Building Trust: How to Cultivate Deeper, More Secure Relationships
[Photo Credit: Chris Abatzis]
Building Trust Isn’t All or Nothing
We often think of trust as something we either have or don’t. But in reality, trust is a process—like tending a garden. It grows over time through consistent, intentional actions: really listening, communicating honestly, showing up reliably, and sharing ourselves gradually. Trust doesn’t demand perfection; it asks for presence, empathy, and effort. Whether in friendships, partnerships, or therapy, every small act of trustworthiness is a seed that deepens connection and safety.
Making Peace with Being Single: Finding Emotional Support and Love Everywhere
[Photo Credit: Agustin Farias]
“Smiling into the heart. It’s not to cover over what’s there but rather to create that space…” – Tara Brach
Being single doesn’t mean being unloved. In fact, some of the deepest emotional support can come from friendships, chosen family, community, and the quiet joy of your own company. When you stop seeing singlehood as a lack and start noticing love in the everyday—a friend who checks in, a child’s laugh, the comfort of solitude—you begin to understand: you’re not waiting for love. You’re already living in it.
Instead of measuring your life by what’s missing, what if you celebrated what’s here? Love is the shared meal, the late-night text, the memory that makes you smile. It’s not about finding “the one”—it’s about honoring all the ways love already shows up. Being single isn’t a placeholder. It’s a life. A whole, worthy, beautiful life.
Identity Exploration: Finding Your Gender, Finding Yourself
[Photo Credit: Agustin Farias]
Somewhere between the red dress that made me feel electric and the craving for something more masc, more me, I realized: this isn’t just about clothes. It’s about becoming. Every outfit is a chance to get closer to who I am—not the version others expect, but the one I’m uncovering piece by piece.
Gender, like fashion, isn’t a fixed answer. It’s a feeling. A dance between expression and identity. Sometimes it’s a wedding dress. Sometimes it’s a leather jacket. Sometimes it’s something you haven’t tried yet but know will feel like home.
And that moment—when how you look finally matches how you feel on the inside? That’s gender euphoria.
This journey of identity exploration is about more than aesthetics. It’s a quiet revolution. A reclaiming. A reminder that you don’t owe anyone a label, just your truth. So try things on. Break the rules. Make new ones. And when you find something that feels like you—wear it like a flag.
Because your freedom might just give someone else permission to begin.
Joy as Resistance: Why We Need Joy in Burnout Recovery
[Photo credit: Chris Abatzis]
In the midst of burnout, it can feel like joy is the first thing to go—and the last thing we think we deserve. But joy isn’t a reward for healing; it’s part of the healing itself. In a world that constantly demands more, choosing joy becomes a radical act. It’s a way of saying, I am more than what I produce. I deserve to feel alive, even when the world is on fire.
This piece explores how joy not only sustains us in our burnout recovery, but actively resists the systems that benefit from our exhaustion. Whether it’s dancing in your kitchen, laughing with a friend, or finding softness in silence—joy is proof that hope is still here. And that’s worth holding onto.
Relationship Therapy: Setting Self-Respect Standards in Dating
[Photo Credit: Agustin Farias]
Relationship Therapy: Setting Self-Respect Standards in Dating
Love shouldn't cost you your dignity.
Dating can sometimes feel like a slow erosion of self—especially if you’ve been taught that being “good” means being accommodating, quiet, or low-maintenance. But that quiet self-erasure? That’s not compatibility. That’s code-switching for survival.
The people we let in shape our reflections. If you’re constantly shrinking yourself to make someone else more comfortable—dim your opinions, mute your ambition, dull your joy—they’re not loving you. They’re managing you.
Therapy can help you see the difference.
Relationship therapy isn't just about solving problems with a partner. It’s also about understanding your patterns: Why do you stay when you feel small? Why do you justify mistreatment as “just how dating is”? A therapist trained in relational work can help you untangle that. And more importantly—they can help you raise the bar.
Because here’s the truth:
You don’t have to earn love by being less.
Self-Respect Isn’t an Obstacle—It’s a Filter
Setting standards doesn’t make you high-maintenance. It makes you intentional. When you begin to move through dating with self-respect, everything shifts. You stop chasing the attention of people who aren’t capable of meeting you. You stop explaining your needs like they’re a burden. You begin to believe that your boundaries are an invitation to know you better, not walls to keep people out.
As Maria Popova says,
“The best relationships are not those that make us feel whole—they are those that inspire us to be more wholly ourselves.”
How to Tell If You’re Shrinking for Someone Else
It can be subtle. Here are a few red flags to watch for:
You downplay your accomplishments so they don’t feel “less than.”
You find yourself editing your personality—your humor, your boldness, your needs.
You feel like you’re “too much” for them.
You’re always explaining yourself, apologizing, or second-guessing.
You feel anxious more than you feel at ease.
What Relationship Therapy Offers You
If this resonates, know you’re not alone—and you're not broken. Many of us are healing from systems that told us we had to choose between love and authenticity. Therapy gives you tools to reclaim your wholeness.
It’s not about blaming yourself for who you’ve chosen in the past. It’s about becoming the kind of person who no longer has to apologize for choosing differently in the future.
You get to want more. You get to walk away.
You get to say: If it costs me my peace, it’s too expensive.
Slowly Trusting: How to Build Trust in Therapy
[Photo credit: Marlen Stanlhuth]
Slowly Trusting: How to Build Trust in Therapy
Don’t tell your therapist anything—until you feel safe.
In a culture that celebrates “radical vulnerability,” here’s your permission to take it slow. Therapy isn't about dumping your story on someone with a clipboard. It's about building a relationship rooted in trust—and that takes time.
Why Trust in Therapy Matters
Therapy works best when there’s a real, human connection. Research backs it up: the relationship between therapist and client is the number one predictor of positive outcomes. Not credentials. Not methods. The connection.
Especially in queer-affirming therapy, trust is layered and complex. Feeling safe, seen, and not stereotyped makes all the difference. Every tiny moment—a therapist remembering your pronouns, or following up on something you said last week—becomes a deposit in the trust bank.
Building Trust, Not Performing Vulnerability
Think of it like hiking unfamiliar terrain. You don’t leap; you test the ground first. You "double-tap" the rock to make sure it’s steady. Therapy can be that way, too. Start with small disclosures. See how they’re received. Do you feel heard? Are your boundaries respected?
Online therapy (telehealth) can sometimes make this easier. It allows you to stay in a familiar environment while exploring emotional territory. And if you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, searching for queer-affirming therapists online can be a crucial first step toward feeling safe.
Therapy Is a Journey, Not a Reveal
You don’t have to pour your heart out in session one. If your therapist is patient, warm, and consistent, you’ll start to feel that solid ground beneath you. And when you do? That’s when deeper healing begins.
So no, you don’t owe anyone your trauma on a first visit. Trust in therapy is a journey, and it’s okay to take your time getting there.
My Mental Health Survival Kit: Tools for Navigating Crisis Moments
[Photo credit: Chris Abatzis]
When anxiety, panic, or deep sadness strikes, it can feel like your whole world collapses. Time distorts, the future feels impossible, and your thoughts spiral fast. In those moments, I return to one grounding truth: Just focus on the next minute.
You don’t need to fix everything right now. You just need to breathe, ground yourself, and take it one step at a time.
This is my personal first aid kit for mental health emergencies—strategies I use when my mind is in a tailspin:
Focus on one minute at a time
Use breathwork to calm your nervous system
Try a guided meditation for anxiety relief
Do one soothing thing in the next five minutes
Seek comfort—without guilt
Connect with a pet or calming video
Use grounding techniques to stay present
Not every moment will feel good. That’s okay. You don’t have to feel good to keep going—you just have to take the next breath. And then the next. One minute at a time.
Your To-Do List Is Killing You—Here’s What to Do Instead
[Image credit: Agustín Farias]
You’re exhausted. You’ve got too many expectations on yourself, and it’s really hard to survive. So you go to therapy, and they tell you to breathe, take a walk, drink more water, try a weighted blanket, make a new friend, paint a picture. None of these things help you get your already huge to-do list done. Why are you paying for this? Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing—your brain lies to you. It tells you that grinding harder will solve everything. That rest, play, and creativity are luxuries you can’t afford. But what if they’re actually the key to survival?
Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Creativity isn’t just for artists; it’s for anyone who wants to feel human again. What might happen if, instead of pushing through your stress, you danced? Wrote? Doodled?
This isn’t self-care fluff. It’s ancient. It’s necessary. And it might just change how you move through the world.
