When You’re Afraid of Relationships – 5 Tips to Overcome Your Insecurity

When you’re afraid of relationships, there’s usually a good reason. Perhaps you were hurt, scared of being tied down, or are simply tired of trying so hard without your efforts being reciprocated.

These are all valid reasons to be skittish about romance. After all, love is a big deal. And so are your emotions, for that matter.

Most people will tell you that you just need to dive in, facing your fears. They say it will all work out.

Except… that it won’t.

You may even unknowingly sabotage your own relationship.

So, before diving in head first, consider these tips for overcoming your own insecurity.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessAugust 27, 2018

Are You and Your Spouse Considering a Divorce? – How Discernment Counseling Can Help

Divorce is one of the most impacting decisions you will ever make. It will affect you for the rest of your life.

Yet, sometimes it’s the right way to go.

Knowing when it’s time to call it quits doesn’t come easily. Usually, making a life-altering decision like divorce requires time to identify your true desires and weigh your options.

Some people spend a vast amount of time deliberating, unable to pull the trigger on either staying married or getting divorced. This feeling of limbo can become very uncomfortable, exacerbating the problem.

If this situation sounds all too familiar, perhaps it’s time you consider discernment counseling.

Different from other forms of therapy, this type of counseling focuses on couples who are seriously considering divorce. It can help you figure out what you really want.

Divorce & MarriagePathways To WellnessAugust 13, 2018

Help! My Parents Are Getting Older!” – 6 Tips for Caring for Aging Parents

While it may be your deepest calling, caring for aging parents is no small task.

From trying to understand confusing healthcare plans to meeting with an attorney to solidify a will, the elderly don’t have it easy. And, in helping them, you don’t have it easy either.

But even in the midst of declining health, financial worries, and the overall anxiety that often befalls humans during the golden years, you and your parents can find peace.

Let’s face it, getting old is hard work. Hard work that none of us can avoid.

Nevertheless, here are six valuable tips on how to maintain your calm as your parents age and require more of your help.

FamilyPathways To WellnessJuly 31, 2018

Pets for Seniors: 5 Amazing Health Benefits

No one truly knows what it’s like to grow old until it happens to them.

And when it does, it can be tough to handle.

Having a faithful companion by their side during the golden years could be the difference between living healthy and living distressed. These are likely the things you think about in caring for your aging friend or family member.

Be comforted in knowing that many scientific studies point to the benefits of pets for seniors.

Here are a few of those benefits.

FamilyPathways To WellnessJuly 9, 2018

Exercise for Anxiety: How Physical Activity Promotes Anxiety Relief

If someone advised you to exercise for anxiety relief, would you take it as a candy-coated hint to workout?

After all, getting into shape is the new cool trend.

Here’s the thing about using exercise for anxiety relief—there’s actually a science to it.

Maybe getting into shape should be on your to-do list. It should be on mine, too. But not just to make friends with the scale. More than anything, it helps to relieve anxiety symptoms like shakiness, muscle tension, and shortness of breath, to name a few.

Exercise can even help you to react differently to anxiety. Here’s how it works.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessJuly 3, 2018

The Gut-Brain Connection: How Your Diet Can Improve Your Depression

At times, it may seem that your gut-brain connection is limited to pestering you with cravings.

Or perhaps you only sense a link between the two when it’s nearly mealtime.

Unsurprisingly, most people don’t realize the impacting relationship the gut and brain have on each other. In terms of depression, for example, various environmental factors like diet, stress, and smoking can influence it.

To understand how you can improve your depression, it’s important to first wrap your head around your gut-brain connection.

Here’s the scoop.

DepressionPathways To WellnessJune 25, 2018

Struggling with Self-Esteem and Body Image Issues? – 5 Powerful Self-Care Tips

For some, looking into the mirror is an unpleasant experience.

Perhaps an inadequate reflection stares back at you when you look in your mirror at home.

Struggling with body image issues has a way of getting you down. Not only can you feel your self-esteem plummet but all those tiny imperfections you see often become insurmountable.

Despite appearing externally healthy to others, you may feel like a huge spotlight is shining on things you’d love to change about yourself. In fact, at times, you are likely overwhelmed with the feeling of never being enough.

When body image issues overwhelm you, here are a few tips on how taking care of yourself will keep your self-esteem from taking a nose dive.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessJune 18, 2018

Looking for Anxiety Relief? – 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting an Anti-Anxiety Medication

Jumping headfirst into an unknown body of water seems a little extreme, right?

And you’re right. It is extreme.

Even more so, it’s unhealthy. You have no idea what to expect when you hit the water. Something surprising might be in there turning the calm-looking water into an unexpected challenge.

Looking for anxiety relief, many people dive in headfirst when it comes to taking anti-anxiety medication. But, sadly, like the diving scenario, that approach is extreme and unhealthy.

It’s important to cover your bases before opting for medication!

Here are 10 questions to start you out on the right foot.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessJune 15, 2018

Understanding What Drives Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse occurs when one person belittles, ignores, rejects, isolates, or scares another with the aim to devalue their thoughts, feelings, desires, appearance, preferences, or needs.

The ultimate goal? To gain control over them.

What drives emotional abuse and why?

TraumaPathways To WellnessMay 30, 2018

Understanding Panic Attacks: Causes, Effects, and Coping Strategies

For those who suffer from them, panic attacks can be a scary and debilitating experience.

They may strike at any moment, making it very difficult to have a semblance of a normal life.

If this sounds like you, it’s important you learn more, understanding panic attacks and what to do about them.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessMay 24, 2018

How to Employ These 6 Powerful Stress Busters During Remodeling

During a remodel, your home goes from being your safe haven to a building site.

Although you’re probably really looking forward to the finished project, the process might feel rather intrusive.

From drywall dust to budgeting concerns and everything in between, keeping your cool might prove to be difficult during remodeling. Even more than squeezing every last penny out of your budget, you might be searching for stress busters to maintain your calm.

Here are a few tips to help you get through the remodeling process and keep your nerves from fraying.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessMay 1, 2018

Marital Revival: 7 Ways to Spring Clean Your Relationship

If you’re like most people, you’re more than ready to feel a warm breeze and sunshine on your skin.

Needless to say, winter has a way of getting people down in the dumps.

The long, dark days don’t just affect your mood. They can negatively impact your relationship as well.

In fact, long, dark days in any season can affect your relationship. The reality is that seasons aren’t really to blame. The long, dark day culprit is actually distance—an emotional gap.

No matter how this gap is created, it can dim the spark in your relationship, leaving you in need of a marital revival.

So, in the spirit of all things spring, here are some tips on how to spring clean your own relationship.

CouplesPathways To WellnessApril 11, 2018

He Said/She Said: 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Becoming a Stepparent

you’re like most people, then you’ve probably never planned on becoming a stepparent.

But, life happens.

And when life happens, sometimes becoming a stepparent happens, too.

The thing about parenting someone else’s kids is that no one can tell you exactly what to expect. The range of experiences run the gamut when it comes to caring for stepchildren.

It could be the greatest experience of your life or it could completely crush your self-worth. And further still, it could do both—all in about two hours worth of time.

To help you wrap your mind around the endeavor of becoming a stepparent, here are 10 things some may neglect to tell you, but that you must absolutely know.

Parenting SupportPathways To WellnessMarch 26, 2018

The Age of Social Media: Searching for Personal Connections in a Disconnected World

Is it possible for a platform to do exactly the opposite of what it’s marketed to do?

It sure feels that way sometimes.

Maybe you’ve experienced this for yourself. Perhaps you tried to reach out on social media and were disappointed by the outcome. Afterward, you began to second guess this whole idea of making personal connections on social media.

The experience may have left you jaded and wondering if you’re even using the platform correctly.

The truth is that making a genuine connection via social media isn’t impossible, but it can be a challenge.

Here’s why.

CouplesPathways To WellnessMarch 12, 2018

PTSD and Its Unique Challenges for Military Families

Imagine feeling extreme distress when…

…you’re suddenly confronted with a combat scene as you’re watching a show.

…you find yourself in a crowd at a grocery store, an amusement park, or a party with friends and family.

…you hear the sound of firecrackers going off during a holiday celebration.

…you’re in unfamiliar surroundings with a lack of open areas.

Imagine the hypervigilance, the panic, your shallow breath, and beads of sweat forming on your forehead. You turn everywhere, check everything and everyone… until you see an obscure figure in the crowd or on the roof of a building.

Imagine yourself diving to the ground, trying to find cover… only to suddenly realize, you’re not in combat anymore. Nobody is shooting at you. Nobody is threatening your life.

The war is over! But only on the outside.

Inside, you carry deep scars that never seem to heal.

That is what it feels like to be a combat veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That is the legacy of an increasing number of soldiers.

But they are not the only ones that suffer. Their dependents (military families) are impacted as well.

TraumaPathways To WellnessFebruary 27, 2018

Celebrate With the One You Love – 5 Romantic Valentine’s Day Ideas

It’s easy to take the one you love for granted.

In fact, many couples forego celebrating Valentine’s Day altogether.

But if you’re ready to spice things up a bit, try opening up to the idea of romance this season.

Although Valentine’s Day is often pegged as a holiday filled to the brim with obligatory expressions of love, go against the flow. You might not even need to try something new. Simply approach it in a new way.

The key is to couple authenticity and creativity when it comes to celebrating the one you love.

Here are five ideas to get you started.

CouplesPathways To WellnessFebruary 13, 2018

The Art and Science of Love: 7 Benefits of Gottman’s Renowned Couples Workshop

When it comes to understanding the art and science of love, we all have the opportunity to be students.

However, Drs. John and Julie Gottman are undoubtedly two of the best students/researchers/teachers on the planet when it comes to this topic.

It’s a fact that every couple will leave a Gottman Couples Workshop with their own unique takeaway. Though, the Gottmans have a few “favorites”… nuggets of wisdom that everyone tends to talk about.

Here are some of those “favorites” that will benefit any relationship.

CouplesPathways To WellnessFebruary 6, 2018

The Impact of Divorce on Your Children: Different Ages Are Affected in Distinct Ways

Divorce isn’t a “one size fits all” life event, especially for any children involved.

Because every person handles stress in a different way, the impact of divorce is both unique and long-lasting for adults and children alike.

It’s a common misconception that children under the age of five don’t feel the impact of divorce. This notion couldn’t be further from the truth. From infancy clear into young adulthood, divorce can cause a great upheaval in children’s lives.

Yet, while it disturbs them all, the turmoil affect varying ages in distinct ways.

What are the differences? Let’s consider four general age groups.

FamilyPathways To WellnessJanuary 23, 2018

Out With the Old, In With the New – When Is It Really Considered a Rebound?

Revenge and having a rebound often walk hand in hand.

Ending the journey of a relationship can be very difficult, to say the least. So, some of us resort to other means of soothing the pain—like jumping into a temporary relationship for a reprieve.

But is it just temporary or could it be more?

And how do you really know if your new relationship is simply moving on or if it’s just a rebound?

Here’s how.

CouplesPathways To WellnessJanuary 18, 2018

Feel Like Your World Is Closing in on You? – 5 Powerful Tips to Stop an Anxiety Attack

The pounding in your chest, shallow breathing, racing heartbeat—it all happens so quickly.

Before you know it, you’re facing a full-blown anxiety attack.

But, what if you could stop an anxiety attack before it ever happened?

The good news is that there are proven methods to actually stop an anxiety attack in its tracks.

One of the biggest keys to managing anxiety is understanding what it actually does to your body. Understanding this is like gaining an inside peek at your enemies battle plans.

Here are five helpful ways to use that insight to combat anxiety.

AnxietyPathways To WellnessDecember 29, 2017

Blogs