Being connected to other people is a great thing – family, friends, partners, lovers. But this closeness can be complicated! People who are near and dear hold a lot of power to disappoint us. It can be very difficult to get what we need from others, and hard to manage our reactions to disappointment. We can sometimes give up too much, agree to things we don’t want – or we go the other way, and start bullying the other person. Both of those are strategies to preserve a connection with someone. Is your strategy working for you? It can be difficult to feel confident setting limits with people in your life, to manage your negative feelings, to trust yourself, and to communicate your expectations without doing too much or too little. Counselling provides a safe and non-judgemental place to find ways to keep your connections healthy and happy.

Mary Munro, www.marymunro.ca