May 27, 2022
top trending topics
š Self-careĀ is essential but is it the solution to burnout?
šŗšø In honor of Memorial Day, here’s how you can support military families.
š§Ā Your friends and family often influence your relationship. Here’s how!
āThinking you need some alone time? Here are 5 signs why you may.
š¤ Caring about your future spouse’s interestsĀ is essential to your marriage.
tips & tricks for growth
you can improve bad communication in your marriage
Every couple experiences little instances of communication breakdown. It just happens.
Of course, the little things can gradually chip away at your connectedness in your marriage. Small drops of water from a leaky pipe over time lead to big problems.Ā
Minor bad communication habits are like that. Not that big of a thing in the moment, but given timeā¦ you get the picture.
So with that in mind, we’re sharingĀ four common communication habit scenarios every couple experiences. The good news is, you can fix or improve bad communication with a little intention!
how to build empathy in marriage
Have you ever whipped up your favorite batch of homemade cookies to find out in the first bite that you left out that one key ingredient that makes all the difference? Empathy is that key ingredient to a great recipe for a healthy marriage that you donāt want to forget.
A large body of research tells us the practice of empathy is essential to a thriving, happy, healthy marriage. However, many people reduce the idea of empathy to it being just ātouchy-feelyā or something that some people are born having, but others not so much.
Here are some steps for couples to take to build empathy:
š§” Listen.
š§” Validate.
š§” Share.
š§” Act.
š§” Practice vulnerability.
Empathy is an all-important ingredient for a healthy marriage, but building it takes time.
what we’re lovin’
This week’s picks come from John Daum, husband of 28 years to his wifeĀ Monica, a Dad of 5, and a Content Creator here at First Things first.Ā Take a peek at his recommendations for this week because they are just THAT GOOD. Check ’em out š:
š We hear a lot about having individual and couple goals, so you stay on the grow. We donāt hear many workable strategies to set goals and actually achieve them. Enter James Clearās Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones!Ā Itās been on Amazonās best-seller list for 167 weeks and has 4.8 out of 5 stars with almost 75,000 reviews. Iāve been the stereotypical goal-setter who experiences change for a few weeks, then back to business as usual. Itās so frustrating! Atomic Habits explains why many people never get beyond wishful thinking and directs the reader to a better approach to achieving lasting change. Pick up the helpful workbook or workbook/journaland get growing!
š Congratulations! You are excitedly getting ready for the Big Day! Memorialize the big days in your relationship with the Memorable Dates Personalized Wooden Shiplap Sign from the Personalization Mall. You can personalize the title (Adam & Kara, The Smiths, etc.) and three dates of your most memorable moments (We First Met, We Got Engaged, We Got Married, etc.). This is home decor with a powerful purpose. There is real power in remembering where youāve been as a couple. You are building the shared foundation for your shared future!
š£ If you arenāt getting a bunch of marriage āadviceā already, you will be as your big day draws near. How do you know which advice is legit and trustworthy? Youāre gonna find that sometimes the people offering the most marriage āadviceā donāt have very healthy marriages themselves. (Itās a sad reality. š¢) Get your marriage off to a great start by spending some time with real marriage pros! BESTLIFE has a must-read article where they give The 50 Best Marriage Tips From Couples Whoāve Been Married for 50 Years. Thereās no such thing as a āperfect marriage,ā but these couples are marriage veterans who have been there and done that. And have the relationship secrets that have stood the test of time. Go meet them and soak it up!
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