Are You Complacent And Ignoring These Common Signs of Marriage Problems?

All couples go through difficult times, when outside pressures just get the better of them and things start to go badly at home, and they aren’t necessarily signs of problems in the marriage. Financial stresses, family pressures, crazy schedules and career obligations can all cause strain on any relationship. So how can you tell if these problems are typical, or indeed are early warning signals of marriage problems that might be cause for concern? Let’s look at these common signs of... Read more »

Happy Relationships: Spend Quiet Time Together

Our lives are so busy that work and family responsibilities preclude very much quiet time with our mates. We are so weary when we finally fall into bed that we seldom take the time to really talk to each other or to nurture that specialness that is ours alone. Look at your schedule and see where some quiet time together can be stolen from the world. If you needed to arrange an important meeting, you would make time. If you had a child in the hospital, you would most certainly make the time to spend... Read more »

Happy Relationships: Schedule Some Fun Time

Ask anyone in a committed long-term union for the secret of their success. Almost always, one of the top three reasons cited is the ability to laugh together. No matter how big the problems, or how many the obstacles, they will be most effectively approached with a sense of humor and the teamwork that emerges from shared laughter and a mutually positive outlook. While some fun costs money: an amusement park, a fine meal out, a trip to Vegas, or that hilarious new movie, there are many fun activities... Read more »

Celebrate Your Relationship

If you are spending time looking for ways in which you can improve your relationship, you obviously love and care for your partner and what you want to have together. Start your changes by celebrating your relationship. Celebrate the joy of having met that one very special person, find joy in the wonderful things that ‘click’ about you and your spouse and celebrate what you are committed to building together. You can celebrate any day at any time and you can also celebrate by surprising... Read more »

Happy Relationships: Share Your Day’s Activities

Even the closest couples these days (with the rare, happy exceptions of those who work together) spend more awake time apart in their separate careers than they do together. The individual you are at work, no matter what career you pursue, is very different than the person you are within your romantic relationship. That is why everyone loves company parties: coworkers get the chance to see the spouses or dates of everyone else. It is frequently a real shock to get a glimpse into a fellow worker’s... Read more »

Happy Relationships: Discuss Your Pet Peeves

No matter how close we are to our partner, no matter how strong the bond and the mutual likes and dislikes, there are always little things that we do that “bug” our greatest audience. Too often, such personal habits are only discussed in the middle of a heated argument when they are hurled like missiles “And another thing, you always . . .” Defuse the potential for discord by setting aside time every month or so to sit down and discuss such disconnects objectively and with... Read more »

Happy Relationships: Give 100%

A common expression is “I’ll meet you halfway,” and we often take that attitude into our marriage. I hear frequent complaints from couples in trouble that their partner isn’t pulling their fair weight, that one is giving more than the other. Whoever determined that life is a 50-50 proposition? Some give more than others. Some take more than others. On every level of society from politics to business to social interactions, there are discrepancies of effort, economics, and... Read more »

Being Merry in Marriage

Many couples enter marriage with fairytale hopes “and they live happily ever after” fantasy. But in reality, it takes so much more than a stylish wedding dress and an expensive wedding ring to end up “happily ever after”. Staying fulfilled in a marriage requires both effort and passion pf each partner. Many couples start to lose passion after their honeymoon, and this should not be the case. Here is some advice on how to stay happy in the sacred union of souls. 1) Don’t... Read more »

Happy Relationships: Change Your Appearance

One of the challenges of even the strongest long-term relationship is the difficulty in keeping things fresh and new. We are creatures of habit, developing routines that work for us without our having to think about it. It allows us to move through fast-paced lives without having to make every little decision on a daily basis. We don’t want to stop and think about which sock to put on first, which way to drive to work, what kind of gas to put in our car, how to stack the dishwasher or fold... Read more »

Marriage Problems: Common, But Never Simple

You may think the common problem is because he leaves the toothpaste cap half on or that she keeps on coming back with a new dent on the car. It is a scary thought - the idea that maybe tomorrow one of you will just come up to the other and say, “I think don’t want to be married to you anymore.” One may think they’re ready for it, but the truth is, they never are. They see it coming from a distance, but unfortunately, they were too preoccupied with the problem, they forgot... Read more »