Blog
How to Interrupt the Pattern on Repetitive Arguments
You know what types of arguments or disagreements you and your partner have on a regular basis. You can almost see the storm brewing a mile away once it starts to play out (again), but it seems inevitable. It can leave you both feeling shutdown and hopeless. What do you do when your ingrained ‘differences in perspective’ lead to an all out thrown down fight? And even more so: what can you do when that argument is on repeat in your relationship?
First Therapy Experience
Therapy usually does not look like a scheduled, perfect list of things to check off. It changes and swerves, and you may leave feeling better one day, confused the next, relieved the next, resentful the next, empowered the next. All of it is a win. It’s all progress. It’s all healing. Just keep coming. Just keep talking. You’re doing great. And you’re being rooted on the whole way.
Common Issues Couples Fight Over Series: Part 5
It seems like every one of the posts in this series (Things Couples Fight Over) keeps coming back to one thing: our culture. Roles and responsibilities of a husband and wife are drastically shifted from what they were 100 years ago. While many of these changes are obviously positive and every couple is different, some cultural expectations put unnecessary subconscious pressure on us. We should not be looking to our culture as a healthy model for what marriage should look like. If the world was doing it right, there would be far more happy longterm marriages.
Self Care vs. Selfishness
How do we take care of ourselves if we continue to believe that choosing to make ourselves a priority is selfish? Let us help clear up some things. Usually when sharing the importance of choosing to invest in yourself, a comment response is “but isn’t that selfish?” This has us looking at what TRUE self-care is. Culture teaches us that it’s face masks and fancy vacations, when really, it’s anything that is life-giving to you.
How to prepare for autumn
Like it or hate it, fall and winter are coming to western Pennsylvania. Though I personally love this time of year and what’s to come, I recognize that it can feel difficult for many people. Seasonal depression tends to coincide with the ever decreasing daytime. Cold weather often causes people to spend more time indoors, resulting in feelings of isolation or boredom. Still others simply have negative connotations in relation to cold, hibernation time or the holiday season.
Common Issues Couples Fight Over Series: Part 4
Intimacy and/or sex are almost always included in the top 3 things couples fight about the most. Perhaps this is because we were never really taught how to navigate such delicate matters…intimacy is, afterall, a very intimate topic to talk discuss!
Over the years, many couples tend to for get about the importance of intimacy and take it for granted. As life gets in the way of dating, intimacy is not prioritized and becomes non-existent. This is how once loving, married couples turn into roommates who are coexisting.
Common Issues Couples Fight Over Series: Part 3
Finances
I don’t know many couples who have not at least bickered about money at some point, especially starting out. Whether it’s mismatched expectations about roles and income, overspending, hoarding or shame, EVERYONE has baggage around money. When two people come together as one in marriage, financial beliefs often clash in some way.
Common Issues Couples Fight Over Series: Part 2
How We Spend Time Apart
Spending time apart in a healthy way is under the assumption that you are already first prioritizing quality time together. From there, the way you spend time alone should be nourishing for your soul. ‘Alone time’ doesn’t mean running errands by yourself or catching up on household projects. Spending time apart should be an intentional and mutual choice based on each individual’s needs. Here are a few ways to assure that your time apart doesn’t turn into wasted time or arguments.
Common Issues Couples Fight Over Series: Part 1
How We Spend Time Together
Without any guilt or judgement, take a moment to honestly consider the following question: in a given week on average, how much time do you devote to spending uninterrupted quality one-on-one time with your partner?
9 times out of 10, in an unhealthy or unhappy relationship, that amount of time is negligible. How you choose to spend time together or not spend time together is truly a barometer for your relationship.
How to make big decisions
When you reach a crossroads in life, how do you know what to do next? Read on for 5 concrete steps to help you navigate huge life decisions…
