Right now, the splits in our society are more profound and more palpable than ever, and we are faced with what appears to be unsolvable conflicts. How can we get out of this polarization and bridge the divide?
Category: Relationship Coaching
How To Talk to Each Other When We Are Mad
Have you ever felt too angry to speak to a family member, friend, or your partner? Or you could sense that they were mad at you, and you avoided them out of fear of having a conflict? How do you get past the anger and have a productive and heart-open conversation?
Break-Up: “I Still Miss My Ex!”
Have you experienced a breakup of a love relationship and you are still trying to come to terms with it? Any major life change requires us to find our footing again and to refocus on making new joyful memories. Let’s look at what is going on when you still miss your ex and how you can best navigate this post-breakup terrain.
Family Triangles
Triangles occur in all kinds of families and are a very destructive force for relationships. More and more people these days get divorced and remarry. Stepfamilies have a built-in potential for jealousy, competition, loyalty conflicts, and the creation of painful triangles. That experience can go hand-in-hand with one partner being unable to find their voice in these triangles and being caught between the loved ones in their life.
What Does it Take for Pandemic Relationships to Last?
The pandemic has been a real stress test for relationships. Most couples encounter different issues regarding finances, health, and family over the course of their relationship or marriage. But whereas in the past those challenges would have come up slowly over time, COVID forced new partners to confront them from the start. At the same time, a lot of stress that normally affects relationships through “third party interactions” was removed through the artificiality of the bubble.
As we are looking ahead, we need to ask how couples can maintain healthy boundaries with others and show up as a unit with third parties, including the extended family?
Why Your Sex Life Is Affected – and What You Can Do
Recent studies have shown that couples have been experiencing a drop in the frequency and quality of sex during the pandemic. Why is that and what can couples do?
How to Talk to Your Partner About Money Without Getting Into an Argument
Can you talk openly and comfortably with your partner about money? Our attitudes towards money are often based in our childhood experiences and the money beliefs we have learned. It starts with understanding what motivates you and your partner to save and spend. Then you can work towards changing any limiting financial beliefs or limiting emotional connections to be able to work towards the same goals.
Relationship Conflicts – 8 Agreements for a Fair Fight
Having conflicts or disagreements does not indicate that a relationship is in trouble. What is essential is to address disagreements consciously and communicate well with each other when we have a dispute. Here are 8 agreements to set up with your partner regarding a fair fight.
Expressing Empathy
When we connect and express empathy, we are making a huge difference for others, especially in today’s world. What can we say to express interest, empathy, and care?
EXPRESSING CRITICISM: How Do We Phrase a Successful I-Statement?
When expressing our thoughts and feelings we need to use I-statements. Unfortunately, an “I statement” can also be twisted into criticism. Here are three examples of how to phrase successful I-Statements that do not make the other person defensive.
Turning Feelings of Guilt into Gratitude
Have you felt bad or guilty because you seem to have it much better than others, perhaps better than your partner or another family member? How do we turn these feelings of guilt into something useful and beneficial?
To Fall in Love, Ask These 36 Questions
In 1997 psychologist Dr. Arthur Aron explored whether intimacy between two strangers could be accelerated by having them ask each other 36 increasingly more personal questions. In 2015, Aron’s questions went viral starting with New York Times journalist Mandy Len Catron, who used the 36 questions in a self-experiment and did indeed fall in love with a stranger. That made me curious if this set of questions would be a good dating tool and what other applications they might have.