Dry dating: How to navigate first dates without alcohol by Wistar Murray | Apr 26, 2022 | Alcohol & Drugs, Mental Health Topics, Relationships In my experience, online dating in NYC was mostly a matter of meeting at the right bar. The bar couldn’t be your local. You wanted to keep your local to yourself in case the date went sour. But the bar couldn’t be far away either because you didn’t want to…
Generational differences: Stepping outside of our personal experiences and tolerating opposing views by Jason Crosby | Apr 20, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships, Self-Improvement In the 1960s, “don’t trust anyone over the age of 30” was a common phrase among young people as they clashed with their elders. Social upheavals, gender role-bending, and even global violence were visceral themes that influenced politics, educational systems, fashion, music, film, and more. Every step toward the new…
Why are men and women with dark personality traits more likely to cheat on their partners? by Jason Crosby | Apr 7, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Personality, Relationships Few scandals are able to hurt a romantic partner more than infidelity. In most relationships, monogamy is not only an unspoken rule, it’s a requirement; without it, monogamous relationships just couldn’t exist. For some, this means forgoing monogamy, while some remain faithfully committed to the sole person of their choice….
Parasocial relationships: The good, the bad, and the boy bands by Wistar Murray | Mar 25, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships My five-year-old daughter has a self-professed “crush” on Tae Young, who is a cartoon member of the early 2000s fictional boy band 4*Town, which is featured in the 2022 Disney Pixar movie “Turning Red.” (I know, my head is spinning too.) I can’t tell if my daughter thinks Tae is…
New Thriveworks research shows abundance of parasocial relationships in the US by Wistar Murray | Mar 22, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships A new research study from Thriveworks shows that more Americans are engaged in parasocial relationships than they care to admit. Humans naturally form one-sided connections to media personas and public figures, even genuinely mourning their deaths. These parasocial relationships are usually harmless, though 9% of people report lasting mental health…
Providing emotional support and stability for children during a divorce by Donna Jefferson | Mar 21, 2022 | Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Mental Health Topics, Parenting, Relationships Divorce is common, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. Trying to process your own feelings while carrying on with day-to-day life can feel, at best, overwhelming, at worst, almost impossible. The complications that accompany divorce become far more intricate when there are children involved. Remember, no matter…
Is my marriage causing me anxiety? by Emily Simonian, M.A., LMFT | Mar 16, 2022 | Anxiety, Ask a Therapist, Mental Health Topics, Relationships Q: How do I know if my marriage is what is causing me all the anxiety I have? We fight all the time and I feel sad, mad, and exhausted every time we are both home. We don’t agree on a lot of things and we always seem to point…
Sex life saboteurs: A guide to keeping intimacy alive despite pets and kids by Wistar Murray | Feb 23, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships, Sexuality Pets and kids are notoriously bad at respecting bedroom boundaries. These big-eyed housemates have been known to claw at doors, swat at exposed body parts, and whine when they’re excluded from intimate activities. I’m thinking of toddlers of course, but this behavior applies to pets as well. Have you ever…
Improving intimacy in marriage: 5 tips for keeping the flame alive by Taylor Bennett | Feb 15, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships Intimacy is displayed when two people know and care for each other. Typically, to be truly intimate, these individuals are open, familiar, and vulnerable in their relationship. Intimacy in marriage supplements a close personal bond. While it can prove important to friendships as well as relationships between parent and child,…
New Thriveworks research shows widespread relationship anxiety in the US by Wistar Murray | Feb 8, 2022 | Anxiety, Mental Health Topics, Relationships, Research According to new research* from Thriveworks, over a third (34%) of Americans believe that their romantic relationships (current or previous) are the leading cause of their mental health concerns. Love, attachment, and intimacy can all trigger buried fears, past traumas, and self-esteem issues. And yet we still seek connection with…
What is character bonding? Exploring the connection we feel with fictional characters by Jason Crosby | Jan 7, 2022 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics, Psychology, Relationships Ask anyone headed to watch the next Marvel flick: It’s hard not to idolize the heroines and heroes within the realms of popular fiction. Whether they’re on the silver screen, in books, TV series, or even video games, many of us admire these depictions of larger-than-life characters. But, even though…
How to deal with toxic friends: Tips for identifying friendship red flags and maintaining boundaries by Jason Crosby | Dec 20, 2021 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships Toxic relationships are everywhere: We can have an unhealthy attachment to our parents, our partners, even our phones— anything that we interact with, really. Yet rarely do we take a look at our friends. This might be important, considering they’re the people we often vent to about everything (and everyone)…