Improve Communication

Many of us grow up thinking that “vulnerable” is a dirty word and a sign of weakness. We’re taught we have to protect ourselves and be safe from physical and emotional harm by holding back our true feelings. We don’t want to hurt the other […]

As Judy mulled over what her sister had said, she felt hurt and very angry. In planning a family reunion on zoom, her sister who Judy had always been close to… Abruptly told Judy that she didn’t care what happened at the reunion and left

As the paralyzing fear of confrontation built inside her, Paula found herself once again lying to her husband. She knew it was wrong, but couldn’t stop doing what she’d done her whole life with everyone she’d been close to. When she sensed the other person

Sometimes and in some situations, it IS uncomfortable opening up about your feelings–to yourself as well as to other people. You may not even want to feel certain feelings–but you do. Whether it’s that you love someone, have fallen out of love with someone, there’s

We love getting questions from our readers and here’s a really great one  about verbal disrespect we received awhile back… “Sally” asks… “It’s said that these days what is killing more marriages even more than infidelity is ‘verbal disrespect.’ Which is the best way to

Heidi was beyond frustrated when her husband Ted once again refused to have “the talk” about their finances. They had combined their incomes when they got married–a second marriage for both of them–and she’d taken on paying the house bills because Ted said he wasn’t

Why are difficult conversations so “difficult” to have and how can they be easier? They’re difficult because we all make up stories that they are more important or have more riding on them than other conversations. We’re afraid our “truth” won’t land well with the

To Elizabeth, arguing with her husband Paul seemed to be the only way they communicated and she was tired of it. They never agreed on anything and the house always seemed filled with tension when the two of them were together. They’d even begun picking

Joyce buried her face in her hands, wondering how to stop the constant criticism she heard inside her head. The harsh, loud, critical voice of her inner critic was relentless. For Joyce, like most of us, she has two voices in her head: –The calm,

Earlier this month, we wrote about “What to Do When You Think Your Partner is a Bully”… And since that sparked more discussion, we wanted to share some of those ideas with you. Usually we think of a bully as using aggression to get what