Brenda Knowles's Blog: Space2live, page 17

How to Avoid Contempt and Keep Your Relationship Safe

Tina Fey eye roll I learned about the direness of contempt years ago when my marriage was ending and I happened to read Malcolm Gladwell's noted book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. In the book, Gladwell speaks with Dr. John Gottman — marriage expert and scientist. Based on years of studying [...]

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Let It Be: Handling Teen Distancing and Disconnection

Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash What if we didn't take every darn thing in life so seriously? What if we did not analyze every word and nuance? What if, God forbid, we were not mindful every second of the day? As a person who defaults to living the well-examined life, sometimes I [...]

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Attachment Styles in Romance and Parenting: Moving Toward Love Rather Than Away

Photo by Dominik Vanyi on Unsplash Our basic attachment styles form during childhood. I've written about attachment styles in several articles on brendaknowles.com's blog, space2live, but I'll summarize the different styles to refresh your memory. The most ideal style is secure. A secure attachment arises when we know we can count on our [...]

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Feeling Unseen? This is What Cherished Feels Like

Photo by Zoriana Stakhniv on Unsplash What does it take for us to feel cherished? Before our divorce, I used to tell my ex-husband I wanted to feel cherished. I believed it meant being seen and loved as myself — not for taking care of the house, not for feeding the kids or [...]

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Temporary Fixes Don’t Cure Loneliness: How to Eliminate the Emptiness

Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash I've noticed something about myself that I'm not proud of. It is something I do when I'm alone, usually late at night. I eat junk food — preferably bite-sized food I can consume one after the other — in large quantities. I sometimes open and finish containers. I [...]

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Sensitive People and the Real World: How to Make It Easier

Andy Gibb As a young girl in the 1970s, I adored and daydreamed about Andy Gibb. He was the youngest brother of the legendary disco and soft pop band, The Bee Gees (Brothers Gibb). Andy had his own hit songs —Everlasting Love, (Love Is) Thicker Than Water, I Just Want to Be Your [...]

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Socializing Gives Introverts Energy? How Having Fun with Others Benefits Us

This is the 400th post on space2live (blog) and brendaknowles.com (website)!! That's a lot of writing on my favorite topics: introversion, sensitivity, relationships, parenting, divorce, anxiety, resilience and connecting. I am so happy to have this outlet. I've met so many wonderful people through writing. Thanks for reading and sharing with me! Please enjoy the [...]

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Unrealistic Expectations in Relationships: Changing Your Imbalanced Perspective

Is your relationship more infatuation or resentment than love and gratitude? If so, you have a one-sided or imbalanced relationship. Within an infatuation you expect there to be all pleasure and little to no pain. Within a resentful relationship you expect there to be all pain and very little pleasure. We can settle for the vulnerability [...]

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Social Anxiety:The Fear of Others Seeing Us Struggle?

I got back out on the trails for a run the other day after a long winter hiatus. After my oh-so-slow performance, I've decided I have to stop saying "I'm going for a run" and change it to "I'm going for a jog." My first jog this year happened with my 14-year-old daughter. She recently joined [...]

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Walking on Eggshells: The Relationship Hazard of Being Too Careful

Photo via Pixabay Do you and your partner never fight but never connect intimately either? Do you feel like you give and give but don't get much in return? Do you constantly worry about upsetting your partner? If you feel like it is extremely important to keep the peace at home, it is [...]

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