Conflict During the Holidays, an Idea that will Help

Drama TriangleThe holidays bring families and friends together. Along with the joy and fun these gatherings bring, they also increase the opportunities for tension and misunderstandings. Often, these issues  can be avoided if we take time now to learn more about the reactions in ourselves that can be triggered at these events, and how they snowball in our own minds.

The Drama Triangle is a model of dysfunctional interactions, created by Steven Karpman. It happens both with internal thoughts, and with external relationships.  Each point of the triangle represents a common and ineffective way to communicate and solve problems.

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Basic Needs of Children, Part 1

Basic Needs of ChildrenYou may wonder why there are times when you become upset, seemingly “out of the blue.” Or why the Harsh Inner Critic chimes in to blast you unexpectedly. At times, the explanation can be found by examining how your basic needs were not met as a baby and/or as a child.

These unmet needs lie dormant in your unconscious mind, and can be activated by events or interactions with others.

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6 Things I Learned From Being Left at the Train Station

Left at the station,what I learnedWhen we travel, my husband and I have a plan in case we get separated: the one left behind stays where they are and the other comes back to find them. We have this plan because we do a lot of train and subway travel and do not have cell phones. We have never had to use our plan, until our last vacation.

After 18 hours of travel, we were boarding out last train of that trip. It was chaotic, and one of our bags got misplaced. It contained all our photography equipment and a computer. For us, a big part of vacation is the joy of taking photos. Continue reading