The Question I am not sure if any of you have heard recent and or relevant conversations, videos or posts surrounding the question, "Do women lack more accountability than men?" And to address the gender binary in the forefront, in order to best understand the history and patterns of behaviour I am speaking in terms of male and female to support the cultural norms established that many are currently operating within. I am not calling those right, but merely using these terms to explain why this perception has come to pass. That aside, from what I have observed/heard via social media (although ..read more

Ultimatums are typically used to demand behavioral change or action by dictating the consequence of inaction. In other words, ultimatums are demands, requested as a result of unwelcomed behavior in relationships that is hoped to trigger desired behavior. Ultimatums are often used/enforced in love relationships. And while I understand the desire to enforce ultimatums as a way of shifting relationship dynamics, "reinforcing boundaries" or "boundary setting", I believe what is often left unconsidered is the fact that when ultimatums are usually implemented, it's often too late, and not at a time ..read more

The ability to control one's response is vital in pursuing self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the recognition and belief in one's ability to manage individual behavior, response, and motivation and is a complex yet active self-analysis that enables conscious mastery of behavior and emotional responses, which supports how one navigates within and responds to an environment. Self-control, by definition, is the ability to manage emotional and physical responses, which is the foundation of achieving self-efficacy. Thus, enabling self-control is the practice of restraint to deter any inclination for a ..read more

I realize that each of the prior posts discussing triggers did not properly address what triggers are and how they form. Therefore, this post, with efforts to support a greater understanding of how to manage responses to triggers, will discuss what triggers are by definition and how they form through a psychological lens. So let's jump right in... The Definition A trigger is defined as a "stimulus that elicits a reaction. For example, an event could trigger a memory from a past experience while simultaneously" [causing] an emotional response, or as referred to in psychological terms a "state o ..read more

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Although I was not able to compose my first blog post of 2023 until March, regardless of timing, I wanted to start of 2023 by addressing acceptance and love from a different view. And because I do not believe that there is one individual on this earth that is perfect, I figure I'd use this post to address the challenges of self-acceptance and embracing individual imperfections amid the current culture of significant reliance on social media. BARRIERS TO POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE Granted establishing and maintaining a positive self-image encompasses self-love, self-acceptance, and sel ..read more

Some of the greatest challenges in life surround the inability to communicate effectively. The ability to communicate effectively supports our success in all professional, social (platonic), and romantic relationships, yet we don't really give the necessary care and consideration to developing our ability to communicate effectively. If utilized correctly, this blog will support you with developing an ability to recognize your challenges with communicating effectively, as well as provide tools to enable your ability to develop better communication strategies. Here are 6 Questions Critical for E ..read more

WHAT IS TRAUMA? In pursuit of my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, I have defined trauma at this point several times in many ways, but there's one definition that I have come to use more frequently, which is relative to the world in which we currently operate. It reads as follows: Traumatic incidents are identified as natural disasters, threats, and experiences of harm/violence (death, serious injury, and or sexual in nature) witnessed and or experienced whether first or secondhand (Mikal-Flynn et al., 2018). I like this definition for a few reasons, but I will only highlight two, first because it ..read more

I start this post off with a brief discussion about children (hints the photo), because children embody vulnerability. And unlike adults, children typically don't associate negativity with exhibiting emotions or "being emotional". If you think about it children cry, throw a tantrum, get angry, frustrated, smile, hug, kiss, etc. at a moments notice, without much consideration, and that's largely because they typically hold no regard for how they are being perceived. Well, that is unless their parents consistently respond to that behavior in a negative or reinforcing way. Otherwise, children es ..read more

As the month of October holds Mental Health Awareness day, and with this being a self-development blog that discusses mental and relational well-being, it's only right that I share some insights regarding mental health. As we're increasingly more aware there are very real challenges to navigating and supporting mental health in a proactive and healthy way. Existing stigmas surrounding mental health perpetuated through lack of education and understanding, only continue to increase the rate of psychological deficits left untreated. Therefore, it's important that we make an active effort to ensur ..read more

As the month of October holds Mental Health Awareness day, and with this being a self-development blog that discusses mental and relational well-being, it's only right that I share some insights regarding mental health. As we're increasingly more aware there are very real challenges to navigating and supporting mental health in a proactive and healthy way. Existing stigmas surrounding mental health perpetuated through lack of education and understanding, only continue to increase the rate of psychological deficits left untreated. Therefore, it's important that we make an active effort to ensur ..read more