“An empathic response is restrained, largely silent; following, not leading, it encourages the speaker to go deeper into his or her experience.” Empathy does not mean, as we often think, “worrying about, praising, cheering up, gushing, consoling, or even encouraging. It means understanding.” (Nichols, 2009, p. 84) There are so … Read More
Cognitive Neuroscience Part 4: Teaching an old dog new tricks
Twenty years ago, most physicians, psychologists and researchers believed that the human brain stopped developing after a certain age. The brain could grow and change during childhood or adolescence, but not adulthood. On the surface, this makes sense. It is sometimes difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. However, most … Read More
Making Friends Post-College
Your college years are often an intense, shared experience where you are flooded with peers in the same life-cycle stage, everyone is in a new place, and most people are open to meeting new people and forming new relationships. Bonds are forged over being away from home for the first … Read More
Demands of the Second Shift [On Women] – Part 2
What makes us as women want to be Superwoman? As a sophomore in college, I remember reading Arlie Hochschild’s book The Second Shift. In this book, she explained a phenomenon called “the stalled revolution.” The women’s rights movement was able to get women out of the house and into gainful … Read More
Cognitive Neuroscience Part 3: Scientific Proof that People Can Change
Can people change? It’s a loaded question. If affects our views on philosophy, religion, psychology, sociology and biology – just to name a few. What if I told you there was scientific research that strongly suggests that the answer is yes? Think about that for a second. Think about the … Read More
Self-Care Part 3: Some Ideas to Get You Started
In part one of this short series we defined what self-care is and why it is important. In part two, we talked about the difference between self-care and zoning out. But if spending two hours scrolling through my Instagram feed doesn’t qualify as self-care, then what does? The best place … Read More
Demands of the Second Shift [on Women] – Part 1
In an article in Psychology Today, White Collar men are reported to have a higher level of happiness than women. The publication also indicated that men are more likely to relax during the day and take specific time to take a break. As a woman, what makes it so hard … Read More
Cognitive Neuroscience Part 2: The Brain vs. The Mind
Over the next few posts, we’re going to talk about an emerging field of study called cognitive neuroscience. But don’t worry. We’re going to leave (most of) the 7-syllable words to the textbooks and wikipedia entries. Instead, we’re going to focus on the practical applications of this science on our … Read More
Reducing Money Conflicts Between Couples
Money is one of the most argued about topics for couples. This blog discusses some of the deeper meanings behind the money arguments and provides guidelines for helping couples face the money dragon and manage their finances as a team. Learn more in this guest blog post from one of … Read More
Reacting or Responding?
As I was reading recently, I came across a quote in Melody Beattie’s book Codependent No More that really spoke to me. “We jump into the first feeling that comes our way and then wallow in it…we are reacting without thinking. When we react we forfeit our personal, God-given power … Read More