Emotions are an inevitable part of our lives. Most of us enjoy the ones that feel good: happiness, excitement, satisfaction, and pride. The ones that aren’t quite as enjoyable: sadness, grief, anger, and disappointment, to name a few, can be a struggle to accept at times.

Have you ever felt you have some great goals — but you’re no closer to achieving them than when you started?

Perhaps you’ve lost the momentum that you felt when you first developed them. Now you feel stuck and don’t know where to begin.

What happened?

By Jim Duncan, MA

If you live with depression, anxiety, or both, perhaps you know that some of your feelings stem from things that other people did to hurt you in the past. Maybe you can pinpoint abusive parents, bullies, or demanding teachers whose behaviors crushed your soul and terrorized you.

The single life in the age of COVID-19 is the stuff anxiety is made of. If you were already treading lightly through the dating world, finding someone special while social distancing may feel even more challenging.

It’s not surprising then, that online dating, now more than ever, is a lifeline for those seeking romance.

Discussions about politics can easily become heated, and when this happens, you may feel upset or frustrated. As the U.S. election approaches, many of us are feeling anxious and uncertain.

With work, kids, school, social obligations, and other responsibilities to balance, sometimes life can become overwhelming. Technology also exacerbates the issue. The modern world we live in is driven by cell phones, computers, and other forms of technology and can make it hard to connect with nature if we are not intentional about doing so.

Over the past few years, social media has revolutionized the way we communicate. In the past, we had limited means of staying in touch: phone calls, letters, in-person communication, emails, and text messages. Now, with the number of social media platforms available, we’re able to communicate with people around the world.

The word “counterfeit” often invokes the idea of fake money. It’s worthless!

Or, perhaps you think of a faux jewel, a forged renowned painting, or even a cleverly constructed fake piece of pastry in a bakery’s window display. Finding out that these things are not real can be a huge disappointment.

By Kassie Soni, MA

Regulating emotions effectively is an ongoing journey. It begins early in childhood when parents and caregivers help to soothe a toddler’s crying over ice cream on the sidewalk or fighting over whose turn it is to go first.

The external events that challenge healthy emotional regulation will change with time, of course.

It may sound simplistic but practicing the habit of positive self-talk is a proven way to fuel personal growth.

On the flip side, giving ourselves negative messages is an excellent way to hamper growth. With time, we begin to believe what we tell ourselves about ourselves. The internal messages we give ourselves color the way we perceive our lives.