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Calling All Married Couples: 5 Habits that May Instantly Improve Your Relationships

January 21, 2020

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC No matter how long you have been in the game – twenty years or just getting ready to tie the knot, there is always something that can be done to improve upon relationships within your life, especially the marital one. These strategies are backed by science and will likely re-kindle romance, generate happiness and satisfaction, while also making partners feel more connected. Life throws us curve balls, and we all know that…

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Working Through Partner Conflicts

January 2, 2020

Danielle Bertini Conflicts are inevitable in all types of relationships. However, whether a fight brings down or builds up the relationship depends on how the couple behaves in the aftermath. There are couples that fight frequently and strongly, only to fall in love harder when things are done. And then there are couples that go cold—not necessarily fighting, but have large amounts of lingering resentment and no progress toward resolving the issues. So what is the best…

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What Constitutes a Healthy Relationship?

December 25, 2019

From a young age, many of us are taught the normal life trajectory is growing up, going to school, getting a job, then getting married and having kids. While this is a normal and acceptable conversation to have, it’s also important to understand what constitutes a healthy relationship and what leans more towards unhealthy or even dangerous. Having an understanding of the warning signs of these relationships is extremely important in ensuring your safety and happiness throughout…

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How to Repair Saying the Wrong Thing

December 8, 2019

Danielle Bertini Have you ever been in an uncomfortable situation of saying the wrong thing? Maybe you asked a friend how their job is going who was just recently fired. Maybe you asked a family member about a relationship that just ended. Even though you apologized for the honest mistake, you can still tell they are hurting. These situations are a common, yet difficult, part of being social creatures. What make these situations different than, say, accidentally…

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3 Ways to Have Healthier Conflict With Your Partner

December 6, 2019

Hannah Hopper Conflict is something that we all experience, yet when it comes to conflict with a loved one or a significant other, emotions can quickly escalate to make us say things that we later regret, or make our argument escalate to being even bigger than the original issue we started with. Remaining calm in a conflict is a huge challenge, and it takes work to keep an argument from spiraling out of control. And while it…

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Early Discovery of Infidelity: Part 3, The Unfaithful Partner

November 21, 2019

This is the third part of a 3-part blog series about the immediate aftermath of both partners in a relationship learning about one partner’s infidelity. This blog, which focuses on the specific experiences of the unfaithful partner, follows considerations for the couple in coping in the immediate aftermath of infidelity and a blog focusing on the hurt partner. While the unfaithful partner is likely experiencing fewer losses at this stage than the hurt partner, the unfaithful partner…

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Early Discovery of Infidelity: Part 2, The Hurt Partner

November 19, 2019

This is the second part of a 3-part blog series about the immediate aftermath of both partners in a relationship learning about one partner’s infidelity. This blog, which focuses on the specific experiences of the hurt partner, follows considerations for the couple in coping with infidelity and precedes a blog focusing on the unfaithful partner. The hurt partner – the partner who learns of their partner’s infidelity – is likely to struggle more intensely immediately after the…

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Early Discovery of Infidelity: Part 1, The Couple

November 17, 2019

This is the first part of a 3-part blog series about the immediate aftermath of both partners in a relationship learning about one partner’s infidelity. This blog will focus on how to cope in the immediate aftermath with considerations for the couple, and the next 2 blogs will focus on the more specific experiences of the hurt partner and the unfaithful partner. There is almost nothing more devastating to the livelihood of a couple than the disclosure…

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How To Manage An Arranged Marriage

October 11, 2019

Believe it or not, arranged marriages are still a thing in many cultures, especially in South Asian cultures. Arranged marriages were very common in the past, in which many children were married to settle some sort of agreements between families. For example, my grandparents were married at the age of 1 and 3, and did not actually live together or anything until they were teenagers. They were arranged due to settling some land without offering money. Even…

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Is Marriage Overrated? Part Two

September 16, 2019

After writing my last post, I could not help but think of ways to address marital isolation and how individuals can become more aware of symptoms of marital isolation within their own marriage. I wanted to elaborate on the significance of understanding your own and your partner’s marital expectations, values, and beliefs. Feeling alone in your marriage, and feeling as though you and your partner on different trajectories is not easy. Transitions are hard and scary but…

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