Category

Communication

May 28
Love0
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How Can I Help My Spouse If They Won’t Open Up?

By Communication No Comments

Does your spouse withdraw when you’re going through a tough time? Seasons of grief, loss, and waiting are difficult for everyone. But we each survive those seasons in different ways. Maybe your spouse self-isolates during times like this, but you crave deep connection. How can you persuade them to open up to you? You want to join with your spouse’s spirit and get through this together. You’re eager to walk alongside them and share their grief, but they’re so private about their feelings, and it’s confusing and hurtful. Why won’t they just talk to you about how they’re feeling and…

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May 21
Love0
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My Spouse Tells Everyone My Secrets. What Can I Do?

By Communication, Intimacy 2 Comments

Does your spouse spill your secrets? It’s upsetting when someone tells your secrets to friends and family. And when your spouse does the telling, that hurts even more. We want to be able to trust the person we marry with our vulnerabilities, fears, and deepest secrets. So what can you do when your spouse breaks confidence? Is there any way to rebuild trust in your marriage? Let’s talk about it. Spilled Secrets Feel Like Betrayal Let’s say you opened up to your spouse about a sensitive subject—one you’ve been reluctant to discuss. You finally worked up the courage to bring…

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Mar 12
Love0
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Help! My Spouse Needs Tough Love, But I Don’t Want To Hurt Them

By Communication 2 Comments

Does your spouse need tough love? Giving your spouse constructive criticism, addressing a problematic habit, or asking them to correct an upsetting behavior can be scary. You love this person more than anyone else in the world. How are you supposed to point out something you’re unhappy about? You want to speak the truth in love, but you find yourself avoiding a direct conversation. Instead, you dance around the topic. Even worse, maybe you bury it, hoping it will go away on its own. Rather than avoiding tough conversations, it’s important to put them on the table sooner rather than…

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Mar 27
Love0
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Better Communication, Better Love: Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution

By Communication, Conflict 2 Comments

Forgiveness and conflict resolution are crucial components of good communication. That’s true not only in marriage, but across all your relationships. To build a happy marriage with true, lifelong love, you’ll need to be able to not only solve conflicts that arise; you’ll also need to be willing to forgive one another. In this final part of our four-part series on better communication, we’re focusing on how to lovingly resolve conflict and forgive often. Ready to learn more? Let’s jump into it. Listen With Empathy When working through a conflict, it’s important to listen to one another with empathy. Understanding…

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Mar 20
Love1
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Better Communication, Better Love: Saying “I Love You” Without Words

By Communication, Intimacy One Comment

When it comes to communication in marriage, nonverbal communication is just as important as the words you say to one another. In some cases, nonverbal communication might even say more! The old adage is, “Actions speak louder than words,” for a reason. The words we say make up only a small percentage of what our spouse believes we’re saying to them. Developing great nonverbal communication skills is critical for showing love to your spouse in a way they can understand. Bare-minimum human decency won’t cut it here; you must be intentional with your nonverbals. So what are some ways you…

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Mar 13
Love0
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Better Communication, Better Love: Speaking the Truth in Love

By Communication No Comments

When emotions are running high, it can be challenging to communicate with your spouse in a calm way. Sometimes, it can even feel difficult to speak lovingly. We’re at a higher risk of being harsh with one another when we’re angry, upset, or trying to make a point. Last week, we kicked off our Better Communication, Better Love article series by talking about becoming a better listener. But listening well is just one part of the equation. We must also be able to speak the truth in love at all times, especially when we’re resolving a conflict. You and your…

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Mar 06
Love0

Better Communication, Better Love: Sharpening Your Listening Skills

By Communication No Comments

Did you know that better communication can lead you and your spouse to better love? In this four-article series, we’re breaking down some of the most important ways you two can improve your communication skills. We’ll start by talking about how to sharpen your listening skills – a must in every successful marriage. You’ve likely heard that, to be a better listener, you should: Listen to respond, not to react. Avoid interrupting your spouse while they’re speaking. Try not to spend so much energy formulating a response that you miss what they’re saying. Engage in active listening, in which you…

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Jan 17
Love0

Responsive vs. Reactive: What’s the Difference, and Why Does It Matter in Marriage?

By Communication, Conflict 2 Comments

How you and your spouse interact with one another largely determines the health of your marriage. Whether you’re resolving conflict or simply engaging in regular communication, it’s so important for the two of you to pay close attention to how you affect each other. Knowing your effect on your spouse starts with being self-aware. In communication, your self-awareness can help you understand whether you’re often more responsive or reactive when you communicate. Responding well to your spouse, rather than reacting to them, can make all the difference in your daily interactions, and especially during conflict resolution. In this article, we’re…

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Jan 11
Love0
I Feel Dismissed in My Marriage

I Feel Dismissed in My Marriage. How Do I Speak Up?

By Communication One Comment

Do you feel dismissed in your marriage? Sometimes, married couples become so busy that one or both spouses may start to feel dismissed, unheard, or invisible. This can happen for many reasons. Most often, we become so busy with our lives and routines that we simply forget to slow down. Doing life at a breakneck pace can cause you to unintentionally lose sight of one another. If you don’t stay intentionally connected, then disconnection sneaks up on you over time. Eventually, one or both of you may begin to feel a sense of desperation to feel seen and known once…

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Jun 29
Love0

Listening 101: Tips to Help You Better Hear Your Spouse

By Communication 2 Comments

A common theme in marital conflict is the idea that one or both spouses don’t feel heard. Has your spouse ever told you that you’re not hearing them? If so, there are some things you can do to help them know that you’re listening–or that you’re working to understand where they’re coming from. It’s frustrating to hear that your spouse feels unheard or misunderstood, especially if you’re doing your best from one day to the next. However, it’s possible for effective communication to break down before either of you realize what has happened. The good news is, it’s possible to…

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