Hope +Wellness Blog

little snippets of advice for everyday challenges many people share

I Hurt My Friend's Feelings, What Do I Do Now?
Communication, Community, Friendship, Relationships Hope+Wellness Communication, Community, Friendship, Relationships Hope+Wellness

I Hurt My Friend's Feelings, What Do I Do Now?

We can only avoid conflict by avoiding our true feelings in a relationship, so it’s not necessarily a sign that the relationship is a bad one. And hurting someone’s feelings doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. We’re all wounded and trying our best, and sometimes we misstep. Taking time to talk to you about their hurt feelings is a sign that your relationship means a lot to your friend or loved one, not the other way around.

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Why is Making Friends as an Adult so Hard? + What to Do About It
Relationships, Community, Friendship Hope+Wellness Relationships, Community, Friendship Hope+Wellness

Why is Making Friends as an Adult so Hard? + What to Do About It

Friendships become communities of support–communities which go against the American ideal of self sufficiency. Because they present this sort of counter-culture to the American way, we don’t put value onto platonic relationships the way we do with others and we don’t learn how to make, cultivate and sustain intimate them. So what can you do?

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Managing Conflict in Friendships
Relationships, Communication Hope+Wellness Relationships, Communication Hope+Wellness

Managing Conflict in Friendships

In all long term relationships, conflict is normal and expected and nothing to feel shame or fear about. However, that doesn’t make it easy to manage! It can feel scary when conflict comes up–no matter what type of relationship you have. But if we’re willing to do a bit of uncomfortable work, we can find ways to repair the relationship, and likely make it stronger as well. 

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Are Your Boundaries Too Firm?
Relationships, Vulnerability, boundaries Hope+Wellness Relationships, Vulnerability, boundaries Hope+Wellness

Are Your Boundaries Too Firm?

Think of them less like a fence surrounding and protecting you, and more like pillars holding up a structure. They are crucial to the stability of your relationship, but they leave space open for others to come in. And when a boundary is violated, it is less like the fence surrounding you has been smashed, leaving you completely vulnerable, and more like one of the pillars holding up the structure of your relationship has been damaged. The entire thing doesn’t have to come crumbling down if you can work to repair what was hurt. 

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10 Blogs to Read for More Intimate Friendships
Relationships, Community, Communication Hope+Wellness Relationships, Community, Communication Hope+Wellness

10 Blogs to Read for More Intimate Friendships

Like any other relationship, in order to have true intimacy, the relationship will sometimes require hard (or uncomfortable) work! We believe that all relationships are important–you need a garden of support in your life, and many different relationships to fulfill the many different parts of you. But having supportive, intimate friendships takes work. Here are 10 blogs to read on doing that work!

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Hope+Wellness is a mental health practice specializing in the treatment of depression, mood, stress, and anxiety in kids, teens, and adults. This is a blog about living well and finding meaning and purpose in the face of difficult challenges. This is a blog about finding hope.