Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, my name is Rebecca Toulson and I’m a Licensed Mental Health Therapist with Thriveworks Counseling in Greenville, South Carolina. The online counseling question I’ve been asked is, “How can I be more assertive without being rude?” I love to get this…
Do you ever get nervous about meeting someone for the first time? Say, a potential employer or your significant other’s parents? Ideally, they’ll like you and think you’re qualified—to do the job or date their daughter—right off the bat. But that, of course, will take a good first impression. If…
In 2008, as the crowd celebrated a successful campaign speech, Barack and Michelle Obama gave each other a fist bump. As many things surrounding the Obama family do, the fist bump went viral. Fist bumps quickly became the new handshake. And according to some, this type of handshake could function…
Apologies are important. They help us to express remorse and repair relationships when we’ve made a mistake—that is, if we go about them the right way. Here are 5 tips that will help you ask for forgiveness. One, say you’re sorry. A genuine apology shows remorse and makes an impact….
Small talk can exacerbate social anxiety or simply make us feel uncomfortable; however, doing it well can aid success in our personal and professional lives. Get good at small talk by first asking questions; have a few generic questions handy to ask new friends or colleagues and tune in to…
We all have our own (often strong) opinions on politics, religion, relationships, and so on. Offhand conversations no longer circle with ease around the water cooler at work. We take part in conversations about more serious issues and subject matters. Additionally, thanks to social media, sharing those beliefs is easier…
Imagine this: you get home from work, and your spouse looks up at you from the kitchen table, clearly concerned. You demand simultaneously, “Where are the kids?” You both thought it was the other person’s turn to pick the kids up from soccer practice, which has the potential to spark…
Eating breakfast as a family could encourage body positivity among kids and teens. Researchers from University of Missouri Columbia analyzed the eating habits of more than 12,000 students from over 300 schools. These habits included how often the students ate breakfast and how often they ate meals with a parent….
Assertive and aggressive behavior are two totally different approaches to communication and, often, confrontation. But one often reaps better benefits — learn about the difference between the two and which you should turn to. What Is the Difference Between Assertive and Aggressive? In my junior year of college, I spent…
The unfortunate truth is that many people lie, and it isn’t always easy to tell when we’re being deceived. And while we all are at risk of being lied to on any given day, some are particularly vulnerable to deception such as those who lead with empathy, passiveness, or optimism….
Have you lied yet today? Maybe you took a sick day at work when really you’re feeling fine; maybe you said sorry to your significant other when you didn’t truly mean it; or, maybe you told your server that your chicken tasted great when it was just subpar. The thing…
Trust is essential to a healthy, happy relationship—therefore, when trust is lost or broken, one’s relationship can suffer significantly. The good news is that trust can be restored, so long as both partners are willing to confront open wounds and work on rebuilding. If you’ve damaged your partner’s trust, start…
