If you’re in a committed relationship, you’ve probably experienced it. The fight that somehow keeps coming up. No matter what you’re arguing about, somehow you end up right back where you were in the last conflict. And the one before that. And the one before that.  That’s why it is important to spend time understanding where your repetitive argument is rooted and be intentional in how you address it.

Losing a loved one is one of life's most difficult experiences. Coping with grief presents its own unique challenges and can be overwhelming.  Maybe you’re feeling a deep, relentless sense of sadness, longing, and despair? You may even know that what you’re experiencing is grief. However, you also know that while uncomfortable, grief typically becomes more bearable with time, and you are able to resume your usual activities and responsibilities.  But what if these intense feelings don’t decrease? What if they actually stay the same, or worse, get more intense with time? What if the impact on your life begins to feel increasingly out of control? These are indications that you might be dealing with complex grief.

Approximately fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. American divorce statistics can make the average person second guess whether their marriage will make it. Even if you decide to hold on and work through the struggles of being a couple, the question still remains: is an unhappy marriage just the new norm?

A child’s relationship with their mother is often at the center of conversation when the topic of attachment is discussed. However, the father-child relationship, or lack thereof, holds profound significance in shaping a person’s sense of self, navigation of relationships and life in general. Research shows that nearly 20 million children live without the physical presence of a father and that a father’s absence has negative consequences which carry over to almost all areas of life. While you may not exactly relate to the experience of an absent father, you may still be among the millions of others whose fathers are physically present but emotionally absent, distant, or embody toxic characteristics.

You see her number on your phone and the anxiety immediately shoots up. Every conversation is riddled with either guilt or anger or confusion as to how your mother knows the exact ways to push your buttons. And she does. Every single time. When you don’t feel horrible, you feel invisible. Almost like your emotions, your pain, your difficulties just don’t exist. Or worse, they exist but somehow don’t matter.

The “Mother Wound” was initially coined by psychotherapist Bethany Webster, as a reference to the pain that results from a problematic or toxic mother-child relationship. The mother wound can affect people across ages, genders and races.

Do things feel off in your relationship, but you can’t seem to articulate what’s wrong? Do you feel manipulated by your partner but also feel confused and at fault somehow? Does your partner uphold a certain image in public, but behind closed doors, they’re someone very, very different? When you think of narcissism, you might think of someone who is full of themselves, often trying to maintain the spotlight, ego-stroking their importance and accomplishments, and requiring excessive admiration. However, not all those who have narcissistic traits seem this way.

Any form of abuse—physical or emotional—is extremely damaging. Abuse takes a toll on your mind, body, and relationships, making it increasingly difficult to leave the relationship over time. This is particularly concerning given that abuse is, contrary to popular belief, common: one in four women and one in ten men experience domestic violence during their lifetime. In light of these statistics, everyone should be equipped to recognize and address abusive behaviors.

Have you ever heard a little voice inside of you that reminds you of your younger self? Your inner child is an unconscious part of you that is shaped during childhood that still begs for attention to be seen and heard. You may even have various inner child parts, one from various stages in your childhood or adolescence. Maybe your 5-year-old self shows up when your partner doesn’t console us the way you’d want them to, or your misunderstood 15-year-old self gets angry when your best friend doesn’t see eye-to-eye. These parts may hold cherishing memories as well as scary, painful, maybe even traumatic, events that were unresolved. These emotions or memories come up when you’re an adult.

The New Year presents an ideal opportunity to create a few resolutions. Although your fitness routine or career goals may initially come to mind, resolutions don’t have to be a solo endeavor. In fact, your marriage or relationship is likely the last thing you want to neglect, so establishing a few resolutions with your significant other is an excellent way to set yourselves up for success in 2023. This is especially true given that relationships aren’t effortless for anyone. On the contrary, they require plenty of attention. So collaboratively defining and tackling relationship goals is essential for a lasting, positive partnership.

More often than not, our New Year’s resolution quickly becomes an artifact of a distant past. Nonetheless, we find ourselves surrendering to the annual hustle and committing to the “rise and grind” mentality. We make lofty aspirations like adhering to strict weight-loss diets and setting goals to exponentially increase our bank accounts. Our resolutions often remind us of what we lack and persuade us to believe that we’ll blossom into the best version of ourselves. Does “new year, new me” ring familiar?