By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
“My boundary is that you have to answer my messages immediately.”
The sentence uses a familiar word, but it leaves important questions unanswered. What is the person asking for? What can they decide for themselves? Has the other adult
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
A family invitation arrives while you are in the middle of something else. You know the host is waiting. You also know your partner may have a different idea about the day. It is tempting to say yes now
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
One of you has spent the day alone and wants conversation. The other has spent the day answering questions and wants silence. You arrive in the same room with very different hopes for the evening.
“I missed you” meets
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
“I can help with the groceries.”
You are grateful to hear it. You also wonder who will make the list, check what is already in the kitchen, ask about substitutions, arrange delivery, and notice when the groceries are running
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
Your partner says, “You were embarrassed by me at dinner.” You can see they are hurt, and you do not agree with their explanation. You were distracted by a message about tomorrow's work schedule. Now you are worried that
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
Someone says, “I'm sorry.” You believe they mean it. You may even feel relieved. Then they ask, “Are we okay?” and you realize you do not have a simple answer.
You are still hurt. You want to understand whether
… Read the restYour teen comes home, disappears into their room, and gives you very little to work with when you ask about the day. A few chores are unfinished. They don’t seem interested in plans they used to enjoy. You may be worried, frustrated, or both, especially if every attempt to talk
By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
“You never tell me when your plans change.”
You may have a real concern. You waited to start dinner, arranged your afternoon around an arrival time, or could not tell whether you needed to make another plan. Yet the
… Read the restYou can feel quite capable in the rest of your life and still find yourself feeling surprisingly small at a family gathering. You may hear yourself explaining a decision you were perfectly comfortable with an hour ago. Or you agree to organize something before you have considered whether you want
By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
You agreed to take a break. Now the agreed time is approaching, and you are unsure how to begin again. Do you apologize first? Ask whether the other person is still upset? Pretend the interruption did not happen?
The
… Read the restDr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #100342
You can care deeply about what your partner is going through and still feel lonely in your relationship. Perhaps they have been quieter, less affectionate, or too tired to do much together. You want to be understanding, but you
By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
You have tried the advice. You have taken breaks when you could, talked with someone, changed a routine, or read another article. Some things help for a while. The difficulty is still taking up more of your life than
… Read the restSometimes the first sign that you are having a harder time is how much effort ordinary things take. You are still getting to work, answering people, and doing what needs to be done. But by the end of the day, you have very little left. Then someone asks how you
By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
You have stopped working, but the conversation from the afternoon is still happening in your head. Someone at home asks a simple question, and you answer sharply. Or you sit down to eat and discover that you are checking
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
The evenings arrive earlier, and getting through the day feels harder. Perhaps the walk you usually take has disappeared from your routine, dinner keeps getting later, or you cancel a plan you had been looking forward to because getting
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
Your friend usually replies quickly. Today, several hours have passed. You look again at the message you sent and wonder whether it sounded demanding. Then you remember a moment from your last conversation. Perhaps that was the problem.
By
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
You have spent half an hour thinking about something important. You have considered what might happen, imagined several conversations, and reviewed what you should have done differently. Yet you are no closer to knowing what to do next.
Thinking
… Read the restBy Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
Someone asks how you are, and “fine” arrives before you have considered the question. Later, when you have a moment to yourself, the answer still does not become much clearer. You know something is happening. Finding words for it
… Read the restUnderstanding the experience and finding a useful response
By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
You might be getting through your day and still feel strangely far away from yourself. You know you’re in the room, having the conversation, doing what needs to be done. But … Read the rest
Continue readingPractical words for the moment you realize your help got ahead of what your teen wanted to say.
By Dr. Katherine Jewett, PsyD, LMFT | Time to Thrive Therapy
“Fine. I'll deal with it myself.”
A minute ago, your teen was telling you about a difficult rehearsal. You suggested practicing … Read the rest
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