2020 has been a difficult year for many of us. People are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression related to Covid-19, racism, and the presidential election, among other things like the environment, lack of stability, healthcare, and the economy. That’s why we want to talk to you about finding emotional balance as we near the end of 2020.

Disagreements and misunderstandings are part of any relationship (yup, even the healthy ones). Learning how to dialogue when in conflict is a learnable skill. A lot of what we know about relationships is learned in early life experiences, as early as our relationship with our caregivers (typically parents) in infancy and childhood. Yes, it is wild to believe that how we communicate and respond to disputes today is highly influenced by the relationships that were modeled to us early on in life. To help create understanding and cooperation, the Gottman’s have come up with a blueprint to manage and resolve conflict in relationships. We wanted to share a few of those tips with you. **These tips are also effective in any relationship in our lives not just romantic*”

It’s an exhausting moment in American history for most of us. There is tension in the air, the amount of uncertainty and worry feels overwhelming. It’s a stressful time for so many of us, and this is your reminder that your anxiety around this election, the general state of our country and world’s future, and the rights that are at stake is VALID. Especially for BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ, working class, and other marginalized communities. If your anxiety is at an all time high, we ask that you take some time to care for yourself. Here are a few ways to cope with election anxiety and practice self-care.

We’ve talked a lot about toxic relationships and how to spot toxic behaviors in others and how to spot them in ourselves. Today, we’re focusing on how to identify, nurture, and maintain healthy relationships, how to spot red flags, and how to set effective boundaries because we all deserve to cultivate healthy, happy relationships!

We lie to ourselves for a few different reasons: to maintain comfort, to not disturb our self-image, to protect ourselves; and ultimately, to avoid suffering. As much as we try whether it be subconscious or not, our truth will come out. Holding in our truth can eventually cause symptoms like insomnia, eye twitches, nightmares, constant exhaustion, and overwhelming depressive episodes. When we deny our truth by lying to ourselves, we miss opportunities for growth and learning, and we all owe it to ourselves to be true and live our authentic lives.

Committing to living your truth isn’t easy, and you aren’t alone in your journey. We’re right here with you. Here are 5 common lies we tell ourselves and ways to combat them to live in alignment with your authentic self.

Building your life can be confusing, and so many of us in our twenties and thirties are really feeling it. Whether we find ourselves working a job that we didn’t expect, having to move back in with our parents, ending a long-term relationship or reexamining what our “purpose” is all together, we have to remember that being unsure about the future is a rite of passage. When we find ourselves in this space of unsureness and restlessness, it can seem like everyone is thriving in careers and lives that they wanted, and can leave us feeling more inadequate, and more confused about what to do with our lives. These negative feelings can be so hard to shake, but they won’t last forever.

We came up with a few tips to help you move out of this experience, and into fulfillment, joy, and satisfaction. because while a quarter life crisis can signal the beginning of a difficult period, it can also be the start to constructive change and help you take back control of you life.

If you feel like you aren’t anywhere near the classic ‘milestones’ of where your life “should” be (e.g., owning a home, a car, working the perfect job, etc.), this is for you.

We say yes a lot, and if you’re anything like us you might have a habit of saying it when you don’t always mean it. We do this for so many reasons – we don’t want to say no in fear that we won’t be asked to hang out again, we might fear disappointing someone by not agreeing to help, or we might worry about being perceived as lazy or unproductive. Whatever the reason is, by justifying why we constantly need to satisfy others, we in turn our betraying our own self-respect. The thing is, your time is never less worthy than someone else’s. Once we reconnect with our awareness and see how truly valuable our time, space and energy are, we can be better equipped to know where to set our boundaries and how to honor them; and sometimes that means saying “No.”

What do we do when it seems our friends are too busy for us? First, try not to jump to conclusions; chances are they aren’t avoiding you on purpose. Second, don’t be too hard on your busy friends, we don’t always know what’s on someone’s plate, even our closest friends. Here are a few things to keep in mind and options to try when it seems like your friend is too busy for you.

Life feels overwhelming for so many of us right now, and I don’t know about you, but finding inner peace seems to be tougher than usual lately. Podcasts can be such a helpful resource for all things mental health. Whether you’re looking for emotional guidance or just a comforting voice to focus on in the moment, podcasts can help us remember one of the most powerful affirmations of all, we are NOT alone!

We created a list of 5 anxiety reducing podcasts to help you de-stress, learn more about yourself, and live better.

Are you constantly disappointing yourself, no matter how well you do? Although we know life is complicated and sometimes messy, many people still feel an intense drive to be nearly perfect. Although perfectionism isn’t a mental illness, its presence can be damaging and exhausting emotionally. Take the quiz below to see what level of perfectionistic tendencies you have and be mindful that your worth is not defined by your productivity or perfections.