Gary Brown

Navigate Valentine’s Day With Ease

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  I may be dating myself a bit, but raise your hand if you remember the song, Love is a Many Splendored Thing? Anyone? It was from the 1955 movie of the same title and written by Paul Francis Webster, music by Sammy Fain. It’s been covered by tons of people – from Nat King Cole to Frank Sinatra to Jeff Lynne as recently as 2012. It’s a ...read more

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You Don’t Have to Go Home for the Holidays: How to Keep Your Sanity in Check When You Come from a Toxic Family

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  You may cringe every time you hear Andy Williams sing the classic, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” You’re not a Grinch if you feel this way. You just may be dreading going home for the holidays. If you come from a toxic or abusive family, the feeling of obligation to spend time with them over the holidays can be enough to ...read more

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Coping with the Holiday Season When You’re Feeling Down

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Holiday parties every weekend, traveling long distances, preparing for Thanksgiving. Christmas lists from the kids to Santa, Hanukkah presents for eight nights, extra time with extended family. Colder, winter weather (well, as cold as it can get in Southern California!) and endless sweet treats when we’re trying to follow a healthier eating ...read more

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12 Signs That You May Not Be Ready for a Serious Relationship…and That’s Okay

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  A good relationship can be hard to find. And it’s okay to be picky or not ready. And maybe online dating isn’t your scene. While your mom or your well-intended friends keep trying to set you up, maybe you’re just not ready for a serious relationship. Or maybe the idea of settling down is scary or just unappealing right now. And that’s ...read more

Filed Under: Dating, Individuals Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bullying on Social Media (and Other Places): Tips to Lessen or Even Eliminate the Impact

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  Bullying has historically included physical, sexual, emotional, verbal bullying. Now you can add cyberbullying and most recently, political bullying to the list. Often, in incidences of bullying, the perpetrator uses more than one of these tactics on his/her victim or escalates from one to the next. Given the current environment, several ...read more

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How to Know If Someone May Be Considering Suicide and What to Do

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September is Suicide Prevention Month and it’s an important topic. Statistics show that eight out of ten people considering suicide give some sort of sign of their intentions. Imagine someone that you care about, a friend or family member, is having a rough time (like we all do occasionally), YOU could be the person that makes a difference in ...read more

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Dating Anxiety in The Age of Tinder

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There are so many singles I see in my practice who struggle with dating. It’s one of the most talked about issues among my clients. Some feel anxious and confused about the whole dating scene. So, let’s start with some of the basics. First, here’s some information about anxiety in general. About 18% of American adults have been diagnosed with an ...read more

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How Do You Know When It’s Not Right to Trust Your Gut

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Do you always and should you always trust your gut? Has your gut always been right? ...or all too often wrong? Bustle reached out to me for an interview about these gut-wrenching and mind-bending questions that people sometimes struggle with. I hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to contact me if you are currently dealing with this ...read more

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The Wisdom of Crying

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The issue of crying often comes up for many of my clients. So many feel a stigma associated with crying – even crying alone, crying with another, and especially crying in a public setting. Somehow there is the erring belief that the human act of crying implies that we are weak. I challenge this belief. It could not be more false. Crying is an ...read more

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11 Tips to Help You Cope with Rejection

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This is going to be one of the deepest dives I have ever done on almost any other blog I have ever written. That’s because feelings of rejection are one of the most common, powerful, and confusing emotional experiences any of us can have. This subject simply doesn’t lend itself to a few electronic soundbites. The feeling of rejection hurts. It ...read more

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4 Tips To Help You Get Over A Relationship You Know Isn’t Good For You

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  Most of us have been there. We are in a relationship that we know isn't good for us, but for any number of reasons, we stay anyway. It is painful to stay. It can also be painful to think about leaving. All of this can be pretty confusing. Wanting some tips for her readers on how to get over a relationship that is not a good fit, Kimmy ...read more

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How to Know If You’re in Love with Your Best Friend

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    You spend a lot of time together, you laugh a lot, you have inside jokes and shared stories. You seem to balance each other and have great conversations and chemistry. Lately when you’ve been together things may have been affectionate and it’s getting you thinking. It could make sense that you and your best friend may want to ...read more

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17 Tips to Help Reduce Anxiety and Panic Attacks

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People seek me out for many reasons. Anxiety is one of the top three reasons, alongside depression, and relationship issues.   In fact, at any given point in time, at least 20 percent of people are suffering from some type of anxiety. What is anxiety? Anxiety is actually a very normal, but unpleasant reaction to one or more situations ...read more

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How To Fast Track Your Resolutions This Year

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Many of us make resolutions and set goals at the beginning of the year. Actually, you may or may not have written them down. I recommend that you do. So, what’s next? What do you do with them for the rest of the year? How often do you revisit those goals that you were so excited about in January, but might have faded by the time you get to ...read more

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5 Reasons to Make Friends a Higher Priority This Year

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It’s the new year and this is a time that I tend both reflect and look ahead. When thinking about friendships and seeing some people who are close to me struggling in this area, the idea of creating this post came to mind. I hope you find it helpful. This year my resolution is to experience more connection with others. And my intention is to ...read more

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