A traumatic event often leaves people feeling shaken and unstable. The traumatic response and surge of adrenaline results in people becoming anxious and hypervigilant, feeling agitated or irritable, tearful and experiencing mood swings. Traumatised individuals can also become withdrawn and isolate themselves, feel as if they are different from everyone else and struggle to function […]
Anger is one of the most commonly experienced emotions and in many cases it is a perfectly healthy and progressive emotion. Everyone feels angry at one time or another. Feeling angry is a good sign that something is happening that is not right or feels unjust. Anger kicks your defence system into action and allows […]
Experiencing infidelity in a relationship can really be one of the more devastating events your relationship will see. It is traumatic for both partners. And, it can result in a lot of pain and feelings of betrayal. An affair does not automatically necessitate the end of the relationship. In fact, many relationships have managed to […]
Falling in love is such a wonderful feeling. The excitement, the joy, the spark of chemistry. Falling in love is also, unfortunately, associated with weight gain in many societies. Studies in this area have shown that over 60% of people in new relationships will admit to putting on weight in the beginning stages of their […]
The following is an excerpt from Irwin Krieger’s book ‘Helping Your Transgender Teen – A Guide for Parents’. “Telling the extended family and friends of the family is a stressful experience for most parents of transsexual teens. Fear of rejection and criticism, or fear of causing unmanageable distress for older family members is common. Many […]
Mad. Angry. Pissed off. Livid. Frustrated. Fuming. Boiling. Agro. Furious. Cross. Outraged. And so the list goes. All of these words often refer to the same emotion – anger. Sometimes people don’t even realise they are angry because other feelings are stronger – depression, hurt, fear. Physical symptoms may include tight muscles, headaches, elevated blood […]
The previous post introduced the first two love languages – words of affirmation and quality time. Now, let’s consider the other three languages. The third love language that Chapman identifies is receiving gifts. A partner whose primary love language is receiving gifts feels loved when her partner regularly gives her love through gifts. The gifts […]
This is part one of a two part series of posts. The concept of love is as varied as the languages used to convey love. I love coffee. I love that outfit. I love you. Each of these statements uses the word love in it yet; most people would agree that the love being expressed […]
Your partner is giving you the infamous silent treatment once again and this time like so many others in the past, you have no idea what you’ve done to deserve it. Or maybe you do know what triggered your partner this time. Either way, you walk around on eggshells trying not to extend the silence […]
The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are diverse and affect a range of areas of functioning. As a result it can be really difficult to watch your partner go through a post traumatic response. You may find he or she becomes volatile and easily irritable. He may snap at you or be intolerant and moody. […]