on managing frustration with your spouse
It is inevitable that you will get frustrated, angry, and even rageful with your spouse at some point in your relationship. Anger is tricky because the brain releases dopamine when you get angry, and the dopamine rush can easily become addictive.
growing resentment about chores?
It was clear that resentment was building on both sides, with each partner feeling like they were doing so much yet not being acknowledged for it.
8 creative date night ideas
The happiest couples I know are the ones who make an effort to keep the romance alive. In other words, they put deposits into the relationship account when life so often takes withdrawals.
the seasons of marriage
Marriages have seasons. If you've been in winter for many years and have created an iceberg, do not underestimate the power of the sun to help melt the ice and bring the connection back into your marriage.
Spending Valentine’s alone? Read this
While so much of my coaching and writing revolves around relationships and how to make the most of your communication and connection, it’s also important to acknowledge that a huge part of relationships is the one with yourself.
2 useful relationship check-in tools
We are often so distracted and busy, juggling a million balls, spending too much time on Instagram or Netflix or email, that we forget we can just talk about things.
Alcohol and Relationships
In my therapy practice, I find that couples have worse fights if either or both have been drinking.
Merry Complicated Christmas
They say Disney is the happiest place on earth and Christmas is their most loved holiday… but are they really?!
when your friend vents about their spouse
It’s easy to take sides when you get that call from your bestie, letting the swear words fly:…
what to say
Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say, especially when someone tells you something that’s intense, scary, sad, or awful.
5 rules to make splitting chores easier
If you’re living with your spouse or long term partner, chances are you have figured out a way to negotiate chores around the house. Chances are also that some of the chores or the delegation of them can cause arguments or friction between the two of you.
Thinking about getting divorced?
I can’t tell you how often friends of mine and clients share similar stories of jumping to the idea of divorce after a fight. While divorce can be a viable option in some cases, it often doesn’t have to be.
finances + your relationship
There are many people out there (maybe even you?) who don’t know what’s going on with their finances. Oftentimes the financial responsibility falls onto one of the spouses in a couple, while the other stays in the dark.
Life and relationships are full of transitions
It’s common to struggle during these times of transition. We resist the change. We want to hold onto summer, to our single life, to the kids before they leave for college…
is couples therapy a sign of failure?
In my experience, therapy can be preventative medicine, not just for when things go wrong. It’s a way to create flow, ease, understanding, and learning about your partner.
find a little help from your friends
Who you marry is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, but the friends we make and keep are equally important.
a month without kids, continued
Having space without the kids means going back to the time before you were married before you had all these responsibilities, when you could actually date each other AND enjoy downtime alone.
Go ahead, have an affair
What if we dated our spouses once a week and had an affair with them instead of with someone outside of the relationship?
Men don’t cry?
Feelings are never going to be logical. They are a sensation that comes with an emotion that has a chemical response in our bodies. And it’s a good thing to feel them!
What’s really underneath anger
You don’t mean to yell at your husband when he buys the wrong chicken, but you do because you’re having people for dinner and you’re under stress and now it’s too late to follow the recipe you had in mind. You get angry and you show it.