My five-year-old daughter has a self-professed “crush” on Tae Young, who is a cartoon member of the early 2000s fictional boy band 4*Town, which is featured in the 2022 Disney Pixar movie “Turning Red.” (I know, my head is spinning too.) I can’t tell if my daughter thinks Tae is…
A new research study from Thriveworks shows that more Americans are engaged in parasocial relationships than they care to admit. Humans naturally form one-sided connections to media personas and public figures, even genuinely mourning their deaths. These parasocial relationships are usually harmless, though 9% of people report lasting mental health…
Divorce is common, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. Trying to process your own feelings while carrying on with day-to-day life can feel, at best, overwhelming, at worst, almost impossible. The complications that accompany divorce become far more intricate when there are children involved. Remember, no matter…
Q: How do I know if my marriage is what is causing me all the anxiety I have? We fight all the time and I feel sad, mad, and exhausted every time we are both home. We don’t agree on a lot of things and we always seem to point…
Pets and kids are notoriously bad at respecting bedroom boundaries. These big-eyed housemates have been known to claw at doors, swat at exposed body parts, and whine when they’re excluded from intimate activities. I’m thinking of toddlers of course, but this behavior applies to pets as well. Have you ever…
In many ways, the country is divided now more than ever before. As much as we’d love to see eye to eye with everyone around us, recent research* from Thriveworks shows that 54% of Americans have experienced some type of negative impact on at least one personal relationship as a…
This is not a fun topic to write about. Parent-child breakups are painful for everyone involved: for the adult children who feel torn between filial duty and self-protection; for the toxic parents who can’t understand what they did wrong; and even for the children those parents once were, who were…
Intimacy is displayed when two people know and care for each other. Typically, to be truly intimate, these individuals are open, familiar, and vulnerable in their relationship. Intimacy in marriage supplements a close personal bond. While it can prove important to friendships as well as relationships between parent and child,…
Forget about Christmas, Mother’s Day, or New Year’s Eve: No other holiday brings on the pressure like Valentine’s Day. On a day that’s all about love, for those that are in relationships, just starting one, or are single, some serious time, energy, and stress can go into ensuring that the…
According to new research* from Thriveworks, over a third (34%) of Americans believe that their romantic relationships (current or previous) are the leading cause of their mental health concerns. Love, attachment, and intimacy can all trigger buried fears, past traumas, and self-esteem issues. And yet we still seek connection with…
Research shows that 34% of Americans have mental health concerns that they attribute primarily to their romantic relationships–past and present. Healthy relationships have the power to flood us with positive emotions, to make us feel connected, and to enhance our self-esteem. But that power can quickly become a negative force…
Ask anyone headed to watch the next Marvel flick: It’s hard not to idolize the heroines and heroes within the realms of popular fiction. Whether they’re on the silver screen, in books, TV series, or even video games, many of us admire these depictions of larger-than-life characters. But, even though…
