Caring Without Carrying: How to Balance Supporting Others and Protecting Your Well-being

Caring Without Carrying: How to Balance Supporting Others and Protecting Your Well-being

Do you often find yourself taking on other people’s challenges, emotions, or needs as if they were your own? Perhaps you feel deeply for others, wanting to ease their struggles, even if it means stretching yourself thin. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many of us who identify as caregivers or people-pleasers—particularly quiet individuals…

Breaking the Cycle of Defensiveness: Tools for Authentic Connection

Breaking the Cycle of Defensiveness: Tools for Authentic Connection

In our interactions with others, it’s natural to want to protect ourselves when we feel threatened or misunderstood, which often manifests as defensiveness -a reaction that can create barriers in communication and relationships. For those of us who are with quieter natures it might already make it difficult to express ourselves openly, and defensiveness can…

The Rising Strong Process: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Courage and Resilience

The Rising Strong Process: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Courage and Resilience

Life is full of moments when we face setbacks, disappointments, and failures. Whether it’s a failed project, a conflict in a relationship, or simply a day when things don’t seem to go right, these moments are inevitable. But how we respond to them can make all the difference in our journey towards growth and fulfilment….

The Impact of Unaddressed Issues in Relationships & Strengthening Connection

The Impact of Unaddressed Issues in Relationships & Strengthening Connection

In any relationship, communication is the lifeline that keeps the connection strong and healthy. Yet, there are times when one partner may be left feeling unheard or misunderstood because the other avoids having a necessary conversation or doesn’t grasp the depth of an issue. But, when something significant remains unresolved, it can have profound effects…

The Silent Treatment: Stonewalling, Influence, and Power in Relationships

The Silent Treatment: Stonewalling, Influence, and Power in Relationships

Silent treatment, also known as stonewalling, is a common behaviour in relationships where one partner withdraws from communication, refusing to engage or acknowledge the other. This can leave the affected partner feeling isolated, ignored, and powerless. To truly understand the dynamics of silent treatment, we must explore its relationship with influence and power in the…

How ‘The Rumble’ Transforms Difficult Conversations into Growth

How ‘The Rumble’ Transforms Difficult Conversations into Growth

In the realm of personal growth and deep, meaningful connection, the term “The Rumble” might evoke images of conflict or tension. But in the language of Brené Brown, it signifies something profoundly different—a space where we lean into discomfort, embrace vulnerability, and engage in courageous conversations. “The Rumble” is not about fighting but rather about…

The Dark Side of Positivity: Why We Need to Embrace All Emotions for True Happiness

The Dark Side of Positivity: Why We Need to Embrace All Emotions for True Happiness

In a world that often encourages us to “stay positive” and “look on the bright side,” it can be easy to overlook the importance of acknowledging and processing negative emotions. While positivity is generally beneficial, there is a growing recognition of the pitfalls of toxic positivity – the relentless promotion of happy and optimistic states…

Exploring Gender Differences: Are Men Really from Mars and Women from Venus?

Exploring Gender Differences: Are Men Really from Mars and Women from Venus?

In 1992, Dr John Gray’s book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus captured the public’s imagination by suggesting that men and women are so different in how they think, feel, and communicate that they might as well be from different planets. The book’s framework resonated with many, offering straightforward explanations for common relationship…

How nature can teach you to value your quiet personality

How nature can teach you to value your quiet personality

We often think of ‘quiet’ as being an undesirable quality, that to communicate we must be loud and put ourselves out there – but nature teaches us differently. To survive, to thrive and to enjoy life, nature beautifully finds its own quieter ways of communicating. By looking at 5 incredible ways that nature uses quiet…

Why dating is so hard when you experience social anxiety and how you can make it easier
|

Why dating is so hard when you experience social anxiety and how you can make it easier

Dating is not easy… Dating is one of those things that we tend to think we ‘should’ be able to do because other people seem to find it so easy. But the truth is that dating isn’t easy -and this is true even for people who don’t experience social anxiety regularly. I promise, it’s not…

We may not say a lot or speak it loud, but our words are important
|

We may not say a lot or speak it loud, but our words are important

In the nineteenth century, when the Bronte sisters published their literary works, they did so under male pseudonyms. It was either that or they were at risk of their novels, at best, not being taken seriously, at worst, never to be seen hot off the press and selling at all. Clearly, there was no question,…