Ross Rosenberg's Blog

Friendships by Design: Mastering Social Connection in Midlife

In "Friendships by Design: Mastering Social Connection in Midlife," Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., reframes making friends after 40 as a learnable skill rather than a matter of luck, offering a compassionate guide that turns anxiety into actionable strategies. He argues that building a meaningful community requires a foundation of self-love, which enables individuals to drop pretenses, manage negative self-talk, and avoid the "trying too hard" trap.

By practicing mindfulness, showing genuine curiosity in others, engaging in shared activities, and being persistently open to connection without desperation, individuals can forge deeper, more authentic friendships built on courage and intentionality, ultimately proving that the most rewarding social connections are still ahead.
Am I a narcissist?

A Codependent Cannot Be a Narcissist

Ross is frequently asked the question, "can a person be a codependent and narcissist at the same time." Codependents ask this question because of their distorted sense of self and personal boundaries.

TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION

TALKING ABOUT A REVOLUTION

Excerpt from “The Codependency Revolution:Fixing What Was Always Broken (2024)” Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., LCPC, CADC  The Outside Revolution “…..As my typing fingers translated the circuitous exploratory processes of my mind, I...

George Eliot quote it's never too late to be the person you might have been

The Journey to Self-Love: On Becoming a Rose: Poem

Breaking through to self-love
is the most difficult journey
for paralyzed and anxious
rose bud people,
whose roots are deeply
and inescapably implanted
in the inhospitable soil
of forgotten and discarded dreams.

"Empath" Is Not the Same as "Codependent"

I have to be honest, I do not like when the term “empath” is used interchangeably with “codependent.” “Empath,” which has its origins in the spiritual and metaphysical world, was never intended to be a replacement term for codependency. An empath is defined as a person with the paranormal ability to intuitively sense and understand the mental or emotional state of another individual...

"Codependency" No More

“Codependency” is an outdated term that connotes weakness and emotional fragility, both of which are far from the truth. The replacement term, “Self-Love Deficit Disorder” or SLDD, takes the stigma and misunderstanding out of codependency and focuses on the core shame that perpetuates it. However, inherent in the term itself is recognizing the core problem of codependency and its solution.