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Should You Pay Closer Attention to Beige Flags in a Relationship?
A beige flag is a slang relationship term referring to an odd or quirky characteristic, but not one that is innately good or bad. "Flags is a modern term used by people to rate noticeable and more subtle characteristics of a person," says Allison Fossella, LMHC, LPC, Mental Health Clinical Director of Nice Healthcare. She notes "flags are a tool to help envision and evaluate a relationship that you have, or may have with someone."
I Needed a Therapist to Help With Anxiety, So I Tried the GoodTherapy Directory
I’ve been living with anxiety for a while—but lately, I realized I have just started accepting that anxiety as part of my everyday life, which … isn’t great. For example, I would check in with my physical body and feel tension throughout the day, a clenching of my jaw, or an inability to relax my brain at night, with thoughts swirling about my dad’s declining health or money I was owed or my kids’ life choices. I began thinking “That’s just life.” But instead, I wanted to explore ways to take control of my thoughts so that they wouldn’t impact my physical body and sleep so much.
Unpacking the "Pick Me Girl" and Why Giving Someone That Label is Complicated
She doesn’t eat salads, wear a lot of make-up or do girl drama. She eats burgers, drinks beer, loves sports, and always goes with the flow. She's not like other girls. Yeah, right! She’s just pretending to be “one of the guys” for attention, she's such a “pick me girl”.
Main Character Energy: Being the Hero of Your Own Story
Main character energy describes a person who lives life as if they’re the main character of a novel or movie. It refers to an attitude toward life in which you invest in yourself and put yourself first. That can be a good thing if it’s used in a way that prioritizes self-care, and many people mean it this way, but it can be a bad thing if taken too far.
My Partner and I Tried Ours Premarital Counseling and Had a Great Experience
My partner and I have survived four years together, months of pandemic quarantine (in a studio apartment), and plenty of big changes. With all of that under our belts, we’re confident in our relationship and excited for its future, including marriage. But, like many couples, we fall into some unproductive communication ruts. While we’re down to spend forever together, we’d rather not spend forever in those loops. So, we decided premarital counseling would be a helpful way to fine-tune our relationship before tying the knot.
Not Feeling the Holiday Spirit? A Therapist's Guide to Surviving the Season
Feeling joyless at a time when joy is expected can be especially isolating. The holidays can be a divisive season. Some love them, full of glee as they eagerly race to pick up their Christmas tree before December can begin, hanging lights throughout their home, placing an elf on some unassuming shelf. Others can feel plagued by them, afflicted by the family gatherings and financial pressure often accompanying the holidays.
Healing Stones Can Help You Feel Better, Just Not in the Way You Might Think
We all have at least one friend or family member who is particularly inclined towards new age, spiritual, holistic, and alternative methods of healing. Some practices (think yoga, meditation) are rooted in science and can do a world of good, others (astrology, tarot reading) are still up for debate. Healing...
Exploring the Best Dating Apps for the LGBTQIA+ Community
Finding love has its own set of challenges regardless of sexuality or gender identity. But, like it or not, the rules and guidelines of dating in the LGBTQIA+ community are unique. This is why finding a dating app that is tailored to the queer dating experience is so important. Beyond...
Understanding and Embracing Hyperfixation in ADHD and Autism
Do you ever start working on a project, reading a book, or doing something that causes you to feel totally sucked in and immersed? Like you could just continue doing that one thing for hours and hours without stopping? That's what hyperfixation can feel like. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder,...
First Date Anxiety? An Expert Weighs in on How to Calm the Jitters
If there's any activity that comes with a whirlwind of emotions, it's a first date. Regardless of the activity, you're probably feeling any combination of excitement, nervousness, stress, hope, and a lot more. First dates can be anything from an hour spent having coffee with a stranger you'll never see...
Small Steps for Building Sisterhood
In May 2023, we honored Dr. Joy Harden Bradford—the creator of Therapy for Black Girls—as one of the Verywell Mind 25, a collection of 25 thought leaders, experts, and advocates making a huge difference in the world of mental health. The therapist, media personality, and podcaster has been...
Dating and Autism: 6 Tips For Success in Love, According to a Psychologist
Language note: Although individual preferences exist, surveys of the autistic community consistently show that autistic people prefer identity-first language rather than person-first language (i.e., “autistic person” rather than “person with autism”). This article reflects that community language preference. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders...
Love Language Quiz: What Speaks to Your Heart?
We all have different needs, wants, and desires in a relationship, but we may not always be sure what they are or how to communicate them to a partner. If you've ever wondered what your love language is, take this free quiz to find out the best ways for your partner to show their affection.
Why Short-Term Relationship Breakups are SO Painful
There are so many reasons why breakups hurt, which plenty of research has been done on. But there is something especially gut-wrenching about a relationship ending before it's had a proper chance to begin or realize its full potential. Early Attachment and Vulnerability. When we start dating someone new we...
How the 4 Types of Friendship Fit Into Your Life
We know that friendship is important to our health and happiness. In fact, research shows us that friends are as important to our well-being as family. However, friendship can span a ton of different types of relationships. There are the friends we only meet at parties, and there are our...
The Critical Role of Community in Postpartum Depression Care
Depression doesn't care how many good things you might have in your life, or how well things appear to be going from the outside. It doesn't care if you don't have a solid answer when someone wonders what you're so sad about. Depression can be particularly debilitating specifically because of how it can affect you regardless of the surrounding details of your life. And what's worse—it can often make you feel like you are bound to suffer alone, with no outside support able to breach the walls of the illness.
Here Are 4 Ways to Cope in Times of Civil Unrest, According to a Therapist
None of us are free until all of us are free. These words feel more poignant than ever. When times of civil unrest arise in our world, I reflect on the impact trauma can have on all of us, even when we weren’t directly involved in the traumatic event. Those who come into my office looking to do deep trauma work have usually been intentionally harmed by another person. Though there is an assumption that one-to-one harm only impacts the parties involved, the truth is that harm against anyone has a reverberating effect throughout family systems, communities, and countries.
Looking for Something Serious? Here Are the Dating Apps to Try First
Dating apps have a bad reputation—a lot of people think of them as a way to find a quick hookup you'll never see again. And, well, some dating apps are meant for exactly that (here's looking at you, Grindr). But plenty of others are filled with people seeking serious, long-term and committed relationships, and they're structured in ways to help you find a partner.
What's Your Communication Style? Take the Quiz and Find Out
Communication is one of the most essential components of any interpersonal relationship, it allows us to feel both seen and heard in our lives. If you want to know what your communication style is, take this free quiz and find out!. Who Is This Communication Style Quiz for?. This quiz...
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