When was the last time you or your spouse spent separate time with your own friends? Maybe it’s a phone call to catch up or weekend away. Maybe it’s a weekly occurrence or seems like a rare treat. Wherever you fall right now, the fact is that nurturing outside friendships is good for you – and your marriage. Here are a few reasons why. Read More
When we think of being adaptable, we might associate it with a person’s personality type. Some people are more adaptable and go with the flow, while others are more thrown off when the unexpected happens. However, it’s not just individuals who have varying levels of adaptability – relationships do, too.
Why is adaptability (or flexibility) important in relationships? Think of a small tree, weathering a storm. If that tree is able to bend and flex when it’s hit with strong gusts of wind, it has better odds of surviving the storm. If the trunk of that tree is brittle and rigid, it’s likely it will snap under the wind’s force and be left broken in the aftermath.
Being adaptable in your relationship is a lot like having that pliable trunk, with the storm being the adversity, stressors, and hardships that life can throw your way. Being flexible means you’re more likely to make it through those challenges as a couple and bounce back to a balanced state, while being rigid during trying times makes your relationship more susceptible to irreparable damage. Simply put, a healthy level of adaptability lends itself to a more resilient relationship.
You might be wondering, “Do we just have to wait for a crisis to find out whether we’re flexible, or is it something we can work on?” Luckily, it’s the latter! There are simple ways we can stretch and strengthen our adaptability muscles, both intentionally and by being mindful during certain every day situations. Here are some examples: Read More
Do you ever find yourself getting annoyed with your partner’s personality? Of course, you still love them unconditionally, but man, sometimes you just can’t help but wonder… Why do they do that? Why are they that way??
The ironic thing is that if you’ve been together for any length of time, the traits that start to annoy you are often the same ones that drew you to each other initially. That gregarious sense of humor now sometimes makes you grit your teeth. Those superb planning skills can feel more exhausting than efficient.
Personality traits tend to stay pretty consistent over the course of life, which means attempting to change them or waiting for them to change on their own is not the best use of anyone’s time, energy, or relationship! What’s more useful? Learning to appreciate your partner’s personality and manage your differences and similarities in positive ways. Here are some tips to do just that. Read More
Self-awareness, or mindfulness, is a buzzword lately. If it evokes images of someone meditating on a mountaintop or something to that effect, you’re probably not alone. While it is, in fact, about getting in touch with your core self, it isn’t only for people who meditate on mountaintops. Self-awareness is crucial for everyone – and here’s why.
Our time is so valuable these days. We’re always looking for ways to save time or make the most of our time. When all is said and done, what -or who – are we conserving that time for? Well, many of us want that extra time to spend with our loved ones – our spouse and family. Whether you’re in a super busy season of life or you just want to make the most of the valuable time you spend together, here are three tips for increasing the quality of your quality time:
Like many of you, I’ve been working from home since mid-March. It’s been an interesting change! There are certainly perks, but there are struggles, too. In my situation, I work from my home by myself all day. My husband leaves for work around 6:00am and usually returns around 3:30pm unless there are errands to run. I get a majority of my workday to be productive in whatever environment I want to create. Need to do some heads-down work? Great, I make a cup of tea and sit down at my desk. Need to crank out some paperwork? Perfect, I find that new podcast episode and play it while I check tasks off my to-do list. Need to jump on a spontaneous video call with a few coworkers? Easy, just hop on the call, no need to silence the house or notify anyone so they don’t accidentally make a background cameo. I fully realize how easy I have it when it comes to working from home, but I also know many of you don’t have much wiggle room to accommodate your work-from-home needs.
Working from home with kids, whether they are distance learning or not, comes with a great deal of challenges – we hear people sharing their struggles with this firsthand and on social media. And while I can’t relate to those struggles, I try to empathize and give grace to those I know who are pushing through while in that exact situation.
But one scenario that I don’t see many people talking about, is working from home with your spouse. Specifically, those couples who were thrown into this reality and had to instantly learn how to co-work with their partner every day (not the couples who literally work for the same company together and sort of chose their own destiny).
What are the challenges and unexpected perks of co-working with someone you’re also married to?
We all know that one couple that seems to do everything together. You know the one. They share every leisure activity, and rarely, if ever, does one partner make plans that don’t involve the other. Maybe you see this in your best friend’s relationship, maybe in a relative’s relationship, or maybe in your own!
Maintaining a sense of emotional closeness with your partner is important; it is one of the major pillars of a healthy intimate relationship. That being said, you can have too much of a good thing.
Here are some tips for achieving a healthy balance of “I” and “We”:
We’ve heard it before. Relationships can, and will (if we let them), fall in a rut. We know they take energy, we know they take effort, we’ve heard this all before. Amongst the extensive amount of stale relationship advice we’ve heard time and time again, this one stands out as most over-used.
But what if we told you that putting in the effort in a new and exciting way can actually make you a happier couple? Read More
Below are five small ways to celebrate your relationship this Valentine’s Day (or any day of the year), because your relationship is worth a little extra effort today. Read More
A brief synopsis on what happens every year on Valentine’s Day and what you can do this year to make it better than ever.
1. This year you will open up and communicate to your partner what you want for Valentine’s Day, figuratively and literally. It’s time to be assertive and vulnerable with your partner. You will both appreciate that you were able to open up and say what you are really thinking. Read More
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