Many people today avoid discomfort, shutting down curiosity and vulnerability in relationships and life. This blog explores why leaning into tension is essential for emotional growth, deeper connections, and personal resilience—and offers practical steps to engage with discomfort in safe, constructive ways.

Our identities shape how we feel, who we connect with, and how we respond to the world. From sports fandom and celebrity culture to politics, belonging can bring comfort but also tension, anxiety, and grief when our groups shift. This blog explores social identity theory, layered identities, and practical strategies for navigating change while thinking critically and staying grounded.

Feeling erased after leaving a job or community? Learn how ambiguous grief, imposter syndrome, and systems thinking can help you understand and heal.

The internet’s debating what counts as the “bare minimum” or “princess treatment” in relationships. But the real flex? Talking openly about your needs. In this blog, I break down how to have healthy, playful conversations about expectations, even when it feels awkward. Plus, how couples can co-create relationship guidelines that actually work!

People-pleasing can feel like love, loyalty, or support — but it’s often a short-term strategy for managing anxiety. And the cost? Your energy, your voice, and your trust in your own boundaries. This blog explores what it really means to say yes — and how to stop pleasing at the expense of yourself.

“I cut off my mom and I’ve never felt better.”

Statements like this are common on social media—and they’re often met with applause. In a culture increasingly fluent in therapy-speak, cutting people off is being reframed as empowerment. But as a systems-based therapist, I can’t help but wonder: Are we building emotional safety, or simply avoiding discomfort?

The term “toxic” has become a vague stand-in for anyone who challenges us, annoys us, or doesn’t validate us—and the result is a growing tendency to sever relationships rather than repair them. While there are absolutely times when stepping away is necessary, especially in cases of abuse or harm, I worry that this broader cultural shift may be leading us toward isolation, emotional fragility, and a diminished tolerance for difference.

What happens when we stop working through conflict—and simply walk away?

If you’ve ever labeled yourself “anxious” or “avoidant,” you’re not alone — attachment styles are everywhere. But they’re more than just personality quizzes. Through a social construction lens, we explore how your attachment patterns are shaped in context — by relationships, culture, trauma, and experience — and how they can evolve. You’re not stuck. You’re shaped by connection, and capable of building new ones.

When caring turns into over-functioning, we risk creating imbalance in our relationships. This blog explores how over-nurturing—though well-intentioned—can lead to partner infantilization, fostering dependence rather than growth. From cleaning up after your partner to managing their schedule, these patterns often stem from anxiety and a desire to help. Learn how trust, vulnerability, and system awareness can restore balance and strengthen your connection.

Struggling with anxiety in your relationship? Learn how anxiety can manifest as irritability, impatience, or conflict, and discover practical tools for self-awareness, communication, and emotional regulation. Strengthen trust with your partner by taking ownership of your feelings. Read more to explore how therapy or coaching can help.