Relationships

How To Gain Self-Respect In A Relationship

By Mary Ellen Goggin / November 15, 2021
Cracked wall painted with with the word respect sloppily stenciled on it.

Relationships. They draw us in, bind us together, dangle possibilities before our star-struck eyes. They also expose us for who we are and can be. Relationships strip us to the nakedness of vulnerability – that iffy space that can both heal and hurt. Do you find yourself or lose yourself? Do you know how to…

Read More

How To Maintain Your Self-Esteem In Relationships

By Mary Ellen Goggin / September 18, 2021
Sign stating "You are worthy of love."

And the two shall become one. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Put others’ needs before your own. And so the song of self-surrender is sung…while the task of maintaining self-esteem in relationships is left to the self-help DIYers. The irony of relationships, and especially marriage, is that they are so…

Read More

What You Need To Know About Surviving Financial Infidelity

By Mary Ellen Goggin / August 30, 2021
Brick wall with the words "Until Debt Tear Us Apart" written on it.

Mention the word “infidelity,” and thoughts immediately go to the bedroom and clandestine sexual rendezvous. But there are other forms of betrayal that can be just as difficult to repair. Money, for example, represents far more than a means to an end in a marriage. And surviving financial infidelity can be just as difficult as…

Read More

7 Signs A Woman Is Unhappy In Her Marriage

By Mary Ellen Goggin / August 3, 2021
Depressed woman laying in a fetal position on her unmade bed.

When marriage hits a dry spell, you may both feel what you can’t necessarily define, let alone explain. If you’re a husband, would you recognize the signs a woman is unhappy in her marriage? And, if you’re a wife, would you even recognize the signs in yourself? Inevitably, the unhappiness of one partner will affect…

Read More

Nagging Power in Relationships

By Mary Ellen Goggin / July 15, 2021
Nagging Power in Relationships

No one likes to be nagged. Anyone who’s been on the receiving end of nagging power will probably tell you that without nagging the world would be a better place. And so would their lives.  Yet, despite its bad reputation, nagging works; it often gets things done, can uncover an unhelpful relationship dynamic or an…

Read More

4 Tips For Surviving His Infidelity While Maintaining Your Self-Respect

By Mary Ellen Goggin / May 4, 2021
Sad woman standing outside in the dark.

Boom. Just like that. In an instant of discovery, your life is forever changed. And now, not only do you need a miracle for surviving his infidelity, you need one for maintaining your self-respect, too. This concept of self-respect is often overlapped with and even mistaken for self-esteem. And, while the two are definitely related,…

Read More

How To Talk To Your Spouse About Resentment Without Starting An Argument

By Mary Ellen Goggin / April 28, 2021
Woman sitting on her bed feeling resentful.

It doesn’t make sense, really. Somehow, beneath the blood-boiling seething, you’re supposed to know how to talk to your spouse about resentment. That’s right. Talk about the resentment in your marriage, but don’t show resentment or start an argument. It’s a tall order when you think about it. You need to get this bitter indignation…

Read More

How To Talk With Your Spouse Respectfully So You Can Both Be Heard

By Mary Ellen Goggin / March 10, 2021
Couple having coffee while respectfully talking

One of the best things about marriage is that you can be comfortable “being yourself.” One of the worst things about marriage is that you can be comfortable “being yourself.” And if that irony elicits a knowing chuckle, you’re not alone. Perhaps, in all that “comfort,” you have forgotten how to talk with your spouse…

Read More