August 19, 2022
top trending topics
🛀 If you want to be your best on your wedding day, practice some self-care first.
💍 Traditional vows are a thing of the past. Write your own with these tips.
🚩 If you think you’re in a relationship with a narcissist, read this.
📣 Support your future spouse through their interests.
💛 Engagement can seem like a terrible season. Keep your future marriage the focus through all of the planning.
tips & tricks for growth
what to do when you aren’t crazy about your future in-laws
If you’re honest, it’s possible you aren’t crazy about your future in-laws, to put it politely. In fact, you’ve decided what you want to bring to the table in your relationship is an extra table 😡 … one that doesn’t always have seats for the future in-laws… but that’s not really the solution. (And don’t assume that your fiancé doesn’t have any issues with YOUR parents.)
It’s okay to not be fond of your fiancé’s parents, but you also have to be okay with them being a part of your lives in some capacity. You can’t marry your fiancé without also understanding you are essentially marrying into their family. So let’s put together a game plan so when the visits begin, you won’t be nervous to pull up a chair to the table!
Here are some things you can do:
1. Talk about your concern with your fiancé.
If it hasn’t come up already, be honest with your fiancé about your concerns and why you feel they’re important.
2. Set Boundaries Early-On.
Prepare yourselves and have a plan in place.
3. Location, location, location.
If you both know your future in-laws are the type to drop by, overstay their welcome, or cross boundaries like finish lines, then it may be a sign to move somewhere that makes it less of a possibility.
you might need a little alone time if…
“I’m so exhausted and stressed out!” Is that a cry for help or a badge of honor?
Sadly, we live in a culture that not only normalizes burnout as a way of life but also kinda glorifies it. If you are perpetually busy and exhausted—You. Must. Be. Important!
But at what cost?
Maybe we need to worry more about being healthy people.
Ah, but insights like that usually only come to us when we slow down, find some quiet, and get alone with ourselves. Alone. Solitude. Introspection. “Sorry, ain’t got time for that!” (I think a lot of people intentionally stay busy because they don’t want to have to think about life and look at themselves.) Make time. Being alone is a healthy skill to be cultivated. Being alone is when some cool stuff happens: Inspiration. Reflection. Insight. Wonder. Clarity. Rest and Restoration. Whatever ambition has you so busy chasing, you’re going to need all this stuff along the way. Plus, the people you care about need you to care about you and take care of you.
Taking the time you need can impact everything.
what we’re lovin’
This week’s picks come from Anna Reeves McCutcheon, an active participant in the Chattanooga Fellows Initiative, former FTF Intern, and now the Social Media Manager here at First Things First! Take a peek at her recommendations for this week because they are just THAT GOOD. Check ’em out 👀:
📖 “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier– A juicy, classic romantic mystery novel that you will lose sleep over! (I definitely did!)
🌅 Hatch Alarm Clock– You fall asleep to a sunset and wake up gradually to a sunrise. As someone who has a very hard time waking up in the morning, Hatch has made it much more pleasant!
💛 “Outdated” by Jonathan “JP” Pokluda– This book is a faith-based read that explores biblical principles of dating in a modern world. Great read!
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