Relationships Archives

What Is Emotional Intelligence and How Can We Improve Ours?

November 2, 2025

Are you able to cope with all of life’s challenges and curveballs? Do you have the ability to understand your emotions, yet not let your feelings control you? A brief definition of Emotional Intelligence is a person’s awareness of their own emotions and the ability to use that awareness in their interactions with others. So, let’s dig a little deeper and discover what Emotional Intelligence is, and how can we improve ours.

How To Stop People Pleasing

October 13, 2025

Showing kindness, doing things for others, being helpful, and being the perfect partner; these are personal attributes that many people possess, and although they may seem like admirable personal qualities, in some cases, these attributes also have a way of contributing to unhealthy relationship patterns.

Are You Too Demanding? It May Be Time To Examine Your Expectations.

September 12, 2025

Esther Perel, a renowned Belgian psychotherapist and relationship expert, states, “Expectations are resentments waiting to happen”. If you’ve been told that you make too many demands, are overly critical, or expect too much from others, it may be time to examine your expectations.

8 Signs That It’s Time To Break Up

September 2, 2025

For most of us, it’s quite typical to occasionally wonder whether we should stay together with a partner or end the relationship, especially when things are beginning to get serious. All couples will go through periods in their relationship where challenges arise that need to be worked through. There are some definite signs that it’s time to break up and there are signs that can help you identify if you and your significant other are merely navigating your way through a rough patch, or whether it may in fact be time to end your relationship.

Are You Wondering: “Am I Ready For Another Relationship?”

August 12, 2025

Society almost demands that we be attached to another person, yet while there are societal pressures to be in a relationship, diving into one head-first can be disastrous if we are not ready. Knowing whether we are ready to enter into a romantic relationship with another person can be difficult to gauge. Rather than asking ourselves whether we are ready for a new romantic relationship, it may be more helpful to heed the warning signs that suggest that we’re not yet ready.

Dealing With Regret: Learning from Mistakes

August 1, 2025

Sometimes our regrets about our past can haunt us for years and can at times even seem to dominate our everyday thinking. Some of us ruminate endlessly about our past and wish that we had made different choices or behaved in a different way.

Is It Love or Infatuation?

June 17, 2025

Sarah (not her real name) came to see me because she was in love; however, she felt confused as to where things were in her

Why You Shouldn’t Settle For Less In Your Relationship

April 28, 2025

When we settle for less in our relationships, it can create some undesirable consequences; emotionally and psychologically. Settling in a relationship can stem from having unrealistic expectations of what that relationship or our loved one is supposed to ‘be’.

What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy? Can it Help Us To Lead Happier Lives?

February 5, 2025

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy aims to help clients who have difficulty regulating their emotions, who indulge in self-destructive behaviour and / or who have difficulty maintaining good interpersonal relations with others. Can Dialectical Behaviour Therapy help us to lead happier lives?

Beware When You Overshare

January 27, 2025

We typically overshare with others because we’re either feeling nervous or on the other hand, we may feel very comfortable with the person we’re chatting to. When people overshare, their primary need is to connect with another person. Anxiety can be the driver behind those who overshare, as well as loneliness. Loneliness can leave us feeling starved of connection with others. As our brain knows that our very survival depends on connection with others, a desperate need to connect with another person can sometimes see our social skills being hijacked by oversharing. This can sometimes lead to us forming unhealthy friendships and/or relationships.

Sydney Hills Counselling Blog

Category: Relationships