Do you walk into a room and, with a quick scan, know the temperature? Who's in what mood so you can adjust. Your voice comes out lighter, questions get softer, you set aside what you wanted to say for later because "now isn't the time." You're so good at doing this you don't have to think about it. ...

There is a particular kind of tired that has nothing to do with sleep.

It’s the tiredness of someone who has been paying close attention to everyone in their life except themselves. If you’ve felt it, you know what I mean. If you’ve tried to explain it to someone, you know how hard it is to put int...

You decline a request at work and spend the next few minutes at your desk going over everything you said wondering if it landed okay. You cancel plans with a friend and immediately follow up with a long explanation why you’re cancelling. You share an opinion, watch how the other person reacts, and s...

Do you have moments when things get tense and suddenly you just go blank? Someone says something that hurts, or asks for something you don’t want to give, or starts a conversation that makes your chest tighten. You open your mouth and…nothing comes out. Or, you agree to something you don’t want to a...

 If you have ever walked away from a conversation and thought, Why didn't I just say what I meant? you are not alone. A lot of smart, self-aware people find themselves doing things in relationships that they can't quite explain. They go silent when they need to speak up. They over-explain a simple r...

When Divorce Feels Like Emotional Whiplash

One day your spouse says they want a divorce.
The next day they want to work things out.
Then they say maybe you can just “stay friends.”

That feels like emotional whiplash and it’s painful. It keeps you hopeful and scared at the same time. You don’t know...