 The holidays are a time for joy, love, and connection. But they can also be a time of stress, unrealistic expectations, and overcommitment. That's why it's so important to set healthy boundaries during this festive season. By doing so, you can protect your physical and mental health and nurture your relationships in a way that feels good for everyone involved. Here are some tips for setting healthy boundaries this holiday season.
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 Believe it or not, we are quickly approaching the holiday season. For couples, this time of year is often decorated with the spirit of love and gratitude, the creation of new traditions and… *checks notes* ….negotiations?!
That’s right, this magical time of year can quickly turn into a tricky game of scheduling chess. Deciding where and with whom to spend your precious, and often limited, time can become an obstacle for many couples. This is especially true for couples who may be spending the holidays with each other’s families for the first time. Here are some tips to negotiate the holidays with your partner successfully: Today we’re going to talk about the Sound Relationship House, a theory from John Gottman after decades of research and studying couples. This theory provides a nice structure for a relationship. As you can see, trust and commitment are pillars in a relationship, meaning that if one or both of them fall, the whole house comes down. When that happens, such as after an affair, you have to start from scratch and rebuild the foundation and go up.
Transcript: Hi, I’m Laurel. I’m a licensed therapist, and today’s post is about the number one communication hack [which also happens to be] the only thing I ever get tired of saying as a therapist. I want to share with you because I feel like everyone can benefit from it. You certainly don’t need to come to therapy to contemplate it.
Boundaries is one of those buzzwords that you hear a lot about. Relationships are supposed to have them, it’s hard to set them sometimes. I think there’s a lot of confusion about what a boundary is, so I wanted to talk about that. My favorite definition of a boundary is this:
 When I first switched to video therapy in the early days of the pandemic, I wanted to make sure my clients’ privacy was as secure as possible as I started working from home. I’m lucky that I didn’t need to do much in the way of soundproofing, but I wanted to make sure the walls of my house were enough. So after a session I asked someone who had been in another room, “Were you able to hear me at all?”
“Nope, all I could hear was you laughing.”  So you’ve found a great therapist you feel good about working with and scheduled an appointment. Now what? Starting therapy can feel like both a relief and an overwhelming task. When you’re at a point where you seek professional help, there’s probably a lot going on you want to talk about, and it can feel vulnerable or awkward to dive right in with your biggest issue with someone you just met. So where do you start?
How Can We Create Connection During Coronavirus Shelter-In-Place?
A conversation between Kathleen Day, AMFT, CHT, and Laurel Roberts-Meese, LMFT. Transcript below. |
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