Short messages on Relationships issues from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
If you feel nervous about doing something, try to find a way out of the situation and seek help from someone you trust.
People often lash out, spread hate, or act selfishly when they are hurt. They are feeling a deep, hurting part of themselves and may be trying to compensate by making others feel bad too.
When we extend a hand to help someone, no matter how big or small, it offers us the chance to step outside ourselves for a minute and understand more of the big picture.
The only time that people who love to gossip dislike gossip is when it’s about them.
If someone wants people to know something about them, leave it to them to share it. They don’t need you to spread it for them.
Before you pass along more gossip, stop and think about what you’re doing. Make a pact with yourself to stop talking about friends behind their back for good.
If you talk about your friends behind their back, think about how it is likely to make them feel. Think about how you would feel if the things you’ve been saying to others were said about you by your friend.
Relationships benefit from honesty, inclusion, and compromise.
“Cognitive empathy” is “perspective taking” – our ability to identify and understand other peoples’ emotions.
“Affective empathy” refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions – mirroring what that person is feeling, or just feeling stressed when we detect another’s fear or anxiety.