Archive for relationship
How to keep your Body Image from Hurting The Relationship
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Are you the type of person that stands in front of the mirror reviewing your body? Do you scrutinize every little detail that you hate on your body, such as your “hello kitty” arms, or your “used-to-be-so-flat-mommy-belly?” Do you find that know matter how many times you hear from your partner that he loves your body, or comments from others that you are tiny, it just doesn’t seem to be enough? Are you destroying your relationship because you are facing a struggle with your body? This body image can get in the way of dating and maintaining relationships.
Relationships tend to suffer severely when you become engulfed in your self image. The endless hours of exercise and self absorption can prevent you from connecting to your loved one. Read More→
Are Wedding Bells About to Ring? Don’t Forget to Invest in Your Marriage
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It’s incredible the amounts of money people spend on weddings and why not, it’s an unforgettable and hopefully life-lasting union between two people who love and are committed to each other. What is interesting is how few people choose to invest in premarital education. Relationships require work to remain vibrant and healthy. I suspect what happens is that most couples, fully engulfed in the love and romance of the honeymoon stage, don’t consider for a moment that they might have things come up between them down the line. My suggestion is to pack as many tools in your marriage toolbox as possible to assist you down the line when life throws you a curve ball – which it will at some point. Read More→
By Jennine Estes, MFT
Is Facebook helping or hurting your relationship?
On a weekly basis I have clients sitting on my therapy couch and sharing how Facebook was involved in some part of their relationship. Some state that they use Facebook when they are feeling insecure in the relationship; investigating their partner’s activity with others, combing through the friends list in search for a red-flag person, searching for signs that the relationship is off-track, or looking for inappropriate comments. Other clients have stated that they watch their partner’s (or soon to be partner) relationship status as a sign of whether their relationship is in tack, broken-up, or in the works. Other people use it to keep an eye on their ex, to look up a crush, to share their relationship’s dirty laundry, or to addicted to the online banter, etc. The list is endless!
Facebook isn’t the problem….it is the relationship dynamics and our human reactions that get in the way.
Here are a few tips on how to prevent your relationship from getting hurt through the use of Facebook: Read More→
Sex Advice: How Sex Doesn’t Need to be a Chore
Posted by: | CommentsLadies….Sex Doesn’t Need to be a “chore!”
Countless women across the world feel as if sex is more like a job and less of a special bonding time. When sex feels like a requirement or an expectation, the desire to be intimate can quickly dwindle away. Not only can it feel like a job, the ongoing pressures and the mental “to-do” list over take the mind and become a prominent thought. Even further, woman experience sex as a hassle, avoids the topic at all cost, is self conscious of their body, and/or dislikes the sexual act itself. Does this sound familiar?
The physical bond of intimacy is the rawest form of feeling attached and connected for couples. But what happens to relationships when sex feels like a job? This job-like view of sex eliminates the special connection, it prevents women from enjoying the experience, and it builds distance between two people. Good news, sex doesn’t have to be a job, work, or a chore! Read More→
Relationship Advice: How to Cope with Conflict and Stress
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A man and woman are in the car coming home from dinner with their 3 year old asleep in the back seat. They get into the on-going discussion that goes in circles, gets them no where. They both become agitated because neither one feels heard, and the more they try to work out the issue, the more hurt and angry both become. They arrive home; husband goes upstairs to watch television to zone out and decompress. After putting the child to bed, the wife goes into the kitchen; she begins to clean dishes, she angrily thinks about how “he still doesn’t get it” and “how come he won’t simply come downstairs and talk to me.” Read More→
Intimacy Advice: 10 Tips Using Feng Shui for Love in the Bedroom
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Where you live and work has an incredible effect on your health and well being. According to the EPA People on average; spend at least 87% of their time indoors. This is why creating peaceful and harmonious environments is so important.
Here are some Feng Shui tips for your bedroom to make sure your environment is supportive and loving for your relationships: Read More→
Relationship Advice: How to Damage your Relationship
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I decided to spice this relationship blog up a bit and give you the ways that you can damage your relationship. Instead of writing about what not to do, now you get to hear about what can HURT your relationship. Go through the following list and see what things you might be doing that may damage the bond. Read More→
More Sex? Here are a Few Tips to Spice up the Bedroom Intimacy
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Work, kids, dinner, cleaning, bills, errands, social life …the list is endless. One of our society’s theme for life is “keep working, keep doing.” It is very helpful for business, yet can creating more of a “routine” in the bedroom. Simply because life has a routine, doesn’t mean the intimacy needs to be on autopilot.
Here are a few tips to spice up the bedroom connection: Read More→
Couples Advice: How Control Causes the Opposite Effect in Relationships
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Several summers ago my husband I went to a local ski resort (yes, in the summer) where we went up the lifts, and then down the tails on our mountain bikes. It was a beautiful vista, with a bright clear sky, wind blowing at our face, and nature surrounding us. It was a beautiful day. Then my husband pushed me to my limits…by having me ride my mountain bike down narrow and rocky trails. I was terrified. I was afraid of getting hurt, so I tried my best to control the bike and the speed. The faster I went, the more fear I felt, and the more I tried to control the speed. The more speed, the more I had to use the brakes. Well, the more breaking you do going down a steep mountain with rocks, the more dangerous it becomes. I learned quickly…the more breaking, the more the bike seemed out of control.
I share this story to illustrate a common theme I see in relationships. The more we try to control uncomfortable situations, the more dangerous they become. Read More→
Rekindling the Romance: Easy Ways You can get Your Relationship Back on Track
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We all know the story. On your wedding day, you are absolutely in love with your soon to be spouse. Most couples often feel a sense of absolute happiness, love, connection, and excitement. You may not look back on your wedding day with those exact feelings… but the next part of this story may sound more familiar. The bond probably seemed so tight that nothing could pull it apart…but, you learned otherwise. What happened to that bond after many years of routine and added responsibility such as children, work, bills, cleaning, health, and all of life’s other little obstacles? Somewhere the relationship got moved to the “back burner” and just surviving day-to-day life became the central focus. While you were living the daily American routine of working too much and trying to cope with Life’s ongoing struggles, the romance that sparked the marriage began to diminish.
I am going to teach you what you already know; marriage doesn’t have to be routine, boring and dry. It may not be easy, and it may not always be fun. How you experience saving your relationship often depends on…. Yes, you guessed it…You. Hopefully you and your significant other are both trying to fix things, but right now, this is about You. The following quick tips will help You get the romance to spark again: Read More→
conflicting couples, affairs, communication struggles, etc.