Communication

The Power of Validation

A fellow blogger recently shared this Youtube video. The video is about supporting someone who is grieving, but it’s a powerful message about validation in general, which is what inspired this post. Many of us have chosen to blog because there are difficult experiences that we’re dealing with. We look for various things out of …

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Mental Health @ Home book review: The Jackass Whisperer

Book Review: The Jackass Whisperer

The Jackass Whisperer by Scott and Alison Stratten is a lighthearted look at how to deal with the many forms of jackass you’ll encounter – including yourself.  And these encounters are inevitable; “When you put a lot of humans into one space, Jackasses happen.  It’s just science.” The book caught my eye because BrenĆ© Brown …

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How Helpful Is It to Give Unsolicited Advice?

I think we’ve probably all felt the urge at one point or another to give advice. We see the situation someone is in, and can’t help but think if they only did X, then things would be so much better for them. Chances are that most of us have also been on the receiving end …

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What Is... Series (Insights into Psychology)

What Is… Motivational Interviewing

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s term is motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic communication approach. It’s often used in the field of addictions, but it’s got some very useful tidbits that are more broadly applicable to motivation for any sort of change. …

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What Is... Series (Insights into Psychology)

What Is… Assertiveness

In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s term is assertiveness. Wikipedia explains that assertiveness can be seen as falling in between passive communication styles and aggressive styles. Assertiveness training is a type of behavioural therapy developed in the 1960s that includes increasing awareness of one’s own …

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Mental Health @ Home book review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Book Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson claims to provide “a counterintuitive approach to living a good life.” He wrote this book in reaction to the problems he saw in the self-help industry. His own background is as a blogger; there’s no indication that he has a background in psychology or …

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