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?
Category: Relationship Coaching
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.
Asked and Answered – How to End a Child’s Nagging
Children are smart and persistent. Their begging or nagging can drive us crazy. It just takes a weak moment when we are tired to get worn down and give in. How can we stop this habit of nagging quickly and efficiently while staying loving and calm?
Her 90th Birthday – A Mother’s Legacy
If my mom was still alive, she would have turned 90 just recently. There are many ways in which we can process a loss and carry on a loved one’s legacy. They might have taught us something or embody something worth continuing. Or there are things they have done or not done that you decide to do differently. That, too, is their gift to you. In fact, both might be the case. Processing a loss often includes being comfortable with ambiguity.
MARRIAGE: Tired of Arguments and Unsolvable Problems
COVID-19 has created an unusual situation for our marriages and close love relationships. Suddenly many couples were forced to live and work in close quarters, often struggling with financial hardships and worried about their health, about educating and entertaining their children at home and about the future in general. The close and constant proximity has highlighted their differences and accentuated their conflicts and doubts to a point where the pressure has become unbearably painful.
The COVID-19 Situation Challenges Our Beliefs, Emotions and Relationships. How PSYCH-K® and Other Tools Can Help.
The COVID-19 situation has disrupted our daily routines, affected our finances and is challenging our relationships. The crisis has changed everything we used to consider “normal”. This exceptional situation is an opportunity to work on our fears, learn how to release our emotions and improve our relationships, especially our closest partnerships or marriages. Here are some examples for subconscious beliefs we might need to change, emotions we might need to release or conversations we might want to have.