Communication

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…

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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…

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How To Communicate With Your Angry Spouse Without Inflaming The Situation

By Mary Ellen Goggin / November 19, 2020
Man who doesn't know how to communicate with his angry spouse screaming into the phone.

Anger is a difficult bedfellow, both in oneself and in one’s closest relationships. And nowhere is it more potent than in a marriage. Knowing how to communicate with your angry spouse, let alone without making things worse, can be frustrating and even frightening. Anger is a natural emotion. We all experience it and know the…

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How To Talk To Your Spouse About Debt Without Blaming Them

By Mary Ellen Goggin / September 23, 2020
Brick wall with the words "Until Debt Tear Us Apart" written on it.

It’s one of the ugly must-do’s of marriage: figuring out how to talk to your spouse about debt. Whether it got dragged down the aisle like a ball and chain or snowballed after the nuptials, debt is a tough topic. Between student loans, a ginormous, she-can’t-say-no-now engagement ring, and that Pnina Tornai wedding gown, you…

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8 Steps To Improve Communication For A Red-Hot Sex Life

By Mary Ellen Goggin / July 8, 2020
Partially clothed couple embracing.

Sex. It can be a hot and heavy wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, or even a distant memory. But one thing sex is not is “talked about.” At least not easily or frequently enough. And yet, when couples improve communication about sex in marriage and long-term relationships, satisfaction skyrockets in the bedroom. Your overall relationship also improves along with your sex life.…

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7 Essential Tips On Talking About Infidelity With Your Spouse After Someone Cheated

By Mary Ellen Goggin / June 10, 2020
Cat looking up at her people who are discussing infidelity.

The irony of surviving infidelity is that you have to do now what you should have done then. But now you have to do it consciously, conscientiously, and consistently. And you have to do it under the assault of anger, pain, guilt, shame, regret, fear, sadness, and emotional fatigue. Communication now has make-or-break importance. Talking…

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What It Means When You Stop Communicating With Your Spouse

By Mary Ellen Goggin / January 6, 2020
when you stop communicating with spouseing

You didn’t see it coming. You probably can’t even pinpoint how or when the shutdown began. And you certainly don’t know why it happened. But suddenly you and your spouse aren’t talking about more than basics. The irony is that, when you stop communicating with your spouse, communication is needed more than ever. Perhaps you…

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How To Communicate With Your Spouse After An Affair

By Mary Ellen Goggin / November 29, 2019
how to communicate with your spouse after an affair

The revelation of infidelity, whether by disclosure or discovery, is a life-shattering event. It can elicit emotions and reactions you never thought you were capable of. And talking about the affair might be paralyzing to you both. The irony of the topic “communication after an affair” is that marriages vulnerable to infidelity are often characterized…

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