Category

Self Reflection

May 03
Love19

3 Questions to Ask Before You Have Kids

By Communication, Self Reflection, Time 12 Comments

Being married is a wonderful adventure, and it’s so much fun to dream of the future with the person you love most in the world. At some point early in your marriage, you and your spouse will probably tackle the big question of whether you want to have children. A common snag many couples hit during this conversation is the question of when. To help you navigate this monumental life decision, we’ve got a few questions we’d like for you to ask yourselves (and discuss together) before making the leap. 1. What timelines do you have in mind? It’s a…

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Apr 26
Love16

Caution! Slow: 3 Ways to Handle Critical Premarital Counseling

By Communication, Self Reflection 15 Comments

The engagement period in your relationship is one of the most exciting times in your life–and one of the longest waits you’ll ever experience. You’re anticipating a beautiful wedding, a romantic honeymoon, and seeing all the dreams you’ve created together finally come to life. You feel like you’ve finally found “the one”…until a pastor, family member, friend, or counselor speaks out against your relationship. You’re thrown for a loop! What’s going on? It’s very upsetting to hear someone you respect say that you shouldn’t get married yet. Most likely, your first response was emotional. But if you’re facing this situation…

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Apr 12
Love23

Help! My Spouse Has a Successful Career (And I Don’t)

By Careers, Communication, Self Reflection 15 Comments

Developing your careers—at any time in your marriage—is hard work for both of you. While it would be nice if both spouses could progress toward their career goals at the same pace, that’s not realistic, and it’s very unlikely. That means, at some point, one of you will be arguably more successful in your career than the other. If your wife or husband has a more successful career than you during this season, it’s normal to feel left behind, inadequate, and maybe even a little jealous. While you should definitely acknowledge your feelings, it’s dangerous to let them take root…

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Apr 05
Love19

How to Thrive When One Spouse is Traveling Solo

By Communication, Self Reflection, Time 17 Comments

For many couples, it’s difficult to fathom either of you traveling on your own after you get married. Especially during the early years of marriage, it feels almost painfully essential to remain in one another’s presence at all times. And while it’s ideal for you to be able to travel together as often as possible, there will be times when one of you travels alone, and the other stays home. Some couples are perfectly comfortable with this idea; others are not. Today, we’re going to give you some tips for helping your relationship thrive when one of you is on…

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Mar 15
Love28

6 Ways Substance Abuse Can Destroy Your Marriage

By Communication, Conflict, Self Reflection 47 Comments

Addiction is an overwhelming illness whose hallmark symptoms are the physiological craving of, and emotional attachment to, a legal or illegal substance or practice. Most often, we see addictions in the form of substances like alcohol, prescription drugs, and illicit drugs. Substance abuse is devastating to marriages, families, and relationships. It can result in career loss, financial ruin, divorce, estrangement, and even death. Today, we’ll focus on six landmines that substance abuse plants in your marriage when you’re struggling with addiction. For all of these issues, we strongly encourage that you and your spouse seek outside professional help. Consult your…

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Feb 22
Love23

Balancing Act: Marriage and Friendships

By Communication, Self Reflection, Time 7 Comments

Friendship is a great blessing. Can you imagine going through life without friends? (We sure can’t!) Our friendships make up some of the closest relationships in our lives, and that doesn’t stop when we get married. But when we go through a huge change in life, like beginning a dating relationship or getting married, it shifts the landscape of our relationships. Even though these changes occur, it’s important to find a new balance together, because maintaining our close relationships is important. So how do we do that? Focus on Your Marriage First When you get married, it can be difficult…

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Nov 25
Love20

How to Boost Your Spouse’s Self-Esteem

By Self Reflection One Comment

How can I help my spouse feel better about themselves? At some point in our lives, we all deal with issues regarding our self-esteem. Couples can be a great source of strength for one another when it comes to boosting a sense of self-respect in both individuals. You are the #1 person in the world who can help your spouse become happier and more confident. In today’s video, we’ll share some ways you can start working to help your spouse build a healthy sense of self-esteem. Since you’re married to your spouse, and you share a home and life together,…

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Nov 16
Love24

Emotional Intimacy: How to Connect on a Deeper Level

By Communication, Self Reflection 8 Comments

You and your spouse have a good marriage–great, even–but you’re ready to take it to the next level. Maybe you’re physically intimate, but you want more of that intimacy to extend to your emotional life. In today’s post, we’re sharing five tips for increasing the emotional intimacy in your relationship. Each of these tips builds on the next to help you create the deep, fulfilling connection you’re craving. Nurture Trust In order for your marriage to be as emotionally intimate as possible, you and your spouse must be able to trust one another implicitly. This means that both of you…

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Aug 31
Love20

Lights On or Lights Off? Sex and Comfort

By Communication, Conflict, Self Reflection 5 Comments

So you’re newly married–and with marriage comes a fantastic sense of freedom. Finally, the two of you get to cultivate the intimacy you’ve been dreaming about during all these months and years of dating and engagement. It should feel liberating for both of you…but what if it doesn’t? Oftentimes, the introduction of physical intimacy in a new marriage can feel sudden and invasive, especially if you’re a new wife. For many women, exposing themselves completely to their husbands–no matter how long they’ve been married–is an uncomfortable, tense experience. In today’s blog post, we’re sharing tips to help you increase physical…

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Aug 12
Love17

How to Know Your Marriage is in Trouble

By Communication, Conflict, Self Reflection 2 Comments

What are some basic signs that your marriage is in trouble? There’s no exhaustive or magic list that details all the different danger signs for your marriage, but if there’s something in your relationship that’s raising a red flag, now is the time to look closely at it. In today’s video, we’re discussing some different signs that your marriage may be in danger, and what to do. One thing you can do to gauge where your relationship is would be to ask yourself, on a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied you are with your current marriage relationship. For…

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