Trauma is usually caused by life-threatening events like combat situations, natural disasters, and accidents. But events like a breakup or the loss of a loved one can also be traumatic. Given our minds and bodies are designed to ensure survival, we come neurobiologically prepared to cope with trauma. Trauma response is how we cope with …
Narcissism is having an exaggerated sense of self-importance and thinking you’re superior to others. Narcissists tend to only care about themselves and lack empathy. Most people have a mix of narcissistic and empathic traits. Narcissism is of two types: Overt narcissists are people who openly display their narcissism. They’re usually extroverted, have high self-esteem, and …
Hypervigilance is derived from the Greek ‘hyper’, meaning ‘over’, and Latin ‘vigilantia’, meaning ‘wakefulness’. Hypervigilance is a mental state where a person scans their environment for potential threats. A hypervigilant person notices the slightest change in their environment and perceives it as a potential threat. Hypervigilance and anxiety go hand in hand. Anxiety stems from …
You’ve been in a good relationship for a while. The honeymoon phase is over, and the relationship has started to stabilize. While you may feel safe and secure with your partner, you may still face ups and downs in your relationship. During the downs, you’re likely to have doubts about the relationship. After all, the …
Ever taken a common sense test that 90% of people supposedly fail at, only to find that the questions have nothing to do with common sense? Instead, the questions are either misleading or contain children’s riddles. It’s surprising how the makers of those tests don’t have the common sense of what to include in a …
The word misanthropy comes from the Greek misein, meaning “to hate” and anthropos, meaning “man”. Misanthropy is, therefore, ‘hatred of mankind’. However, not all misanthropes hate humanity. A more appropriate definition of misanthropy would be ‘a general dislike and distrust of humanity’. In some cases, the dislike turns into hatred. Misanthropy isn’t disliking individuals or …
For a relationship to thrive, partners need to be available to each other physically and emotionally. Emotional availability of the partner makes one feel safe and secure in the relationship. Emotional unavailability, in contrast, makes one feel insecure. Romantic relationships and marriages are expected to fulfill one’s emotional needs. If one cannot meet their emotional …
Have you ever asked yourself these questions: “Am I street smart or book smart?”“Do I have a street-smart personality?” If you have, today you’ll know for sure. Smartness comes down to problem-solving. The more complex problems you can solve, the smarter you are. To be able to solve problems, you need knowledge. This knowledge can …
Have you ever asked yourself the following questions: Do I have the capacity to love?Am I even capable of loving? People usually ask these questions after a failed relationship or not being in one for a long time. They doubt if they can genuinely love others. Being social mammals, we’re all wired to love and …
Toxic behavior is any behavior that is harmful to others or to yourself. Toxic traits are those traits or tendencies in an individual that drive their toxic behaviors. The word ‘trait’ implies that the toxic behavioral pattern is stable over time. It says nothing about the genetic or environmental influences on the trait. We all …