Communication
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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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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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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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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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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Falling in love is so exciting. Yet, it can also nerve-racking. Thanks to all those hormones of lust, attraction, and attachment, those in the falling phase may not be, shall we say, fully grounded. If you are still in that airborne state, you have probably convinced yourself you “can talk about anything.” The possibility that…
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Everything about relationships seems to come back to communication. There’s the verbal, the non-verbal, the implied, the assumed, the implicit. And, if you’re not paying attention, there are the proverbial ships that pass in the night. Learning how to communicate more with your spouse is the most important effort you can make to keep your…
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Marriage challenges us to learn about the ways our most reflexive communicative patterns and habits might be getting in the way of relationship harmony. And nothing is more consistently challenging than communicating responsibly in the face of intense emotions. If you are married, the stakes are high for you to learn how to communicate with…
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