The Relatable Blog

Couples Parents Friendship Dating and Engaged

The Quiet Sting of Feeling Left Out (& How to Deal With It)

A few days ago, my six-year-old came home from a playdate with shoulders sagging and tears in his eyes. “Nobody wanted to play with me today,” he said. In that moment, I was catapulted back to my own grown-up version of the same sting,…

Friendships, General, The Relatable Report

Why Gen Z is Saying “No” to Romance and What it Means for Us All

My son had his sixth birthday recently. He came home from school with a dozen notes and cards in his backpack, all of which were covered in hearts, glitter and the endearing best wishes of his closest female classmates. While…

Friendships, Self-Care

Lifelong Friendships Improve Mental Health

Two years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General raised concern about the epidemic of loneliness in our country. Nearly half of all adults reported feeling lonely. Of course, there’s been speculation about why loneliness has become such a burden in…

Friendships, General, Married Couples, Parents & Families

How Shame Harms Everything in Our Relationships

Shame. It’s a small word, but it carries the weight of a wrecking ball. Unlike guilt, which says, I did something bad, shame whispers something far more sinister: I am bad. Left unchecked, shame can quietly sabotage our most precious relationships…

Friendships

Friendships: Quality Over Quantity

I introduced my 4-year-old son to the Broadway musical “Wicked” last week. Shameless plug, it’s one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. As the cheeky but pointed song “Popular” blared through the speakers, he asked, “Mom, what…

Friendships

Effective Grandparents Practice Quality Over Quantity

My grandmother passed away last week. She was 85, and her health had been slowly declining for a few years. But it didn’t make the news any easier to hear when she passed. When I was growing up, my grandmother and I spent a lot of time…

Friendships

3 Reasons You’re Not Crazy for Caring About Your Mental Health

One of my friends just ended a long-term relationship with a woman he really cared about because they weren’t on the same page about mental health. My friend carries wounds from an emotionally abusive parent and PTSD from years of…

Friendships, General

The Cure for Loneliness

I gave a presentation to a local community group last week. At the end, someone in the audience raised their hand and asked, “I keep hearing all this stuff about how lonely we are. Is it really true? And what do we do about it?” A few…

Friendships

Guide for Guys: Supporting A Friend Facing Infertility

You’re hanging out with one of your friends, and he confides, We’ve been trying to get pregnant for over a year, and it just isn’t happening. It’s been hard on our marriage. What can you say to help, encourage, and support your…

Dating & Engaged, The Relatable Report

New Study Shows Online Dating Can Lead to Lower Relationship Satisfaction

According to a global team of researchers, people who meet their romantic partners online tend to be a little less satisfied in their relationships than people who meet the old-fashioned way, through friends, work, or a random meet-cute…

Dating & Engaged

Do Similarities Attract in Romantic Relationships?

Some say opposites attract. Others argue that similarity is the glue. So which is it? Turns out, science is siding with the “birds of a feather” crowd. A massive meta-analysis of 313 studies found that both actual and perceived similarity…

Dating & Engaged, Married Couples, The Relatable Report

The Real Meaning of Valentine’s Day and How to Celebrate

Valentine’s Day, the annual celebration of love, is a day steeped in both history and tradition. Yet, like the best love stories, its origins are a little mysterious, a bit quirky, and undeniably charming. So, before we dive into how you…

Dating & Engaged, Married Couples

How to Turn Conflict into Connection

Conflict is necessary and unavoidable in relationships. In fact, many couples argue over not only topics and scenarios but the different ways in which they handle conflict. There are four major ways in which we respond to threats. These…

Dating & Engaged, General

Are Soulmates Real?

Lots of people believe in the idea of soulmates. You might have seen it in movies or read about it in fairy tales. But is it true? Recent surveys asked around 15,000 adults in the United States about this. Surprisingly, 60% of them said yes,…

Dating & Engaged, Self-Care

How and Why Intimate Relationships Affect Mental Health: What the Research Says

“I think my spouse is depressed. How do I support them?” “I’m single and depressed. Will I ever find love?” “My relationship is unhealthy and it’s taking a toll. What should I do?” These are just a few of the questions…

Dating & Engaged, Married Couples

Technoference In Relationships

Our world is filled with technological devices and relationships. With technology always (or nearly always) with us, we can be more productive and fill in the gaps in our day. Isn't that a good thing? Maybe. Let's look at how technology…

Dating & Engaged

When to Leave and When to Save a Relationship

You’re constantly fighting with your significant other and just can’t take it anymore. Your spouse continually ignores you, and you feel so alone in your marriage. There’s a piece of you that wants to make it work, but you’re also exhausted…

Dating & Engaged

6 Things To Know Before You Get Married

More than 2 million marriages take place annually in America.“Almost all couples anticipate ‘living happily ever after,’” according to Dr. Gary Chapman in his book, Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married. “No one gets married hoping to be miserable or to make their spouse miserable, yet the highest percentage of divorce occurs within the first seven years of marriage.”When you consider the fact that most people spend more time planning and training for their vocation than they do for thei...