Tell me if this sounds familiar. You have an important meeting or a school project that is due tomorrow. As you’re checking through everything and putting on the final touches you realize you’ve done something wrong. This something being redone will take you forever to fix and it’s already late. You start thinking about how ridiculous this whole situation is until finally, it happens. Those criticisms of the situation become criticisms about you. “You’re such an idiot! Why didn’t you check this before you started?” or comments like this are lambasted at you. It’s like a punishment you feel you deserve for not doing it right the first time. While it might seem warranted, you soon realize the effects. You feel like nothing you do is good enough and begin to doubt your own ability to correct the issue. Familiar, isn’t it? Destructive self-criticism is a dangerous tool. It robs you of your self-confidence and can affect your ability to set healthy and attainable goals. It’s a vicious cycle too. To overcompensate for failing the last time you set a higher and even more difficult goal to achieve only to let yourself down again. But life doesn’t have to be…
The holidays are upon us. The holiday season is simultaneously the happiest and most stressful season of the year. Between grocery shopping, cooking, and having family over it’s easy to see how stressful the holidays can be. You may believe there is just too much to plan and so many people to keep happy. If you are worried about this holiday season as Thanksgiving approaches, here are some tips to help you manage your stress this November. #1 Make a plan The most effective way to avoid surprises and stressors is to get organized and make a plan. Come up with a menu for Thanksgiving dinner. To make it fun you can even have your kids and partner help you plan it out. Having a plan reduces your stress because you aren’t scrambling around at the last minute to make something. Once you have planned your menu, make a list of what you need. Plan a day to knock out getting all the items on your list. Once you have your supplies, plan your cooking schedule. Cooking some Thanksgiving food ahead of time can greatly reduce the amount of preparation you have to do come Thanksgiving Day. #2 Ask for…
With elections wrapping up and Thanksgiving quickly approaching, there is bound to be political banter at the table. Political banner can get intense, but in a time like today, where the political divide is stronger than ever, talking politics at the table can corrupt relationships with family and friends. Here are four ways to stop politics from ruining your friendships. Don’t Let Politics Rule Your Life This isn’t to say don’t care about the policies or bills that are being discussed or soon to be carried out. This simply means don’t let those policies or bills be a factor in how you run your life. You have probably seen the following in a similar scenario on social media: Person A takes a declarative stance regarding a policy or Politian. Person B from their friends list disagrees in a respectful way to maintain the relationship. Person A completely loses it and calls Person B all kinds of slurs before threatening to end their contact on social media. Person B tries to apologize for the misstep, but Person A has their mind made up. Person A is allowing politics to conduct their lives and determine the conditions of their personal happiness. While…
Relationships can be difficult. While all relationships take work, long distance relationships can be even more difficult and require even more work than those that are localized. Although they may sometimes seem more challenging, healthy and happy long-distance relationships are entirely achievable, and more and more people are learning how to make them work every day. As we have progressed into an age of rapidly growing technology, communicating with loved ones is possible and easier than ever. While we now have more platforms and means of communication, it doesn’t mean we have to put in less effort when it comes to maintaining a happy relationship. If you are trying to make a long-distance relationship work, remember these tips. Plan well and be mindful of one another’s schedule Spontaneity doesn’t seem to work as well with long-distance relationships. Many times, you are on very different schedules. Whether it be work or school, sleeping times, or even time zones, remember to be mindful of your partner’s schedule as well as ask that they do the same for you. Try to plan times to talk. This is will help to prevent disappointment or lack of attention from your loved one. Ensure you both…
