How does emotional maturity develop?

Emotions are rough. We very much are emotional beings first before anything else. We feel and then we think. The most obvious example of this is seen in young children who are trying to master their feelings. The classic “tantrum” is what I’m thinking of here. When we see a toddler expressing their emotions it’s up to us to help them navigate those big feelings. Describing them as “out of control”, or “naughty” is not going to be helpful. If we don’t have good enough examples of how to handle big feelings when we are young, we can grow to be adults who aren’t all that emotionally mature. 

What is compassion fatigue and how can we manage it?

Compassion fatigue is a term used to describe the emotional and physical exhaustion that can occur when a person experiences prolonged exposure to stressful situations and the suffering of others. This can affect individuals in many different professions, including healthcare workers, social workers, therapists, first responders, and even family members who are providing care for a loved one.

Tips to manage the 'winter blues'

The winter season can be a challenging time for many people, as the shorter days, colder temperatures, and lack of sunlight can lead to a condition commonly known as the "winter blues." Symptoms of the winter blues include fatigue, moodiness, difficulty concentrating, and increased appetite. While these symptoms are usually temporary and mild, they can still impact your quality of life. Here are some tips to help manage the winter blues:

Guilt, shame, compassion, and acceptance.

There’s no doubt that we are emotional beings first. Whether we are aware of this or not is not always the case, but when we experience situations in the world around us, or when we are exposed to something in our internal world, we experience emotional reactions first before we think about them logically. Some emotions can be harder to deal with than others. This is certainly the case for guilt and shame when it comes to emotions. How can we tell the difference?

How to deal with our insecurities.

Whether it’s the way we look, the way we feel about ourselves, or the the way we think others think about us, we all feel insecure. In fact, it’s in our human nature to compare ourselves to others constantly. These self-comparisons can lead us to fall into a low mood state, and sometimes even park there. So how do we deal with insecurities?