For all the talk of ‘boundaries’ in therapy, clients often miss the nuances that make boundaries an essential element of healthy living.

All too many people continue to stay with a character disturbed partner because they themselves have character issues that are dysfunctional. Here is an example of a woman who justifies her staying with her boyfriend by finding excuses for his cheating and manipulation — maybe it’s “just midlife crisis.”

Dealing with someone who is covertly aggressive is always a challenge — and especially so in the workplace, where we can feel trapped. Here are four tips to help cope with this kind of manipulative behavior.

Holidays can be meaningful and memorable, or they can be a time of stress and depression. Take heed of these tips for the holiday season in order to ensure that this is a special and rewarding time for you and the ones you love.

Learn how to recognize the weakest point in the vicious cycle of distress. Whether you’re managing anxiety and panic, or in relationship with a disturbed character, stop the cycle before it escalates out of control.

The intensely socially repressive atmosphere of earlier times has been supplanted with an atmosphere of entitlement, permissiveness, and license. So it’s not surprising that it’s now more common for folks to lack enough shame or guilt to inhibit them from setting out to harm or manipulate others. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that significantly disturbed characters are everywhere.

Do you recognize these 9 characteristics of a bitter person? Have you experienced the toll that bitterness can take on relationships? The real secret to dealing with bitterness is learning to let go.