Do you sometimes think that people don’t understand you? Part of a sense of belonging and feeling accepted is believing that others understand you—they get you. That can often mean that you share the same views.

There are certain behaviors that increase depression and anxiety. For example, one behavior that can increase both depression and anxiety is rumination. Another example is lack of

In DBT, there are three basic goals in interpersonal interactions. One goal is getting an objective met (Objectives Effectiveness), one is maintaining a relationship (Relationship Effectiveness) and another is

Values are often an important part of close relationships. Having a conflict in values can sometimes even make the relationship one that cannot work. Yet values may not be

Sometimes we encounter situations that make us uncomfortable. We may be a bit anxious or a fearful. Unknown and novel situations can do that. Maybe it happens when you are at an event where you don’t know anyone or maybe when you are starting a new job.

There’s been a lot of stress for everyone in the past year. During stressful times, it’s particularly important to soothe yourself and take care of your emotional health.

Distraction is a skill to use when you can’t change a situation. If you stay focused on what is upsetting you (like the Corona Virus) it won’t be helpful and can be overwhelming and depressing. Keeping up with the updates is important, but you also need a break. There are many ways to distract yourself. ACCEPTS is a way to remember the categories of distraction skills. The A stands for Activities.

Psychologists like to study everything!  Often they study what’s going wrong but sometimes they study what’s going right. What does the research show about successful families? They’ve identified some characteristics that could be helpful in strengthening your family relationships, especially if you find yourself in very close quarters now, due to the stay-at-home order.

With life slowing down and, well, being in close quarters, there are a lot of adjustments. You had a normal way of living and your routines that worked for you. Suddenly in the pandemic period, your way of life could be turned upside down.

In mental health, vulnerability factors are the circumstances and experiences that affect your ability to cope well or regulate your emotions. For example, being tired, hungry, experiencing financial difficulties or having a history of PTSD would be vulnerability factors for many. When your vulnerability factors are higher, you are more likely to act in ways that make the situation worse instead of acting skillfully.