Category

Relationships

Jul 26
Love0
Should We Live Together Before We Get Married?

Should We Live Together Before We Get Married?

By Engagement, Relationships 9 Comments

Thinking about moving in with your significant other before you tie the knot? Many dating or engaged couples question whether they should live together before marriage. While cohabitation might seem practical on the surface, research suggests that it’s actually not as good for your relationship as you think. Before you make this life-changing decision, it’s important to think about the potential outcomes. Take a Look at the Science There’s a longstanding moral debate about whether cohabitation is healthy. Rather than leaning into that side of the argument, we’ll take a science-backed approach. Researchers Scott Stanley and Galena Rhoades from the…

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Jun 14
Love0
I Want to Get Married, But My Significant Other Isn't Ready. What Do I Do?

I Want to Get Married, But My Significant Other Isn’t Ready. What Do I Do?

By Relationships 2 Comments

Let’s say you’ve been dating someone for a while now, and you’re ready to start talking about marriage. You love this person and can envision spending the rest of your life with them. But what do you do if your significant other isn’t ready to talk about marriage–or, worse, doesn’t want to get married at all? If the person you’re dating isn’t ready for marriage yet… If your significant other isn’t ready for marriage yet, then it’s important to respect where they stand. Maybe they’ve expressed that they want a marriage in the future, but they have their reasons for…

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Sep 14
Love0

Emotional Health in Marriage: What You Need to Know

By Relationships, Self Reflection No Comments

If you and your spouse want to be healthy individuals in a thriving marriage, you’ll need to pay close attention to your emotional health. Along with spiritual and psychological wellbeing, your emotional health can greatly impact your marriage. In fact, these aspects of your health can affect all your relationships, for better or worse. Spiritual, psychological, and emotional health combined are attributes that help us feel a sense of significance and individual completeness. They also help us nurture selfless attitudes and happier, healthier relationships. Essentially, if you neglect to become healthy and whole on your own, you’ll spin your wheels…

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May 18
Love0
How to Navigate Personality Clashes with Your Spouse and Kids

How to Navigate Personality Clashes with Your Spouse and Kids

By Relationships 6 Comments

When we marry, we aren’t always fully aware of every nuance and facet of our spouse’s personality. As we get to know one another, we learn more about what makes them tick–and what aspects of their personality might clash with ours over time. It’s a normal part of living and sharing intimacy with another human being. The same holds true for your children. We may not realize it, but it’s very possible that our children’s personalities could clash with ours. That’s not normally something that a hopeful or new parent is prepared for, but it’s a reality in many families….

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Jan 26
Love0

My Spouse Has Opposite-Sex Friends. Should I Be Worried?

By Marriage, Relationships 15 Comments

Throughout our lives, we’ll have friends who are of both the same and opposite gender. This is a natural part of life. For some individuals, though, the thought of their spouse having close, opposite-sex friends can be a bit unnerving. Does this sound familiar to you? It’s true that there are occasions when opposite-sex friendships are not appropriate in tandem with your marriage. In general, friendships come and go throughout our lives. But the question about your spouse’s opposite-sex friendship might not be so much about gender itself, but more about whether you and your marriage are being honored. Just…

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Dec 22
Love0

5 Ways to Celebrate Christmas Gratefully

By Marriage, Relationships, Self Reflection No Comments

Gratitude is a spirit that’s front and center for many people during the Christmas season. However, this time of year can also be hectic. In the midst of the holiday bustle, it can be easy to lose sight of what we’re thankful for. As we approach this year’s Christmas celebration, we’ve listed five ways you can celebrate with thankfulness in your heart. We hope these ideas inspire you! 1. Embrace childlike wonder. There’s truly magic and wonder in the Christmas season when we take time to embrace childlike joy. So often, adults “grow out” of experiencing true gratitude during Christmas…

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Nov 17
Love0

How Do I Avoid Marrying Someone Like My Mom Or Dad?

By Marriage, Relationships One Comment

Are you worried about marrying someone like one of your parents? It’s common for people to fear partnering with someone like their mom or dad, particularly if that relationship was strained or difficult growing up. If that’s your worry, then what steps can you take to ensure you are marrying a person who is a good fit for you? Wanting to avoid marrying someone who reminds you of a parent is not unusual. But it pays to put things in perspective and get clear on what you really want in a spouse, and in a relationship. Consider What Qualities You’re…

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Jul 21
Love0

How to Embrace Your Complete Self Before You Marry

By Marriage, Relationships, Self Reflection 3 Comments

“If I could just find the right person to marry, then my life would be complete.” Does that sound familiar to you? Our society sells the idea that a marriage relationship can not only complete you as a person; it can fix your entire life. It’s a fallacy that runs deep and is woven into the fabric of our culture. By chasing the idea of wholeness through relationships, we neglect to establish a whole relationship with ourselves first. And the problem is, when we don’t learn to embrace our complete selves, we spend our lives chasing wholeness through our relationships…

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May 26
Love0

Why Personality Makes Every Marriage Unique

By Marriage, Relationships One Comment

In marriage as in life, our personalities come through in our behaviors. By observing how someone behaves, we can get a fairly accurate idea of what their personality is like. Our behaviors are particularly revealing in marriage, when we spend a lot of time together, one-on-one. What’s interesting, though, is that spouses don’t always accurately perceive one another’s personalities, despite the amount of time they spend with each other. Much of our personality plays itself out internally, in ways our spouse will never see. That’s why relationship assessments such as SYMBIS are so incredibly useful in counseling couples. SYMBIS results…

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May 19
Love0

How Better Awareness Builds a Better Marriage

By Marriage, Relationships No Comments

As a professional who counsels couples, you have likely seen the positive effects self-awareness has on relationships. You also understand the pitfalls of couples who are unaware of how they relate to each other, and how they operate as individuals. Often, spouses who are wounded will perpetuate a cycle of hurt, seemingly unable to take an objective view of the situation. For engaged and married couples, becoming more self-aware leads to a better relationship outcome. That’s because self-awareness cultivates deeper empathy. Let’s dig a little deeper into why this is so important. Marriage Assessments Cultivate Self-Awareness Self-awareness gives couples the…

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