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Relationships

3 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude During an Unusual Holiday Season

By Marriage, Relationships, Self Reflection 2 Comments

Are you facing an unusual or difficult holiday season this year? If so, it’s important to cultivate gratitude to help you navigate the circumstances and keep your heads above water. Gratitude is an important habit even on the best days, but it becomes even more critical when you’re facing hard times. Today we’re going to show you three ways to cultivate gratitude, no matter what is happening around you this season. Let’s dive right in. 1. Talk about and write down your blessings together. The old adage “count your blessings” is timeless for a reason: it works! Even though you…

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Resent Your Spouse? 5 Ways to Reset

By Conflict, Marriage, Relationships 5 Comments

Resentment is an insidious force that creeps into marriages and cripples them. It’s important to rid your marriage of any resentment that might exist, choosing instead to focus on your love for one another. But sometimes, resentment roots into your attitude toward your spouse anyway, and it takes work to weed it out again. If you feel that you resent your spouse, here are a few ways to hit the reset button. 1. Check in with your hard feelings. How long have your hard feelings been festering? Are you feeling resentful about something that happened long ago, or something more…

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My Spouse’s Old Lie Still Bothers Me. How Do I Let Go?

By Conflict, Marriage, Relationships, Self Reflection 13 Comments

Dishonesty destroys relationships–and not always immediately. Sometimes, a spouse’s past lies can stick with us, doing continual damage over the course of time. If your spouse lied to you in the past and it is still bothering you, there may be several reasons why it’s nagging at you – and ways you can work towards healing. Shattered Expectations When your spouse lies, particularly if they haven’t lied to you before, this experience shatters the expectations you’ve set for your marriage. Married couples aren’t meant to lie to one another. Honesty is foundational to a happy and healthy marriage, so it…

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The Importance of Forgiveness & Resilience in Marriage

By Conflict, Marriage, Relationships One Comment

It’s common for married couples to have high expectations of one another. But, it’s also common for those expectations to be unmet. Unmet expectations can result in anger, sadness, and resentment, all of which put a strain on your marriage. In order to overcome unmet expectations and conflicts that emerge over the course of your relationship, you and your spouse must be both resilient and willing to extend forgiveness. Forgiveness is an essential part of all healthy relationships, and resilience helps us bounce back from hard times. In order to come back from conflict stronger than before, forgiveness is an…

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7 Ways to Prepare for a Not-So-Typical Holiday Season Together

By In-laws & Family, Marriage, Recreation, Relationships No Comments

The holidays are almost here. For many people, the holiday season is an exciting time full of possibilities and celebrations. But for many, holidays are a reminder of difficult times. Still others look forward to their normal traditions, only to be derailed by unexpected circumstances life throws their way. If you find yourself facing down a holiday season that looks nothing like your normal, festive routine, there are some things you and your spouse can do to make it happy and enjoyable for everyone. Let’s dive in. 1. Take stock of your usual holiday traditions. Many of us fall into…

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4 Ways to Grow Closer to Your Spouse This Fall

By Intimacy, Marriage, Recreation, Relationships 7 Comments

The seasons are changing, and we’re headed into fall. Fall is a time of profound change in the natural world as the leaves change color, then drift to the ground. It’s also a time of warmth, gratitude, and giving. There are many ways you and your spouse can use the fall season to draw closer to one another. Let’s look at a few ways you can get cozier with your husband or wife this fall. 1. Play more together. New seasons often mean new opportunities for play. When the weather changes, or when certain sports or activities cycle in, that’s…

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How Your Response to Life Change Affects Your Marriage

By Communication, Marriage, Relationships One Comment

Once you’re married, it doesn’t take much time at all to get a feel for how your and your spouse each respond to life change. How you respond to change can affect your marriage, for better or worse. And it can tell you and your spouse a lot about one another. Some couples experience drastic life changes early on in their marriages, while others might be married a little longer before they do. But every couple will face stressors, upheaval, and unexpected change at some point in their marriage–and maybe more than once. So how do your individual responses to…

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The Ultimate Conflict Resolution Roundup

By Conflict, Marriage, Relationships No Comments

Looking for resources to help you and your spouse with conflict resolution? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve created a roundup of our top posts to help you and your partner navigate conflict. Let’s dive in. Problem Solving Working through problems together is one of the most important things a couple will learn to do over the course of marriage. Here are some tips for solving problems constructively. 4 Tips For Constructively Resolving Conflict With Your Spouse Locked in a disagreement? Not sure what to do next? Here are 4 tips for helping you and your spouse resolve conflict….

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5 Ways Relationship Assessments Can Help You Strengthen Your Love

By Relationships No Comments

One of the most important things you can do for your marriage is to constantly work to cultivate deeper passion, intimacy, and connection with your partner. Relationship assessments are tools you can use to get to know one another better and strengthen your love. Wondering what assessments can do for your relationship? Take a look at some of the major benefits you and your partner will get from diving deeper into your own personalities, and your dynamic as a couple. 1. Explore how each of you engages in conflict. Each person has a different fight style, and it’s likely that…

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Can Marriage Mentors Help with Conflict Resolution?

By Marriage, Relationships 2 Comments

Are you dealing with a conflict in your marriage? Struggling to reach a workable solution–or just stuck in a stalemate? Marriage mentors can provide the support you need to help you and your spouse resolve conflict in your relationship, whether it’s a long- or short-term problem. Married couples face good and bad times throughout their marriages. It’s just a given. But sometimes, we find ourselves locked into an issue we can’t seem to shake. If you and your spouse are going through a hard time, there’s help available. One way to get support for your marriage is by connecting with…

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