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Nov 25
Love0
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Relationship Rx: Gratitude

By Relationship Basics No Comments

gratitude 

noun grat·i·tude \ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\: a feeling of appreciation or thanks

While Merriam-Webster’s definition of gratitude is pretty clear and encompassing, I think we all might feel gratitude in slightly different ways. To me, gratitude differs from appreciation in that I can appreciate a good book, a dry sense of humor, or a killer pair of shoes. However, I am grateful for the things (and people) that I feel I don’t entirely deserve.

Whatever your personal definition of the word, recent studies have found that gratitude may be a key factor in making your relationship last. What if we could replace annoyance, anger, or resentment with feelings of gratitude instead? Read More

Nov 10
Love0

Relationship Dynamics & Feedback Loops

By Uncategorized 6 Comments

By: Dr. Laura Bryan, Ph.D.

Dr. Bryan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in North Carolina and an Assistant Professor and Clinic Director at Pfieffer University.

Below Dr. Bryan shares her insight from a therapist’s perspective about the Relationship Dynamics section of the PREPARE/ENRICH Assessment—what it covers, how the dynamics interact, and how it can help other facilitators, therapists, and couples themselves gain a deeper understanding of their relationship.

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Oct 27
Love0

#RelationshipGoals

By Uncategorized No Comments

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Let’s talk about them.relationship_goals

The term “relationship goals” is casually tossed around on social media to convey admiration, or sometimes envy, of an action/gesture/moment that you want to see in your own relationship. Sometimes when you tag a post with #RelationshipGoals, you are completely serious, and sometimes, well, it might be with a hint of facetiousness. Regardless, the idea that we are admiring others’ relationships, based on as little as one photo, can be unhealthy or healthy depending on your mindset. Read More

Sep 29
Love0
two comic books on a table

What Comic Books and Your Relationship Have in Common

By Uncategorized 3 Comments

Any comic book nerds out there? I can’t honestly say that I am one myself, but perhaps I am by proxy. My husband grew up with the worlds of Marvel and DC Comics, so whenever we watch one of the latest blockbusters based on these characters, I get a “supplemental” history of their storyline. (Sidenote: who knew there were so many X-Men?)

One thing I’ve come to learn is that most of these characters have what is known as an “origin story.” In comic book terms, an origin story is “an account or backstory revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains.” (Wikipedia) It got me thinking that perhaps relationships have origin stories, too. Read More

Sep 15
Love0
books stacked on a staircase

ABC’s & 1,2,3’s

By Uncategorized 4 Comments

Fall is just around the corner. Here in Minnesota, we can feel that telltale crispness in the air. Sales on school supplies have been replaced by bins of Halloween candy. With students returning to school, now is a good time to review the ABC’s and 1,2,3’s of your relationship! Read More

Sep 01
Love0
a woman holding a cell phone while sitting at her computer

Marriage & Media: 5 Things to Remember

By Uncategorized 2 Comments

If Ben & Jennifer and Blake & Miranda can’t make marriage work, how can I?

Traditional media and social media are making it hard for couples to stay positive about marriage. (Like it isn’t hard enough already!) Negative press for marriage is everywhere. While waiting in line at the grocery store, you are bound to see magazine covers plastered with the news of yet another celebrity marriage coming to an end. Tune into the evening news or skim internet headlines and what do you find? A security breach of a dating website targeting married people looking to cheat! On the flip side, we often see edited representations of marriage while scrolling through our newsfeeds, giving the impression that picture-perfect marriages are the norm, and anything less than that is something to be ashamed of.

Sometimes after watching the news or scrolling through social media, you might find yourself thinking, “Marriage—what’s the point?!” or, “I wish my marriage was as perfect as theirs!”

Don’t let these distorted portrayals of marriage discourage you. Here are 5 things to remember: Read More

Aug 18
Love0
a couple sitting on a couch with the woman turned away from the man

Complacency & Communication

By Uncategorized 2 Comments

When one goes up, the other goes down.

If you Google “quotes about complacency”, you will see many different iterations of the same idea — complacency is the enemy. Companies get complacent, and they begin to lose customers to their competitors. Employees get complacent, and they are shocked when they are passed over for promotions or are let go altogether.

Complacency slowly corrodes the motivation, desire, and potential for progress, improvement, change, growth, and ultimately success. Apply that to relationships, and… yikes.

The scary thing about complacency in relationships is that, by nature, it silently takes root and eats away at intimacy. You don’t notice it lurking because hey, things are “fine.” You’re both just busy with work, and the kids, and your separate hobbies, and any number of other things. Why rock the boat? Then one day you find yourselves standing on opposite sides of a Grand Canyon-sized chasm, wondering, “How did we get here?” Read More

Jul 21
Love0

The Holy Trinity of Finances

By Uncategorized One Comment

How managing your finances is about more than being practical, it’s also about understanding and acknowledging the emotional and spiritual side of money … the “financial trinity” if you will.

By: Tim Schuster

Money Is Practical
There is a rational and logical side to money. Money comes in. Money goes out. It adds up. Or it doesn’t. Whoever you are and whatever you do, your money comes down to simple dollars and cents on a piece of paper or computer screen. The main tool of the practical dimension of finances is a calculator. The upside of this dimension is that we can explain money clearly and concisely. The downside is that this represents only a one-dimensional view of finances. Read More

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