Many of us avoid setting boundaries because we feel guilty when we set a limit or ask for something. Feeling guilty is understandable, but often not warranted. The tips in this article can help you set boundaries without guilt. Boundaries are important for several reasons. They create healthy relationships and clear expectations. Boundaries protect us …
Signs Your Giving More Than You Should. If you’re doing all the work–whether it’s household chores or emotional labor–in your relationship, you’re probably frustrated and unsatisfied. Relationships require a mutual give and take. Both people need to demonstrate empathy and care for each other. They need to show interest in each other’s goals and ideas, …
Some boundaries should never be crossed. Learn when to compromise—and when to hold firm with your boundaries. Not all behaviors should be tolerated in your relationships. We set boundaries to let others know what we expect and how we want to be treated. But what happens when an important boundary is crossed? We need to …
People who struggle with codependency, tend to struggle with perfectionism as well. To understand the connection, let’s start by taking a look at what perfectionism is and isn’t. What is perfectionism? Perfectionism isn’t striving for excellence. It’s an unrealistic and unrelenting expectation that you’ll excel at everything, always do and say the “right” thing, and …
Codependency and Perfectionism: Learn to Love Your Imperfect Self Read More »
Many families experience estrangement. Sometimes an estrangement lasts a lifetime and other times family members reconcile and either put aside their differences or forge a stronger relationship. An estrangement can be a complete cutoff of all communication (no contact) or a partial cutoff where one person makes a consistent effort to limit contact or emotional …
The start of a new year is a natural time to look forward—to think about what matters most to us, clarify what we want to focus on, and set goals or intentions for the year ahead. But let’s face it, it’s easy to get pulled off course—to fall back into old patterns of behavior and …
It can be hard to understand why adult children cut ties with a parent. This is usually because we assume that parent-child relationships are not only important but functional. Family is forever. Blood is thicker than water. These sayings reflect our assumptions that family relationships are close and long-lasting. Parent-child relationships, in particular, are expected …
Are you struggling to set boundaries? Do you feel like you’re giving it your all, but your boundaries still aren’t working? In this article, I’ll review 5 common boundary-setting mistakes and offer some suggestions for setting better boundaries. First, a quick overview of what boundaries are and why we all need them. Boundaries are essential …
How to Change Codependent Thinking. In this article, you’ll learn about “codependent thinking” and how self-defeating beliefs can impede your recovery from codependency. You’ll learn how to recognize codependent thinking and replace it with positive self-talk. What is codependent thinking? Codependency refers to an unhealthy relationship dynamic where one person is focused on taking care …
What is self-esteem or self-worth? Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. It’s similar to the concept of self-worth (and I will use the terms interchangeably in this article). Our goal is to have high self-esteem, meaning we feel good about ourselves most of the time. We know we have intrinsic value. And we know …
