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Strengthen Your Marriage Archives - SYMBIS Assessment

Feb 28
Love0

I’m Married, But I Want To Stay Friends With My Ex. What Should I Do?

By Marriage 2 Comments

Most married couples dated other people before they met one another. Sometimes, exes remain friends, and other times, they lose touch, only to reconnect down the road. Regardless of the scenario, if you’re married, should you keep or rekindle a friendship with an ex? If you’re unsure whether this friendship is the right move for your marriage, then you’re probably feeling ambivalent about the possibility. There are some important factors to consider before jumping right in. Let’s talk through some questions you can ask yourself to make the best decision for you and your spouse. Are Old Feelings Being Stirred…

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Jan 24
Love0

What Every Married Couple Should Know About Expectations and Boundaries

By Marriage 2 Comments

How do expectations and boundaries affect marriage? We often hear these terms used in regard to relationships, but what do they really mean? In a nutshell, expectations are the spoken and unspoken assumptions you make about how something should be, or how someone should behave. Boundaries can be put in place to maintain expectations or respond to behaviors. Let’s dig a little deeper into each of these. Expectations Your expectations, and your spouse’s, can have a profound impact on your marriage. Expectations reveal our hopes for what our lives and relationships will look like. They also tell us so much…

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May 10
Love0

How to Find Harmony When Your Spiritual Beliefs Clash

By Intimacy, Self Reflection 5 Comments

These days, it seems we all have busy lives. Because of this, it can be a challenge to find spiritual harmony in your marriage–particularly if you and your spouse were raised in different faith traditions. Maybe you each want to find your own path toward spiritual growth, but you’re feeling a bit of a clash in your relationship. Whatever your situation, it’s possible to grow spiritually as a couple. It’s possible to find that deep meaning you’re both seeking, and you can do that together. Let’s talk about what that might look like. Seek Shared Spiritual Intimacy Rather than trying…

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Apr 26
Love0

How to Confront a Dishonest Spouse

By Conflict 3 Comments

Have you ever caught your spouse in a lie? If you did, would you know how to confront them? If you’ve ever experienced this gut-wrenching scenario, you know how devastating it feels. Accepting that your spouse has been dishonest is one of the hardest things to do. Deciding how and when to confront them is equally daunting, because now your entire perception of your spouse is in question. What else have they lied about? How long have they been lying? Is this about just one issue, and if so, can we rebuild from here? If your spouse has lied to…

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Dec 28
Love0
Why Your Marriage Needs a Year in Review

Reflecting Together: Why Your Marriage Needs a “Year in Review”

By Marriage, Self Reflection 2 Comments

With the New Year approaching, it’s common to look ahead to the future. But having a “year in review” with your spouse is also important. Have you ever looked back at the past year together? Looking backward can give you both a sense of perspective. What things went well this year? What didn’t work out for you? What were you hoping the past year would bring? Did those things come to pass, or did life take a turn in its own direction? However the year went for you, it can be helpful to take some time to reflect together. Ultimately,…

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Oct 05
Love0

When Conflict Gets Messy in Marriage

By Conflict One Comment

“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford We often talk about how fighting a “good fight” can actually bring spouses closer together. A well-managed conflict can shed light on areas of your relationship that need strengthening. It also gives the two of you a chance to solve problems as a team. But sometimes, conflict gets messy. We might fail to listen to our spouse, say hurtful things, or otherwise escalate a solvable issue. When this happens, you both need to know how to take a step back, then take steps to…

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Sep 28
Love0

Why It’s Time for an Attitude Check-Up

By Self Reflection 2 Comments

Leslie and I (Les) once took a flight on a Cessna plane after a retreat in northwestern Washington state’s San Juan Islands. We began the flight nervous, having never flown in such a small aircraft. As we soared over the beautiful Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound, our fear dissolved. During that flight, something the pilot said caught our attention: that the attitude of the plane, not the altitude, was the single most important aspect of landing safely. The plane’s attitude is related to the position of its nose as it comes in for a landing. Too high or low, and…

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May 25
Love0

3 Tips for Coping With Competitive In-Laws

By In-laws & Family One Comment

Family relationships can be complicated. This is especially true when you marry and combine families. If your in-laws happen to be competitive, this adds an entirely new layer of issues to navigate. When you were single, you only had to manage the relationships within your immediate and extended families. But when you married your spouse, you gained their family as well. And that means that you multiplied the number of relationships that you now need to manage and nurture in your life. Many people find it difficult to manage their relationships with in-laws. This is often due to a number…

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Jan 26
Love0

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

By Marriage, Relationships 16 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 29
Love0

How to Build Your New Year’s Vision Together

By Marriage, Self Reflection No Comments

The New Year is a time for dreaming, building a vision for the future, and setting the goals you want to achieve going forward. As the New Year approaches, you have a tremendous opportunity to support one another in both your personal goals, and your goals as a couple. We believe that this time of year is a wonderful time to truly reconnect with one another, cheer each other on, and go after your dreams side-by-side. So how can you and your spouse build a New Year’s vision together? Read on. See Where Your Goals Align When you talk with…

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