimes anxiety emerges as a signal that we need to make a change in our lives.

Whether we know it or not, we’re taking in other people’s feelings all the time. As human beings, we’re constantly connecting with one another on an emotional level.

In my last post, I wrote about how important it is to recognize when you’re in a state of dependence vs. a state of love in a romantic relationship. This time, I'm asking you to take it one step further...