Thoughtful reflections on mental health, healing, and personal growth.
Writing that explores the deeper layers of emotional wellbeing, beyond surface-level advice or quick tips. These essays draw from clinical experience, research, and a nuanced understanding of anxiety, burnout, identity, and change.
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Navigating Difficult Personalities During the Holidays
The holidays can bring joy, but also the stress of dealing with difficult personalities. If you’ve ever felt anxious about gatherings because of someone else’s behavior, you’re not alone. Learn simple, empowering ways to protect your peace this season.
Weaponized Vulnerability: Unmasking the Covert Narcissist’s Playbook
Covert narcissists (i.e., vulnerable narcissists) don’t always look dangerous at first glance. They often seem fragile, sensitive, or misunderstood. But behind the mask, they use subtle tactics that leave you questioning your reality and doubting yourself. In this post, we’ll break down the features and patterns of covert narcissism, how weaponized vulnerability shows up in real life, and ways online therapy for women can help you heal and protect your peace.
The ‘Mental Load’ And How Therapy for Women Can Help
Are you a woman feeling overwhelmed by all the invisible tasks you manage every day? You’re not alone. This post explores the mental load so many women carry, and how therapy can help with burnout, boundaries, and feeling more supported.
Should I Stay or Should I Go? What Your Nervous System Might Be Trying to Tell You
Feeling stuck in limbo about whether to stay or leave a relationship? This post goes beyond surface-level advice and explores what your nervous system might be trying to tell you—and how to reconnect with your inner clarity.
How to Strengthen Emotional Connection Through Attunement
Emotional connection doesn’t happen by accident. It’s something we build through presence, intention, and attunement. In this post, we’ll explore what attunement really means, how your nervous system plays a role in connection, and the everyday communication habits that can either bring you closer or create distance.
Motherhood's Many Faces: Celebrating All Paths to Love & Care
Motherhood doesn’t look just one way. From biological moms to chosen caregivers, this post honors the many forms love and care can take—especially for those whose stories aren’t always reflected in the traditional Mother’s Day narrative.
What Are You Carrying that Isn't Yours?
Are you carrying emotions, responsibilities, or guilt that were never yours to begin with? This post explores how early roles and unspoken expectations can shape us—and how to begin setting down what no longer belongs.
Women Supporting Women: The Power of Female Friendships
Female friendships are powerful sources of emotional support, joy, and resilience. This post explores the science behind women supporting women, why these bonds are vital for mental and physical health, and how to strengthen them in today’s busy world.
7 Steps to Emotional Intimacy: How to Strengthen Your Bond
Emotional intimacy is the key to feeling seen, understood, and supported in a relationship. This post explores seven practical and meaningful ways to deepen your emotional connection and strengthen your bond—no matter how long you’ve been together.
Am I in a Toxic Relationship or Just Going Through a Rough Patch?
Not sure if you're facing normal relationship challenges or something more toxic? This post helps you recognize key red flags and green flags in relationships—so you can navigate love with more clarity, confidence, and emotional safety.
How Much Do Adult Friendships Matter?
Friendships in adulthood can be surprisingly hard to maintain—but they matter more than we think. This post explores why meaningful friendships are essential for mental health, reducing social isolation, and even increasing longevity.
Do Non-Traditional Relationships Really Work?
Not all relationships follow the one-partner-for-life script—and that’s okay. Ethical non-monogamy (ENM), including polyamory and open relationships, offers a different approach to love, one grounded in honesty, consent, and effective communication. This post explores what ENM really is, who it may work for, and how to navigate its unique challenges.
Is Forgiveness Necessary for Healing?
Forgiveness is often portrayed as the ultimate path to healing—but when trauma is involved, it can feel impossible or even harmful. So, is forgiveness truly essential for moving forward? This post explores the emotional complexities of forgiveness and why healing is still possible, even when forgiveness feels out of reach.
7 Tips for Coping with Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is more than just shyness. It’s a persistent and intense fear of judgment or rejection in social situations, often despite knowing it’s irrational. This post explores seven practical tips to help you feel more confident and less overwhelmed in everyday interactions.
Five Signs That Your Boundaries Might Need Reinforcing
Struggling to say no, overcommitting, or feeling resentful? These may be signs your boundaries are too weak. Learn how to spot the red flags and protect your emotional well-being.
Supporting Someone with Mental Illness
When someone you love is struggling with their mental health, it’s natural to want to help. But knowing how to support them while caring for your own well-being can be tricky. This post offers guidance on doing both with compassion and balance.
How to Cope with Being a Single Mom
Single motherhood can be both fulfilling and exhausting. In this post, you’ll find practical tips to help you manage the emotional, mental, and physical load—so you can care for yourself while caring for your family.
Maria Perdomo-Torres, LCSW-S, MHA, CFSW, is a bilingual psychotherapist and founder of Graceful Mind Therapy, a specialized private practice for accomplished women navigating anxiety, burnout, and the internal weight of high expectations. Her writing explores mental health, identity, emotional patterns, and the inner lives of women moving through complexity, responsibility, and growth.