Communications Problems in Relationships
When you are in the midst of an argument, it can be really hard to take a step back and listen without interruption. But, statistics tell us that misunderstandings often result from interruptions before a person has had a chance to fully communicate what they are trying to tell you. We think at about 1,000-3,000 […]
Dating Tip: Stress Management Techniques
Don’t you hate it when you are on a date and are feeling nervous? One of the stress management techniques that can help is if you take a quick minute to close your eyes and do some positive visualization. “See” the date going well and envision you and your date laughing and enjoying yourselves. This […]
Blended Family Obstacles
Are you blending step families? This can be a source of conflict from a surprising corner – the prior in-laws! Maybe they are close to your ex-spouse and still feel some loyalty to him or her or perhaps they aren’t giving your new love a chance to prove themselves. Either way, exercise patience. It take […]
Talk Less, Listen More
In personal relationships, as well as in life, most people listen to others with an intent to respond, not with a focus on really listening to what the other person has to say. This is often the area where relationships fail – because people aren’t “hearing” what the other person is telling them! One way […]
Dating Stress? Focus on Fun
On a date and feeling stress? Remember, first of all, that it’s “just” a date! Focus on having fun and getting to know the person you are with, but keep in mind that dating is a process and a chance to learn and grow when connecting to another person. That’s the great thing about dating […]
Step Parenting: Creating a Blended Family
You’ve found the love of your life and are getting married – great! But, if one or both of you have children from a prior marriage or relationship, it can be challenging to combine families. Since statistics show that second marriages have a higher chance of ending in divorce, it is best if you sit […]
Blended Family? Respect the Differences!
It isn’t easy to blend a new couple’s children from a prior marriage or relationship into a cohesive family unit, especially if you go into the “blending” with a goal of trying to duplicate the family you had before. Instead, respect the differences in your new family members and honor your step-children’s individual stages of […]
Family Patterns: Are You “Dating” Your Family?
Have you ever thought about how your family patterns can affect your love life? Strange to think about, but if you look at your past relationships, you often can see a pattern emerging and it generally ties back to the family dynamics you experienced as a child. Maybe your mother was super-neat, and you find […]
In Romance, Be True to Yourself!
Are you settling for less in a relationship? You might be if you find that you are giving up things that are important to you (such as life goals) or you are changing your values for the sake of keeping conflict out of the picture. A relationship should complete you – you shouldn’t have to […]
Stop Settling for Less in Love!
Are you seeing someone who is hyper-critical of you? Maybe you constantly hear that you don’t spend enough time with him or her, or that you should dress differently, or that you need to change just about everything that makes “you” you in order to keep them happy. Whatever it is, know that too much […]
Family Dynamics and Dating
Do you find that you are repeating certain patterns in your dating life and relationships? Look no further than your own family dynamics to see why. Often, we subconsciously look for a mate who can help us resolve issues from our past. For example, if you experienced rejection in your childhood, you may look for […]
Settling For Less? Relationships Take Compromise!
If you are constantly backing away from what you need when interacting with your sweetheart (in other words, you are putting their needs before yours because it’s “just easier” to avoid the conflict you would have to go through in order to get what you want), you are probably settling for less in a relationship! […]