Relationships Made Easy

Whether you call it self-love, self-approval or self-compassion the research shows that learning to accept yourself is one of the keys to emotional well-being and happiness. Today you’ll learn why it’s so darn hard to accept yourself and the 5 things you can do to start practicing self-acceptance right now. Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/how-to-practice-self-acceptance-my-top-5-tips-2/ Bl...

For women in heterosexual relationships, understanding the men we love can be quite a challenge. And so I've brought in some reinforcements! Shana James, MA, has been coaching men for decades – helping them, understanding them, and figuring out how they really tick. Today we’ll cover the 5 things women need to know about men. Stay tuned! Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/bonus-the-5-thin...

Today I’m speaking to the amazing Tess Brigham! She’s been dubbed the “Millennial Therapist” by CNBC and specializes in helping young adults discover their unique life path in order to go out into the world and make an impact. Tess is a licensed therapist and certified coach with over 15 years of experience helping thousands of people find their purpose, develop their confidence, and create a life...

I spend most of my time on the podcast telling you what to do to be happy in all your relationships (which I love because I’m a bossy Jewish mother). But today, I’m flipping things around and sharing the top 7 habits that are sabotaging your relationship. So stay tuned to hear the 7 toxic habits you need to stop if you want to have connected, happy and thriving relationships (oh look, I still get...

Do you have someone in your life who gets defensive and just won’t listen no matter how carefully you approach them? Have you tried all the tools and nothing seems to work? Then you’re in the right place because today I’m going to teach you the research-backed secret to approaching people so they’ll stop being defensive and finally listen to all the wonderful things you’ve got to say! Full shownot...

Imagine taking a test where you get no credit for the right answers, but you get punished for every single one you got wrong. That’s perfectionism. You brush over any successes while beating yourself up for every mistake. Perfectionism is a mean mother f-er. It’ll steal your joy, your relationships and your self-worth. But we’re about to change that because today I’m going to teach you about the 2...

You know about “the argument.” It’s that same fight that comes up over and over again with your partner, mother or brother. Any long-term relationship you’ve had likely has “the argument.” Maybe you’ve asked your mother over and over not to comment on what you’re eating or your weight. Maybe you’ve asked your partner 100 times to put away their dirty dishes instead of leaving them on the counter:...

What do you do if your kids don’t like your new partner or if your partner’s kids don’t like you? Today I’m coming at you with the 3 big mistakes you’re making when your kids don’t like your new relationship and the one thing you can do to have effective conversations with your kids or theirs so you can start living in love and peace. Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/3-big-mistakes-youre-ma...

We all have self-doubt now and then but chronic insecurity is a destructive pattern that’ll sabotage your relationships with everyone from your partner, to friends, coworkers and yourself. Most the tips and tools I see about insecurity don’t work because they’re thinking about your insecurity all wrong. You say things like, “I’m insecure” but being insecure isn’t a personality trait, it’s a habit...

We’ve all been there: you said or did something and suddenly your cheeks are burning and you have to fight the urge to run and hide under the covers. You feel like all eyes are on you and that you’re being harshly judged. You feel embarrassed, awkward and maybe even ashamed. Being self-conscious sucks not just because you feel those feelings, but because it limits your ability to feel happiness or...

What do you do when you and your partner have mismatched sex drives? When you want more sex than your partner (or less sex than your partner), you end up with hurt feelings. The person who wants more sex often feels rejected and angry while the person who wants less sex often feels pressured and resentful. What you’ve been doing hasn’t been working or you wouldn’t be here right now! What you need...

What do you do when you're ready to move in together but your partner isn't? Today I'm putting on my Ask Dr. Abby hat and answering a question from you! Stay tuned! Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/171-ask-dr-abby-what-to-do-if-your-partner-wont-move-in-together/ _________________________________ Subscribe today to get my weekly thoughts, best practices and funny stories (you wo...

Developing empathy in relationships is the key to connection and communication. In fact, empathy is incredibly good for you! We know from the research that it not only strengthens relationships, but it also increases cooperation, helps people forgive, decreases negativity, aggression and being judgmental and even improves your physical health! Stay tuned to learn my 5 steps to becoming empathetic...

At its core, conflict avoidance is people pleasing due to a deeply ingrained fear of hurting or upsetting other people if you express your true feelings. This type of codependency leads to feelings of resentment and loneliness and ultimately hurts you and your relationships. Whether you’ve got a partner who’s conflict avoidant or you’re dealing with your own conflict avoidance, today’s episode is...

What do you do if you want to get married but your partner doesn’t? Today I’m answering that very question on this Ask Dr. Abby episode so stay tuned! Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/my-partner-is-scared-of-marriage-what-to-do-if-your-partner-doesnt-want-to-get-married/ _______________________________   Subscribe today to get my weekly thoughts, best practices and funny stories (you won’t...

No one can push our buttons like our family! The approaching holiday season means more time with those crazy people we love, which can equal more stress and more anxiety. But I’ve got your back! Today I’m teaching you my easy 3-step process to stay calm and centered when dealing with family stress and dysfunction during this holiday season. Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/how-to-stay-calm-...

Gaslighting is a dangerous form of manipulation where someone acts in such a way that you start doubting your perceptions, your memory or your own judgment. You often walk away from the conversation feeling like the crazy one. Gaslighting is a common theme among narcissists but it can show up in many different types of relationships. Today, I'll teach you the signs of gaslighting so you can ge...

Do you feel like your relationship isn't fair? Maybe you feel like you're always the one doing more of the heavy lifting, making more of the plans, figuring out the money, whatever it is, well, if that's what you've been feeling lately, then today's episode is for you. Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/unfair-relationships-what-to-do-if-your-relationship-doesnt-feel-fair/...

We’ve all been there. You set a healthy boundary with someone and feel good about it for about 5 minutes, and then the guilt begins to set in. You start thinking about how the other person is feeling and whether you’ve upset them. Or maybe now they’re angry and you’re regretting having said anything. If this is you and you’re ready to overcome your guilt and regret when setting boundaries, then yo...

In any relationship, even really good relationships, there are hurts that can build up and need to be forgiven if you want to grow your relationship into that next level of emotional closeness and connection. Today I’ll cover the problems you have when you try to forgive, why it’s good for you and my 5-step process to forgiving someone who hurt you. Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/how-to-f...

What do you do if your partner (or someone else you love) gaslights and blames you for things not going their way? You listen to today’s episode of Ask Dr. Abby! In this episode, a listener we’ll call Rachel writes in that her boyfriend blames her whenever things don’t go well between them. He blames her for making him late, argues with her that she takes too long getting ready and rolls his eyes...

Did you know that forgiveness is a choice? In this week’s podcast episode, I interviewed Dr. Robert Enright, the man Time Magazine calls “the Forgiveness Trailblazer” and author of the book that changed my life, Forgiveness is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope . We’re digging into Dr. Enright’s evidence-based forgiveness model, what it means to forgive, and wh...

Sometimes it’s clear why we’re feeling angry but a lot of the time, we react angrily to something and later think, “Why did I get so mad?” or maybe you’re noticing an undercurrent of anger and resentment in your day-to-day life or that you seem to get mad way too easily. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this: If you’re noticing that you’re feeling anger, resentment and frustration on a daily...

Are you dealing with family stress? Lashing out at your mom for that condescending thing she said? Feeling guilty that you’re avoiding your dad because he drives you crazy? Today you’re going to learn my top 3 tips on how to not get triggered by family stress so you can find joy and peace in your relationship with your parents and siblings.   _____________________________________ Subscribe today t...

Are you dealing with family stress? Lashing out at your mom for that condescending thing she said? Feeling guilty that you’re avoiding your dad because he drives you crazy? Today you’re going to learn my top 3 tips on how to not get triggered by family stress so you can find joy and peace in your relationship with your parents and siblings. Full shownotes: https://abbymedcalf.com/got-family-stress...