When in Therapy

- avoiding conflict
- bad communication skills (ie- being passive aggressive)
- being controlling or demanding 
- over explaining or over apologizing
- emotional dumping (sharing what you feel without the awareness of if the person is in a space to listen)

Emotional immaturity looks like:
- high level of defensiveness
- discomfort expressing emotions
- difficulty with tolerating other people's opinions or perspectives
- shutting down or lashing out in conflict
- blaming others when things go wrong

NORMALIZE CHANGING YOUR OPINION WHEN PRESENTED WITH NEW INFORMATION

4. The attunement to the emotional states of others: an awareness that other people feel differently and have different perspectives. This doesn't mean you 100% understand them, it just means you know there is a different reality outside of your own.

What actually makes us an adult is:

1. The ability to cope with stress: this means the ability to process stressful emotions with resilience. To accept how you feel, even when uncomfortable.

4. Question your interpretation: a partner needing space to calm down is their attempt to emotionally regulate. This isn't something personal. The more we question our own interpretations, the less assumptions we make. Less assumptions = more connection.

once i came to terms with my mental health being something i will have to actively manage for the rest of my life (because it is a chronic illness), it made me realize that i have to actively choose joy, goodness, and pleasure.

A page from <n>The Way Forward</n>, a book of poetry and prose by <n>Yung Pueblo</n>.