Imperfect Love

Do you feel stressed and anxious more often than not? Could mindfulness be the key to feeling better? Do you wish you could find a few simple strategies to help you get off the hamster wheel of anxiety and find greater ease, balance, and joy? Dr. Carla Manly has found that many people feel chronically overwhelmed by the internal and external pressures–and expectations–that have become part of toda...

Are you exhausted by chronic mental gymnastics, those anxiety-inducing, topsy-turvy cognitive gyrations that get in the way of what you want to be thinking and doing? Dr. Carla Manly has found that people are increasingly plagued by obsessive or negative thought patterns that foster anxiety, depression, and stress that can lead to severe burnout. The secret to creating a healthy mindset--and the p...

Do you wrestle with feelings of being too dependent or--at the other end of the spectrum--overly independent? If you, or someone you love, struggles with finding the ideal balance between these two poles, you're not alone. Given society's tendency to foster the ideal of independence (or hyper-independence), many individuals, couples, and families struggle with discovering the ideal level of interd...

Do you look for hidden messages in dreams, oracle cards, or even tea leaves? If so, you’re not crazy and you’re surely not alone. It’s natural–and often very comforting–to gain “mystical” insights and assurances that help us navigate this wild journey of life. In fact, the art of studying dreams and other forms of psychological and spiritual analysis has been practiced by humans for thousands of y...

Have you ever felt truly and deeply alone? That you are completely isolated behind thick walls or an invisible shell–even when surrounded by a crowd of people or friends? Humans–like most other animals–thrive when they feel connected to others. So it makes sense that loneliness–which is very different from making a choice to spend time alone–negatively impacts physical and psychological health. As...

No matter your age, gender, socioeconomic status, or other factors, parenting is no easy task. Yet we often expect ourselves to be the ideal, stress-free parents who know how to do it all easily and perfectly. Contrary to the images we see on social media and in the fairytale landscapes in our minds, parenting can be one of life’s most challenging journeys. And, all too often, just when we think w...

Has your inner voice been quashed or silenced? Do you feel small or unseen due to the forces of your upbringing, relationships, or society? Do you wish you could take up space, speak your truth, and show up as your authentic self without fear or making apologies? Dr. Carla has found that many people have lost the courage–or never developed the ability–to use their authentic voice because they lear...

Embrace Positive Affirmations to Boost Positivity, Self-Esteem, and Inner Strength! Affirmation is a powerful tool for resilience. We're often expected to be positive and upbeat no matter what is going on in our lives. At the very least, we generally feel compelled to put on a happy face for the world. Yet, in real life, it's not always easy–or in truth, even natural–to be positive all the time. A...

Family is one of the most fundamental aspects of human existence. From birth forward, we're often indoctrinated to embrace the values and priorities prized by our parents and caregivers. In many foundational arenas—from religious and spiritual beliefs to social and political norms—our families and intergenerational patterns have a profound influence on our lives. Yet, from Dr. Carla’s personal and...

We often learn early in life to use food as a coping strategy, which can lead to destructive dieting patterns. In today's stressful, perfection-oriented world, the tendency to see food as both friend and enemy—a two-faced fixture that wields the power to reward, soothe, tempt, and haunt—can be amplified. While some people simply eat to live, others find themselves struggling daily to find a health...

Mindfully Move Your Way into Optimal Physical and Mental Health! We naturally want to believe that we are living consciously and engaging in practices that foster optimal health and well-being. However, challenges and stressors of real life can easily take us down a path into anxiety, negative moods, depression, isolation, cloudy thinking, emotional dysregulation, confusion, and myriad physical sy...

Create a Happier and Healthier Life by Embracing the Art of Self-Awareness! Frazzled? Unfocused? Emotionally dysregulated? Although we want to be stable and caring partners, parents, employees, bosses, and friends, it's easy to get stuck in unproductive patterns and erratic behaviors that seem beyond our control. And despite our inborn capacities and environmental influences, we expect ourselves t...

Emotional vampires specialize in sucking up your energy, joy, and inner peace. At their core, emotional vampires are empty, and their self-centered behaviors take a toll on your mental and emotional well-being. Yet with solid awareness and healthy boundaries, you’ll be able to spot emotional vampires and keep them from negatively impacting your life. As emotional vampires lack psychological bounda...

Are you plagued by thoughts of school shootings, terrorism, or other acts of violence? If fear, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts about violence permeate your dreams or waking hours, it's possible that PTSD or what is unofficially termed Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder is at work in your body and brain. Today's episode with medical expert Dr. Nina Cerfolio will answer your questions about the causes a...

Emotional eating can be difficult to cure due to an often confounding mixture of emotional, psychological, physiological, and societal factors. We often expect ourselves to be thin, fit, and perfect on the outside, and when our physical appearance doesn’t meet–or exceed–societal standards, we tend to fault ourselves. We can even become filled with shame that leads us to extremes such as chronic fa...

We want—and expect—family ties to last forever. From infancy forward, we naturally seek lasting bonds that will make us feel safe and loved. Yet, sadly, as people change and move through life, family ties can fray and even break—sometimes permanently. Such fractures are sometimes for the best, especially when abusive dynamics are causing substantial harm. However, when the cause of estrangement is...

We’re told that we should be happy and that we deserve to have it all. And we often feel that we’ve failed ourselves if we aren’t happy 24/7—and if we haven’t managed to get everything we’re supposed to need and want. I’ve found that the overly high expectations we set for ourselves (plus those set by family, friends, and society) tend to work against that most lasting and delightful goal of all—t...

We never expect—much less want—to find ourselves caught up in abusive relationships or toxic dynamics such as trauma bonding or gaslighting. In fact, traumatic bonding, which involves abusive power and control coupled with cycles of intermittent reward and punishment, can create or worsen serious mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Sadly, many of those affecte...

We often expect ourselves to be everything, everywhere, all at once for everyone, yet such high expectations can lead to being mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually out of balance. In the constant race to achieve more and be more, stress, anxiety, depression, and a host of physical issues often set in. From headaches and stomach issues to sleepless nights and chronic exhaustion, the p...

We're constantly learning more about the world of neurodiversity and how to appreciate that every person's brain works differently. Yet, given the pressure to conform—to perceive, process, and utilize information in the "right" way—millions of people feel as if they don't fit in (or can't cope in)—today's world. Fortunately, we are making great strides in understanding, embracing, and encouraging...

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when aging was honored and seen as a natural part of life. Yet in today's world, we've come to fear aging as if it's a dark monster we must fight in order to be loved, seen, and respected. The culture of eternal youth eats away at our well-being on many levels. It creates an increasingly consumptive and expensive demand for youth-fostering surgeries and...

If your childhood was traumatic, you might expect yourself to have forgotten or moved past the difficulties and challenges you endured. Yet, from my clinical and life experiences, it is clear we never recover from childhood trauma – or any other form of it – unless we purposefully engage in mindful healing. We are told that "time heals all wounds." But in reality, those wounds only worsen when the...

We want to believe that our healthcare system will be there for us when we need it. And we rightly expect that those entrusted with our care can (and will) do everything in their power to give us the care we deserve. Yet, unfortunately, I—and millions of others—have found that our healthcare system is terribly broken. When we are too sick, fragile, weary, or ill-equipped to self-advocate and push...

We often believe that we need to change who we are to be loved and accepted. Yet, in the process of shape-shifting to meet others' needs and expectations, we often lose the very core--the true heart--of who we are. The cost to the self can be devastating. I have come to believe that those who truly understand what it is to love and be loved don't ask us to compromise our imperfectly wonderful selv...

We want those we care about to feel safe, loved, and secure, and we naturally want the same for ourselves. Yet in today's chaotic world, millions feel anxious, isolated, unseen, and unloved, particularly after the pandemic—which took many people's lives off course—feelings of hopelessness, confusion, disappointment, and shame abound. Often-silent expectations from others (and from ourselves) can a...