Reading Corner

This week’s blog was on how to improve your relationship with active listening, and here are some interesting articles about that:

How To Get Heard In Your Relationships: The Power Of Active Listening “There is nothing worse than not feeling heard. You’ve probably encountered a bad listener at a party, at work, or even in your personal life. It’s the person who continues to talk without pausing for you to get a word in, and when you do finally get the chance they don’t ask any follow-up questions because they probably didn’t even hear what you said.”

Practicing Active Listening Can Improve Your Relationship “Often partners are convinced that they are excellent listeners. However, when asked, many partners are unable to give an adequate summary of what their partner was saying. Partners aren’t always conscious of their tendency to plan what they are going to say next.”

How to Relearn Listening to Your Spouse “When you have been married for a long time, you may start to wonder what happened to the strong, communicative relationship you used to have. Perhaps you have endured too many fights and accusations that you don’t listen anymore. There are steps you can take to regain your ability and desire to listen to your spouse.”

This week’s blog was on balancing intimacy and individual time, and we have some good articles on that this week:

Relationship Success: Balancing Togetherness and Individuality “A client of mine — during our initial consultation — said the following: “Here’s my issue. When I’m in a relationship, I invest so much of myself into maintaining romance and intimacy that I forget who I am as an individual. How can I balance my personal identity with my identity as a couple?”

Balancing Time Together vs. Apart “But if you think you want to try to have a happier, more satisfying experience of a relationship with another person, it might be worth considering: What kind of time do you need alone? What kind of time do you want together? How can you let the other person know what you need/want?”

Surprise! The REAL Secret To A Great Marriage … Is Time Alone “Stop the presses! We’ve discovered the most important ingredient of a successful marriage! And do you know what it is? The answer is . . . (drum roll, please) . . . alone time!”

This week’s blog was on alienation within your relationship, and what you can do about it. Some articles around that topic:

Rekindle Emotional Intimacy in Your Relationship “Emotional distance is one of the primary complaints of couples that come to my office for marriage counseling. While I think it’s normal for romantic love to wax and wane over time, it’s very uncomfortable to lose that loving feeling for your partner.”

Bridging Emotional Distance “Emotional distance in a relationship can feel like a descent into quicksand: slow and seemingly unstoppable…. Often, you can avoid sinkholes in your relationship merely by watching where you step. Know the communication styles that cause your partner to automatically tense up or withdraw.”

3 Signs Your Relationship is in Trouble “In all relationships there are ebbs and flows; times when you feel closer and times when you feel more distant. You may go through periods when things are going well, and then find yourselves stuck in conflicts and misunderstandings. Recognizing that there are problems is the first step toward finding out what you need to do “

This week’s blog was on what you can take away from a breakup in order to improve your next relationship. We hope you enjoy these.

Breakups and new relationships offer opportunities to break old habits “New relationships also offer the opportunity to go down a different path and this is much easier to do when you have the self-awareness that comes with being willing to learn from the insights gained from your prior relationships. With each relationship you get to understand you a bit more and where you also need to step up for yourself to ensure that you’re representing your needs, expectations and wishes.”

People Who Go Through Painful Breakups End Up Stronger And Happier “It’s funny — they say that which does not kill you, makes you stronger. I don’t know if that statement can be applied more realistically to anything than a breakup. A number of studies indicate that we’re able to overcome such hardship and learn from those painful experiences in life, ultimately becoming stronger, healthier individuals.”

7 Surprising Lessons I Learnt from my Recent Breakup “Love isn’t enough. Your core values must align too. This was a difficult one for me to swallow. Love isn’t enough. If your core values don’t match, then it’s unlikely that the relationship will be successful.”

This week’s blog was how our approach to relationships applies to all relationships, not just romantic ones. This was a hard subject for which to find articles! We hope you enjoy these.

Conflict Resolution Skills “Conflict arises from differences, both large and small. It occurs whenever people disagree over their values, motivations, perceptions, ideas, or desires. Sometimes these differences appear trivial, but when a conflict triggers strong feelings, a deep personal need is often at the core of the problem. These needs can be a need to feel safe and secure, a need to feel respected and valued, or a need for greater closeness and intimacy.”

Why Some Parents & their Children have Great Friendships “There are many reasons why some adults get along with their kids better than others. In this article, I will provide a short overview of the common explanations which have emerged whilst professionally mediating the relationship between parents and their children, as well as observations in my personal life and society in general.”

Conflict – Couple Relationships, Family Relationships, Parent-child Relationships “Three characteristics distinguish family conflict from other types: intensity, complexity, and the duration of relationships. Work on family conflict has led to some important findings relevant to prevention and treatment.”