Fixing Families

Tools for running your life and relationships

Robert Taibbi L.C.S.W.

Passive-Aggressiveness in Relationships: How to Stop It

Passive-aggressive behaviors can easily undermine relationships. It is anger being diverted, it is about feeling unsafe. What drives it, how to respond, how to change it.

Living in the Past, the Future? How to Get Back to Now

While living in the more in the present may be a goal, the distractions of the past and future often have their own drivers. How to be more mindful by tackling them directly.

New Year, New Goals: What Do You Want to Change?

Thinking about new goals creates a vision of your future. Here are ways to look at what is working, what isn't, and what to change in the year ahead.

Struggling With a Transition? Time to Change Your Approach

Life transitions are understandably difficult, but they are also opportunities. Upgrade your emotional software and run your life in new, more effective ways.

Always Walking on Eggshells? How to Stop

We all can be cautious around others at times. But some are constantly on guard, afraid, hyperalert. Maybe it's time to stop walking on eggshells.

When in Doubt, Create Healthy Routines

We all go through difficult times and one of the best antidotes to anxiety and depression is building our everyday lives around healthy routines. Here's how to get started.

Want a Good Relationship? Try Limiting Your Expectations

To expect someone to meet all your needs is unrealistic. If you want a good relationship, start by choosing the three qualities that you need most.

Believe It or Not, Your Life Is Actually Working for You

Our lives naturally move us towards empowerment and healing if we are able to learn the lessons that our problems are teaching us, if we are willing to change our perspective.

Your Life as a Movie: 7 Questions to Re-Create Your Story

We are constantly writing the scripts that are our lives. Where have you been? Where do you want to go? Here's an exercise to help you step back and define and redo your story.

5 Reasons Why You Keep Having the Same Argument

Many couples seem to have the same argument over and over. These are the common causes and how to finally put them to rest.

Are Your Possessions Possessing You?

Possessions are called possessions because they can emotionally possess us. These are the drivers for our materialism, and the steps toward reining them in.

3 Reasons Why You Can’t Let Go of the Past

Our past is always running alongside our present, but sometimes in intimate relationships, it flares up in a negative way.

How Divorce and Breakups Can Be Steps in Healing Our Pasts

We move in and out of relationships for many reasons, but at their core one of the drivers is our need to heal our past.

Battling? Make the Problem the Enemy, Not Each Other

It's easy for struggling couples to see the other guy as the enemy. Rather than battling each other, they need to join forces and tackle the problem. How to do it.

What Pushes Your Buttons?

What are your triggers? We all have them, carryovers from past relationships that flare up and cause havoc in our current one. Here's how to put them to rest.

Having Trouble Saying No? Here's How to Start

Many have trouble saying no, but it can take a toll—burnout, resentment, a feeling that relationships are unbalanced, that you never get back what you need. Here's how to start.

How Do You View the World? 4 Common But Handicapping Lenses

We all have our own lenses through which we view the world and others, some making us feel lonely or fearful, others empowering us. What's yours?

9 Questions to Assess the Health of Your Relationship

It helps to periodically step back and assess the current state of your relationship. Here's how to get started.

Got Big Anger? A Short Fuse? How to Rein It In

Some anger is normal, but frequent and explosive anger is not. Maybe it's time to rein it in.

First-Year Survival: The Art of Fine-Tuning Everyday Life

Here's how to get off on the best foot when you begin living with someone.

Having an Existential Crisis? How to Know, What to Do

Sometimes we're between chapters of our lives, feeling adrift and uncertain about the future. While this is normal, it can be challenging. Try these tips for moving through.

Deadlocked in Your Relationship? The Art of Cutting the Deal

If you're feeling stuck in a relationship, it's likely you are having a power struggle. It's time to break out and cut a deal.

Do You Keep Having the Same Argument Over and Over?

Arguments that keep coming up are usually being driven by one or two of several underlying causes. Here are common sources, characteristics, and strategies for finally putting them to rest.

Why Separations Usually Lead to Divorce

Statistics show that 80 percent of those couples who separate eventually divorce. Why? Some clinical observations and how to reverse course.

What's Your Obsession? 5 Types, 5 Triggers, 5 Antidotes

Obsessions are about our minds running us, rather than us controlling our minds. But not all obsessions are the same.

Are You a Bit Too Rigid? How to Loosen Up

Those who seem rigid -- run their lives on routines, have trouble with change -- have learned to manage their anxiety by keeping their comfort zone small. Tips on how to loosen up.

What Do You Remember From Your Past?

We all walk out of our childhoods with a handful of memories. But what we remember may tell us a lot about not only our past but what we need right now.

Your Work: A Job, Career, or Calling?

For many of us, work is a means of maintaining our lives, but many of us have more choices. Here are three ways of looking at the role of work.

3 of the Most Common Communication Mistakes

It's easy for conversations to get derailed and turn into useless arguments. Here are some common sources and how to get back on track.

A Quick Guide to Life’s Developmental Challenges

A look at the themes and obstacles of life's key developmental stages. By knowing what to expect, you can prepare for the challenges ahead.

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