Kate Motaung

Many people who had a difficult childhood grew up knowing that their parents were the problem, but only much later realized the specific issue was that their parents were narcissistic. Narcissistic parents are self-centered, controlling, or emotionally neglectful and tend to cause much emotional and psychological damage to their children. Sadly, narcissists do not change with age. The first step in dealing with narcissistic parents is to learn the particular tactics they use. If we can’t teach an old dog [...]

We all walk into marriage hoping and praying for the best. When we make our vows at the altar, we pledge our love and loyalty to the man we have chosen to spend the rest of our lives with. When we talk about standing with our partner in sickness and in health during our vows, most of us use physical sickness as a reference, but we rarely think of mental health issues like depression as being in that category. Depression, [...]

Typical teenage behavior can confuse even the most knowledgeable parent. Behaviors such as the teens wanting more private time at home, wanting to hang out with friends more than their family, or they might stay up all night on Friday night playing video games, only to sleep until Saturday afternoon. None of those behaviors alone are necessarily bad for your teen. But when does seemingly normal teen behavior become a serious problem? How can you tell if your child [...]

We’ve all been angry at one point or another. Perhaps your anger is a thing of legend among your loved ones, or maybe you feel that you don’t struggle with anger. One of the challenging things about anger is that you can’t always predict what will happen and how you’ll react. Anger is one of those big emotions that can overtake you if you aren’t careful or haven’t learned how to regulate your emotions effectively. Anger can show up in [...]

As the cost of living continues to rise, a majority of Americans are struggling to make ends meet and keep up with household expenses. More and more people are living in debt and cannot afford to have emergency savings to turn to on those inevitable rainy days. Amidst these financial struggles, having to care for one’s aging parents can present a significant challenge. Aging in America has become increasingly expensive. Care homes and paid caregivers are unfortunately out of [...]

Menopause is a natural transition for women, but its emotional and mental symptoms are rarely addressed. Society focuses heavily on a girl’s stages of puberty, pregnancy, and post-partum but seems to lessen its focus on menopause and its effects on mental health. Many women struggle with menopause and anxiety due to hormone fluctuations. Menopause: A Natural Transition Menopause is the transitional period between menstruation and post-menopause when a woman stops the menstrual cycle altogether. This transitional period begins in [...]

There’s always something new to learn when you watch nature documentaries, if you’re into that sort of thing. Some of the most fascinating clips are when you look at a setting – it could be in the jungle, a desert, or next to a river – and everything initially appears safe. On closer inspection, however, you find that there’s some creature right there; well camouflaged, but right there, ready to deal death. Often, when it comes to toxic relationships, [...]

There is no doubt that the world we live in feels like a curious mixture of good and bad. Our world has beauty in it, both natural and created by people, but it also has a lot in it that brings tears to one’s eyes. Families are generally a good thing; they are the first place we learn what belonging means, and that’s beautiful. However, families can also be hotbeds of dysfunction, and they can be places of deep [...]

There are many sources of generational family conflict; disagreements, misunderstandings, and tensions that can arise between family members of different generations. These conflicts can be influenced by a variety of factors, including differences in values, beliefs, lifestyles, and communication styles. Have you ever found yourself engaged in a conversation something like this: “Back in my day . . .” “Things aren’t the same for you as they are for me.” “You just don’t want to work.” “Well, you don’t [...]

The term “narcissist” is used in popular culture to define anyone who is vain, arrogant, or brimming with confidence. This makes for an unpleasant person to deal with, and perhaps the sort of person you would rather avoid. However, the psychological understanding of narcissism goes a little deeper, and those who are in a relationship with a narcissist, or work for one, may benefit from understanding a little more about this trait. When we don’t have the option of [...]

Dealing with infidelity, separation, or divorce in a marriage is one of the most disruptive, emotionally tumultuous chapters in anyone’s life. It can take years to sort through your emotions and find some kind of closure, enough to move on and start again. Before you see some sort of resolution, however, there will be a period where you cycle through all different kinds of thoughts and feelings. Infidelity doesn’t only damage a marriage, but it causes all manner of harm [...]

Would you consider yourself a person with anger problems? Most of us probably have a mental image of what we think an angry person looks like, and it probably isn’t us. There are some well-known ways to express anger that are often understood to be what anger is all about. Incidents of road rage that go viral, instances of domestic abuse, or fights breaking out between sports fans often come to mind when the word “anger” is mentioned. Anger [...]