Help! How Do I Turn Off the Guilt?

By Communication, Conflict No Comments

The smallest things push my “guilt button,” and I know this has a negative effect on my marriage. What should I do? “I could’ve done this.” “I should’ve done that.” “If I could do it over, I would’ve done this.” How many times have you spoken to yourself this way? Do you ruminate often about things you probably shouldn’t worry about? Do you have a constant wave of regret and second-guessing that leads to an unhealthy self-perception? These thought patterns can easily become addictive and toxic if you allow yourself to settle into them. Did you know that loading yourself…

Read More

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…

Read More

Chores & Housekeeping: Who Should Do What?

By Communication, Conflict, Time No Comments

I don’t do all the housework in our home, and my husband hates it! How do I tell him I can’t do it all on my own? Today’s busy culture has changed a lot about what life and work looks like. Full-time jobs now look very different than they used to, and both men and women are often stretched to their limit. So what do you do if you want to hire a little extra help around the house–and your husband or wife is totally against the idea? It’s difficult to approach your spouse and acknowledge a personal limitation. And…

Read More

3 Ways to Soothe Your Spouse’s Anxiety

By Communication, Conflict 6 Comments

Anxiety. Most of us have been there: an issue that–to the outside world–seems arguably small balloons into a crushing, suffocating weight. Our hearts race. Our palms sweat. We descend into a spiraling panic, and find that it’s difficult (and even hopeless) to stop the feeling of dread building inside our chests. Most of us know what anxiety feels like when it’s happening to us, but it can be difficult to know how to help someone we love when they are being riddled with it. It’s easy to feel at a loss, not knowing what to do or say. Can’t they…

Read More

Help! My Husband Won’t Go Back to School

By Careers, Communication, Conflict 2 Comments

Is there any way I can talk my husband into going back to school to further his career? We’re really struggling financially! Let’s say you’re a few years into marriage, and perhaps your husband’s career prospects aren’t looking very rosy. Maybe your income isn’t comfortable, or his professional status isn’t what you believe it should be. It’s important that you pause to consider your motivations behind these feelings. First, remember that you married your husband for his qualities, and that those qualities may now lend themselves to his current career situation. His vocation may be fulfilling for him, whether or…

Read More

Broken Trust? Here’s How to Rebuild.

By Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family 17 Comments

When trust has been damaged or destroyed in a marriage, the rebuilding process takes a huge amount of patience, skill, and–above all–time. After your very foundation has been shaken, restoring trust in your marriage is literally a relationship makeover. You and your spouse must work together over time to rebuild the trust you lost, and both of you have a lot of work to do to get there. But with determination and an absolute commitment to restoration, your marriage can be healthy again. You might not realize it now, but if you’ve been betrayed by your spouse, you can begin…

Read More

How to Value Yourself as a Stay-at-Home Mom

By In-laws & Family 6 Comments

Being a stay-at-home mom makes me feel self-conscious. How can I value myself more? Mom guilt: it’s a dreaded concept, and an unfortunate reality for most mothers. No matter what choices they’ve made regarding raising children and investing in their careers, women feel guilty. There seems to be no right answer, and there is definitely no perfect choice. In today’s video, Leslie tackles the mom guilt monster and discusses ways for mothers to start feeling more secure in their decisions. You’re feeling immense pressure because you’re the only mom your kids have, and you’re trying to be fully present for…

Read More

Date Night: 5 Ways to Make It Great

By Communication, Time One Comment

Dating your spouse is a great way to sustain and nurture the intimacy in your marriage. We highly recommend taking the time to have a regular date night with your husband or wife. Taking time away from your day-to-day life to focus on one another is a fantastic way to stay connected in spite of whatever else is going on in your life. Today, we’re sharing a few ways you and your spouse can create awesome dates–and great memories along the way. Tie Up Loose Ends at Home This may sound like a strange way to create an amazing date,…

Read More

Our Private Business: Does God Disapprove?

By Communication, Conflict No Comments

Our sex life in the privacy of our home is our business, right? Would God disapprove of anything we do when we’re making love? You and your spouse are incredibly blessed; you get to experience God’s gift of sexual intimacy within your marriage. Making love with your husband or wife can be an adventure, more amazing than you ever dreamed. If you’re engaged but not yet married, you’re probably looking forward to marriage with great anticipation of this almost incomprehensible freedom together. Once you’re married, though, you might wonder what rules God has placed around sex within marriage. What’s OK…

Read More

The Keys to Unlock Great Communication

By Communication 3 Comments

When you ask any couple what the key to a successful marriage is, they’ll likely include “great communication” in their list. But when we’ve asked couples what “good communication” is, we’ve gotten a lot of foggy answers. Not everyone knows the basics to communicating well, and that can lead to a lot of frustration and unmet expectations in a marriage. With so many thick books on communication, it is sometimes difficult to cut through the clutter and sum it all up, so we’ve listed out what we think are great places to start. Here are five keys to unlocking great…

Read More