Don't we all have a touch of narcissism in the modern world? Yes, most people think of themselves first and sure, many of us suffer from our under-developed emotional maturity. Even if everyone does exist somewhere on the narcissistic spectrum, you need to understand whether you are dealing with someone like this so you can find realistic solutions. People with narcissistic traits often come across as charming and harmless, albeit a little wounded, but their behavior can caus

Ironically, I have gotten the feedback that I need to work on receiving feedback. I was addicted to external validation so much so that my self esteem would take a hit any time someone had less than positive things to say. I often cringed under the spotlight of a manager or teacher’s critique. The people-pleaser in me can barely handle the idea of not being perfect. I had to learn how to take feedback as a necessity because I struggled with it so much, which feels important t

Have you ever felt like your self-care comes at the expense of someone else? I have. Self-sacrifice was basically how my family showed love. It gave me the implicit message that if I put myself and my needs at the fore, someone would get hurt. Without self-care, life can get really confusing. Many roots of our pain and suffering are not within our conscious awareness. We feel the end-result of the discomfort, stress, or misery. Those feelings are so LOUD that we can't tune in

There is a hilarious adult children's book out there that I highly recommend. It captures the frustration of lack of sleep, whether it's someone else's or our own. You know the feeling when each passing minute adds another spoonful of anxiety to your mental soup? The more the clock ticks, the closer you get to your alarm going off. The less sleep you get, the worse tomorrow's going to be, and so on. Let's just take that logic for a second. Can you hear the predictive mindset?

Going to hell and back, kitten toes, and the pursuit of happiness

There's a sexual liberation movement happening. I see more and more people releasing body-shame and embracing pleasure. I also see a huge presence of non-consensual sex, porn, assault, and people taking advantage of this movement to perpetuate narcissism and inequality. Nikki Glaser has a comedy special (really raunchy and not for the faint of heart) but really highlighted the plight of modern men and women in the #metoo era. Without minimizing survivors' experience, she brin

Mastering the art of communicating in relationships shouldn't have to feel like such a daunting task. I fumbled my way through my own...

Take inventory of 5 esteemable acts. Example: "I didn't react impulsively during a really confusing social situation." or "I was a really responsible pet owner." Recite positive affirmations for empaths such as, "I release responsibility for the outcome of this situation." Don't respond to every text immediately. Example: "I just want you to know I got your message. I want to give my response my full attention. I will respond as soon as I recharge my social battery." Then, le