You can either change according to needs of your immediate environment or die an early death.

This is as true to human life cycle as to the organizational life cycle. Organizations have to manage change strategically to implement new programs, initiatives or processes. One important part of the change management strategy should be “People Management”; failing which an organization’s initiatives may crumble down.

Communicate the Need for Change throughout the organization and encourage the participation of people to welcome the change rather than flooding them with sudden changes.

Here are some of the things that managers/supervisors/Change leaders should keep in Mind to make the process smooth and productive:

Change Management should start from the Bottom

Roll out all change management programs at the bottom level of the organization. Encourage learning and lots of knowledge sharing at this level by bottom-up and also top-down communication. This level is most affected by the implementation of changes, hence involve them in the decision making regarding strategy implementation.

Float a compelling story about the change

Tell an inspiring story that will motivate your employees about the problem. People will not buy your idea of change whatsoever if you do not make them understand and accept that there is a problem that has to be addressed. Workshops are a good idea when it comes selling your ideas, approaches policies, methods to your employees. Employee participation is crucial to change management.

Do it with them, not to them.

Keep away from ideas like “Changing employee mindsets”

Do not try to change employee mindsets.Doing this will imply that the organization is forcing change on them. It will also indicate people to believe that the organization thinks of the present mindset of people to be “Flawed” or “Wrong” in some way.

Take input from employees and do not mandate change.

You should explain all new policies, structures, targets, acquisitions at the early stages; It is useful for getting people participation and validation.Make involvement early and open.

Empower not Impose change

Any change process will go smoothly when you empower people to dig out solutions and responses. Managers should facilitate and support while leaders need to be tolerant and compassionate. Management styles and leadership strategies are more vital than clever processes and policies.

When employees trust their organization to risk their future to any change in the organization, only then can any meaningful organizational change can occur.

Also read our Blog on Issues Faced by a team at Workplace.

Mentriq by Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s top Mental Health Counseling Provider. To learn more about Mentriq click here  http://mentriq.in/about-mental-health-services/

Balancing your life with a new member of the family is tough. Newborns need constant care and attention. When you are in a Job that demands a lot of your time, and energy, it can get even tougher. Maternity leaves are not long enough to help you recuperate and enjoy motherhood. A child needs care until the time he has grown up to be at least a teenager; which can range from 12- 18 years of age depending on each individual.

Although, Parenting is a responsibility of both the father and the mother, yet mothers take up the responsibility solely on themselves quite often. Paternity leave is still quite rare.

More women are in the workforce today than that has ever been. The total woman workforce has increased to 16.2 % from 13.4 % in 1980’s in Urban areas with fixed salaries.

They suffer from excessive guilt if they are not able to take care of their child and suffer a loss of self-esteem when they leave work to become a full-time mother.This situation is crucial for working moms and often leads them to a cycle of depression.

Here are some tips and tricks on how  to flourish in life for women who have taken up motherhood without compromising on a full-time career:

Get away with the feelings of Guilt

Do not dwell on the thoughts of not being able to spend time and care more for your child, instead focus on the good that you are doing for the family by bringing in additional income. You can put your child to the desired hobby classes and save for their college degrees with extra income that you bring home. Accept the good and the bad days and take the support of friends, support groups or a therapist to get over your feelings of excessive guilt.

Take time to choose quality childcare

Nannies, daycares and babysitters can provide you with a lot of support during this troubling time of growing a child. Create a list of criteria that are essential for your baby before shortlisting on the kind of daycare that your baby needs. look out for nannies who have a history of long-term commitments which would mean that they are adaptable to various age groups and would save you the trouble of onboarding and offboarding.

Start the Morning on a relaxed note

Do all the preparation in the night for the next day like packing tiffin, shortlisting the outfit, arranging your bags (for both yourself and your baby) etc. This will make your morning easy, relaxed and productive. Make time to exercise or do outdoor activities together instead.

Organise the entire week on the weekends

Use a calendar that is easily accessible to you, your children and the helpers around the children. Plan activities with your kids after your work like playdates with their friends, visit the zoo etc. Accompany them in these activities at least twice a week. Ask the nanny to look into the calendar and plan and get the kids ready according to the plan of the particular day.

Talk with your employer

Let the HR manager and your boss know your needs if you are already employed. Ask for the flexibility that you need and assuring on the productivity. If you are joining a new Job after a baby, research on whether other employees are given flexibility so that you can negotiate.

Stay connected

With technological advancements, it is not difficult to be connected to people all around the world. TAKE ADVANTAGE! Use Skype, WhatsApp or other video call platforms to stay connected to your child when he is doing something important or when he is cranky. Hearing your voice and seeing your face will give him assurance that you are within reach always.

Take care of yourself

Most of your time is taken up by your family or work. It is important to pamper yourself by taking out your “ME-TIME” every day out of your hectic schedule. Soak into a book, have a cup of coffee, do meditation or yoga. Take an appointment to a spa or salon once in 15 days. Meet your friends or plan for a movie without kids with your partner.

You are going to be the role model for your little munchkins who grow up to be responsible humans one day. It is not only you but also your relationship with your partner and work that matters to these little people watching you and making meaning out of every action you do. You cannot do it if you are Cranky, sad, cribbing or depressed and this is possible only when you prioritize your needs apart from others around you.

Also, read our Blog on POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION.

In a very stereotypical matter, it’s only men who are seen as sex addicts. Whenever someone says sex addiction, they instantly think it is a man. But, sex addiction is not only limited to men but can also happen to women. Being a sex addict is a serious mental illness, and it requires effective and immediate treatment.

As any other illness, sex addiction also doesn’t discriminate between man or woman. Anyone can become addicted to sexual behaviour, or any other kind of addiction. As mentioned in our previous posts, sex addiction is a compulsive behaviour, where the person is no longer interested in the pleasures of the activity.

But, there is a difference between sexually addicted men and women.

Thus, below are few Signs of Sex Addiction in Women:

Addiction to Love or Relationship:

Women who are suffering from sexual addiction are constantly looking for new love and relationships. But, these relationships are not from a need of having a relationship but they are out of compulsion.

Other Addiction:

Often women who are suffering from sexual addiction will also have other kinds of addiction along with this. This may include, nicotine addiction, alcohol addiction, shopping addiction etc.

Masking Feelings:

Women who are addicts often don’t indulge in their feelings. Whenever they feel anxious, depressed, stressed, bored or discomfort they resort to sex or sexual pleasures as their escape.

Negative Feelings After:

Every time after they have had sex, feelings of guilt or shame will take over. Sometimes, after sex, they will start feeling immense sadness which often leads to depression.

Needs for Arousal:

There are a certain want and need which meets their fantasy for arousal. Thus, these needs or fantasy can be of seductive roleplaying or involvement of pain etc. If these specific needs are not present in sexual activity, there is no level of arousal.

Excessive Porn:

Women suffering from sex addiction have an excessive reliance on pornography. They try to find and fulfil their fantasies through the pornographic material. Also, they try to enact the same situations they see in pornography and try and bring it to their bedroom.

Masturbation:

There is a certain compulsion to masturbate among women who are suffering from sexual addiction. They will constantly find places to masturbate which becomes a compulsive act.

Interference with Work-Life:

Pre-occupation with sex and sexual behaviour starts interfering with their daily life and routine. Often, they will find different places to have sex or masturbation, which include their workplace, house, restaurant, etc. Hence, affecting their work-life and creating a hindrance or even massive dire consequences.

Dependent Relationship:

Since women suffering from sexual addiction often find partners who are addicts themselves. Thus, they will form a co-dependent relationship with those partners, and their addiction to justify them.

Sexual Addiction in women has always been a taboo topic. But, it is as common in women as men. According to survey around 8% of men suffer from sexual addiction and about 5% of women suffer from sexual addiction. Hence, if you or someone you know is suffering from this mental illness, then please visit a mental health professional immediately.

To take our test on Sex Addiction Click here

Read our Previous Blog on Signs of Sexual Addiction in Men.

Your relationships at home and at the workplace are as good as the Quality of your communication. We are all guilty of Overcommunicating or Undercommunicating ate different situations but seldom the right communication. Our own biases and those of others we are communicating with paralyze, our effective communication.The word communication comes from the Latin word “Communis”, which means “to share”. Communication Includes Verbal, Non-Verbal And all kinds of electronic means of communication. It is an act of conveying the information that you have to the other person to reach a position of “Shared  Understanding”.

There are three important elements in Communication: The  Sender, The Receiver and the medium of communication. The sender converts his thoughts or information that he wants to share in a form understandable by the receiver. This is referred to as encoding(The sender’s interpretation). The message is then sent through a medium whether face to face, electronically or written. The receiver translates the information based on his own understanding which is referred to as decoding(The sender’s interpretation).

WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

Workplace communication is very vital to your organization’s effectiveness, productivity as well as employee morale. It is also one of the major components to increase the job satisfaction of the employees. Research has shown that effective Upward(with seniors), Downward(with juniors), and Lateral (With colleagues) communication has shown improvement in overall productivity of the company. Every process in the organization flows and thrives on communication and hence it is essential to keep the channels smooth and free-flowing.

Here are a few effective strategies for Communication in the workplace:

Create an Open Communicative environment

As an organization, your main idea to foster better productivity must be to develop a communicative atmosphere where all employees are free to share their opinions, feedback, demands and even criticism about a specific issue without any hesitation. Sharing opinions aids in neutralizing the negative effects of any grudges and resentments that might have accumulated over time.

Make communication Inclusive

Inclusive communication is when all members are made a part when a decision is to be taken by the company. Decisions that are part of day to day work of the company. With this strategy, you make the environment more creative and as well as encourage participation.

Make the communication of the firm Two-way

Communication is a two-way process whether vertically or horizontally. It can never be a One-way process. Employees should be provided channels to communicate with their Senior authorities as well as members at the lower levels.

Make the interaction process result-oriented

All organizational communication should be result oriented and focus on reaching the desired outcomes.

Employ multiple channels to communicate

To ensure that every member of the organization receive the message that you send, channel it through multiple mediums. Some of the mediums used for effective communication are one to one conversation, meetings, posts, memo, emails, fax etc.

Listen

Listening is a very important component of Communication. It is specifically important in one to one communication. Both the employer and the employed must practice active listening. If you are not much of a listener, keep a track on your watch and decide to just listen for a designated number of minutes. Training yourself in such a way will make you an excellent listener with time.

Make vital information available for reference anytime

It is quite likely that an individual was not present when an important presentation had taken place. For such situations make sure all the information is available through emails or messages.

Re-check the communication process regularly

As an Organization, you should always cross check that your communication process is still efficient in the present scenario. Just implementing a strategy is not enough; It is also important to examine the strategy so that it is lucrative to the company.

There is a probability that after implementing all the strategies too, there is a communication problem or conflict within the organization. It is important to deal with such impending issues wisely and Intelligently.

Also, read our Blog on Emotional Intelligence

Do you often feel guilty that you are not able to take care of your newborn? Do you break into crying spells without many apparent reasons? Are you facing difficulty bonding with your newborn baby? Do you eat a lot or too less? To make matters worst, Have you already planned even once to kill yourself or the baby and suffered for thinking like that later?

If the answers to most of the questions is a ‘Yes’; you are most likely suffering from a Condition called

POST-PARTUM DEPRESSION.

Childbirth is a beautiful and extraordinary journey for most parents; the new person in your life is a source of immense joy, satisfaction, pride and hopes! But what if the smiles on the little face make you anxious, tired, worried and hopeless about your own future? Most women tend to blame themselves for being a  ‘BAD MOTHER’ when the feelings are just opposite to what stories they had heard about CHILDBIRTH and MOTHERHOOD.

To make things worse, you have to go back to work, adding to the already accumulated ‘Guilt’ that you are facing for not being sufficient for your child.

 First things first, Let us understand what Postpartum depression is.

Postpartum depression is a mood disorder which affects women after childbirth.Women having postpartum depression experience extreme sadness, worry, exhaustion which makes it difficult to take care of their daily activities, taking care of themselves and others.It is not a feeling that comes from your being a BAD MOTHER but it is a result of chemical changes that take place during childbirth.The research found out that the changes in hormones during and after childbirth are one of the reasons of PPD. The changes in relationships, responsibilities and self -Image being others.

How to Understand When you have a PPD?

Post-Partum Depression(PPD) is different from another condition called ‘Baby Blues’ which is when you experience moments of worry, sadness, and tiredness after having a baby. Having a baby comes with a lot of hard work, care that the baby needs. This leaves the mother feeling exhausted, sad and tied down.Almost 80% of women experience these signs which fade away in a week or two.

In PPD these feelings of sadness, anxiety lack of control over the situation can be extreme.The condition can be triggered anytime after childbirth but is most common for a week to a month after delivery.

Common symptoms you may experience other than the above are:

• Feeling sad, empty, overwhelmed
• Crying spells
• Worrying excessively, feeling anxious
• Mood swings and restlessness
• Trouble in concentrating on details, remembering and inability to make decisions
• Losing your temper
• Loss of interest in activities enjoyed before childbirth
• Suffering from multiple aches, pains and headaches
• Eating too little or too much
• Withdrawing from socialization
• Unable to bond or get attached to the Baby
• Doubting your ability to take care of a mother.

In extreme conditions, thinking, planning or even attempting to harm yourself or the baby.

It becomes more difficult when you have to return back to work after childbirth.Sometimes the symptoms surface only after you return to work after the addition of extra stress at workplace.

You have the additional role of a mother to play after childbirth apart from managing family, work, social life and daily errands.But when you diagnose yourself with PPD, your priority should be your mental health. You can only do best for your newborn, family and job when you take responsibility for yourself.

Here are a few things you can do to hold onto your work while dealing with PPD:

Seek Professional Help

If you understand that lately there are persistent mood or anxiety, seek a trained professional, to determine whether you have simple  ‘Baby Blues’ or more than this.

Self-care hours

When you are not at work, schedule a definite number of hours for self-care.Disconnect yourself from all work during these hours and do activities that ‘ renew ‘  you.

Find a support group

PPD and motherhood can distance you from others around you which can escalate your depression. You can safely share and connect with other people facing a similar situation.

Eat, sleep and exercise well

Do whatever it takes to take 6-7 hours of sleep per day, even if it feels like a luxury when juggling between work and baby. Breastfeeding can leave you feeling weak; what you eat has a lot of impact in the changes of mood. Eat healthily! Exercise, whenever you can, to get the good feeling that is a result of the release of endorphins.

 Voice your needs

Share your condition of PPD with the people who matter at your workplace. Do not worry about looking unprofessional or weak. Having PPD does not imply that you will not be able to handle work, it would rather be more manageable when others know what you are dealing with and hence you will recover quicker. Ask for a quieter place to work, change work hours, or more offs. It will be more beneficial for you in the long run for your career and quality of life in general.

To Take our test on Depression Click here

Mentriq by Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s top Mental Health Counseling Provider. To learn more about Mentriq click here  http://mentriq.in/about-mental-health-services/

A lot of Researches on smokers have clearly indicated it as a bad habit that had started in the teenage years and then became an Addiction. What is the difference between a habit and an addiction then?

A habit is formed by frequently repeating an act over and over again, to reach a point where the brain does it automatically in an autopilot mode. Alternatively, an addiction is a compulsive need for a certain thing or substance, which when deprived causes a host of other problems. Moreover, a bad habit can be modified or controlled with some effort but addiction often requires professional help.

What is cigarette addiction?

If you are addicted to cigarettes, you primarily are dependent on a substance called Nicotine. This is a natural insecticide. It is found in Tobacco plants and is three times more lethal than arsenic and strychnine (toxins) in animal studies. This natural insecticide is so similar to the neurotransmitters in the brain that it can control the flow of more than 200 neurochemicals and the major being DOPAMINE.

What does Dopamine do?

Dopamine is that Chemical which everyone seems to be very fond of! Dopamine is released in Love, In Lust, Motivation, Attention, Feminism, and all kinds of ADDICTION. Without Dopamine, we could be quite UN-HUMAN. The reason we seek acceptance, desire companionship, get anxious due to boredom or a sense of achievement due to task completion is all due to Dopamine.

When you smoke, the brain makes an image of how your want was satisfied the last time you smoke and hence linking this sensation to feeling good to influence future behaviour.

 SMOKING…

along with dopamine release, nicotine also stimulates the central nervous system which results in the smoker experiencing a stimulated high. This alertness they feel makes smokers feel superior to other kinds of addicts. But, the problem with this high is that after a few minutes when the dopamine level starts to fall, there is a sudden dip;  the craving kicks in all over again. The addict then falsely believes that the drug is as important as their survival. It has helped them cope with difficulties and complexities in life.

Drug addiction damages the ability to control Impulses, rational thinking and judgement. That is the reason suggesting or asking a smoker to quit smoking is like; “The brakes of your car don’t function,” and someone says; “You should have stopped your car at the red light instead of jumping it”.

More often than not, smoking often defines who they are for a smoker, helps them in coping. Quitting cigarettes means the start of a horrible life, endless suffering and deprivation for the rest of their lives.

What makes it more difficult to quit smoking is;

• The withdrawal symptoms that the person experiences, in the form of low nicotine levels. These are real physical changes and not imagined (Major reason for relapse rates in smokers within a few hours).
• The high availability of cigarettes and easy usage along with less stigma in comparison to other drugs.
• Cost efficiency; You do not have to be rich to smoke even the most reputed brands available all over the world.
• It does not hamper your day to day functioning unless you have a Tobacco Addiction disorder; making you believe falsely and underestimating the ill effects in the near future.

Smoking Causes…

More deaths every year than HIV, Drug Use, Alchohol Abuse, and Motor Vehicle-related Injuries.

from,

• Cardiovascular and associated coronary heart disease
• Respiratory, lung bronchitis and breathing associated diseases
• Cancer in almost any part of the body

In women, it could cause additional problems during Pregnancy and childbirth like pre-term delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, ectopic pregnancy etc.

Mere Will-power is not going to help with your addiction to cigarettes. Smoking often is a result of underlying Stress and Anxiety. Please feel free to take our test for Anxiety.

Please Seek professional help!

 What image comes to your mind when you think of a “Caveman”?

Most likely it would be a picture of someone with a sloped forehead and a comparatively smaller head. A sloped forehead maybe a suggestion of a left prefrontal lobe that is under-developed. This area controls your emotions of aggression. This is also the same area that sustains your feelings of happiness.

The small head of the Caveman according to research suggests a variation in the size of the amygdala(Part of the brain), which has been carried from the reptilian stage of brain development. People who tend to be emotionally chaotic and break into volatile rage have a relatively smaller size of ‘ amygdala”.

The brain of the emotionally volatile people gives them ‘False Positives’, which means they sense ‘Danger” in situations where such a strong response is not required. The overactive Brain(Amygdala) sees danger where there is none.

If you are someone struggling with problems of emotional control; you need to first understand that you are not a caveman. By that, we mean that you do not have to be quick in your responses unlike a man staying in a cave in the forest. You do not have to protect yourself from wild beasts.

In our contemporary world, most of the dangers do not need an immediate reflexive response.

It is better to take your “Timeout”, think before taking an action. The best thing you can do when you start to feel your blood flushing around your ears, or your body trembling out of rage is to leave the situation immediately. Those few minutes of a break will buy you time to start to collect data, rational evidence for and against and process better. The outcome naturally is more productive and you can be creative with the solution.

Return to the situation when you have calmed down completely and you have found a better way to proceed with the problem.

What we are suggesting is: Beware of your tendency to react in an angry caveman way. Step back instead of aggressively moving forward.

When you are in doubt, just try to get out!

To take our free online tests please click here  http://mentriq.in/assessment-mental-health/

Mentriq by Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s top Mental Health Counseling Provider. To learn more about Mentriq click here  http://mentriq.in/about-mental-health-services/

Sex Addiction in Men is a Mental Illness:

Most of us are aware of a mental health illness known as sex addiction disorder. But, people don’t know the meaning of this illness. Sex addiction is a compulsive sexual behaviour, where this behaviour is no longer for the sake of pleasure. Thus, leading to negative repercussions in the person’s life and relations. A person suffering from sexual addiction will have sexual contact with one or more partner. But, along with it, the person will start to lose interest in the partner. Hence, they will try and find new relations every time.

Sexual addiction is common for both genders. Men and women both can have this illness. But, in this post, we will only focus on the signs shown by men.

Thus, below are few signs of sex addiction in men:

Loss of interest with the current partner:

Having a sexual and intimate relationship is very important for any relationship. But, when a man stops wanting for sexual intercourse it becomes an issue. In this case, the man will start looking for other partners and start having sexual intercourse with them. Thus, losing all interest with their current partner.

A large time spent on Sexual Activities:

When the man’s sexual habit becomes a compulsion, he starts investing most of his time in sexual activities. He will constantly indulge himself in sexual activities, even during his work hours or sleep hours. The reason for this behavior might be different, but the compulsion of his indulgence points towards sexual addiction.

Ready to Jeopardize Work-Life:

As it becomes their compulsion they are ready to give up on their daily activities. Even if their activity starts to disrupt their daily life. He will start taking the risk, by indulging in sexual activities in his workplace. Also, he will be ready to put his sexual needs in front even at his home. He will start watching pornography or masturbation in places where it is inappropriate.

Irritable:

He will start getting irritated about smallest of things if his needs are not met. Thus, interruption in his sexual activity will make him angry. Also, he will be irritated when he is not able to or allowed to indulge in the activities. He will start showing withdrawal symptoms just like any other addict.

Excess Risk Taking:

The risk-taking behavior of the man will start increasing. From pornographic material, he will start indulging in private rooms and chat. Also, there can be indulgence in child pornography or pay prostitutes to fulfill his needs. He can also indulge in voyeurs in public places and indulge in illegal behavior to fulfill his needs.

Sexual addiction is a serious mental health illness. We need to understand that this behaviour is not under their control. Hence, It has become a serious addiction for them. Sexually addictive behaviour can be a cover for some other mental illness. Hence, if you or someone you know is suffering from sexual addiction, then please visit a mental health professional immediately.

Read our blog on Inside a Rapist’s mind.

To take a free online test for sex addiction click here

Mentriq by Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s top Mental Health Counseling Provider. To learn more about Mentriq click here  http://mentriq.in/about-mental-health-services/

To schedule an appointment with our Counsellors, please call +91-9-069-069-069

We ensure 100% privacy of your details.

 “He who believes he can and he who believes he cannot are both correct.” -Henry Ford 

Your thoughts make you who you are; they either make you or break you.What you speak to yourself when alone is very important.Self-talk i.e, the thoughts you have about what you feel and why you feel so can make you Hopeful or Hopeless about your Life. For example, when you make a mistake, you can either magnify the negativity or turn your mistake into being productive.

Negative self-talk is not real, it is unnecessary and counter-productive. You get into a spiral downward emotionally from where it becomes very hard to pull yourself out.

Research has found that more than 90% of top performers are emotionally intelligent. Additionally, it was found that these high EQ people have an important ability to identify and control their negative self-talk so as to reach their full potential.

Some of the negative self-talk is more common to all of us and hold us back. Be –Mindful; and do not bow down to these thoughts.

Success is equal to Perfection

If perfection is your goal, you will waste a lot of time lamenting what you could not achieve instead of rejoicing what you have already achieved. To err is human.

My Destiny is predetermined

You are not destined to fail or succeed eternally. Your future is always in your control. Although, at times life becomes really difficult to deal with; situations will always change in accordance with the efforts you make for it. Be willing to take whatever comes your way rather than blaming other things outside of yourself.

I “always” or “never” do that

There is nothing in life that you “always” or “never” do. If you refer to your behavior as always and never, it is a form of self-pity.You might do something a lot and somethings not enough.Talking to yourself in such a way makes you feel out of control and hence you will be less likely to make changes.

I  will  Not  succeed without others approval

You are not as good or bad as other people’s judgment of who you are.Turn off other people’s opinions of whether you are a success or a failure. Try to take the opinions of other people with a grain of salt. Your self-worth should come from your own assessments, not from others evaluation of who you should be.

My Past is equal to my Future

If you have failed several times in your past, you start to believe that you will also fail in future.Repeated failures will erode your self-worth and confidence.Most of your failures are from trying to do something new.Just keep up your spirit and do things that will make you rise up from every failure every time.

My emotions are a reality

How you feel at a particular situation is not necessarily what the truth is. Your emotions are a result of your beliefs and evaluation of the situation. Try to challenge those negative beliefs that hold you back.

Mentriq by Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s top Mental Health Counseling Provider. To learn more about Mentriq click here  http://mentriq.in/about-mental-health-services/

All images courtesy www.pixabay.com

Do you have a person in the family who is alcoholic, gambler, or is suffering from any other addiction? Are you the one always present to help this person? Do you sacrifice your own needs to fulfil theirs? If the Answer is “Yes” to all these questions, you may be suffering from

CO-DEPENDENCY.

“ Co-Dependency is the unhealthy habit of sacrificing your own needs to fulfil the needs of someone else”.

How do you know you are Co-dependent?

Co-dependency is not a diagnosable disorder since the signs are broad and the range is wide. The primary symptoms are that you care a lot about pleasing others and have an extreme need for validation and approval; You fulfil this need by caring and rescuing others. You are also fearful of being alone without the intimate partner and deny your own emotions.

An example of Co-dependent behavior could be that a husband whose wife is an alcoholic makes excuses to other people about the wife’s drinking behavior by blaming it on a life situation. The husband here becomes an “Enabler”.Hence, An enabler is a person who enables the habit of the addict wife.

What could be the reason of Co-dependence?

Co-dependency is a behavioral problem, whose roots are in childhood. So, this generally happens when there is a role reversal in the parent-child relationship or a child has grown up in a family of drug addiction or experienced abuse emotionally or physically. In all these cases the child is constantly required to meet the needs of others and hence, he learns to suppress his own needs. So, these behaviors continue to influence the child’s adult relationships.

How to treat Co-dependency?

If you are a Co-dependent person, you will have a very low self –esteem and a lot of need for validation to acknowledge that you are on the right track. Hence, psychotherapy will help you build your self-esteem. Additionally, Childhood behavior patterns are explored and current destructive behavior patterns are evaluated. Individual and group therapy will help a Co-dependent person identify his self-defeating behaviors and rediscover his own identity. Also, treatment mainly focuses on uncovering buried childhood feelings and reconstructing the family structure. Hence, the goal of therapy is to make the co-dependent experience all kinds of emotions again.

To Learn more about Mentriq

Mentriq by Dr. Prerna Kohli is India’s top Mental Health Counseling Provider. To learn more about Mentriq click here  http://mentriq.in/about-mental-health-services/

To schedule an appointment with our Counsellors, please call +91-9-069-069-069