David Hodel

What is emotional well-being? There are a few different ways to define it, but Healthline describes three components of emotional wellness: Emotional attunement (identifying how you feel). Vulnerability (the ability to express your emotions). Authenticity (the capacity to share your feelings honestly). As you can see, two of the primary aspects of emotional well-being involve relating to others. When we are adept at emotional regulation and wellness, we can have healthier relationships and model well-being for others. We also

No matter if you’ve been married one year, ten years, or twenty years and beyond, marriage can be trying at times. It’s normal to get in relationship ruts, and that’s why it’s good to look for ways for improving your marriage. 10 Tips for Improving Your Marriage Improving your marriage is possible by being intentional with several small changes. These ten tips for improving your marriage can get you back on the right path and move toward closeness. 1.

To understand what causes codependency in relationships, it is first necessary to understand what codependency is and what it is not. One dictionary definition of codependency says it is based on a psychological state of mutual dependence between two people, especially when one partner relies emotionally on support and care for the other partner. This can sound a lot like normal care in a loving relationship, but in actual practice, it is something quite different. Perhaps the most important

Premarital or (pre-marriage) counseling is a short-term form of counseling for couples that plan to get married. Often required by pastors or priests, premarital counseling is typically done by clergy. However, it is also done by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs), Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs), and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) who have been trained in the work. Christian premarital or couples counseling (whether done by clergy or not) is something that could benefit all Christian couples pre-marriage.

Codependency is a term that gets thrown around a lot. The definitions range from the technical, where it is used to describe a specific phenomenon that occurs in the families of addicts, to the popular, which revolves around how much time two people spend in each other’s company. But which definition is accurate? In this article, we will explore three different understandings of codependency and evaluate each in order to arrive at a more accurate understanding. Codependency: A (Very)

“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become experts at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from themselves.” [And in turn, hide from others]. – Bessel A. Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps The Score [addition mine].

There are many reasons why an employee might want to set developmental goals at work. A new employee may be lacking certain abilities to perform their job well. An employee who has been there a while may be interested in improving efficiency or be looking at ways to expand their capabilities to rekindle interest or in preparation to move laterally within the company. Setting Developmental Goals for Work Whatever your reasons, there are some dos and don’ts which are

Looking for parenting advice? Hopefully this article will help. The parent-child relationship is one in which a certain dynamic generally exists – the parents are older, wiser, and more mature, and they are charged with the responsibility to nurture their children emotionally, mentally, and physically. Children, for their part, depend on their parents and caregivers to provide the nurturing they need so that they can flourish. It is a massive (but beautiful) task! At times it can seem daunting,

Let me say up front, I am not entirely comfortable with the title to this article. Though there are usually common themes to grief, everyone grieves differently. Look up “stages of loss and grief” and you see 5 stages, 8 stages, 12 stages, and 6 months to 4 years as a time frame. The fact is, there is no “right” way to do it. It is something that happens to you as waves happen to a beach. There are

It is a fact of life that things rarely go exactly how we planned. I have heard people in business describe it at the “80/20 rule” – about 20% of the time things go as expected. The rest of the time, we have to manage the surprise or shock, the irritation or anger, the concern or the anxiety, and try to figure out what can be done now that we’ve hit an obstacle and our personal development plan has

Before we talk about how to treat depression, we need to agree on what kind of depression we are talking about. Severe depression with feelings of hopelessness and/or suicidality may be a brain chemistry issue, and for this or other reasons often will not respond to self-treatment. This is a serious condition that requires immediate attention from a mental health professional. This kind of depression often requires medication at the beginning of treatment, and sometimes for the long term.

There’s a saying, “What gets watched gets done, and what gets rewarded gets done again.” We may find it surprisingly easy to wander through life more or less on automatic, reacting to whatever obstacles come our way, trying to keep hitting our marks, or keep all our balls in the air, or stay afloat – whatever metaphor floats your boat. The problem with running on auto-pilot is that whatever good things come our way come by happenstance. I kept