Reading Corner

Links related to the weekly posts.

 

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This week, we wrote about why it’s important to show gratitude and give thanks in your relationships. There are a number of very interesting studies showing positive results from expressing gratitude.

Gratitude: the simple way to make your relationship better and happier “Research studies have found that people who focus on things they were grateful for feel better about their lives, more optimistic and experience health benefits compared to those who looked at their daily irritations or just recall events that didn’t affect them positively or negatively. Gratitude helps people experience positive emotions and get even more pleasure from good experiences. Importantly expressing thankfulness helps people deal with life’s struggles more positively, it can even be a great coping mechanism. There are physical benefits too: better health, sleep, increased energy levels, easing of depressive symptoms and more.”

Why It’s Important to Give Thanks in Your Relationship “Wood et al propose that gratitude is important to a relationship not only because it fosters positive feelings between partners, but also because it recognizes the importance of your partner as a “person.” In the Strong Relationship Model (SRM), the underlying framework of the research, when you acknowledge what your partner does for you, this reinforces the idea that your partner is more than an object—not just someone who is there to satisfy your own needs and wishes.”

Giving thanks can make you happier “With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

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This week in our blog, we discussed how important it is to see the other’s viewpoint in your relationship. Here are some articles written about different aspects of this topic.

Learning to See Things From Your Partner’s Point of View “What we really want is to be truly understood. And to be really seen by the person we care about. To find someone who can read our minds and meet our needs. To find true love and intimacy that lasts a lifetime…. But despite our deep longing to be connected with the one we choose to be with, Happy Ever After rarely happens. Most often, when one partner is angry, the other person becomes angry back or shuts down. During conflict, the two partners disconnect from each other. The relationship suffers as people become disillusioned with their partner.”

The Importance of Taking the Perspective of Others “In order to resolve conflict constructively, so that all parties are satisfied with the outcome, a person must be able to hold all the opposing ideas, positions, and perspectives in mind at the same time and still function effectively. Successful problem-solving and conflict resolution largely depends on a person’s ability to take the opponent’s cognitive and affective perspectives and understand how the conflict appears to the other person and how that person is reacting emotionally and attitudinally.”

Embracing the Perspective of Your Wife, Husband or Romantic Partner “Learning to understand and appreciate your wife, husband, or romantic partner’s perspective is an essential skill. Your mutual happiness depends on seeing and feeling what life is like from the perspective of your mate. Couples that fail to empathetically embrace their mate’s perspective, his or her way of perceiving the world, remain unhappy.”

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This week, we wrote about why it’s important to know your truth and share it in your relationships. It’s an essential part of good relationships, and here is some good advice on ways to do this.

The Power of Speaking Our Truth in Intimate Relationships “People say that truth is subjective. It is. People say that the truth will set you free. And it does. People say many thing about the truth but not many really speak theirs. Sadly, this is a huge missed opportunity for radical and authentic self-expression. But what’s worse is that not speaking our truth stands in the way of having deep and meaningful relationships. We don’t realise that by not sharing our truth, we deprive ourselves of what we most value: love.”

Building Intimacy: How to Speak your Truth in Relationship “From my own past personal experience and my work with clients, I see communication as one of the biggest areas for improvement in intimacy. When needs and feelings go unspoken, especially over long periods of time, fertile ground is created for misunderstanding and feelings of hurt between the two precious people in a relationship.”

Speaking Your Truth to Live a Life of Authenticity “Do you find it easier to talk about speaking your truth than actually doing it? Speaking up and speaking your truth is an essential aspect of living a life of passion, fulfillment, and authenticity. However, we struggle to find ways to speak our truth for many of us, myself included. Not too long ago, I was talking to a friend who told me a poignant and powerful story about speaking his truth.”

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This week, we talked about how listening without giving advice is good for your relationships. Here are a variety of articles on how to improve your listening skills.

How to Be a Better Listener in Your Relationship “The foundation of successful communication is being able to truly listen to each other, without “constructing a counter argument in your head,” says Michael Batshaw, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and relationship expert. In other words, the first step to being a better listener to your partner is to actually listen to learn from them, not to respond to them.”

7 Ways to Improve Communication in Relationships “We love connecting with other people because it makes us happy—good communication is the key when it comes to positive social interaction. But what does a healthy conversation look like? How can you avoid over-communicating? And how can you improve communication in a romantic relationship? Read on for a summary of some important models and theories in the field of communication.”

What Is Active Listening? “Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them. It requires being an active participant in the communication process. In communication, active listening is important because it keeps you engaged with your conversation partner in a positive way. It also makes the other person feel heard and valued. This skill is the foundation of a successful conversation in any setting—whether at work, at home, or in social situations.”

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This week, we wrote about how conscious intention can lead to peace in your relationships, and have found some interesting articles that explore and reinforce this idea.

How to Co-Create a Conscious Relationship: 3 Spiritual Practices “For us, a conscious relationship is accessed any moment we decide to exist as two wholes sharing a path. It’s a state we feel when we: are responsible for own happiness and “stuff”; see each other through compassionate eyes; create space for honesty, accountability, and vulnerability; and, accept and appreciate one another for who we are (without trying to change each other). The predominant feeling generated by this state of consciousness is joy, peace, love, and empowerment.”

Love vs. Fear “Kübler-Ross argues that all other emotions exist under these two primary emotions: either an emotion comes from a place of fear or a place of love. These core emotions underlie every other emotion we have. Love and fear are opposites. Love breeds positive emotions like joy, peace, and satisfaction. Fear breeds negative emotions like anger, guilt, and sadness. Love and fear cannot coexist. As opposites, love and fear cannot be felt at the same time.”

Conscious Listening: How listening to understand can lead to relationship and life success “Active listening is a great way to start focusing more on when, where, how, and why people say what they say with the objective of improving communication and relationships. Conscious listening takes it to the next level. While you will still be reaping the same benefits that you would from active listening, such as improved communication and relationships, with conscious listening, you’ll also gain a greater capacity to truly understand whoever you are listening to.”

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