How Close to Reality Is Your Life Narrative?

Sometimes we have to lie to ourselves just to get through the day. It’s okay. Everybody does it at one time or another. It’s hard to be objective about ourselves—some of us give ourselves a pass a little too readily, and some of us berate ourselves unnecessarily.  But...

Are You Really Who You Think You Are?

Do our perceptions of ourselves match the perceptions others have of us? Do we tell ourselves the truth about who we really are? Are our narratives hopelessly biased and untethered from reality?   It is only natural that we construct narratives about ourselves...

Lies and Damn Lies

Most people are basically honest, but studies show that the average person lies several times a day. Usually, these are little white lies, like: “No, you don’t look like you’ve gained a pound.” These lies are deployed in the hopes of making people feel better, and...

When Your Relationship Won’t Survive Covid

If there’s one thing we learned from the pandemic, it’s that extra stress can strain a relationship to the breaking point, even when it seemed okay before. Erin knew her relationship with Dave wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t realize how fragile it really was until they...

When Your Partner’s Not on Board with Therapy

I’ve heard too many stories of one partner begging the other to accompany her to therapy. Once there, the therapist woos the reluctant one to get him on board. Meanwhile, the willing partner feels the therapist is partial to her spouse and might even be prejudiced...

Set Boundaries Like a Border Collie

Border collies are beautiful dogs that are happiest when doing the jobs they were born to do: herd in the strays and patrol the boundaries. A good border collie will defend his master’s boundary with unrelenting ferocity and tenacity. Women can take a lesson from...