How do you celebrate your wedding anniversary? Whether you go big or keep it low-key, an anniversary is something to take pride in. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on the past year together in the context of your relationship. One way to make this a meaningful tradition is to ask each other these questions every year. (Consider jotting down your answers in a notebook or journal that you can look back on later!) Read More
Have you recently started premarital counseling or are you getting ready to? Are you still considering whether it’s something you should do? Whether you’re being required to complete premarital through you church or you’re seeking it out on your own, there’s one thing you need to know: you’ll get out of it what you put into it. Here’s how to get the most out of premarital counseling. Read More
When it comes to communicating with your partner, not every conversation is created equal. Sometimes you’re able to clearly convey what you want and you come out of it on the same page – and same team. Other times, wires get crossed, an innocent exchange gets derailed, and you find yourselves feeling frustrated and misunderstood.
We’re human – our own emotions, biases, and expectations can cloud our ability to convey exactly what we mean or accurately interpret what our spouse is telling us. Despite good intentions, you might actually be sabotaging your efforts toward good communication with these five habits. Read More
If you had to write a book full of the lessons your parents taught you, what would be in it? Would there be a long chapter on the importance of kindness or having a good work ethic? Would there be a glossary of “things we don’t talk about” or an appendix of secret family recipes?
While the contents might be different for everyone, one chapter that most of our books would have is “Lessons on Marriage and Relationships.” Yep, for better or for worse, our parents have a big influence on the way we think about and behave in our marriage. Through both direct guidance and observation, here are some of the things you may have picked up on. Read More
What are you in the mood for? No, not for dinner. (Sorry, we can’t help you with that perpetual question.)
We’re talking about date ideas. You might have a go-to, never-fails date routine. If you do, that’s great! But every now and then, it’s good to switch things up. Not only that, but your mood can also have an effect on what kind of activities you gravitate to – and how much you and your spouse enjoy yourselves. Here are 25 date ideas to match your mood. Read More
Getting married. Having children. Buying a house. Celebrating an anniversary. Some milestones get all the hype.
Okay, these things are a pretty big deal – definitely worth celebrating. But chances are you’ve felt a sense of pride and accomplishment over other “smaller” achievements – and for good reason! Although they tend to be overshadowed by the more renowned examples, there are many under-appreciated milestones throughout marriage that have a big impact on your relationship and confidence as a couple. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorites: Read More
Do you and your partner have very different personalities? Even if you’re not complete opposites, you probably differ in at least a few ways. How do you manage your differences? One of the first steps is learning to accept them instead of trying to change each other. Once you’re able to do that, you can really begin to appreciate your differences. You might take note of how your spouse is able to chat it up with anyone, or maybe you admire how they’re not afraid of change. Once you’re in the mindset of appreciating your differences, you can go a step farther – and learn how to leverage your differences in positive ways. Here are four times personality differences work for you. Read More
When you hear the word “balance”, what do you picture? Is it a gymnast, perched atop a balance beam, arms outstretched in preparation for the big dismount? Is it a set of scales, one side sitting perfectly level with the other? Or maybe it’s something else entirely, which is fitting considering a sense of balance is a highly personal thing, unique to each person – and couple.
Sometimes, you just know when things are out of whack. Other times, it’s harder to pin down. Why is that? Well, we don’t just need balance in one area of our lives, but several areas that all intermingle and affect each other. If you and your spouse are feeling out of balance lately, here are five areas to consider. Read More
“You made me so angry when you…”
“I felt really angry when you…”
These seem like similar statements on the surface, and the feeling behind them is certainly a common thread as well. While you could argue that it’s just a matter of semantics, the variation in wording can be reflective of a difference in mindset: blaming your spouse for your feelings versus taking ownership and responsibility for them.
Using “I statements” is a practical way to focus on owning your feelings in the midst of a discussion or argument. But what is the reasoning behind it? What happens when you do the self-reflective work around owning your feelings long before a conflict arises? Read More
Brushing your teeth. Staying active. Paying your bills on time. These are small habits that can potentially have a big impact on your wellbeing. If you forget to do them once or twice, it’s probably not the end of the world. But stop doing them altogether, and the results could be less than ideal.
There are similarly small habits that, over time, can greatly affect the vitality of your marriage. You might start out doing them faithfully, then gradually, they become more and more sporadic, until you no longer do them at all. While their absence doesn’t necessarily signal that you no longer love each other, their presence enriches your relationship with a consistent connection and respect that stands the test of time. These are the small habits to hold onto throughout your marriage. Read More
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