Jan 20
Love0

How to Navigate Life with Demanding Family Members

By Conflict, In-laws & Family No Comments

All families face personality clashes, strain, and conflict from time to time. If someone in your family is demanding or difficult to interact with, their behavior makes interactions tough for everyone. A demanding parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle can put a significant strain on a married couple’s relationship if the couple doesn’t have a game plan for navigating that relative’s demands. Demanding family members can create unnecessary drama for everyone–something most people want to avoid. Planning a calm, loving response to neutralize stress is important so that you, your spouse, and the rest of your family can enjoy a healthy,…

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Jan 13
Love1

Should I Confront My Passive-Aggressive Spouse?

By Communication, Conflict No Comments

Imagine that you come home from work, and the garbage can is full. Your spouse is milling around the kitchen, slamming drawers and pot lids. As you attempt to wind down from the work day, you can’t help but notice that they’re really making a lot of noise. So, you head into the kitchen to find out what’s going on. “Honey, are you all right?” “I’m fine,” they say…but the dishes keep rattling. You’re distinctly aware that something isn’t right, but you can’t put your finger on what, exactly, it is. And if they won’t tell you what’s happening, how…

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Jan 06
Love1

How to Keep Dreaming with Your Spouse in an Uncertain Time

By Intimacy, Marriage, Relationships, Time One Comment

Dreams can help anchor you when other things in your world are out of control. If you and your spouse are navigating an uncertain time right now, then it’s crucial to keep dreaming together, no matter what’s happening in the world around you. Wondering how to stay focused on your dreams when you’re living through chaos or uncertainty? Read on. 1. Revisit old activities, pastimes, or talents you’ve abandoned. Often, we let go of talents and passions that make us happy because life gets in the way. Reigniting your love of a specific pastime, talent, or activity could help to…

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Dec 30
Love0

6 Ways to Start the New Year Fresh with Your Spouse

By Marriage, Relationships, Self Reflection One Comment

The New Year is almost here. It’s a time of year when individuals, couples, and families take time to look back at the year that’s passed, and look forward to the coming months. Do you and your spouse observe the changing of years as a couple? Do you want to start? If so, we’re sharing six ways the two of you can welcome the coming year together. Let’s dive right in. 1. Recap this past year. Knowing what you want out of the new year becomes clearer when you recap the year that has passed. Talk about this past year…

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Dec 23
Love0

The Best Gift You Can Give This Christmas

By Intimacy, Marriage, Relationships One Comment

It’s not unusual to experience the familiar push-and-pull between holiday gift-giving and the higher purpose of the Christmas season. Exchanging gifts with family and loved ones is the highlight of Christmas for many, and that’s wonderful–gifts bring joy to both the giver and the receiver. However, a seasonal gift exchange is fleeting, and we’re back to our regular lives before we know it. But what if we gave a gift this Christmas that was permanent? So many of us recognize that Jesus is the true reason for the holiday we love so dearly. But we don’t always keep that in…

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Dec 16
Love0

How Laughter Can Help You and Your Spouse During Tough Times

By Intimacy, Marriage 2 Comments

Have you and your spouse taken time to laugh together lately? Laughter can be an incredible relief on an ordinary day, but it’s especially important during difficult times. In order to endure tough times and come out stronger on the other side, we must be able to laugh. Wondering how laughter can help you and your spouse during tough times? Let’s take a look. Laughter lightens the mood. Going through a time of prolonged challenge can make us prone to dark moods, negativity, and pessimism. When we make an effort to laugh, we have the power to lighten the mood…

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Dec 09
Love0

4 Ways to Help Your Spouse Trust You Again

By Conflict, Marriage One Comment

Have you ever damaged or broken your spouse’s trust in you? Earning that trust back takes hard work and patience on both your parts. The good news is, in many situations, it’s possible to earn their trust again. First, you’re probably already aware that your actions have had a grievous impact on your spouse and their sense of wellbeing. Second, we understand that it’s painful to learn you’ve hurt the person you love most. This may be one of the most painful situations you ever walk through together. Easing back into a trusting relationship with your spouse takes commitment, time,…

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Dec 02
Love0

3 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude During an Unusual Holiday Season

By Marriage, Relationships, Self Reflection 2 Comments

Are you facing an unusual or difficult holiday season this year? If so, it’s important to cultivate gratitude to help you navigate the circumstances and keep your heads above water. Gratitude is an important habit even on the best days, but it becomes even more critical when you’re facing hard times. Today we’re going to show you three ways to cultivate gratitude, no matter what is happening around you this season. Let’s dive right in. 1. Talk about and write down your blessings together. The old adage “count your blessings” is timeless for a reason: it works! Even though you…

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Nov 25
Love0

My Spouse’s Criticism Broke My Heart. How Do I Heal?

By Communication, Conflict, Marriage 6 Comments

Criticism is toxic to happy marriages, poisoning happiness and sabotaging your growth as a couple. A critical nature kills intimacy and causes the victim to build walls around themselves in an attempt to ward off future criticism. Worse, criticism can cripple your personal growth and your emotional health. When your spouse criticizes you, it hurts. Being picked apart and scrutinized by anyone is hurtful, but when it’s your husband or wife, it’s worse. Not only is criticism demoralizing, it lacks the appreciation and regard we want to feel from our spouse. If you have a servant heart, spousal criticism will…

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Nov 18
Love0

Resent Your Spouse? 5 Ways to Reset

By Conflict, Marriage, Relationships 5 Comments

Resentment is an insidious force that creeps into marriages and cripples them. It’s important to rid your marriage of any resentment that might exist, choosing instead to focus on your love for one another. But sometimes, resentment roots into your attitude toward your spouse anyway, and it takes work to weed it out again. If you feel that you resent your spouse, here are a few ways to hit the reset button. 1. Check in with your hard feelings. How long have your hard feelings been festering? Are you feeling resentful about something that happened long ago, or something more…

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