Melanie Wendt, M.A. M.Ed. LPCC

I may hate “The Bachelor” but I sure love watching it Why are we *so* drawn to things we hate? There’s something satisfying about reading about a celebrity you can’t …

Whether you can’t get motivated to clean your house or you just aren’t feeling motivated to lose weight, a lack of motivation can be the biggest obstacle to reaching your …

It’s Saturday morning and you casually open your social media feed to find your close friend’s story chock full of videos of an exciting night on the town. All your …

Ever notice how good you feel after exercising? The other day, I was seconds from working out when my husband walked by and made an annoying comment about the living …

As mental health awareness, “therapy speak,” and self-care advocacy rises, so do conversations on boundaries. It isn’t uncommon to scroll social media and see colorful infographics providing step-by-step instructions on …

We all experience anxiety in social situations, whether it’s the flutter of nerves you feel before giving a presentation or your heart rate increasing when meeting someone new. “Nervousness and …

It’s normal to feel resentment, which involves feelings of anger or bitterness, over a slight injustice or a major incident. Continuing to hold onto these feelings, however, can have negative …

For most of us, the mother is the first person we meet in the world. The mother feeds, clothes, and bathes us. The mother cares for us, guides us, protects …

Revenge bedtime procrastination refers to a phenomenon in which people put off going to bed to engage in activities that they don’t have time for during the day. It is …

Imagine you’re coming home from work at the end of a long day. You feel tired and distracted, and you might be looking forward to an evening of relaxing on …

While some qualities overlap, these are two very different things The terms “introversion” and “social anxiety” get thrown around a lot these days, and you might think they’re interchangeable—they both …

Why we mimic people’s emotions and how to regulate it You’ve likely heard the expression, “smiling is contagious,” and instantly smiled back when someone flashed a grin at you. Or …

The term ‘angst’ denotes anxiety and emotional turmoil. Someone who is feeling angsty may feel, display, or express worry, dread, apprehension, restlessness, or insecurity, says Heather Hagen, LMFT, Executive Director …

Bonding to a parent or caregiver is a critical part of a baby’s emotional development. In fact, the absence of love and of a strong attachment to a parent can …

Does a mother’s love obscure her objectivity? One would think that it must, almost by definition. Primal by nature, love for one’s children is far from the language of science. …

A team of researchers led by a member of the Colorado School of Public Health faculty at the Anschutz Medical Campus examined what type of social interaction is required for …

Living with anxiety can be tough — your thoughts might race, you might dread tasks others find simple (like driving to work) and your worries might feel inescapable. But loving …

It had been a glorious first date, but for her there was a big problem: They were both of Asian descent. At 2 a.m., two blocks from Chinatown, Sarah ended …

Escaping the trap of push-and-pull relationships. Attachment styles are formed in childhood, when the early relationship between child and parent begins to take shape. Researchers have found that attachment patterns …

Happy couples are those who are deeply intimate with each other. This means that they feel emotionally close, connected and valued. They respect and trust each other because they mutually …

There is a substantial amount of research indicating that attachment patterns are set in early childhood and persist throughout our lives. An individual is either “secure” or has one of …

You’ve been clickbaited by your own brain. You can learn anything on the internet, so why do I so often learn things I don’t want to know? When I’m surfing …

Solution-focused therapy, also called solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), is a type of therapy that places far more importance on discussing solutions than problems (Berg, n.d.). Of course, you must discuss …

No matter how I curate my social feeds, it seems that never a day goes by without seeing “good vibes only” somewhere on my phone, expressed by one or more …

Worried that technology is ‘breaking your brain’? Fears about attention spans and focus are as old as writing itself If you suspect that 21st-century technology has broken your brain, it …

How to Channel Your Mind’s Inner Chatter As naturally as we breathe, we “decouple” from the here and now, our brains transporting us to past events, imagined scenarios, and other …