The Overwhelmed Brain

Emotional Intelligence for Better Relationships

  • Home
  • Deeper Learning
  • All Episodes
  • About
    • About Me and the Show
    • TOB Newsletter
    • Contact
    • Coaching
    • Praise for The Overwhelmed Brain!
    • Media Kit
  • Patron Support Program
    • Learn More
    • Honored Supporters

The pain you sometimes need to go through to increase your quality of life

The pain you sometimes need to go through to increase your quality of life
The pain you sometimes need to go through to increase your quality of life
Episode play icon
The pain you sometimes need to go through to increase your quality of life
September 27, 2020

The level of happiness and fulfillment you feel on a day to day basis can change based on many factors. One of those factors has to do with the ability to make hard decisions that may involve big changes that you’re not ready to face.

The fear and pain associated with change can often prevent us from doing what we need to do to increase our quality of life.

However, sometimes the lesson is that in order to reach a higher level of satisfaction in life, it might involve scary steps you don’t want to take. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: anxiety, Decisions, Divorce, Emotional Abuse, Finding peace, Healing, Human Potential, Negative Emotions, Podcast Episode, Relationships, Toxic Behavior Tagged With: It can be too hard to change, The pain before the change, Why is change so painful

Taking the blame for their behavior

Taking the blame for their behavior
Taking the blame for their behavior
Episode play icon
Taking the blame for their behavior
September 20, 2020

Are you taking the blame for other people’s bad behavior more often than you should?

If so, maybe there’s something a bit more covert going on that you need to know about.

Some people have mastered the art of painting you into a corner. Because of that, you will feel responsible even when it’s clear they are the ones behaving badly.

If you want to learn how to counter this type of behavior, keep reading. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Behavior, Communication, Emotional Abuse, Manipulation, Marriage, Podcast Episode, Relationships, Toxic Behavior, Toxic People Tagged With: I always take the blame, I feel like I am to blame for everything, My partner always blames me

When you don’t know who you are

When you don't know who you are
When you don't know who you are
Episode play icon
When you don't know who you are
September 13, 2020

Have you ever really learned who you are at a deeper level? Sometimes we walk around doing the things we’re supposed to do, but rarely stop to figure out who is doing those things.

In this episode, I read an email from a woman who never got a chance to learn who she is because of narcissistic parents telling her who she is all her life. Now that she’s a wife and mom, she feels lost.

If you’re lost, it’s time to find yourself. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Decisions, Family, Identity, Narcissism, Personal Boundaries, Podcast Episode, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Self-Worth, Therapy, Toxic Behavior, Toxic People Tagged With: The meaning of my existence, Trying to figure out who I am, What is the point of existing?

Email grab bag: Getting ghosted while dating and when you have trouble forgiving someone who wronged you

Email grab bag: Getting ghosted while dating and when you have trouble forgiving someone who wronged you
Email grab bag: Getting ghosted while dating and when you have trouble forgiving someone who wronged you
Episode play icon
Email grab bag: Getting ghosted while dating and when you have trouble forgiving someone who wronged you
July 16, 2020

The first segment is about a young woman who keeps getting “ghosted” by her dates. It’s starting to impact her self-esteem and she’s wondering if she’ll ever find a life partner.

In the second segment, I reply to someone who wants to hate those who’ve wronged her, but her spirituality says it’s better to forgive.

Is it?

Sounds like a great subject to talk about. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dating, Family, Forgiveness, Hate, Podcast Episode, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Toxic Behavior Tagged With: Is it bad to hate?, Is it necessary to forgive?, When your dates keep ghosting you, When your dates never call you back

The Dramatic Victim Doesn’t Want Change

Have you ever met someone who complained about their circumstances but wasn’t willing to do anything to change them?  

In fact, if you were to suggest a possible solution to them, they would come up with an excuse or valid sounding reason on why your suggestion wouldn’t work. And the more you tried to help, the more flaws they’d find in your logic. 

The hard truth is that some people don’t want to change nor do they want others around them to help them change. People like this refuse to acknowledge the role they play in their misery and often blame others for their suffering. 

If you are intertwined with someone like this, you might have to be careful that you are not helping to enable this behavior. This type of person may find comfort in your attention to their misery. And as long as they are getting their needs met, they may not mind if you become miserable along with them as you try to help them.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Behavior, Control, enabling, Human Potential, Negative Emotions, Relationships, Toxic Behavior, Victim Mentality Tagged With: Dealing with the victim mentality, How to deal with the chronic complainer, Some people are so dramatic

My Healing Journey from Being an Emotional Abuser

Emotional abuse is the ultimate brainwashing technique. It hides in the form of feigned helpfulness, generosity, compassion, and love. The perpetrator knows how to appear kind and caring while intertwining abusive behavior, causing their victim to become powerless.

Emotional abuse is a method of controlling, manipulating, belittling, and invalidating a person over time. It is often hard to spot in the moment as it can be seen as benign or even “normal” to most observers. But as this behavior is repeated time and time again, the insidious compound effect of this form of covert abuse causes its victims to lose confidence in themselves, stop trusting in their own decisions, feel devalued and unimportant, and blame themselves for being the cause of, and sometimes even deserving, of the abusive behavior.

(after you read this article, be sure to tune into the Love and Abuse podcast for more on emotional abuse and manipulation in relationships) [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abandonment, Blog article, Divorce, Emotional Abuse, Emotional Healing, Emotional Withdrawal, Empathy, Judgment, Manipulation, Marriage, Narcissism, Relationships, Toxic Behavior, Toxic Thinking Tagged With: Can the emotional abuser be fixed?, Can the emotional abuser change?, Can the emotional abuser heal?, I am the emotional abuser, Is it possible for abusive people to change?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
Achieve Now

Get the book!

Categories

All podcast episodes of The Overwhelmed Brain are now transcribed for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Click to buy anything on Amazon to support TOB!

Copyright © 2013 - 2020 theoverwhelmedbrain.com The Overwhelmed Brain, LLC All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy - Anti-Spam Policy - Affiliate Disclosure

This site assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The Overwhelmed Brain specifically disclaims any liability resulting from the use or application of the information contained in the blog, podcast, services, books and products, and the information is not intended to serve as medical, psychological, legal, financial or other professional advice related to individual situations. Do not use information found on this site, podcast, services, books or products to replace professional medical or psychological services.