Category

Conflict

How-And-When-To-Pause-A-Difficult-Discussion-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

Let’s Talk Later: How And When To Pause A Difficult Discussion

By Conflict, Time 2 Comments

How and when should you pause a difficult conversation with your spouse? At one time or another, every married couple will experience a prolonged conflict. At the very least, you’ll face difficult discussions you can’t wrap up in one afternoon. These conflicts and disagreements can come at inconvenient times in your life, when you can’t give your full attention to discussing and resolving them right away. Trying to force conflict resolution can complicate problems, rather than solving them. When you pause difficult discussions, you can come back calmer, and with a clearer perspective. Giving yourselves plenty of breathing room also…

Read More
Stability-Matters-To-Me-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

Stability Matters To Me, But My Spouse Isn’t Worried. What Can I Do?

By Careers, Conflict No Comments

So you want stability, but your partner’s not worried. What can you do about that? Stability looks different for different people. For instance, some are concerned with being financially stable. Others want a sense of permanence in the place where they live and raise a family. And others connect the idea of stability with a longstanding job or career path. In some marriages, one partner puts more emphasis on stability than the other. When this happens, it can cause marital stress. Each spouse may have different expectations when it comes to stability, so it’s important to develop empathy for each…

Read More
My-Spouse-Says-I-Always-Keep-Score-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

My Spouse Says I Always Keep Score. Who’s Right?

By Conflict, Marriage No Comments

What’s “fair” in marriage? Do you and your spouse keep score? We like to say that scorekeeping is for sports, not for marriage. There’s no scoreboard in your living room, and no referees calling each play. It’s just you and your spouse–and if you’re not playing on the same team, you’re headed for conflict. Do you feel like you’re carrying more than your share of the load in your marriage? If so, how can you find a better balance? Let’s talk about it. Scorekeeping Holds You Both Back Scorekeeping in marriage holds both you and your spouse back. It keeps…

Read More
Im-Sick-of-Getting-Stuck-in-the-Middle-of-Family-Fights-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

I’m Sick of Getting Stuck in the Middle of Family Fights. What Now?

By Conflict, In-laws & Family No Comments

Do you often get stuck in the middle of family fights? It’s challenging to be pulled into a conflict of any kind, but especially when it’s family. Maybe there’s conflict between your spouse and a family member or disagreements between relatives. Your family trusts you as a mediator or voice of reason, but that might mean you play referee regularly. Getting stuck in a family fight means you feel pressured to pick sides. But when it comes to our own families, we rarely have objectivity. You love the people on both sides of the conflict, you want them to get…

Read More
I-Want-My-Spouse-To-Agree-With-Me-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

I Want My Spouse To Agree With Me. Is That So Wrong?

By Conflict No Comments

Should spouses agree on everything? When you love someone, you naturally want them to agree with you in all areas. Unfortunately, that’s not realistic. No matter how compatible two people are, they will never align on every issue. It’s normal to crave full agreement from your spouse, especially when it comes to the issues that matter most to you. But when you cross the line from simply desiring agreement to trying to force it, problems can arise in your marriage. If disagreements with your spouse make you feel anxious, keep reading–let’s talk about it. Love Allows for Individuality First, when…

Read More
How-Do-I-Keep-My-Spouse-From-Staring-at-the-Opposite-Sex-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

How Do I Keep My Spouse From Staring at the Opposite Sex?

By Conflict, Marriage 2 Comments

Can you stop your spouse from staring at the opposite sex? It’s a pretty common problem among couples: one spouse spots an attractive person, and they have a hard time looking away. What can you do to put a stop to that? Is it even possible? It can feel threatening for our spouse to notice another person’s appearance. But it’s a part of nature. We enjoy beauty, and as humans, we’re going to notice an attractive person from time to time. So how should we handle that? Is It Noticing or Staring? There’s a difference between noticing someone’s appearance and…

Read More
Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme-My-Spouse-Cheated-and-I-Want-To-Know-Why

My Spouse Cheated, and I Want To Know Why. Is That Too Much to Ask?

By Conflict, Intimacy No Comments

If your spouse has ever cheated, then you know how gut-wrenching infidelity is. You might also know how hard it can be to get your spouse to tell you why they had an affair. In these situations, hearing, “I don’t know why it happened,” is nothing short of frustrating. If you don’t know why an affair happened, is it possible to move forward in your marriage? And is it too much to ask your spouse what led to this? Let’s talk about it. Your Spouse Might Not Deeply Understand Their Affair First, understand that your spouse might not grasp all…

Read More
Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme-My-Spouse-Lied-About-Debt-Before-We-Got-Married

My Spouse Lied About Debt Before We Got Married. What Now?

By Conflict One Comment

Did your spouse lie about the debt they were bringing into your marriage? Secret debt is a common, unfortunate scenario for couples. And it’s understandable why you might be angry. After all, your spouse withheld information that impacts you financially. There’s still hope if you’re facing the difficult situation of uncovering a debt deception. You certainly have a challenge to overcome. The good news is that it’s possible to solve the problem while rebuilding trust. Why Did Your Spouse Hide Their Debt? People hide their debt for many different reasons. One of the most straightforward answers is that people tend…

Read More
Help-Im-Afraid-of-Fighting-With-My-Spouse-Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme

Help! I’m Afraid of Fighting With My Spouse

By Conflict No Comments

Are you afraid of fighting with your spouse? Maybe you’re one of those people who’s hardwired to value harmony. You recoil at the thought of conflict, and avoid getting into an argument with anyone–especially the person you love most. The idea of fighting makes you feel insecure and fearful. It can be scary to put your feelings out there when you’re upset. What if it changes your relationship in some fundamental way? What if your spouse becomes angry with you? What if the conflict escalates? The thing is, there’s greater risk in holding your feelings inside and leaving issues unresolved….

Read More
Symbis-Blog-900x200-meme-Better-Communication-Better-Love-Forgiveness-and-Conflict-Resolution

Better Communication, Better Love: Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution

By Communication, Conflict 2 Comments

Forgiveness and conflict resolution are crucial components of good communication. That’s true not only in marriage, but across all your relationships. To build a happy marriage with true, lifelong love, you’ll need to be able to not only solve conflicts that arise; you’ll also need to be willing to forgive one another. In this final part of our four-part series on better communication, we’re focusing on how to lovingly resolve conflict and forgive often. Ready to learn more? Let’s jump into it. Listen With Empathy When working through a conflict, it’s important to listen to one another with empathy. Understanding…

Read More