Communication

During election season, headlines and ads about candidates fill our feeds. Emails about voter registration swarm our inboxes. Political opinions dominate our conversations. Arguments flood our social media accounts and more importantly, our relationships. And whether we like it or not, politics are on our minds. There are some people…

Platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and even FaceTime have streamlined our ability to communicate both personally and professionally. However, the best virtual meetings always seem to be short, sweet, and efficient. In these dream scenarios, everyone wins: There are no awkward pauses, people talking over one another or trying to…

Opposing political views can stir up conflict in your relationship and ultimately drive a wedge between you and your partner. Before you engage in a political discussion with your partner, press pause and consider the best way to approach the conversation or if it’s worth having at all. Also, try…

Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, my name is Rebecca Toulson and I’m a Licensed Mental Health Therapist with Thriveworks Counseling in Greenville, South Carolina. The online counseling question I’ve been asked is, “How can I be more assertive without being rude?” I love to get this…

Small talk can exacerbate social anxiety or simply make us feel uncomfortable; however, doing it well can aid success in our personal and professional lives. Get good at small talk by first asking questions; have a few generic questions handy to ask new friends or colleagues and tune in to…

We all have our own (often strong) opinions on politics, religion, relationships, and so on. Offhand conversations no longer circle with ease around the water cooler at work. We take part in conversations about more serious issues and subject matters. Additionally, thanks to social media, sharing those beliefs is easier…

Imagine this: you get home from work, and your spouse looks up at you from the kitchen table, clearly concerned. You demand simultaneously, “Where are the kids?”  You both thought it was the other person’s turn to pick the kids up from soccer practice, which has the potential to spark…

Assertive and aggressive behavior are two totally different approaches to communication and, often, confrontation. But one often reaps better benefits — learn about the difference between the two and which you should turn to. What Is the Difference Between Assertive and Aggressive? In my junior year of college, I spent…

The unfortunate truth is that many people lie, and it isn’t always easy to tell when we’re being deceived. And while we all are at risk of being lied to on any given day, some are particularly vulnerable to deception such as those who lead with empathy, passiveness, or optimism….

Have you lied yet today? Maybe you took a sick day at work when really you’re feeling fine; maybe you said sorry to your significant other when you didn’t truly mean it; or, maybe you told your server that your chicken tasted great when it was just subpar. The thing…

Trust is essential to a healthy, happy relationship—therefore, when trust is lost or broken, one’s relationship can suffer significantly. The good news is that trust can be restored, so long as both partners are willing to confront open wounds and work on rebuilding. If you’ve damaged your partner’s trust, start…

We all lie—we say we’re younger than we really are, we claim to be okay when we’re not, and we tell our friends they look great when they don’t. I stand by the argument that lying is okay in certain instances, such as these, when the effects are virtually harmless….