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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
How you and your spouse interact with one another largely determines the health of your marriage. Whether you’re resolving conflict or simply engaging in regular communication, it’s so important for the two of you to pay close attention to how you affect each other. Knowing your effect on your spouse starts with being self-aware. In communication, your self-awareness can help you understand whether you’re often more responsive or reactive when you communicate. Responding well to your spouse, rather than reacting to them, can make all the difference in your daily interactions, and especially during conflict resolution. In this article, we’re…
Do your spouse’s friends make you feel bad about yourself? It’s incredibly painful when your spouse’s friends belittle, make fun of you, or otherwise treat you in a way that makes you feel inferior. Not only is it wrong of them; it hurts when your spouse doesn’t seem to notice how you’re feeling. So how are you supposed to handle this situation? Friendship dynamics that make you feel badly about yourself must be addressed between you and your spouse. If this situation is left to fester unresolved, it will continue to erode your self-worth. Ultimately, it will negatively impact your…
Do you and your spouse disagree on politics, social issues, or other deeply-held beliefs? As individuals, we’re deeply impacted by how we see the world around us. Maybe we’re passionate about certain issues or causes, and we don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with our spouse. Sometimes, these beliefs and opinions could be totally at odds. We’ve all experienced and observed heated conversations and disagreements about political and social issues. These exchanges can leave us feeling upset and depleted. If you’ve found yourself in that position with your spouse, it can be incredibly uncomfortable. The question is, can spouses with different political…