My husband and I attended premarital counseling before we got married. Finding the right counselor was a process. We attended a few sessions with one counselor, and after that counselor made a comment I found offensive, we decided he wasn’t the best fit (actually, I decided for us). After lots of research and phone calls, we finally found another counselor. I liked him a … [Read more...]
Here Are 5 Good Reasons to Stay in Your Marriage
Some things in life are worth fighting for, while others just aren’t. The decision about whether or not you should fight for something can be an easy one, but that usually isn’t the case. Usually, making that decision is tough. There’s often a lot to consider, and it can be hard to differentiate between what seems easiest and what’s actually best. So what do you do when the … [Read more...]
Marriage on the Rocks? How to Overcome these 3 Major Therapy Misconceptions
It’s been months since you’ve felt like things in your marriage are off. Maybe something happened and you haven’t worked through it, or maybe you can’t even pinpoint what’s wrong but you just aren’t happy. It happens to the best of us. We start married life on a high (or at least we should), but with time that high can fade. Life happens. Things change. So what do you do … [Read more...]
3 Pieces of Bad Relationship Advice People Always Share But You Should Never Take
Relationships often come with unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes they lead us in a direction that strengthens our relationship with very little effort on our part, but it’s not always that easy. The twists and turns can be complicated, leaving us feeling like we need an outside party to help guide the way. Frankly, there is nothing wrong with seeking help for your … [Read more...]
8 Things You Need to Accept for Your Marriage to Work
Years ago, when I started dating my now spouse, I would get so annoyed because he had such a hard time planning things in advance. Now, we have been married for almost seven years, and guess what? He still has a hard time planning things in advance. Do I still get annoyed? Not as often, but occasionally I do. Over time I have come to realize that many of the problems that … [Read more...]
3 Signs that It’s Time to Get Some Help for Your Troubled Marriage
It’s unfortunate, but many people don’t seek help for their marriages because they believe they can manage things on their own. It may seem noble to decide that you can put in the work to improve your marriage without anyone else being involved, but it’s rarely that simple. There is nothing noble about refusing help when you actually need it. Sure, there are relationship … [Read more...]
Should You Beg Your Partner to Stay?
The beautiful thing about marriage, at least in our culture, is that two people have mutually decided they love each other so much, they want to spend the rest of their lives together. They go into this commitment knowing that things won’t be perfect, and that times will get tough, but they feel confident that they have what it takes to stay the course and make their marriage … [Read more...]
My First Bout with Depression was Caught by My Mother: Mental Health Awareness Month
I know this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month but did you know it is also Mental Health Awareness Month? Well, unfortunately not enough is said or done on this subject and because of that people suffer and struggle in silence until it is often too late. In recent months we have heard of several celebrities that have made the decision to take their own lives because of … [Read more...]
Your Spouse Is Not Your Therapist
During the course of our marriage, there may have been a time or two when I accused my husband of being uncaring when I was going through some major life changes, or dealing with lingering bouts of depression. I would want him to step up and claim my problems as his own, to hold me as I cried. There have been many days where I laid all my frustrations and fears and … [Read more...]