Blog for Better Living

How to Apologize in Three Steps

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | April 7, 2023

Saying “I’m sorry” is an effective way to build trust in relationships and is important for emotional closeness. A good apology reduces stress, creates a new perspective, and gives us a chance to learn something new about ourselves and others. We are all susceptible to saying something unkind, lashing out in anger, or being careless […]

How to Get “Unstuck” from Anxiety

By: Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. | March 24, 2023

If you struggle with anxiety, you may notice that the harder you try to make it go away, the worse it becomes. If you wake up in the morning checking for signs of anxiety to determine if it will be a “good” or “bad” day, you may be caught in an “all or nothing” anxiety […]

Spoon Theory: What You Need to Know About Living With Chronic Illness

By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | March 10, 2023

Spoon theory isn’t a dissertation on how spoons work. It’s a metaphor for the amount of energy that a person has on any given day. The concept began in the disability community 20 years ago and has been popular ever since, especially with people who suffer from autoimmune and chronic illness, like lupus, fibromyalgia, or […]

Feeling Stuck? This May Be Why

By: Lisa Card Strong, Ph.D. | February 10, 2023

We all have moments of feeling low when life isn’t going our way. Creating change is difficult when it takes most of your energy to just get through the day. Feeling stuck and down can sometimes be triggered by a relationship or work issue. Or, in some cases, there’s no big explanation. You may have […]

A Therapist’s Wish for 2023

By: Rochelle Perper, Ph.D. | January 6, 2023

This year I continue the tradition of writing about my personal reflections of the previous year, lessons I’ve learned, and intentions for the future. I hope that you enjoy this article and the musings. At the beginning of 2022, I felt overwhelmed by all the catching up I felt I needed to do in my […]

Coming Out as Queer on Your Terms

By: Gregory E. Koch, Psy.D. | December 30, 2022

This article is inspired by friends and clients who recently shared with me about their coming out journey. In my article Relationship Tips for Gay Men…and anyone else smart enough to read this article, I suggest that gay men “celebrate their gay” by being themself in as many spaces as possible. This article will expand […]

Family, LGBTQ+, Relationships

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria: What You Need to Know

By: Michael Toohey, Psy.D. | September 30, 2022

Most people are concerned with being liked and fear rejection by others, but those with Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) are hypersensitive to this possibility and the repercussions are profound. A desire to be liked and accepted by others is a deeply embedded survival instinct and feeling rejected is a fundamentally distressing, and at times, quite […]

Unplugging the Social Anxiety Spotlight

By: Other | September 23, 2022

Written by Stephanie Salo, Psy.D. If you dread social situations because you worry about being perceived as “weird,” or if you feel awkward around new people or in groups, you are likely experiencing the immobilizing effect of social anxiety. Although it is common to feel some nervousness in social settings (especially during re-entry in the […]

How to Cultivate Self-Compassion

By: Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. | September 16, 2022

Experiences such as loss, pain, and disappointment are unavoidable parts of being human. If we want to feel the good stuff in life such as love, connection, and proud moments, then we must also accept the risk of the flip side of these experiences. For example, if you love someone, you are vulnerable to feeling […]