Hope +Wellness Blog

little snippets of advice for everyday challenges many people share

I Hurt My Friend's Feelings, What Do I Do Now?
Communication, Community, Friendship, Relationships Hope+Wellness Communication, Community, Friendship, Relationships Hope+Wellness

I Hurt My Friend's Feelings, What Do I Do Now?

We can only avoid conflict by avoiding our true feelings in a relationship, so it’s not necessarily a sign that the relationship is a bad one. And hurting someone’s feelings doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. We’re all wounded and trying our best, and sometimes we misstep. Taking time to talk to you about their hurt feelings is a sign that your relationship means a lot to your friend or loved one, not the other way around.

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4 Tips to Become a Better Listener
Communication Hope+Wellness Communication Hope+Wellness

4 Tips to Become a Better Listener

Everyone wants to feel listened to and understood by the people around them, but listening well can be easier said than done. Becoming a better listener is a powerful way to improve your relationships with others, whether it’s close friends and partners or even just people you know casually. 

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3 Tips for Telling Your Therapist They Upset You
Communication, Emotions, Therapy Hope+Wellness Communication, Emotions, Therapy Hope+Wellness

3 Tips for Telling Your Therapist They Upset You

Maybe they poke at an old wound, maybe they misunderstand something difficult you’re struggling to communicate, maybe they’re reactivating old dynamics that hurt you in the past. No matter how it comes about, it’s possible–and in fact normal–that at some point, your therapist will say something that upsets you, rubs you the wrong way, or just generally hurts your feelings.

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Managing Conflict in Friendships
Relationships, Communication Hope+Wellness Relationships, Communication Hope+Wellness

Managing Conflict in Friendships

In all long term relationships, conflict is normal and expected and nothing to feel shame or fear about. However, that doesn’t make it easy to manage! It can feel scary when conflict comes up–no matter what type of relationship you have. But if we’re willing to do a bit of uncomfortable work, we can find ways to repair the relationship, and likely make it stronger as well. 

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10 Blogs to Read for More Intimate Friendships
Relationships, Community, Communication Hope+Wellness Relationships, Community, Communication Hope+Wellness

10 Blogs to Read for More Intimate Friendships

Like any other relationship, in order to have true intimacy, the relationship will sometimes require hard (or uncomfortable) work! We believe that all relationships are important–you need a garden of support in your life, and many different relationships to fulfill the many different parts of you. But having supportive, intimate friendships takes work. Here are 10 blogs to read on doing that work!

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5 Ways to Deal With Being Ghosted
Communication, Dating, Relationships Hope+Wellness Communication, Dating, Relationships Hope+Wellness

5 Ways to Deal With Being Ghosted

Many of us have negative beliefs about ourselves, whether we realize it or not. There’s even a name for that critical voice in your head that reinforces those mean thoughts: the inner critic. This inner critic might tell you that you’re not loveable or not good enough. Being ghosted can reinforce those beliefs, even though they’re false.

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6 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations with Your Partner
Communication, Relationships, Vulnerability Hope+Wellness Communication, Relationships, Vulnerability Hope+Wellness

6 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations with Your Partner

Every relationship has ups and downs. No lasting relationship exists without conflict, so knowing how to address it in a healthy way is crucial for a healthy, lasting relationship. However, we know that it does feel scary to broach a difficult conversation with a partner. So to help you, we’ve put together 6 tips for having difficult conversations with your partner.

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Reaffirming Your Covid Boundaries
Self-Reflection, Communication Hope+Wellness Self-Reflection, Communication Hope+Wellness

Reaffirming Your Covid Boundaries

It’s natural for boundaries to shift and change over time, and it’s not a sign that the boundary isn’t working or hasn’t served you. But as time goes on, much of our lives change! Even if we don’t notice it, as it happens gradually day to day, we’ve changed a lot in a year. And as we change, we need to consider which of our habits and boundaries are serving us, and which we should let go of.

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