I was recently asked by someone not currently in a relationship, “What can I do to prepare for being in a major relationship?” The answer? Have hard conversations. Life is full of opportunities for hard conversations–with colleagues, parents, neighbors, even the guy at the dry … [Read more...]
Self-Compassion: The Key to Loving the World
Compassion, whether for others or for oneself, means responding with loving kindness to the pain that is as much a part of life as joy. Yet, while compassion for others comes naturally to most of us most of the time, somehow, we often find self-compassion hard. Why is … [Read more...]
Attuned= Mind reading + speaking
Are we supposed to know intuitively what our partner is feeling, wanting, thinking? Or are we supposed to tell each other explicitly? Yes, and yes. I’ve recently had interesting conversations with couples about the value of explicit communication versus “tuning in” to each … [Read more...]
Connect to feel better
In the early days of this crisis a friend found this Mark Twain quote chalked on the sidewalk. In these days of heavy burdens, we need to know the secret of lightening our own load by lightening another’s. In stressful situations, the stress we feel is lessened when we … [Read more...]
Mood Management
Losing altitude? I’m noticing that by this week we all seem weary. We’re tired of being good sports, adapting and innovating, sheltering in place, getting basic supplies, and homeschooling. Time to talk about intentional mood management. A friend of mine notes that after … [Read more...]