Friendship breakups: The most untold love story
There are a lot of unhelpful myths about friendships. The biggest myth being that a friendship with your "BFF" will last forever. Unlike our romantic relationships, where there is an understanding that it may not work out, generally, we all assume that our friendships will always be around. We expect that will be old biddies retiring together.
Boundaries – when you’re doing them wrong
Boundaries are a must when it comes to honouring our relationships with ourselves and with other people. But they can be tricky to get right. Below we explore some common slip-up's when it comes to boundary setting - which we're likely all guilty of at some point or another. Check out if some seem to be occurring more regularly with you and how you might shift towards setting more useful boundaries.
Communicating with difficult people: A how-to guide.
Communication is essential when it comes to connecting with others, setting clear and assertive boundaries and getting our needs met. But at times, we are confronted with people who might not be as cool with open and calm communication as we are. Below are some helpful tips when it comes to talking to people who might be, at times, a little challenging to communicate with…
Is your relationship co-dependent?
Do you find yourself giving so much in a relationship and receiving little support from your partner in return? Do you feel frightened at the prospect of being away or apart from your partner for any period of time? Do you find yourself always needing to fix, repair or overbearingly nurture your partner? Do you feel unable to express yourself honestly & vulnerably to your partner, fearing you’ll hurt them, anger them or they’ll leave you? Do the emotion states of your partner completely overtake and overwhelm you to the point that you can’t connect with your own feelings?
I will do anything for (self) love, but I wont do that.
Many of us fantasise about a life in which we are grounded, calm, and able to move about in the world with purpose and compassion. Wouldn’t it be such a luxury to not dissolve into an anxious puddle every time you have an important work deadline? Or to not sizzle like a stress sausage trying to keep your living space and family life in some kind of order? Or not to sink deep into a pool of disappointment and disillusion when thinking about your current life and the one you’d prefer to be living?
Relationship Memes that hit a little too close to home
We compiled a few of our favourite relationship memes here, accompanied by some tips (take them or leave them, tbh) if you're looking for these memes to be a little less personally relatable in your romantic future.
Ditch the “Considerate Text” Templates: 3 ways to respond that won’t make you sound like a sociopath
There have been some text templates doing the cyber rounds recently that aim to considerately manage expectations when it comes to avoiding emotional burnout or sharing sensitive information. The template trend began with a tweet from @fyeahmfabello that shared a text she received from a friend...
How to have those tough conversations
Let’s face it, no matter how similar you may be, no two people think the same, so disagreements are inevitable. But this doesn’t mean that all your dreams can’t still be a reality. We just have to be realistic. Intimate relationships are just the same as any other relationship in our lives; there will always be things you like and dislike about your friends and family and you may not always get along and that’s totally normal. We’re humans, we are all different and we can’t always agree!
How to respond to someone’s good news
Professor Shelly Gable, from the University of California, undertook some research to learn more about how we respond when someone shares their good news with us, and how our responses to that good news can improve (or impede) our relationships.
