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spouse Archives - Page 4 of 7 - SYMBIS Assessment

What to Do If Your Spouse’s Friend Betrays Them

By Communication, Conflict One Comment

When we get married, we don’t often think much about how each of our respective circle of friends will continue to change and evolve over time. That’s because we’re focused on our spouse–and rightly so. But the truth is, friendships will come and go like they always have. Betrayal is an incredibly painful experience, and it’s something all of us experience at different times, in different relationships, throughout our lives. So if your spouse has been betrayed by a friend, how do you support them through it? Trust your spouse’s judgment Sometimes, a betrayal can blindside us. But other times,…

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4 Ways to Make More Time for Your Spouse This Fall

By Time No Comments

Summertime is over, family vacations are done, and the school year is in full swing again. If you’ve got kids, their plates are full once again with homework and extracurricular activities. You and your spouse are back in your regular routines as well, and it’s gearing up to be a busy season. You always cherish the family time that comes with summer break and vacations. It’s a great time to not only connect on a deeper level with your children, but spend some much-needed time with your spouse. So once you’re all back to your regular rhythm, how do you…

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Zip Your Lips: How to Protect Your Marriage’s Privacy

By Communication, Conflict 15 Comments

It’s a challenge to deal with an “overly-disclosing” spouse. If this sounds familiar, your spouse may mean no harm…yet they regularly manage to tell their friends or family things you’d rather keep private. We (Leslie and I) struggled with this issue early in our marriage. For Leslie, talking about things I didn’t want repeated outside our marriage was just her way of connecting with her friends. She wasn’t trying to be hurtful…yet, it made me feel sad and violated. Luckily, there’s a happy ending to our dilemma. Because Leslie didn’t want to be the reason I clammed up and stopped…

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How to Overcome Communication Barriers in Your Marriage

By Communication 9 Comments

It’s common for each spouse in a marriage to have his or her own style and preferences for communicating, especially when it comes to expressing our feelings. At times, this can create major barriers in getting through to one another. But if we’re able to work together to overcome those barriers, we’ll cultivate a closer, more loving marriage. A matter of hard-wiring and personality Sometimes, communication barriers are an issue of gender and physiological wiring. Research shows that men, in general, tend to have difficulty putting their feelings into words. Many men don’t have an innate need to make their…

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Help! My Spouse is a Control Freak! What Do I Do?

By Communication, Conflict 11 Comments

There are few intimacy killers as potent as controlling behavior. Control is a problem we see on a spectrum, ranging from spouses who are simply nitpicky over one or two parts of their lives to spouses who engage in destructive behavior. Most control issues fall somewhere in the middle and stem from your spouse’s anxiety about one or more parts of your life. When we read between the lines, we often understand that the controlling spouse’s motivation is something like, “I love you so much, I want you to be aware of these few things that aren’t perfect.” If your…

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Creative Ways to Approach Your Spouse’s Quirks

By Communication, Conflict 9 Comments

One of marriage’s greatest gifts is the gift of feedback. Through providing one another with constructive feedback, we can grow into the best version of ourselves. Being married is a lot like looking into a mirror that reflects back the best and worst parts of us. On one hand, we share our life with someone who can support and encourage our strongest qualities. On the other, that same person can make us aware of places where we fall short so we can course-correct when we need to. The trick with feedback is knowing when and how to give it–particularly when…

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Driven to Distraction: What to Do When Your Spouse Doesn’t Listen

By Communication, Conflict 35 Comments

One of the most frustrating issues to face in marriage is having a spouse who doesn’t seem to listen to you. And it’s a common problem; many spouses complain that their husband or wife just doesn’t retain important information–even to the point of not remembering it was discussed in the first place. If this sounds like your marriage, don’t worry; there are several mindset shifts and strategies you can use to improve the situation and get yourself heard when it’s most critical. Want to know more? Read on. Remember that your spouse probably isn’t tuning you out on purpose Chances…

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My Spouse Won’t Come to Church. Help!

By Communication, Conflict, In-laws & Family 27 Comments

It’s incredibly painful when your spouse isn’t interested in engaging with you spiritually. This could be a difference you’ve had since early in your relationship, or it could be a new development. Whatever the case, experiencing a spiritual mismatch in your marriage is challenging. There are a number of scenarios that can create a spiritual divide between spouses: You started your marriage with similar beliefs, but your spouse has since decided to leave church The two of you disagree on the finer points of doctrine or theology, and haven’t been able to find a church to attend together…so you attend…

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How to Help Your Spouse Survive a Career Crisis

By Careers 5 Comments

Let’s say your spouse comes home from a long day at work, looking downtrodden. When you ask about their day, they reveal that there’s been a layoff. Devastated, your spouse shows you the pink slip he or she was handed at the end of the shift. Your mind starts churning: What’s going to happen? How will we pay the bills? It’s easy to react emotionally–even to feel a bit of panic–but when the initial shock wears off, it’s going to be time for action. Your spouse will need to kick the job search into high gear…but you can be helpful…

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My Spouse Wants to Go Back to School. Now What?

By Careers, Time 9 Comments

So your spouse wants to go back to school. Maybe this comes as a shock to you: College? Graduate School? Now? Or maybe this has been an ongoing conversation for a while, but now your spouse says it’s time. The pressure’s on. You’re not sure your spouse going to undergraduate or graduate school is the best idea for your family right now. The thought of reducing or losing your spouse’s income makes you sweat buckets, and you’re not sure if you’re up to the challenge of shouldering more financial burden and responsibility at home–not to mention the possibility of student…

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