When someone comes at you with criticism, the natural response is to defend. Criticism is a form of attack, so it is natural to protect instinctively unless you know how criticism and defensiveness play out in a relationship. Those of …
Category: Relationships
What is YOUR Word for 2023?
Rather than write a list of intentions for the New Year, I prefer to have a ‘word for the year’ that I can keep referring to. I can refer to it when I am making decisions and occasionally review the …
Ideas for the ‘Struggle’ Relationship Phase
It is normal to have conflict and struggle in a relationship. When you begin a relationship, you usually spend a while in the honeymoon phase and lose part of yourselves as you enter the intoxicating phase of merging. As your …
Important Questions for the Honeymoon Phase
The honeymoon stage usually lasts up to two years but will vary for every relationship. It is the time when we fall in love, Hollywood style. You are both wearing your rose-tinted glasses, you spend a lot of time together, …
1 Tip for Holidays
Happy holidays! Let me know what your one tip is. P.s I love the sounds of Bali in the background and didn’t want to cover it up with music … especially the rooster
Implementing the 5 Love languages
We all feel love in different ways. It might be that you could spend hours and hours together, but if you were not touched, you would feel completely unloved. Or it might be that you could be hugged and kissed …
Loving and Valuing Your Partner
All relationships need nurturing. I like to think of relationships like plants. If we leave a plant in sandy soil and give it too much sun and not enough water, it will quickly die. No two plants are the same. …
Are You Triggered By Your Parents?
We all carry wounds from our childhood. It might be that you were teased for being chubby, you were pushed to succeed academically, or there wasn’t enough to eat. When these wounds are left unresolved, we might find ourselves as …
Understanding the 5 Stages of a Relationship
One common myth about great relationships is that there are no arguments or disagreements. The Gottmans, fantastic relationship experts who have done lots of research in this area, disagree. It is NORMAL to have conflict in a relationship; the issue …
Strong Friendships are the Secret to Relationship Success
When there is a strong friendship, repairs in the relationship work better. In the Gottman’s book “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work” (1999), they talk about the importance of repairs. In any relationship, we have to expect to have …