During the holidays, we don’t always emphasize good health. But being psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy sets the stage for enjoyable family interactions and holiday celebrations throughout the season. In this post, we’re sharing a few ways you can focus on your own well-being during the holidays – to the benefit of your marriage and family. Give Yourself the Gift of Healthy Self-Talk We don’t often pay enough attention to our self-talk, but it’s a key component to becoming a healthier person. When we speak to ourselves with love and respect, we’re more likely to be loving and respectful toward…
Being married means creating a new life with your spouse. This new life means you’ll have to leave old patterns behind, especially selfish behavior. To build a successful and happy marriage, you and your spouse will both need to be more self-giving. So how can you become more self-giving in your marriage? In this article, we’re sharing five things you can do to become more selfless, and build a happier marriage as a result. 1. Consider Your Spouse First The first step toward being more self-giving in your marriage is to consider your spouse’s needs and preferences first. This doesn’t…
Navigating a season of grief together is one of the most challenging things you’ll do as a couple. These seasons will come and go throughout your lifetime, and it’s important to decide how you want to handle them as a team. While things in life rarely play out the way we think they should, having a plan for sticking together during difficult times could help you to stay close. Grief can bring us closer together or drive us apart. During seasons of profound grief, it can impact the way we experience the world. Whether you’re both grieving or one of…
We often talk about spiritual intimacy and how to grow closer to your spouse through shared spiritual practices. But what if you haven’t yet established the building blocks of spiritual intimacy? If you’re seeking spiritual significance in your marriage, how do you find and nurture it? There are many ways that you can go about connecting spiritually, both individually and as a couple. In fact, establishing greater spiritual health as individuals may help you establish a stronger relationship with one another. Either way, there are quite a few habits the two of you can build to bring a stronger sense…
One of the most overlooked aspects of a solid, godly marriage is spiritual intimacy. This connection between you and your spouse transcends all others, creating a lifelong bond that will carry you through every season of your marriage together. If you’re interested in deepening your spiritual intimacy, then this post is for you. We’ve collected some of our top resources on spiritual intimacy to give you and your spouse a running start at this all-important aspect of your relationship. 1. The Importance of Spiritual Intimacy Many married couples don’t talk enough about spiritual intimacy. In fact, that topic tends to…
Marriage isn’t always easy. Living life with another human being, as closely as you must live with your spouse, means that there will be times when you need to extend grace. And it’s essential to be generous with your grace. We’re broken people building lives together; that’s just reality. When we marry, our quirks, flaws, and selfishness come along with us. These very human characteristics inspire disagreements, frustration, and friction from time to time. How we choose to respond to our spouse’s shortcomings builds and shapes our character. And our ability to extend grace, forgive, and correct our own mistakes…
In our last post, we began a discussion about how to support your spouse when they’re diagnosed with a chronic illness. These diagnoses can be debilitating, and have the potential to permanently alter what your life looks like from now on. How you respond to the situation, particularly by supporting your spouse, will affect your shared experiences going forward. If you’d like to read part one of this series, you can do so here. As a quick recap, the first things you can do to support your spouse include: Pausing to understand your spouse’s condition and how it might be…
For many people, the holiday season is hectic and fraught with too many obligations, and too little time to fulfill them all. But what if the holiday season was a time when you and your spouse could bring a fresh perspective to your marriage? We believe that’s possible, and in today’s post, we’ll share why. A Great Opportunity to Reflect The holidays are a wonderful time to reflect on not only the past year, but on the life you’ve built together. Holidays can be an emotional time, in both good ways and bad, and they have a way of making…
Have you experienced conflict with your in-laws, particularly during the holidays? If so, you’re not alone. Many couples navigate challenging in-law relationships throughout the year. Oftentimes, challenges peak during the holiday season because there are so many activities, events, and family obligations to fulfill. If you’re looking for some additional guidance on constructively, successfully, and lovingly handling tough or uncomfortable situations with your in-laws this holiday season, we can help. Today, we’ve rounded up some posts from our archive that are packed with tips you can put to work to ease the tension. A note before we begin… Family tension…
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,…