Communication can be hard in a relationship and you may not always be able to tell her how you are feeling. With these 8 tips you can start to open up to her. Whoa. You never thought it would happen, but you've found someone you love going on dates with. She's pretty, she's cool, she's funny, and she's smart. So you better get this right. Relationships are scary, and starting to open up to someone is terrifying. Communication is the key to any good relationship. This is something you've undoubtedly heard before. But if you've ever had a relationship go south in the past, you might be afraid to open up again. There are some surefire ways to make it easier to open up to your significant other and make them know that you care. 9 Tips On How To Open Up 1) Listen More Than You Speak While we will add the caveat that of course this advice does not always apply to every situation, listening to your partner instead of blabbing all about yourself will help you to learn to engage with … [Read more...]
Emotional Eating: Steps for Overcoming Food Cravings
Emotional eating is the process of consuming foods (often high calorie, fatty foods) as a way to cope with personal stress and duress. Effective ways of curbing the habit of emotional eating involve finding new, healthier, methods of coping with—or altering—one’s emotional state. At Thrive Counseling, we have discovered that the following basic strategies are helpful to our clients. 1) Engage in alternative enjoyable activities. We turn to emotional eating because it improves our emotional state. Make a list of other activities that you enjoy—and review that list when you feel a craving coming on. For some of our clients, alternative activities have included: calling a friend, walking the dog, or downloading a song from iTunes. 2) Drink Water. Many of us live in a constant state of dehydration. When we’re dehydrated we can mistake thirst for hunger. Staying well hydrated can reduce cravings and provide you more energy throughout the day. 3) Substitute some lower calorie foods. If … [Read more...]
Discouragement: Information on Discouragement and Tips for Overcoming Discouragement
PORTRAITS Roger has been working two jobs for years just to make ends meet. Unfortunately, he recently lost the higher paying of his jobs. As if that weren’t enough, his son was also just suspended from school for drug possession. Roger feels that he has failed as a father and blames himself for not being home enough with his son. Amanda longs to have a husband and a family of her own. Now that most of her friends are married, she has been thinking a lot about her ex-boyfriend of five years. She blames herself for their breakup and thinks about how things could have been different if she had only been a better girlfriend. She has been spending most nights at home alone and her friends are beginning to worry. DEFINITIONS & KEY THOUGHTS Discouragement involves a lack of confidence or feeling of sadness that is the result of either a real or perceived event in life. Two of the main underlying causes that contribute to discouragement include lack of confidence in oneself and … [Read more...]
Bitterness Counseling: Information on Bitterness and Overcoming Bitterness
PORTRAITS Sam’s mother was killed by a drunk driver. Ever since life has been extremely difficult for Sam and his family. The woman who killed her was only given a light sentence. Same is better about the unfairness of life. Katherine’s ex-boyfriend was extremely critical of her. He was always humiliating her in front of their friends and treating her unfairly in their relationship. It’s been along time since their break-up but Katherine can’t seem to get over it and still fantasizes about revenge. Jake’s parents constantly belittled him as a child. As an adult, he suffers from anxiety and depression and can’t figure out why he cannot let go of it all. Sheila’s husband does not seem to care about meeting any of her emotional needs. She has tried to talk to him about it, but he is always so distant and cold that it only makes her more frustrated. She is giving up the hope that their relationship will ever get better and can’t see any point in continuing their … [Read more...]
Boston Sex Therapy
Boston Sex Therapy, Powered by Thriveworks Sex is awesome. Or rather, it should be. Aside from the fact that it’s our tried-and-true way of continuing the human race, sex can also be incredibly fun and satisfying. Unfortunately, however, we humans have an artistic flair for going about things in the wrong way: we elevate the importance of sexuality in our entertainment and advertisements while simultaneously cheapening its authenticity. It’s no wonder so many of us are so often confused, frustrated or anxious about sex. Despite how much it permeates various levels of our day-to-day (as Oscar Wilde once said, “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.”), very little in the way of open and honest discourse about physical intimacy happens in the limelight. No, instead sex usually makes the headlines when someone is sleeping with someone other than who they should be sleeping with (or doing so in a way that many deem questionable). So, instead of it being … [Read more...]