Mental health refers to a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, encompassing the ability to handle stress, relate to others, make decisions, and navigate the challenges of life. It influences how individuals think, feel, and act, contributing to the overall balance and quality of their lives. Mental health is essential at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
It’s an interesting transformation. For years, there always seemed to be something to say about someone else. Someone to report. Someone to criticise. Someone to blame. Someone whose reputation needed to be questioned. Someone who, in their eyes, had done them wrong. Then, one day… Silence. The person who was once so visible becomes what… Read More The Invisible Man
The mindset can vary from person to person, so it’s not possible to know exactly what any one individual is thinking. However, psychologists often describe certain patterns of thinking that can underlie persistent blame, resentment, and attempts to undermine others. Some common patterns include: “I’m the victim.” They see themselves as the wronged party in almost every conflict,… Read More General psychological patterns
Sometimes, the greatest insight doesn’t come from what someone says to your face. It comes from what they write when they think no one is looking. Imagine opening an old backup drive and finding letter after letter. Some had been sent. Others had never left the page. As you read them, a pattern begins to… Read More The Letters That Told Their Own Story
At the beginning of the relationship, I listened with sympathy. I heard endless stories about the previous partner. According to them, she was the problem. She was “crazy.” She was violent. She stole from him. She hit him. She tried to force him out of the house. She was unintelligent. She was lazy. She was… Read More Looking Back, I Realise They Were Stories
One of the biggest mistakes people make in a new relationship is focusing only on how someone treats them. In the early stages, many people are on their best behaviour. Instead, widen the lens. Look at the quality of their relationships with the people who have known them the longest. While no single factor proves someone… Read More Look Beyond How They Treat You—Look at How They Live
One of the questions I am asked most often is: “How can I spot an abuser before I become emotionally invested?” The truth is that many abusive people do not reveal who they really are on the first date. If they did, very few people would choose to continue the relationship. Instead, abuse often begins… Read More Can You Recognise an Abuser Before You Enter a Relationship?
One of the most painful experiences for survivors of domestic abuse is hearing someone close to them say: “I doubt he’ll kill you.” It may be intended as reassurance, but to someone living with abuse, those words can feel dismissive, minimising, and dangerously out of touch with reality. The truth is that relatives, friends, and… Read More “I Doubt He’ll Kill You” – Why Well-Meaning Relatives Can Get It Wrong
There seems to be a fascinating species that appears whenever accountability comes knocking. Meet The Joker. Not the one from the movies—the one who performs astonishing mental gymnastics to convince everyone they’re the innocent victim while leaving a trail of emotional destruction behind them. According to The Joker, they have never lied, never manipulated, never shouted,… Read More The Joker’s Guide to Looking Whiter Than White
One of the most astonishing aspects of abusive relationships is not always the abuse itself. Sometimes it is what happens afterwards. An abusive partner may deny everything, rewrite history, invent elaborate stories, and even swear under oath that their version of events is the truth. They may accuse their victim of lying, exaggerating, or being… Read More When an Abuser Invents a Story Under Oath… Then Expects You to Take Them Back
Most people feel uncomfortable when they see another human being in pain. Empathy tells us to help. Compassion tells us to comfort. Conscience tells us that another person’s suffering matters. But not everyone responds that way. Some people seem to take satisfaction in another person’s misfortune. Others may quietly hope that someone fails, loses everything,… Read More When Someone Wants Others to Suffer: The Psychology of a Cruel Mind
