Search Results for: lisa firestone/feed/2009/11/fear-of-intimacy

The Role of Death Anxiety on Attitudes and Behavior Aroused by the Pandemic

…es that the virus is a major threat to life or only a minor inconvenience, fear of death plays an important role in driving one’s attitudes and behavior related to the virus. “The New Normal” has quickly become a cliché in light of the pandemic, yet it succinctly describes people’s adaptations for both avoiding the threat of death from the virus, while still being able to pursue goals that give life meaning, value, and connection with others. Ackn…

Learn More

How To Create Healthy Boundaries That Work for You

…ting physical limits feel difficult. A hug that lasts too long can trigger fear or panic. Someone who stands too closes or intrudes when you’re talking can be very upsetting for a trauma survivor. Safe physical boundaries are essential in trauma treatment and recovery. What can you do to feel more secure? Take the time you need to decide what would make you feel safer. For example: Say what you need: “Could you excuse us for a minute? I will come…

Learn More

How Meditation Is Linked to Better Mental Health

…he brain, which were detectable after people participated in an 8-week mindfulness training program. Theoretically, this would mean that meditation could improve cognitive faculties like learning, memory, and emotion regulation. It could even affect the amygdala, which processes fear, stress, and anxiety. Conclusion As the studies mentioned herein illustrate, meditation can improve mental health in many ways. No matter what additional trials and s…

Learn More

Changing the Way You See the World

…are so divided. Many years ago, my father, psychologist and author Robert Firestone, developed the “Division of the Mind,” to help explain how each of us is split between our “real self” and our “anti-self.” The temperament we came into the world with impacts both sides of this divide, but our earliest experience and the adaptations we made to them contribute a great deal to the nature and degree of this division in our personality. On one side,…

Learn More

10 Ways to Fight Loneliness While Sheltering at Home

…now or have lost someone who’s struggled with this disease. Many of us are fearful for ourselves and for our loved ones. And likely, all of us are missing the people we’re used to spending time with. While we may be telling ourselves to “keep calm and carry on” for fear of being overcome by emotion, we shouldn’t try to bury or avoid our sadness. Sadness can be a vital, primary emotion. Allowing ourselves to feel it fully can be like letting a wave…

Learn More
trauma of racism

The Trauma of Racism

…lve an “ongoing physical or psychological threat that produces feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, helplessness, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” When you witness the kind of grotesque violence against a man like George Floyd, knowing that this could happen to you or someone close to you simply based on your skin color, how can you not feel threatened, afraid, anxious, depressed, helpless? Yet, as we all know, for many African Americ…

Learn More
celebrating the holidays

How to Have Happy (“Covid-Free”) Holidays! 

…d, half-masked for usies, or just unmasked. And while we shouldn’t live in fear, being alarmists, it’s wise to decide how we need to be smart and safe as individuals. The best plan is one made prior to situations you may encounter. Even as adults, we’re not immune to peer pressure. Let go and let in – Traditions bind us together and typically make quality time sweeter. However, this year the ball is in our court to figure out what goes and what st…

Learn More

Going Back Out into the Dating World

…ughts and feelings. Are you open about your vulnerable feelings, like your fears and self-doubts? Are you good listeners; are you compassionate and empathic? Are you open to feedback or does either of you respond by being angry and defensive? How well do you argue? Can you express your anger cleanly, that is directly while being respectful. Do you both care more about the relationship than about being right? Do you recover from arguments or do eit…

Learn More

Is Social Media to Blame for the Rise in Narcissism?

…are we’ve shown toward others. Narcissism, conversely, is often based on a fear of failure or weakness, a focus on one’s self, an unhealthy drive to be seen as the best, and a deep-seated insecurity and underlying feeling of inadequacy. It is important to understand that narcissism stems from underlying feelings of inadequacy. Many children of the millennial generation were given form rather than substance, presents instead of presence, which leav…

Learn More

3 Essential Steps to Take Before Getting Angry at Your Kids

…n hindsight, our reactions were an attempt to address our own anger and/or fear in the heat of moment and don’t actually serve to help teach our children, other than perhaps to teach that intense emotions yield harsh responses. There is another path forward that produces far better results, supporting development and growth of self-regulation. This path comprises three essential steps: 1. Regulate The first is to attend to regulation. As parents,…

Learn More