- 6 Ways to Help Your Boyfriend Cope With Death
Everyone grieves differently, but we’re all shocked when a loved one dies. Death is surreal, almost unbelievable. Everything is different…yet the world is the same. How do you help your boyfriend cope with the death of a loved one? Whether it’s a family member or friend, these ideas will help you support him through the loss.
- 3 Signs You Should Stop Dating Him
How do you know if he’s the right guy for you? These three signs will help you decide if you should stop dating him. You don’t have to be critical or pick apart everything he says and does…you just have to pay attention to your intuition.
- 5 Relationship Mistakes You Might Be Making
Making mistakes in relationships is normal – it happens to all couples, all families. But making the same mistakes over and over will destroy a relationship. These are the five most common relationship mistakes that I repeatedly make. Learn from my mistakes, so you can recognize and avoid making your own!
- How Love Changes Over Time: The 3 Phases of Romance
It’s normal and even healthy for relationships to change over time. Love goes through stages, growing and maturing and changing as you do. These three “stages of love” will help you see how love evolves over time, and give you insight into your own relationship.
- 7 Signs Your Relationship is Worth Fighting For
Is your relationship worth fighting for? These are the three “stages of love” – and they’ll help you see yourself (and your partner!) more clearly.
- 10 Gifts to Cheer Someone Up After a Breakup
What do you give someone after a breakup? These gifts will help your friend, family member or coworker cope with a broken heart. Breaking up with someone you love hurts, even if the relationship was troubled and needed to end.
- 7 Ways to Respond When Your Wife Won’t Talk to You
The only thing worse than living with someone who won’t stop talking is being married to a wife who refuses to communicate! What do you do when your wife won’t talk to you?
- 10 Easy Ways to Make Conversation With Your Girlfriend
“I love my girlfriend but I don’t know what to say to her,” says Sam. “I don’t want to talk about marriage or kids or the future. I just want to have a good time, an interesting conversation. What do I talk about with my girlfriend?”
- When You’re Unhappily Married and Financially Trapped
How do you leave when you have no money? Maybe you’re trapped in marriage because of money or you feel financially stuck in a relationship. These tips and ideas won’t magically unlock the door to freedom, but they might help you think differently about how much money you need.
- Help Getting Over Someone Who Cheated and Lied
Breakups are painful; infidelity and affairs are worse. Being cheated on is an emotional, physical, and psychological betrayal that doesn’t just heal overnight. How do you get over someone who cheated on you and lied about it – especially if you loved a man or lived with your husband for years?
- 10 Breakup Tips for Guys From a Divorced Dad
These breakup tips for guys are a refreshing change from my usual “She Blossoms” advice for women! A divorced dad left valuable advice on one of my articles about cheating in marriage. He shared what helped him heal after his wife left him; in this article I share the best of his breakup tips for…
Read More »10 Breakup Tips for Guys From a Divorced Dad - How to Be Happy Without Him in Your Life
First, the good news: you can be happy without him even though right now all you can think is “I can’t live without him.” I have more good news for you! You get over him. You’ll never be the same, but your heart will heal and you will be happy again.
- 10 Most Important Questions to Ask a Guy You’re Dating
These are the most important relationship questions to ask a guy before you get serious about dating him. I also included a list of juicy questions to help you see his authentic personality, values, beliefs and perspective about life.
- How to Live With a Husband You Don’t Trust
Rebuilding trust in your husband is a long process, even when he is finally being honest. What if you feel like you can never trust your husband again?
- 10 Reasons Breaking Up is Hard to Do
Even when a relationship has to end, breaking up is hard to do. Why does it hurt so much? Learning why breakups are so painful will give you insight and wisdom, help heal your heart, and show you that you aren’t alone.
- Will He Still Love You If You Gain Weight?
He says he loves you, but what if you gain weight and can’t lose it? Will your boyfriend still be attracted to you if you’re heavier than before? Happily married women have the same question. Will my husband still love me if I can’t lose the pregnancy weight I gained?
- 6 Ways to Lose the Weight You Gained After Getting Married
Gaining weight after you get married is normal for many women. The wedding is over, you don’t have to worry about fitting into your dress or feeling fat on your honeymoon. In fact, marriage weight gain is inevitable for some wives!
- When to Leave Your Alcoholic Husband
Your husband drinks too much, and it’s affecting your family, finances, and future. Should you give up on an alcoholic husband, or keep hoping and praying he’ll stop drinking? Leaving isn’t easy because you have so many things to consider…
- 9 Ways to Prevent Money Problems From Ruining Your Marriage
Money fights may be the top predictor of divorce, but it’s not money’s fault. Our emotional attachment to money is the problem. Some financial experts such as Suze Orman even say that we have a relationship with money. Our emotional attachment to money doesn’t just affect our human relationships, it can destroy our marriages.
- 6 Ideas for Women Who Are Tired of Being Alone
I’m an introvert, which makes it harder to cope when I’m tired of being alone. Most of my time is spent writing, reading, and contemplating the mysteries of God and our world. I rarely get lonely, but when I do I find myself at a loss for ways to reach out to others.
- 10 Things to Talk About on a First Date With a Coworker
Dating a coworker can be awkward; you know him but you don’t know him. These first date conversation starters for coworkers will decrease your anxiety and increase your confidence. They’re geared towards couples who know each other through work, but haven’t spent much time together outside off the job.
- Should You Tell Your Ex You Still Love Him?
Before you blurt the words “I still love you!” to your ex, consider these signs getting back together is a good idea. I included 4 reasons you should not tell your ex-boyfriend or ex-husband you’re still in love with him, and 3 reasons you should tell him the truth about how you feel.
- How to Get Out of a Verbally Abusive Relationship
How do you leave a verbally abusive relationship when you have nowhere to go, nobody to talk to, and nothing to lean on? Each of these five examples or signs of verbal abuse are paired with an idea for getting out of the relationship.
- 5 Signs of Mind Games in Relationships
What are mind games in a relationship? Power struggles can be difficult to recognize because they’re subtle and almost imperceptible – and sometimes the person playing the mind games doesn’t even realize he or she is doing it.
- Are You Hiding the Truth About Your Marriage?
You know things about your husband that nobody else knows. Sometimes they’re little things…and sometimes they’re big secrets you could never tell anyone. If you’re hiding the truth about your marriage, you may feel like you’re carrying a heavy burden all by yourself.
- Is Your Wife Cheating on You? A Simple Test
Is your wife cheating on you? This test will help you see her behavior more objectively. More importantly, you’ll see your marriage in a different light. You’ll also learn that an affair doesn’t mean you are an unlovable or undesirable husband.
- It’s Not Too Late to Find the Right Man!
Are you 40, single, and depressed? Maybe you feel bad about yourself and discouraged about the future. Maybe you’ve never had a good relationship; you aren’t single at 40 by choice. Maybe you’re depressed about a bad breakup or sad because you’ve never had kids and think you never will.
- How Do You Face Your First Anniversary After a Divorce?
No matter why you and your husband got divorced, your anniversary will always mean something to you. Whether the divorce took years to finalize or seemed to happen overnight, your wedding day will ring in your heart for the rest of your life. How do you deal with the first anniversary after divorce?
- 4 Reasons Marriage Counseling Leads Some Couples to Divorce
Does marriage counseling work? Here are four reasons counseling leads to divorce in some marriages, plus several options for couples who want to save their relationship. These suggestions will help you decide if marriage counseling might help save your relationship.
- Your First Birthday Alone After Your Husband Dies
No matter how old you are, your birthday is special! Even if you’ve never enjoyed the “birthday girl” spotlight and parties, the day is still meaningful. But this year is different…it’s your first birthday alone since your husband died.
- Are You Staying Married Out of Guilt?
You feel sorry for your husband and you feel guilty, so you’re staying in an unhappy, unfulfilling marriage. You have good reasons for not wanting to leave: your husband isn’t physically well, or perhaps unable to support himself. You don’t want to break your marriage vows.
- How to Say It’s Over and End a Relationship
How do you find the right words? Ending a relationship with someone you once loved (and perhaps still love) is hard. It hurts to break up, but you can say good-bye with love and compassion. These tips will help you figure out what to say to end a relationship and say goodbye to someone you care about.
- How to Ask Your Husband If He Still Loves You
It’s one of the most humbling questions to ask anyone, much less the man you married and vowed to love for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. How do you ask your husband if he still loves you?
- 6 Tips for Dating a Coworker Without Losing Your Job
Dating a coworker has its pros and cons; you need to go on your first date with more information than you need. But don’t worry if you’re already on your third or fourth date! These tips for dating a coworker will help you dodge the problems that workplace relationships can bring.
- 6 Relationship Tips for Liberals and Conservatives in Love
As a liberal girlfriend, how do you love a politically conservative boyfriend? Or perhaps you’re a politically liberal wife married to husband with conservative leanings. These tips on how to love someone who has different political views won’t be quick or easy to implement, but they can save your relationship.
- Filling the Void in Your Life After a Breakup
These simple, comforting tips will help fill the void in your life after you break up with someone you love. The most important thing to remember is that you won’t always feel this way! The heaviness will lift, your spirits will rise, your heart will open up, and your future will be filled with hope and promise.
- 5 Ways to Renew and Recreate Yourself After Divorce
You’re entering the second half of life as a divorced woman over 40 — and maybe you’re surprised, shocked or even heartbroken. How do you recreate yourself after a divorce? These five questions will help you start fresh with hope and joy. They represent the core needs we all have, and they have the power…
Read More »5 Ways to Renew and Recreate Yourself After Divorce - Should You Stay Married Even Though You Live Like Roommates?
You didn’t get married to live with a roommate, but your marriage isn’t built on love, chemistry or spiritual connection. Do you continue to live like married roommates, or do you leave your husband and start a new life? It’s not an easy decision – especially when you know divorce isn’t always worth the emotional pain, family heartache, or financial devastation.
- What to Do When Your Boyfriend Asks to Borrow Money
You don’t feel comfortable loaning your boyfriend money, but you don’t know how to say no to a guy you’re dating – and maybe even in love with! These five tips will help you know what to do when a man asks you for money. Even if you have the spare cash, it might be smart to say no when your boyfriend asks to borrow money.
- Coping With a Difficult Husband Who Treats You Badly
Your husband is worse than difficult: he treats you badly at home and in public. The problem is that you can’t just leave your marriage or change your husband. Instead, you need to learn how to cope with life in a difficult marriage and to gain strength for whatever your future holds.
- Is He Cheating? How to Be Your Own Private Investigator
Can’t afford a private investigator? Don’t want to hire someone to follow your husband or boyfriend around? These 12 practical ways to find out if he’s cheating will help you find the answers you need (but don’t necessarily want to face!).
- How to End an Affair You Want to Continue
You’re in love, but you know you need to end the affair. These suggestions aren’t just “tips on how to break up.” Rather, they’re ideas for healthy endings that will help you see the your affair in a different light. Ending an affair is about rebuilding your self-respect and focusing on why you can’t keep cheating.
- What to Do When Your Boyfriend Stops Sending Text Messages
“My boyfriend stopped sending me text messages,” isn’t what what you wish you were searching for, but here you are. I have good news, though! My tips will help you figure out what to do with a boyfriend who texts and calls less than he used to.
- How to Deal With Jealousy When Your Boyfriend Sees His Ex
Your boyfriend is meeting his ex, and it stings. You know he loves you, but what if he’s still emotionally attached to his ex-girlfriend or ex-wife? What if they fall in love again, or sleep together, or rediscover their old feelings for each other? What if your boyfriend’s meeting with his ex turns into more than an innocent visit?
- Harnessing the Power of Love to Save Your Marriage
Love is powerful and strong..but is the power of love strong enough to save your marriage? It depends how you — and your husband — harness that power to renew your love for one another. The power of love is a learned skill, not something that comes from your feelings, hormones or even your yearning for a better marriage. Some psychologists call love an “act of willpower.” Not very romantic, but if you don’t deliberately learn and practice the skills of love, you can’t save your marriage.
- 6 Tips for Dealing With Your Husband’s Ex Wife
When you marry a man who has an ex wife, you marry his entire family – and sometimes his ex wife brings problems that seem impossible to deal with. These six tips for dealing with your husband’s ex wife may not solve every problem you’re facing, but they might help you transition more smoothly into your new marriage.
- 10 Retirement Questions and Money Tips for Retiring Couples
My husband and I are thinking about money long-term (sort of): retirement in less than ten years. I’ve been researching money and marriage tips, and found these helpful tips for couples considering retirement on our bank’s website (thank you, RBC! Hopefully this article will help me pay the mortgage).
- Why Your Husband Cheated: A Marriage Style That “Allows” Affairs
You didn’t cause your husband to cheat — he chose to have an affair. But, your marriage style may have created an environment that set the stage for your husband’s cheating. Learning about this type of marriage style will help you answer one of the most difficult questions of your life: “Why did my husband…
Read More »Why Your Husband Cheated: A Marriage Style That “Allows” Affairs - How to Break Up With Someone You Don’t Love Anymore
There is no easy way to say “I don’t love you anymore” – but there are kind, compassionate ways to break up with someone you once loved. These seven suggestions will help you be honest and compassionate with someone you don’t love the way you used to.
- What to Remember When You Miss Your Boyfriend
Here are 10 healthy ways to cope – and important things to remember – when all you can think is “I miss my boyfriend.” I don’t know exactly how you feel, but I know what it’s like to miss someone so much it feels like you’re missing a piece of yourself.
- When Getting Married Is All You Can Think About
It’s normal to wish you were married because our society cherishes and celebrates couples. What do you do when you hear about a 50th or 75th wedding anniversary? Cheer! How do you respond to an engagement or wedding announcement? Celebrate!
- 8 Ideas for Dealing With Guilt After a Breakup
The breakup was the right decision, but you feel guilty about breaking up. How do you deal with breakup guilt? These tips will help you find the patience, acceptance and self-forgiveness you need to let go of guilty feelings and move forward with faith and joy.
- Dealing With Guilt After Your Marriage Breaks Up
Yes, it’s possible to live in peace even though you feel responsible or guilty for breaking up your marriage. These thoughts on dealing with guilt will help you cope with a painful separation or divorce. They’re inspired by a reader’s question on an article I recently wrote about divorce.
- Stop Dating a Married Man and Heal Your Heart
You know it’s wrong to be having an affair with another woman’s husband, but you can’t seem to let him go. These tips on how to stop dating a married man will help heal your broken heart. I also share encouragement from a woman who broke up with a married husband; it hurt her to walk away from him, but it was worth the pain.
- 4 Things to Consider Before Leaving a Christian Marriage
Are you staying in an unhealthy or even abusive marriage because you’re a Christian? Perhaps you’re struggling with the “God hates divorce” decree in the Bible. You may also be influenced by your Christian husband, pastor, or religious friends.
- Strength and Encouragement for Christians Dealing With Divorce
As a divorced (or divorcing) Christian you need strength, encouragement and comfort – and you found She Blossoms! That just goes to show how much God loves you.
- What to Do When Your Boyfriend Says He Doesn’t Love You Anymore
You love him with all your heart, but your boyfriend says he doesn’t want you in his life anymore. What do you do? These tips will help you cope with the pain of your boyfriend’s rejection and move forward with your life.
- Starting Over With Curiosity & Confidence for Women 50+
Starting over at fifty may not be what you planned, but you have more – and more valuable! – assets than you realize. Instead of thinking you’re too old or too tired to start over as a woman over 50 or 55, focus on what you do have and what you can do.
- 5 Tips for Coping With a Critical Husband
How do you deal with a critical husband who is often negative and controlling? These five tips for women coping with criticism in their marriages will help you see that it’s not you — it’s him. If you’re living with an impossible-to-please man, you do not have to let his negativity change who you are and how you see yourself.
- How Do You Bounce Back After Being Rejected?
These four tips for dealing with rejection will show you how to bounce back and get over the sting of rejection. If you feel physical sick and emotionally humiliated because someone rejected you, you’re normal! Feeling excluded, rejected and abandoned isn’t just emotionally painful, it’s physically harmful.
- 5 Signs You Can Trust Your Boyfriend After He Cheated
What do you do with a boyfriend who cheats? You still love him, but you don’t know if you trust him with your heart. Here are five signs to help you decide if you should give your boyfriend another chance. I also included a few tips on how to forgive your boyfriend for cheating on you.
- 7 Reasons Your Boyfriend Doesn’t Talk to You
These seven reasons your boyfriend or husband doesn’t talk to you will help you communicate with him. Men are uncommunicative, silent and emotionally distant for reasons that aren’t necessarily that difficult to figure out. If you have an idea of why your husband or boyfriend doesn’t communicate with you, then you have a good chance of starting good, healthy, meaningful conversations.
- He Broke Up With You…Now What?
Accepting that he broke up with you is hard. Getting past the pain of a broken heart is even harder because it literally feels like you’re dying. When my boyfriend broke up with me, I thought I’d never get over it. I didn’t think I’d ever be loved again — or that I’d even want to love someone else. The pain was all I could see.
- How to Keep Your Relationship Strong in Sickness
“In sickness and in health” is easier said than done in any relationship – even the healthiest marriage. These tips for keeping your relationship strong through sickness will help you cope with emotional and physical illness. I wrote this article for a reader whose boyfriend is struggling with depression.
- 6 Tips for Going Back to School After Getting a Divorce
Whether you wanted the divorce or not, you’re now in a new season of life. Going back to school after getting divorced is a brilliant way to start over! It may not be easy or simple, but it is good.
- 5 Ways to Find Happiness in a Loveless Marriage
Some women stay in loveless marriages and are perfectly happy. These wives don’t need their husbands to love them, because they’ve learned how to be happy without love. This article isn’t for those women. These tips are for wives who feel trapped in loveless marriages and yearn for connection and intimacy…but can’t leave their husbands.
- A Prayer for Healing After a Breakup
After breaking up, you may feel like you’ll never love or laugh again. You may feel lost and broken, alone and unwanted. Do not despair, for you won’t always feel this way! You will get through this season, you will heal and grow forward. This prayer for healing is inspired by something unexpected: a money parable.…
Read More »A Prayer for Healing After a Breakup - Surviving a Painful Breakup in Your 40s
Breaking up is painful at any age and stage of life, but a breakup for a woman over 40 is different. These tips for surviving a split in your 40s will help you recover, heal, and flourish in fresh ways! Just sit with that for a moment: you CAN recover, heal, and flourish in fresh…
Read More »Surviving a Painful Breakup in Your 40s - 6 Ways to Be a Princess Warrior and Get Revenge on Your Ex
These tips for getting revenge on your ex-boyfriend or ex-husband will help you rise about the terrible things he did to you. The inspiration for this article came from the parable of a princess warrior who got even with those who hurt her…but she paid a great price. These tips are about “getting revenge on…
Read More »6 Ways to Be a Princess Warrior and Get Revenge on Your Ex - 5 Ways to Overcome Your Obsession With a Married Man
The affair is over. He’s a married man, and you know you need to move on. The problem is you don’t know how. You still love him and you can’t stop thinking about him. You know you should walk away because he’s cheating on his wife. He’s a married man and you have to let go…but your heart wants him back.
- 5 Signs You’re Emotionally Suffocating Your Husband
Are you in an emotionally suffocating relationship – and is it your fault? These tips will help you learn how dangerous emotional suffocation can be and how to stop suffocating your husband.
- How to Find a Boyfriend Who Will Love You
Yes, good men are hard to find! But if you know what you’re looking for and how to find a good boyfriend, you’ve won half the battle. Here’s how to set yourself up to meet a man who is right for you – a man who will become a loving, caring husband. The smartest way…
Read More »How to Find a Boyfriend Who Will Love You - 4 Steps to Solving Problems in a One Sided Relationship
Are you tired of doing all the work in your relationship? These tips on how to fix a one sided relationship will reveal what you can and can’t control, and help you create respect and equality in your life. “I have been in a one sided relationship for six months,” says Kylie on How to Know…
Read More »4 Steps to Solving Problems in a One Sided Relationship - 5 Things to Do When Your Boyfriend Stops Making Time for You
Your boyfriend says he loves you, but he’s not around when you need him or want to be with him. What do you do when your boyfriend doesn’t spend time with you? These tips will refresh your perspective and renew your heart, mind and soul. You may feel neglected and lonely, but you have more…
Read More »5 Things to Do When Your Boyfriend Stops Making Time for You - 3 Ideas for Women Unhappily Married to Good Men
Everyone says how nice your husband is – and you agree! You’re married to a good man but you’re unhappy and unfulfilled. You don’t love your husband. You’re not happy, and haven’t been for awhile. The good news is that you have the power to make changes in your marriage that will lead to a happier, more fulfilling life.
- 9 Ways to Know if Your Husband is Lying About Cheating
If you think your husband is cheating on you, you may be picking up on subconscious clues that he is having an affair. Here are 5 signs your husband is cheating, plus 4 ways to know if he’s lying to you about the affair. These tips are from Gary Neuman, author of The Truth about Cheating: Why Men Stray…
Read More »9 Ways to Know if Your Husband is Lying About Cheating - When You Miss Him So Much It Hurts
Missing him more than anything is a bittersweet part of being in love. You can’t be with your boyfriend or husband, and you can’t stop thinking about him. My five ways to cope will help you get through the sad, depressing bouts of missing him. These tips will also help you through a breakup or divorce, which is what one of my She Blossoms readers asked about…
- How to Know if Your Relationship is Over
Sometimes it’s easy to tell if a relationship is over; other times it’s confusing and unclear. But, even when you know for sure that your relationship is finished, it’s still painful and sad to let the man you love go. First things first. Let the idea of letting go or breaking up fall aside for…
Read More »How to Know if Your Relationship is Over - Help Leaving a Relationship When You Have Nowhere to Go
How do you get out of a relationship when you have no money, no family support and nowhere to go? You need strength, courage, and a thoughtful plan. Most important: don’t allow feelings of helplessness and hopelessness overcome you! Your feelings are powerful, but don’t have to control you.
- What You Need to Know About Reconciling After a Separation
Reconciling or moving back in after a separation (or divorce) isn’t always an easy or clear decision. Reconciliation is surprisingly common for many couples who have separated or divorced, but is it a good idea for you?
- How to Know If He’ll Cheat on You Again
Once a cheater, always a cheater? Not necessarily. Here’s a surprising reason to stay with a boyfriend or husband who cheated on you once, plus tips on how to know if he’ll cheat again. The answer will surprise you! Marriage coach Mort Fertel says spouses who cheat are less likely to cheat again. So, you shouldn’t…
Read More »How to Know If He’ll Cheat on You Again - 17 Gifts and Ideas for Your Boyfriend’s Parents
What do you buy your boyfriend’s mom, your husband’s dad, or your partner’s parents? A birthday or holiday gift that doesn’t clutter up their home, attic, or garage! Finding the right gift for his mom and dad depends on three factors: their lifestyle, your relationship with them, and the length of time you’ve been dating…
Read More »17 Gifts and Ideas for Your Boyfriend’s Parents - How to See the Truth About Your Relationship
These 10 qualities of unhealthy, bad, or failing relationships will help you face the truth about your own relationship. It won’t be easy, but seeing the truth about your relationship will help you move forward. Facing the truth doesn’t necessarily mean you’re headed for a breakup or divorce. Nor does it mean your boyfriend or…
Read More »How to See the Truth About Your Relationship - What to Do When He Says He’ll Kill Himself If You Leave
Does your boyfriend threaten suicide if you break up with him? Here’s how to respond to his threats to kill himself, including advice from a woman whose husband took his own life. It’s important to remember that you can’t get all the help you need here. You need to reach out to people in person,…
Read More »What to Do When He Says He’ll Kill Himself If You Leave - How to Let Go of Someone You Love
When you let go of someone you love, you release the hold they have on you. You become free to move forward and be happy again. Here, you’ll learn healthy ways to let go of a relationship, heal your heart, and move forward in your life. “My heart is broken into a million pieces,” says…
Read More »How to Let Go of Someone You Love - 10 Most Common Relationship Problems – and Solutions
All couples face problems in their relationships, but not all problems lead to breaking up. Relationships fail for different reasons; the key is to identify what’s really going on in your relationship and work with your boyfriend or husband to find the best solution. Is anger one of the relationship problems you’re struggling with? Better to let…
Read More »10 Most Common Relationship Problems – and Solutions - When You Can’t Stop Thinking About Your Ex-Boyfriend
You’re obsessed with your ex-boyfriend, and it’s stealing your life! These 7 tips on how to stop thinking about your ex will help you overcome obsessive thoughts. Yes, you can move on and be happy. You can stop ruminating about the past – and you can rebuild your life and renew your heart. The most…
Read More »When You Can’t Stop Thinking About Your Ex-Boyfriend - 8 Creative Ways to Start Over After a Relationship Ends
You didn’t choose to start over at this point in your life, but you have no choice. These eight tips for starting over after a relationship ends are creative and encouraging. And, they’re inspired by a reader who is struggling to settle into life without her husband… “My husband of 3 years has left me…
Read More »8 Creative Ways to Start Over After a Relationship Ends - What to Do About Verbal Abuse in Your Relationship
These four examples of verbal abuse in a love relationship will help you recognize unhealthy communication patterns. You’ll also learn a few ways to respond to a verbally abusive partner. Verbal abuse isn’t always direct or obvious, and it’s not always easy to recognize when you are being treated badly by your partner. “Thank you…
Read More »What to Do About Verbal Abuse in Your Relationship - 6 Ways to Rebuild Trust in Your Husband After Infidelity
It’s not easy to rebuild trust in your marriage after infidelity. You won’t suddenly start trusting your husband overnight, and you may even find it difficult to be physically intimate with him. A lot of it depends on his response to the affair, how you found out your husband was unfaithful, and what he’s willing…
Read More »6 Ways to Rebuild Trust in Your Husband After Infidelity - How to Stop Cheating in Your Relationship
It seems like ending an affair should be easy, doesn’t it? And yet, it’s surprisingly difficult to actually stop cheating on someone you love. These tips will help you end the affair and start living in peace, freedom, and joy. “It’s not easy to stop cheating in a relationship because an affair is an emotional…
Read More »How to Stop Cheating in Your Relationship - How to Tell a Guy You Want to Date Him
You like him – and you think he likes you too – but he hasn’t asked you out on a date yet. Frustrating! These five tips on how to tell a guy you want to date him are assertive, yet nonthreatening. “I really like this guy at work and he’s a Christian, which is important…
Read More »How to Tell a Guy You Want to Date Him - 6 Signs You Can Save Your Marriage
Yes, you can save a marriage that seems doomed to divorce – but you have to be realistic and honest. These signs you can revive your love and rebuild your relationship will help not only with saving your marriage, but also seeing your spouse – and yourself – more clearly. “I want to save my…
Read More »6 Signs You Can Save Your Marriage - Why Can’t You Leave an Unhealthy Relationship?
Here are several reasons you can’t leave your relationship, even though you know it’s unhealthy and even abusive. “I’m a prisoner in this relationship, I don’t know how to get away from him, I know he loves me, but I’m so tired of being controlled,” says Amy on How to Break Up With a Married…
Read More »Why Can’t You Leave an Unhealthy Relationship? - 8 Easy Ways to Make Your Dating Life Better and Brighter
If you’re down on dating, these tips on how to improve your dating life will encourage and motivate you! Feeling hopeless is the kiss of death, especially if you believe you’ll never meet someone you can truly love and spend your life with. But just because you’re not in love right now doesn’t mean you…
Read More »8 Easy Ways to Make Your Dating Life Better and Brighter - How to Start Dealing With Money Problems in Your Marriage
Here, you’ll learn the best way to start fixing your finances. In fact, you’ve already begun dealing with money problems in your marriage. Just being here is the best way to start. “Chances are, if you’re married, one of you is good at working numbers (the nerd) and the other one isn’t good at working…
Read More »How to Start Dealing With Money Problems in Your Marriage - 5 Ways to Help Your Boyfriend Deal With Depression
These tips on how to deal with a depressed boyfriend are inspired by a reader’s comment. I also included several signs of depression in men, to help you determine if your boyfriend is actually dealing with depression – or if something else is bothering him. How do you relate to a boyfriend who is depressed?…
Read More »5 Ways to Help Your Boyfriend Deal With Depression - The Importance of Time for Getting Over Your Broken Heart
You won’t get over your broken heart, but you will get through the pain. Here’s why time is so important when you’re healing, and how to make time go faster so you feel better sooner! “I’m really struggling to get over my breakup,” says Paulette on 8 Ways to Heal a Broken Heart. “I’ve always…
Read More »The Importance of Time for Getting Over Your Broken Heart - How to Forget Your Ex and Get on With Your Life
If you ask 100 people how to forget your ex after a breakup when you still love him, you’ll get 100 different answers. These five ways to forget your ex boyfriend are the secrets and strategies that worked for me. You CAN move on and be happy again, especially if you trust and believe. Here’s one…
Read More »How to Forget Your Ex and Get on With Your Life - How to Decide if You Should Unfriend Your Ex Boyfriend on Facebook
- 9 Steps Forward After the Breakup That Broke Your Heart
These tips on moving on after a painful break up will help you find your inner strength. Faith, courage, hope, and trust are the qualities you need to nurture after breaking up with someone you love. It takes strength to believe that the best is yet to come – but believe you must. Every day,…
Read More »9 Steps Forward After the Breakup That Broke Your Heart - 8 Ways to Heal a Broken Heart – A Girl’s Guide
Is your heart broken, your spirit shattered? These tips for healing a broken heart will help you move from heartbreak and pain to peace and freedom. Letting go of someone you love is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do…and maybe one of the healthiest things you’ll ever do! If you’re struggling to overcome heartbreak, read…
Read More »8 Ways to Heal a Broken Heart – A Girl’s Guide - Why You Can’t Let Go of Your First Love – and How to Be Free
Learning why you can’t let go of your first love (research calls it “emotional memories”) will help you know what to do and how to heal from the past. The first time you fall in love is more precious and enchanting than all your other loves put together! You never forget your first love because…
Read More »Why You Can’t Let Go of Your First Love – and How to Be Free - How to Cope With Changes in Your Marriage
Some marriages change for better or worse as soon as the honeymoon is over, while other couples change slowly over time. These tips for coping with changes in your relationship will help you move forward in peace and love. “My husband and I were together for 13 years and married for 8,” says Danielle on Is Your…
Read More »How to Cope With Changes in Your Marriage - How to Help Your Husband Cope With Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD)
These ideas for supporting your husband through the stress of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will help you walk alongside him. PTSD affects men and women in different ways – and it isn’t just experienced by soldiers and veterans. Firefighters, police, social workers, abuse survivors, and even ICU (intensive care unit) patients can develop symptoms…
Read More »How to Help Your Husband Cope With Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) - 5 Smart Tips for Getting Past a Break Up – and Blossoming
These tips for getting past a breakup will help you move forward, be happy, and heal the heartache that is lodged in your throat. You may feel like you’ll never feel good or whole again – but you WILL heal! It just takes time. And a little bit of tender loving care. “Relationships are like glass. …
Read More »5 Smart Tips for Getting Past a Break Up – and Blossoming - Letting Go of the Past – Without a Long Goodbye
The number one question readers ask me is: “How do I let go of the past?” The good news is that letting go doesn’t have to involve a long, drawn-out good-bye scene! Detaching and healing from your past may be painful, but it doesn’t have to involve intense long-term suffering. How do I know? Because when…
Read More »Letting Go of the Past – Without a Long Goodbye - 5 Healthy Habits to Help You Cope With Losing Someone You Love
Here are the two most important reasons you need to adopt these healthy habits after losing someone you love: to avoid a downward spiral into sadness and depression, and to get a boost in energy and mood. In How to Heal the Pain After Losing a Loved One, I share emotional and spiritual tips for accepting a sad…
Read More »5 Healthy Habits to Help You Cope With Losing Someone You Love - How to Stop Being a Clingy Girlfriend
If you’re obsessive about your relationship and trying to control your boyfriend, then you’re a clingy girlfriend. Here’s how to stop – and how to undo the damage neediness causes in love relationships. On my article about how to stop thinking about your ex, a reader said: “I am clingy and obsessive to my boyfriend. He…
Read More »How to Stop Being a Clingy Girlfriend - 5 Secrets Even the Best Husbands Don’t Tell Their Wives
What is the man you love hiding? All husbands keep secrets from their wives, says Dr Oz. These 5 secrets men don’t tell women are based on a Men’s Health magazine poll, and include reasons why husbands aren’t completely honest with their wives. Here, editor-in-chief David Zinczenko and relationship therapist Dr Laura Berman describe the most common secrets husband…
Read More »5 Secrets Even the Best Husbands Don’t Tell Their Wives - How to Know if You Can Trust Someone in a New Relationship
A new relationship is both scary and exciting, risky and rewarding! It’s even better when you trust your new partner. These tips on how to know if you can trust a new boyfriend are inspired by a reader who says… In Daring to Trust: Opening Ourselves to Real Love and Intimacy, David Richo says we…
Read More »How to Know if You Can Trust Someone in a New Relationship - 8 Ways to Build Trust in a Relationship
You need to know how to build and nurture trust in your relationship, because it’s the foundation of a strong, healthy connection that will stand the test of time. These tips on how to build trust will help you set the stage for a great relationship with your partner. I wrote Rebuilding Trust in a Relationship…
Read More »8 Ways to Build Trust in a Relationship - 5 Signs Your Boyfriend Will Cheat on You Again
Sometimes an affair is “just” a short-term fling, never to happen again….but not always. Here are five reasons to believe your boyfriend will keep cheating on you. These tips are inspired by a reader whose boyfriend cheated; she wants to know if she can trust him again. “I just found out that my boyfriend of almost…
Read More »5 Signs Your Boyfriend Will Cheat on You Again - 3 Ways to Cope With Relationship Abuse When You Can’t Leave
Leaving an abusive relationship isn’t an easy decision. These tips on how to cope with relationship abuse will help you survive while you figure out what you need to do. I was inspired to write this article by a reader who is living with an angry husband; these tips may help you see your own…
Read More »3 Ways to Cope With Relationship Abuse When You Can’t Leave - How to Leave Your Husband When You’re a Stay at Home Mom
How do you even start thinking about divorce when you’re a stay-at-home mom who is financially dependent on your husband? These four steps will get you started. “I am so sad in my marriage,” says M. on How to Leave a Man You Love – But Can’t Live With. “I am a stay at home mom…
Read More »How to Leave Your Husband When You’re a Stay at Home Mom - Is He a “Bad Boy” Who Will Break Your Heart? 10 Qualities of a Good Man
- How to Cope With an Emotionally Abusive Boyfriend
Emotionally abusive boyfriends humiliate, intimidate, and threaten their girlfriends.These tips will help you see your relationship in a different light, and help you get the strength you need to leave. If you think or know you’re being emotionally abused, read The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to Recognize it and How to Respond by Patricia Evans. She describes…
Read More »How to Cope With an Emotionally Abusive Boyfriend - How to Leave a Man You Love – But Can’t Live With
Leaving a man you’ve loved for years isn’t just a physical move out of the house…it’s a painful emotional break. These tips on how to leave a man you love but can’t live with will help you decide if it’s time to say good-bye. Deal Breakers: When to Work On a Relationship and When to Walk…
Read More »How to Leave a Man You Love – But Can’t Live With - The Most Common Signs of a Cheater – From a Wife’s Perspective
Here are 11 signs of a cheater, plus insight into an unfaithful husband from a wife’s perspective. If you suspect your boyfriend or husband is cheating, you’re probably picking up on one or more of these signs of infidelity. There are always signs. I’m reading a fascinating but sad book about a husband who is a…
Read More »The Most Common Signs of a Cheater – From a Wife’s Perspective - How to Love an Emotionally Unavailable Man
You’re in a relationship with an emotionally unavailable man, and you love him too much to leave. Writing hundreds of relationship articles – and reading thousands of comments – has shown me that you’re not alone! In this article, you’ll find 10 tips on how to love a man who isn’t available emotionally or spiritually. But…
Read More »How to Love an Emotionally Unavailable Man - How to Know if a Man is Emotionally Available for Love
These signs of emotionally unavailable men will help you see him – and your relationship – more clearly. Also, here are the reasons women fall in love with men whose hearts aren’t available. The more you know yourself, the healthier your relationships will be. “A confusing part of being attracted to unavailable, commitment-phobic people is…
Read More »How to Know if a Man is Emotionally Available for Love - How to Apologize and Make Amends When You Were Wrong
Saying, “I was wrong, and I’m sorry I hurt you,” is surprisingly difficult! These tips will help you apologize and make amends after hurting someone you care about. The relief and freedom you’ll feel after saying you’re sorry is worth the painful moment of the apology. You’ll need to be vulnerable and authentic if you truly…
Read More »How to Apologize and Make Amends When You Were Wrong - How to Know if Divorce is the Best Decision
If you’re asking, “Should I get a divorce?”, you need an external perspective that isn’t overwhelmed by emotion. Here are 10 signs to help you decide if divorcing your husband is the best choice, inspired by Should I Stay or Should I Go? “It takes a lot of bravery to look right at the truth…
Read More »How to Know if Divorce is the Best Decision - How to Decide if You Should Stay or Go
Are you ready to move one step closer to making a good decision about your relationship? These tips on how to decide if you should stay or go are from married relationship counselors; they encourage us to identify what we’re yearning for. “It is yearning that sparks the creation of everything from inspiring art, soul-stirring music, majestic…
Read More »How to Decide if You Should Stay or Go - 5 Steps to Overcoming Insecurity in Your Relationships
Imagine how amazing it’ll be to feel secure, safe, and happy in any relationship. These steps will help you overcome insecurity in all your relationships, so you can build a foundation of peace, love, and joy in your life. This article was inspired by a comment from a reader who is struggling with deep feelings of…
Read More »5 Steps to Overcoming Insecurity in Your Relationships - 7 Simple Ways to Mend Your Broken Heart
When you’re coping with heartbreak, you need warmth and simplicity. These words of comfort and simple tips on how to mend a broken heart will help you heal. Here, you’ll discover how to walk away from a relationship that you thought would always be there. “My boyfriend is emotionally unavailable and struggles with alcoholism,” says Miranda on How…
Read More »7 Simple Ways to Mend Your Broken Heart - Filling the Void in Your Heart and Home After Divorce
After losing someone you vowed to spend your life with, you’re now searching for ways to fill the void after divorce. These five suggestions will give you something to hold on to through the dark nights. “My wife of five years just came back from a deployment and asked for a divorce,” said Sam on How…
Read More »Filling the Void in Your Heart and Home After Divorce - 3 Things to Consider When You’re Questioning Your Relationship
Asking questions about a relationship can be healthy, even though it feels painful! These 3 considerations will help you through the “I’m questioning my relationship” phase. Recently, two readers have asked very similar questions. They’re both facing relationship issues that are testing their love, but not destroying their commitment to their boyfriends. “My boyfriend and…
Read More »3 Things to Consider When You’re Questioning Your Relationship - How to Trust Your Husband After He Betrayed You
Yes, you can learn how to trust your husband and rebuild your marriage – even after a betrayal. No, it won’t be fast or easy or fun…but it may be the best thing you ever do. In Emotional Affairs Versus Innocent Friendships, Sherry (not her real name) described how her husband destroyed trust in him…
Read More »How to Trust Your Husband After He Betrayed You - Signs of an Abusive Relationship You Should Never Ignore
Is it possible not to see the signs of an abusive relationship? Definitely! Why? Because abuse isn’t “just” hitting or name-calling. These signs of an abusive relationship will help you learn how abusers control the women they say they love. In this article, the signs of an abusive relationship are described through a survivor’s perspective. Keri…
Read More »Signs of an Abusive Relationship You Should Never Ignore - 5 Signs Your Boyfriend Is In Love With You
Wouldn’t it be awesome to stop playing the “he loves me…he loves me not” game? These signs he loves you will help you see your boyfriend’s love (or lack of it) more clearly. “My boyfriend totally runs hot and cold on me,” says Tamra on 5 Things to Do When Your Boyfriend Stops Texting You. “One day…
Read More »5 Signs Your Boyfriend Is In Love With You - How to Save an Unhappy Marriage Without Couples Counseling
Imagine being so happy with your husband that you hope and even pray your daughter has the same experience! These tips on how to save your unhappy marriage without going to couples counseling will help you see your relationship – and your life – differently. My tips are inspired by two women. One is my…
Read More »How to Save an Unhappy Marriage Without Couples Counseling - Cold Feet? How to Cope With Anxiety Before the Wedding
Pre wedding jitters are the “cold feet” you’ll learn how to deal with – those nagging doubts you feel about getting married. You’ll also want to know about a research study I found; it explored the long-term effects of ignoring cold feet before getting married. “We’re getting married in 2 weeks and I have cold…
Read More »Cold Feet? How to Cope With Anxiety Before the Wedding - 5 Red Flags That Tell You He’s Having an Affair
Is he cheating on you? These red flags will help you know for sure if your boyfriend or husband is having an affair. Often the most difficult part is trusting your instincts, being honest with yourself, and accepting the fact that he is unfaithful. “I suspect my boyfriend is cheating on me but I don’t know…
Read More »5 Red Flags That Tell You He’s Having an Affair - How to Stop Walking on Eggshells in Your Relationship
You’re walking on eggshells in your relationship, but leaving is difficult, impossible, or just heartbreaking. These tip are inspired by a reader’s comment… “It’s hard because of guilt,” says Fran on How to Break Up With Someone You Don’t Love Anymore. “I love my boyfriend of 3 years but he is basically a jerk whenever…
Read More »How to Stop Walking on Eggshells in Your Relationship - 6 Ways to Survive Your First Year of Marriage
Newlyweds, the first year might be the toughest of all your 85 years together! Here are six of the most important tips on how to love (not just survive!) your first year of marriage. If you’re still smooching on your first wedding anniversary, you’ll be ready to survive anything. Well, that’s not entirely true. In…
Read More »6 Ways to Survive Your First Year of Marriage - How to Make a Relationship Last – for Better or Worse
For better or worse, right? It may depend. Here are seven tips on how to make a relationship last – I combined my own personal marriage experience with a few tips from couples’ therapists. “I feel like my marriage is in trouble,” says Hurt on How to Cope With a Husband Who Criticizes You. “I don’t…
Read More »How to Make a Relationship Last – for Better or Worse - How to Be Strong About Not Getting Back Together
You know getting back together is not a good idea, but he’s begging you to give him another chance. Here’s how to be strong and stand up to your ex-boyfriend. “I stopped dating him months ago because I know God has a better plan for me,” says Dee on How to End the Affair and…
Read More »How to Be Strong About Not Getting Back Together - Pregnant and Alone? 5 Choices You Can Make Right Now
You may feel everything from dread to excitement when you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy. These choices are for women pregnant and alone; they’re inspired by Shae, a reader who is 21 weeks into her first pregnancy. “I’m currently pregnant and alone, I’m having my boyfriend’s child,” she says on How to Cope When He Says “I’m Not…
Read More »Pregnant and Alone? 5 Choices You Can Make Right Now - What to Do About Your Relationship Problems
If you can solve other people’s problems but you don’t know what to do about your own relationship problems – you’re normal! Solving problems in our relationships is never easy, because we’re caught smack dab in the middle of it all. Help is on the way – but you have to step up and take action.…
Read More »What to Do About Your Relationship Problems - How to Increase Emotional Intimacy in Your Relationship
If you feel lonely in your relationship, you’ll be inspired by these tips on how to increase emotional intimacy. The fear of being emotionally intimate is natural because it involves vulnerability and risk. On my article about overcoming fear of intimacy, a reader shared her experience and asked for help… “I need to know more…
Read More »How to Increase Emotional Intimacy in Your Relationship - 5 Sex Tips for Women With Ulcerative Colitis
These intimacy and sex tips are for women who have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s, and who want more intimacy in their romantic relationship. I’m not a marriage therapist or a gastroenterology expert – but I am a woman with ulcerative colitis and a sexy husband :-) While writing 10…
Read More »5 Sex Tips for Women With Ulcerative Colitis - How to Stop Going Back and Forth in Your Relationship
The only thing worse than you going back and forth in your relationship is when your partner can’t decide if he wants to be with you. Here’s how to make a decision about your relationship, how to stop going back and forth, and how to find peace with the decision you make. “I knew I…
Read More »How to Stop Going Back and Forth in Your Relationship - 8 Signs of the Perfect Boyfriend for You
The perfect man doesn’t exist, but you can find the perfect boyfriend for you. This doesn’t mean he’s flawless. Your boyfriend will make mistakes, disappoint you, and even hurt you occasionally. All relationships – even the best, healthiest ones – go through ups and downs. All boyfriends – even the ones who seem perfect –…
Read More »8 Signs of the Perfect Boyfriend for You - How to Recover After Losing Yourself in a Relationship
You need to learn how to recover when you lose yourself in a relationship. Why? Because the only way to be happy and healthy is to know what you think and feel. Without this connection with yourself, you can’t find peace or joy. Recently I’ve been getting lots of comments from readers who feel like they’ve…
Read More »How to Recover After Losing Yourself in a Relationship - 4 Ways to Create Love and Peace in an Unhappy Marriage
These tips on how to find love in an unhappy marriage are inspired by a reader’s comment. She and her husband are unhappily married, and she doesn’t want to tell her family or friends. Here’s part of her comment: “My husband and I have been together for 2 years and we have an eight month old…
Read More »4 Ways to Create Love and Peace in an Unhappy Marriage - How to Forgive and Recover From Your Spouse’s Infidelity
Forgiving your spouse’s infidelity won’t happen overnight. Being physically or emotionally unfaithful was a process for your spouse, and learning how to forgive him will be a process for you. These suggestions for forgiving a spouse’s infidelity are inspired by a wife – Anna – who commented on my article about trusting a spouse after infidelity.…
Read More »How to Forgive and Recover From Your Spouse’s Infidelity - How to Tell if Your Boyfriend Has Commitment Issues
Are you a priority in his life, or does your boyfriend have commitment issues? Here’s how to tell if you’re wasting your time on your relationship. Meet Catherine, who asked for help with her boyfriend. She’s 37 years old, and is in a relationship with a man who is 29 years old. They see each…
Read More »How to Tell if Your Boyfriend Has Commitment Issues - Lost That Loving Feeling? When to Give Up On Your Marriage
The bad news is it doesn’t matter how you feel. That’s also the good news! Why? Because your marriage commitment goes beyond feelings. Here’s how to know when to give up on your marriage instead of trying to make it work – these tips are inspired by a reader who asked for help deciding if she…
Read More »Lost That Loving Feeling? When to Give Up On Your Marriage - Why Does He Do That? Inside the Mind of an Abusive Man
There are no simple answers to the “Why does he do that?” question, but here are some insights into abusive men and why they abuse. I also included links to articles about why women stay with abusers. I’m getting my Master of Social Work (MSW) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and have…
Read More »Why Does He Do That? Inside the Mind of an Abusive Man - How to Stop Being a Controlling Girlfriend
Controlling girlfriends don’t make life light or enjoyable for their boyfriends – or themselves. These tips on how to stop trying to control your boyfriend will help you ease up and let your relationship unfold naturally. I’m writing this post for a reader who commented on How to Deal With Your Husband’s Toxic Ex-Wife. She is…
Read More »How to Stop Being a Controlling Girlfriend - Awesome and Inexpensive Gift Ideas for Her Parents
Whether it’s your girlfriend’s mom’s birthday or her dad’s retirement party, you’ll find the right gift in this list. Make your online shopping excursion quick and painless with these ideas… These beautiful Hand Painted Large Wine Glasses are a lovely, classy gift for either your girlfriend’s parents or her mom’s birthday. The elegance of the hand painted glass combined…
Read More »Awesome and Inexpensive Gift Ideas for Her Parents - When You Find Out Your Wife Cheated on You
You’re deeply wounded, but you’re brave enough to type the words “my wife cheated on me.” And you are not alone. Every week, thousands of husbands find out about their wives’ affairs. “We got married 18 years ago and yesterday I found out my wife cheated on me,” says Ben on Is Your Wife Having…
Read More »When You Find Out Your Wife Cheated on You - How to Increase Self-Love and Improve Your Relationships
Healthy relationships aren’t just built on love; they’re rooted in self-love. Learn how increasing self-love will improve your relationship in powerful ways, and change how you see yourself. How do you see yourself? This is an important question, because how you see yourself is how you see everything. If you don’t love yourself, you can’t…
Read More »How to Increase Self-Love and Improve Your Relationships - Dating After Divorce – 3 Things You Need to Know
What advice have you already received about dating after divorce? Set it aside for now. Here’s what you really need to know when you’re thinking about new relationships after the end of your marriage. While researching “dating after divorce”, I discovered that some divorcees think that most people are not looking to date someone who…
Read More »Dating After Divorce – 3 Things You Need to Know - 10 Time-Tested Ways to Know if You Love Someone
When you ask “Do I love him?”, you need signs that will stand the test of time. Here’s how to know if you love someone and what you need to know about love. These tips are from relationship experts, divorce attorneys (they know a surprising amount about love!), and scientific research. The least helpful advice…
Read More »10 Time-Tested Ways to Know if You Love Someone - 7 Ways to Deal With Depression After a Breakup
Eating chocolate, taking a bubble bath, and finding online dating apps like Tinder aren’t on this list of tips for dealing with depression. When you’re getting over a breakup, you need more. “I feel depressed because my relationship ended eight months ago and we were together for five years,” says Riata on How to Get Over Depression.…
Read More »7 Ways to Deal With Depression After a Breakup - Dealing With Toxic People Before They Take You Down
These 12 signs of toxic people will help you spot them a mile away, plus 3 tips from Dr Lillian Glass for dealing with toxic relationships before they take you down. One of my readers, Miranda, is struggling to cope with her angry, critical boyfriend. “It’s so hard to let go of him, even though…
Read More »Dealing With Toxic People Before They Take You Down - How to Find Someone To Talk To
The most common thing my readers say is: “I need someone to talk to.” Sometimes we don’t need advice or help – we just want someone who will listen without judging or pitying us. But how do we find that person? If you need someone to talk to, you are not alone. You may feel…
Read More »How to Find Someone To Talk To - Why He’s Having an Affair and How to Recover
Surprising new research shows why some husbands have affairs and why wives are more prone to anxiety and insomnia. Plus, here are three tips for recovering from an affair, from family therapist Vikki Stark’s book Runaway Husbands: The Abandoned Wife’s Gide to Recovery and Renewal. Before the therapist’s tips for healing, I share new research about…
Read More »Why He’s Having an Affair and How to Recover - A Simple Cure – How to Get Over a Broken Heart
The cure to getting over a broken heart depends on the reason your heart broke. Here are 20 most frequently asked questions (FAQ) from readers about how to get over a broken heart. You’ll see yourself here – and you may find the cure you need in these stories and insights. This post is inspired by a man whose…
Read More »A Simple Cure – How to Get Over a Broken Heart - 5 Best Ways to Get Good Relationship Advice
You know something needs to change in your life, but you’re not sure what. How do you find good relationship advice for women? Here are a few easy steps to get you started. I recently wrote about recognizing the signs of good relationship advice…and then I realized I didn’t actually talk about how women can get relationship advice…
Read More »5 Best Ways to Get Good Relationship Advice - How to Listen to the Still Small Voice
Here are 7 steps to listening the still small voice and applying it to your life. You’d be amazed at what you know – or what you COULD know – if you listen… I’m talking about listening to the still small voice in the context of relationships, but my tips apply to any aspect of life.…
Read More »How to Listen to the Still Small Voice - How to Stop Obsessing About What Happened
You know you’re wasting time and energy, but you don’t know how to stop. Obsessing about what happened in the past is more common than you think – but don’t worry! I have three steps that will help you let go of what’s behind you. I spent the last two days updating and revising How…
Read More »How to Stop Obsessing About What Happened - What “Letting Go of Someone You Love” Means
The most important step to letting go of someone you love is to learn what it actually means to detach and be free. If you learn what “letting go of someone you love” actually looks and feels like, you’ll find it easier to shake off those chains and break free. I’ve written an ebook and…
Read More »What “Letting Go of Someone You Love” Means - How to Forget Someone – A Lesson in Deadheading
The hard truth is that you’ll never learn how to forget someone completely. The good news is that you CAN deadhead the past and make room for fresh new growth in your life. Deadheading is life-giving in gardening. It may sound harsh and deathly, but it actually brings life and fresh growth to a plant. To…
Read More »How to Forget Someone – A Lesson in Deadheading - How to Stop Worrying About Your Relationship Problems
You know it doesn’t help to worry about your relationship problems, yet you can’t stop, right? Wrong! You CAN learn how to stop worrying. Here’s how. This article is the is the fourth post in my “save your relationship” series. I’m writing about worrying and anxiety because it directly related to decision making and solving…
Read More »How to Stop Worrying About Your Relationship Problems - 5 Ways to Find Yourself After Getting Lost in Love
Feeling “lost in love” is all chocolate and roses in the beginning … but then comes the saggy middle. Here’s how to find yourself after getting lost in a relationship; these tips are important whether your relationship is still going strong or has limped to a halt. Why do you need to learn how to find…
Read More »5 Ways to Find Yourself After Getting Lost in Love - 7 Tips for Letting Go of Toxic Relationships
You’d think it’d be easy to recognize toxic relationships – and let go of toxic people – but it’s not. These tips on how to let go of relationships that are poisoning your soul and breaking your spirit will take you one step closer to Blossoming. If you’re in a relationship with someone who is…
Read More »7 Tips for Letting Go of Toxic Relationships - How to Make a Decision That Will Change Your Life
You make dozens of decisions every day, and some have the power to change your life forever! These tips on how to make a decision will show you the most important thing about decision-making: how to listen to that still, small voice and trust yourself. Every week on Blossom, I write four articles on a…
Read More »How to Make a Decision That Will Change Your Life - How to Gain Confidence and Create Healthy Relationships
The first step to creating healthy relationships is to learn how to gain confidence. Why? Because if you’re insecure, your relationships can’t flourish. When you’re confident in who you are and what you have to offer, your relationships will Blossom. If you can’t imagine how to start gaining confidence, read Blossoming After a Breakup: 28…
Read More »How to Gain Confidence and Create Healthy Relationships - 8 Secrets About Fixing Unhealthy Relationships
Your relationships are as important to your health as diet and exercise, so knowing how to fix unhealthy relationships is a matter of life and death! Well, maybe not quite life and death, but…pretty close :-) According to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers, the quality of your social relationships can affect your…
Read More »8 Secrets About Fixing Unhealthy Relationships - 7 Lessons Learned From Unhealthy Relationships
How do you get good at love? By learning from unhealthy relationships, of course! Here are the most important lessons learned from the biggest relationship mistakes made by me and my readers. Do you struggle with jealousy and insecurity? Read Insecure in Love: How Anxious Attachment Can Make You Feel Jealous, Needy, and Worried and What…
Read More »7 Lessons Learned From Unhealthy Relationships - How to Be Happy Even in an Unhealthy Relationship
Here’s my dirty little secret: I write more about breaking up than fixing unhealthy relationships. So, this week’s series is on how to be happy even if you’re in a relationship that isn’t healthy. One of the most important things I’ve learned from my readers is that not all relationships – not even the unhealthiest,…
Read More »How to Be Happy Even in an Unhealthy Relationship - Surviving Divorce – Journaling for Recovery and Rebuilding
Here’s how journaling can help with surviving divorce, who journaling is NOT helpful for (based on recent research), and questions to help you journal more effectively. “I found journaling cathartic after a terrible breakup,” writes Rachel Sussman in The Breakup Bible: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Healing from a Breakup or Divorce. “I suggest you…
Read More »Surviving Divorce – Journaling for Recovery and Rebuilding - How to Heal a Broken Heart – Go On a Safari to Remember
The longer you’re in a relationship, the longer it takes to find yourself after it snaps crackles and pops. Here’s how to heal a broken heart by going on a safari, for women over 40 who have lost a wee bit of their soul. The tips below on how to heal a broken heart are…
Read More »How to Heal a Broken Heart – Go On a Safari to Remember - The Secret to Gaining Confidence After a Breakup
After grieving your loss, the first thing you need to do after a break up is learn how to gain confidence. Even if you initiated the breakup, you may feel shattered when your relationship ends. Did you know there really is only one secret to getting your confidence back after a breakup? I learned it when I…
Read More »The Secret to Gaining Confidence After a Breakup - How to Make a Vision Board for Your Relationship
Creating a vision board for “your life” isn’t specific enough. Here, we focus on how to make a vision board for your relationship to help you get a clear idea of who and what you want in a partner. “Your vision board itself doesn’t impact reality; what changes your life is the process of creating…
Read More »How to Make a Vision Board for Your Relationship - 10 Gifts for Someone Going Through a Divorce
When you’re getting divorced, you feel like the wind has been knocked out of you. These gifts for someone going through a divorce will help her regain strength, energy, hope, and faith. Most of them are interactive (you’ll see what I mean as you scroll through), but some are simply relaxing and inspiring. The French Lilacs…
Read More »10 Gifts for Someone Going Through a Divorce - Help Getting Over a Breakup – How to Change Your Story
You need help getting over a breakup, and the tired old tips aren’t working. Try this instead: learn how to change your story so you can change your perspective of your relationship, your self, and your life. This can help you heal. In Retelling the Stories of Our Lives: Everyday Narrative Therapy to Draw Inspiration…
Read More »Help Getting Over a Breakup – How to Change Your Story - 4 Ways to Stop Criticizing Your Husband
Critical people don’t just criticize others, they’re also critical of themselves. These tips on how to stop criticizing your husband are inspired by a reader’s comment and question. John Gottman, author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert, is a researcher who specializes in how…
Read More »4 Ways to Stop Criticizing Your Husband - How to Stop Loving Someone
The truth is that you can’t teach yourself how to stop loving someone. But, you can learn ways to cope with the loss of someone you love. Here’s a brief explanation of why it’s hard to let go, plus a few ideas for releasing your grip on the past. When I wrote 75 Ways to Let…
Read More »How to Stop Loving Someone - How to Cope With Being Alone
The reason you’re tired of being alone is because humans were created to be together! We are meant to be in relationships: marriage, family, community, work, church, school…we were designed for connection and love. So go easy on yourself if you’re tired of being alone, for you are normal. In Madly in Love with ME:…
Read More »How to Cope With Being Alone - How to Win Him Back by Recreating Yourself
You can learn how to win him back, but not by forcing yourself to be someone you’re not. Rather, focus on recreating yourself to be the woman you were meant to be. In The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself, Lucia Capacchione guides readers through drawing and writing exercises to release feelings, explore dreams, and…
Read More »How to Win Him Back by Recreating Yourself - How to Write a Divorce Announcement
Here’s how to write a divorce announcement that is brief and matter-of-fact, plus a sample announcement of a divorce. The purpose is to inform friends and associates, and give them new contact information. How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide by Laura Brown is where I found these tips on how to write a divorce announcement.…
Read More »How to Write a Divorce Announcement - What You Need to Know When You Call a Shelter or Safe House
Do you want to leave your husband, but have nowhere to go? Here’s what to expect at a women’s shelter. I worked at a safe house for women and children, and know how to prepare to leave an unhealthy and abusive relationship. If you’re in an abusive relationship, know that you are not alone! I’m inspired to…
Read More »What You Need to Know When You Call a Shelter or Safe House - When You Regret Getting Married
These tips for what to do when you regret getting married are inspired by a husband. He’s a nice man who rushed into a marriage because of “love at first sight.” After the wedding, the relationship changed. In How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It, Patricia Love and Steven Stosny teach couples how to get…
Read More »When You Regret Getting Married - How to Heal Your Broken Heart
Of course there is no one right tip on how to heal a broken heart – but there are several ways to regain your self-esteem and confidence after a breakup. In How to Let Go of Someone You Love, I share advice from relationship coaches and grief experts. I wrote that ebook after writing a…
Read More »How to Heal Your Broken Heart - Should You Marry Him? Sometimes the Answer is Obvious
This is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make: “Should I marry him?” Go slowly, and consider my reader’s story and my tips when you’re deciding if you should marry him. Read Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman. It’s packed with wisdom and tips that will help you develop…
Read More »Should You Marry Him? Sometimes the Answer is Obvious - How to Find Peace of Mind After a Break Up
If you recently broke up with someone, you may feel anxious and scared. These tips on how to find peace of mind after a break up are inspired by a reader who is confused and unhappy. In The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life’s Hard, Kara Tippetts doesn’t offer answers for when…
Read More »How to Find Peace of Mind After a Break Up - How to Get Relationship Help
The comment I always get from readers is “I need relationship help!” So, here are the best tips on how to get relationship help. I can’t give advice about relationships because I don’t know the full story, and the issues are always deeper than how they appear on the surface. In Rising Strong, Brene Brown describes…
Read More »How to Get Relationship Help - How to Overcome Fear of Love
These ways to overcome fear of love are inspired by a reader’s question on my “scared to love” article. The first step to overcoming your fear of relationships is to recognize the signs. In Love Me, Don’t Leave Me: Overcoming Fear of Abandonment and Building Lasting, Loving Relationships, Michelle Skeen describes how to break the…
Read More »How to Overcome Fear of Love - 8 Signs of Controlling Men
If you’re wondering if he’s manipulating you, then you might be picking up on these signs of controlling men. Sometimes the manipulation is obvious, other times it’s subtle. These signs of controlling men are from Boundaries in Marriage by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. This is a must-read relationship book for all couples, because it teaches…
Read More »8 Signs of Controlling Men - When to Give Up on a Relationship
You’re searching for ways to know when to give up on a relationship – and you’re not alone. These ideas are inspired by a reader who is unhappy about how her boyfriend treats her. The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags: Relationship Warning Signs You Totally Spotted… But Chose to Ignore is a fantastic book…
Read More »When to Give Up on a Relationship - 8 Ways to Know if You Love Him
A “Do I love him?” quiz can’t address your specific relationship questions. Here are the most important signs of compatibility, to help you recognize true love. Read Women Who Love Too Much: When You Keep Wishing and Hoping He’ll Change if you: Find yourself attracted again and again to troubled, distant, moody men – and nice…
Read More »8 Ways to Know if You Love Him - How to Make a Boy Like You for Who You Are
If you want him to like you for who you are, you can’t pretend to be something you’re not. These tips on how to make a boy like you aren’t about playing games or flirting. Rather, they’re about being honest and real so you don’t have to spend your time lying or trying to manipulate…
Read More »How to Make a Boy Like You for Who You Are - How to Write a Love Letter
These questions and tips will help you learn how to write a love letter that expresses exactly what you need to say – even when you aren’t sure how to put your feelings into words. A gift isn’t required, but a heart-shaped symbol of your love – such as a Yellow Gold Diamond-Accented Heart Pendant…
Read More »How to Write a Love Letter - How to Cope With Divorce
Even when being divorced is better than being married, you’re still sad about the end of your relationship. These ideas on how to cope with divorce are inspired by a marriage that ended in my family. In Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing, Dr. Richard A. Warshak offers a blueprint…
Read More »How to Cope With Divorce - How to Know When to End a Relationship
You know there aren’t any easy answers, but you have to make a decision. These suggestions for how to know when to end a relationship might bring insight to a difficult dilemma. In How to Be an Adult in Love: Letting Love in Safely and Showing It Recklessly, David Richo provides tools to learn how…
Read More »How to Know When to End a Relationship - How to Get Him Back
These ideas for how to get him back aren’t about manipulations or magic spells. Instead, let’s focus on something more important: rebuilding yourself emotionally and spiritually. The happier and healthier you are, the easier it’ll be to get him back (or to decide that letting him go is a better choice for you!). In Ignore…
Read More »How to Get Him Back - What to Do When You’re Tired of Being Single
You may feel like you’re the only single woman in the world – but you are not alone! Here’s what to do when you’re tired of being single; I was inspired to write this by one of my readers. She’s a 39 year old woman who wanted to settle down, get married, and have children a…
Read More »What to Do When You’re Tired of Being Single - How to Help a Friend in an Abusive Relationship
You know your friend is being abused, but what can you do? These ideas on how to help a friend in an abusive relationship will give you some of the tools you need to support her. Knowledge is power. Read books like Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by…
Read More »How to Help a Friend in an Abusive Relationship - How to Say Goodbye
These ways to say goodbye will help you end a relationship with grace, love, and kindness – whether you need tips on how to say goodbye to someone you’re still in love with or someone you work with (or both!). A symbol of your relationship – a goodbye gift – is often a good way…
Read More »How to Say Goodbye - How to Stop Being Jealous
If you get jealous sometimes (or a lot), you’re not alone. Hundreds of people search for tips on how to stop being jealous every day. These tips will help you slay the green-eyed monster and learn how to love your life, relationship, body, and job just as it is. You won’t overcome jealousy simply by reading this…
Read More »How to Stop Being Jealous - What to Expect After You File for Divorce
Getting divorced feels different for everyone, but there are some things everyone experiences. Here’s what to expect after filing for divorce – whether this is your first, second, or third time getting divorced. If you haven’t read any books on getting divorced, check out Getting Up, Getting Over, Getting On: A Twelve Step Guide to…
Read More »What to Expect After You File for Divorce - How to Deal With a Difficult Breakup at Work
Dating a coworker can be thrilling, especially if your job is boring…until the breakup. These six tips for dealing with a work breakup will help you refocus on your job, get through the workday, and heal your broken heart. In Getting Back Out There: Secrets to Successful Dating and Finding Real Love After the Big Breakup,…
Read More »How to Deal With a Difficult Breakup at Work - Help for When You’re Broken Hearted
Whether it’s a relationship break up or a loved one’s death, you’ll find help for when you’re broken hearted here. I start with hope, and end with practical help for healing hearts. In Comfort: A Journey Through Grief, Ann Hood shares her personal story of losing her five year old daughter Grace. Talk about broken…
Read More »Help for When You’re Broken Hearted - How to Manage Money After Divorce
Let’s face it: divorce is financially devastating. These tips on how to manage money after divorce will help you get back on your feet and build a firm financial foundation for your future. Divorce-savvy men and women hide money before the divorce, so they don’t have to pay as much alimony or child support. Read…
Read More »How to Manage Money After Divorce - How to Be Creative Without Fear of Criticism
These tips for being creative are for women in relationships. How do you be creative without fear of criticism or judgment from your husband, boyfriend, or significant other? I was inspired to write this article by a reader who is struggling to find her creative hobbies. Reading books about art and creativity is one way…
Read More »How to Be Creative Without Fear of Criticism - Christian Dating Advice for Women in Love
The most important decision you’ll ever make is who to marry. This Christian dating advice – specifically for women in love – will help you stay focused on the most important thing in your life: your relationship with God. Everything else is gravy, including your relationship with your boyfriend or fiance. In The Mingling of…
Read More »Christian Dating Advice for Women in Love - How to Fix a Broken Relationship
Some relationships can’t be saved, and others just need a bit of tender loving care. These tips on how to fix a broken relationship will help you see what steps to take next. I also included five “love lessons” for healthy marriages from married people over 65 years old. In Wired for Love: How Understanding Your…
Read More »How to Fix a Broken Relationship - Coping Strategies for Stressful Relationships
There’s a big difference between dealing with work stress and dealing with relationship stress. These coping strategies for stressful relationships will help you cope with stress in other parts of your life. “Dealing with it is the operative word. I found myself at seven years not battling it,” said Michael J. Fox in an interview with Barbara…
Read More »Coping Strategies for Stressful Relationships - A Compatibility Test for Couples
This “relationship test” will help you see your personality, lifestyle, and values in a different light. It’s not a typical compatibility test for couples; it’s based on my experience of 10 years of marriage. If you truly want to get to know your partner – and determine your relationship compatibility – get TABLETOPICS Couples: Questions…
Read More »A Compatibility Test for Couples - How to Make Yourself Feel Better
After a fight with your boyfriend or husband – or a terrible day at work – you need tips on how to make yourself feel better. These eight ways to pamper yourself will help you gather strength and energy to move forward. First, you laugh. You find pictures and cartoons that you already know are…
Read More »How to Make Yourself Feel Better - A Hells Angel Book About Surviving Abuse
This interview with the author of the first Hells Angels book offers hope for women in abusive relationships. Here, Kerri Krysko describes what it was like to leave not only a difficult man, but a destructive lifestyle. If your husband or boyfriend is manipulative or controlling, read Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry…
Read More »A Hells Angel Book About Surviving Abuse - How to Deal With a Control Freak
Control freaks are often bossy, micromanaging perfectionists. Here’s how to deal with a control freak – whether it’s your boyfriend, boss, spouse, parent, or child. Read Controlling People: How to Recognize, Understand, and Deal with People Who Try to Control You by Patricia Evans for in-depth tips on how to deal with a control freak. These…
Read More »How to Deal With a Control Freak - How to Rebuild Trust After an Affair
These five steps towards trusting your partner again are inspired by Ann Landers. If you need to know how to rebuild trust after an affair, you have to start at the beginning. One of the first steps is to find out why he cheated. Books like The Truth about Cheating: Why Men Stray and What You…
Read More »How to Rebuild Trust After an Affair - Gift Ideas for Your Girlfriend – From Pretty to Practical
These 15 gift ideas for your girlfriend range from pretty to practical. Even if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, you’ll find the perfect gift here. The 10k Yellow Gold Diamond Sun Pendant is one of the most popular gift ideas for girlfriend because it’s so pretty and cheerful. It’s an elegant necklace featuring a sun…
Read More »Gift Ideas for Your Girlfriend – From Pretty to Practical - How to Start Over After a Breakup
These tips on starting over after a breakup will help you see that your relationship isn’t the most important thing in your life. You will move on and be happy again – and it’s only your effort that counts. One of my favorite books on how to start over after a breakup is It’s Called a…
Read More »How to Start Over After a Breakup - How to Change Back to Your Maiden Name After a Divorce
Thinking about changing your name? Here’s what you need to know about a name change, plus tips on how to change back to your maiden name after a divorce. In Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of Divorce, Kristin Armstrong describes how she began her recovery from her divorce to…
Read More »How to Change Back to Your Maiden Name After a Divorce - “Happy 40th Birthday!” Ideas for Your Boyfriend
These gifts and ideas will help you find the perfect way to say Happy 40th Birthday to your boyfriend. The best birthday ideas for a boyfriend are gifts that celebrate his personality and encourage him to pursue his passions in life. Kicking off this list of 40th birthday ideas for your boyfriend is a Cenzo Duffle Vecchio Brown…
Read More »“Happy 40th Birthday!” Ideas for Your Boyfriend - How to Find Love When You Feel Unlovable
Here’s a list of reasons you can answer YES to the “Will I ever find love?” question. Plus, I share practical tips on how to find love in your life – especially when you feel unlovable or unwanted. In Love Will Find You: 9 Magnets to Bring You and Your Soulmate Together, Kathryn Alice encourages people who feel…
Read More »How to Find Love When You Feel Unlovable - How to Take Care of Yourself After a Divorce
These tips on how to take care of yourself after a divorce will help you adapt to your new life emotionally and spiritually. The first thing you need to do is learn what taking care of yourself means to you. In Divorce Care: Hope, Help, and Healing During and After Your Divorce, Steve Grissom and…
Read More »How to Take Care of Yourself After a Divorce - Are You Really in Love? 8 Signs of a Serious Relationship
Asking “Am I in love?” is one of the first things we do when we start having more serious feelings. These signs of a serious relationship will help you know if you’re truly in love or merely infatuated with the guy you’re dating. If you feel like you don’t know your boyfriend well, read 101…
Read More »Are You Really in Love? 8 Signs of a Serious Relationship - 5 Signs You Are Ready for a Relationship
The best reason to ask yourself, “Am I ready for a relationship?” is so you don’t race ahead blindly. These signs you’re ready to start dating again will help you avoid getting your heart broken – or breaking someone else’s heart. Are you too picky when it comes to love? Read Marry Him: The Case for…
Read More »5 Signs You Are Ready for a Relationship - How to Find Yourself After Getting Lost in a Relationship
One of my favorite subjects! These tips on how to find yourself after getting lost in a relationship are inspired by a reader and Lucille Ball. She (the reader, not Lucille Ball) asked for help finding herself after losing herself in abuse. In Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On: Trusting God in the…
Read More »How to Find Yourself After Getting Lost in a Relationship - Should You Get Divorced? 3 Reasons for Divorce
One of the most common questions readers ask me is, “Should I get a divorce?” These three reasons for divorce summarize a wide range of marriage problems. Read through these, and tell me if you think you should get divorced. Read The Divorce Remedy: The Proven 7-Step Program for Saving Your Marriage by Michele Weiner Davis to…
Read More »Should You Get Divorced? 3 Reasons for Divorce - Why He Doesn’t Love You
Finding the answer to the question, “Why don’t you love me?” can help you move on. Here’s what I learned and how I coped when two people I love told me they don’t love me anymore. My tips are inspired by a new love I found – a love that is powerful, never-ending, and peace-giving!…
Read More »Why He Doesn’t Love You - Filing for Divorce? How to Prepare Yourself Emotionally
Your lawyer has the legal strategies on how to file for divorce. These tips for preparing yourself for a divorce will give you the emotional strength you need to face what lies ahead. Filing for divorce will be more painful and expensive than you think – but you will bounce back. If your ex-husband is…
Read More »Filing for Divorce? How to Prepare Yourself Emotionally - How to Be Strong After a Break Up
Even if breaking up was your choice, it still hurts deep. These ideas on how to be strong after a break up are inspired by strong women who survived devastating betrayals and breakups. I also share how I found strength after the worst break up of my life. In It’s A Breakup Not A Breakdown,…
Read More »How to Be Strong After a Break Up - How to Break Up With Someone You Love But Can’t Be With
Love isn’t all you need to save a relationship. These tips on how to break up with someone you love will help you see your relationship in a different light; they’re inspired by a reader’s comment on my article about dating someone who is married. “I know I need to let him go,” says Page…
Read More »How to Break Up With Someone You Love But Can’t Be With - Why Does Love Hurt? 6 Excuses for Abuse
Understanding why love hurts will help you see your boyfriend clearly. These reasons why men abuse will help answer the “why does love hurt?” question. I’ve geared this article towards girlfriends who are being abused by their boyfriends, but these excuses for abuse or apply to marriages as well. In Men Who Hate Women and…
Read More »Why Does Love Hurt? 6 Excuses for Abuse - How to Stop Overthinking Your Relationship
When you’re in love, it’s so tempting to ruminate and obsess. But overthinking is unhealthy and destructive. If you’re ready to learn how to stop overthinking a relationship, try these seven strategies for women who think too much… In You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking…
Read More »How to Stop Overthinking Your Relationship - Dealing With the Silent Treatment in Relationships
The silent treatment is the most common pattern of conflict in marriage or any committed romantic relationship. These tips on dealing with the silent treatment in relationships will help you undo some of the damage it causes. Taken too far, the silent treatment is emotional abuse – and it’s definitely one of the causes of…
Read More »Dealing With the Silent Treatment in Relationships - Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a New Relationship
Before jumping into things with a new partner – no matter how awesome he or she is – check out these questions to ask yourself before starting a new relationship. And remember: start as you mean to go. In How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving, David Richo teaches how…
Read More »Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a New Relationship - 10 Causes of Relationship Problems
Identifying what is causing problems in your relationship will increase the love in your life. These causes of relationship problems range from sabotage to laziness; they’re inspired by a reader who is realizing that she is causing problems with her boyfriend. In Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last, John…
Read More »10 Causes of Relationship Problems - How to Reduce Stress in a Relationship
These ideas for reducing stress are inspired by Jack’s Parable about trust and by a reader’s request for tips on how to reduce stress in a relationship, on 10 Warning Signs of a Bad Relationship. If you’re stressed as a couple, you need to find ways to manage your emotions before they have a negative…
Read More »How to Reduce Stress in a Relationship - What to Do When You Feel Alone in a Relationship
Being in a relationship isn’t a cure for loneliness. These tips will help when you feel sad and alone in a relationship – even when your partner is right beside you. If you want to deal with your loneliness, get the Leaving Loneliness Workbook: Building Relationships with Yourself and Others. David Narang helps readers address persistent…
Read More »What to Do When You Feel Alone in a Relationship - How to Find a Boyfriend
These tips for finding someone to love will give you hope and encouragement, and show you one thing more important than knowing how to find a boyfriend. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of finding a boyfriend, read The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible by Ali Binazir, MD. This book combines…
Read More »How to Find a Boyfriend - How to Start Over When You Need Money
Here’s what to do when you need money to start over, inspired by the parable of Midas – and a reader’s comment on getting money to start her life over again. How To Make Any Divorce Better: Specific Steps to Make Things Smoother, Faster, Less Painful and Save You a Lot of Money by lawyer Ed…
Read More »How to Start Over When You Need Money - 3 Ways to Slowly and Completely Get Over Him
Getting over him feels impossible right now. And the truth is that you’ll never be the same. A breakup changes you, right to the core and root of who you are. But I have good news! I know you’ll heal, grow forward, and even blossom into who God created you to be…especially if you let yourself get over him slowly and in healthy ways.
- How to Free Yourself From Obsessive Thoughts
Do you want freedom from compulsively thinking about something – or someone? These tips on how to free yourself from obsessive thoughts are inspired by a reader’s comment, and by my own recent discoveries. In Self-Defeating Behaviors: Free Yourself from the Habits, Compulsions, Feelings, and Attitudes That Hold You Back, Milton Cudney and Robert E.…
Read More »How to Free Yourself From Obsessive Thoughts - How to Get Help for Your Marriage
Getting marriage help is both simple and complicated. These tips on how to get help for your marriage are inspired by The Marriage Parable – and by a reader’s comment. In Desperate Marriages: Moving Toward Hope and Healing in Your Relationship, Gary Chapman offers positive steps for dealing with spouses who are workaholics, controlling, uncommunicative, physically,…
Read More »How to Get Help for Your Marriage - How to Stop Relationship Anxiety
If you learn how to stop relationship anxiety, you’ll find peace, joy, and hope. These tips for stopping anxiety from affecting your relationship are inspired by a reader’s comment – and by The Parable of the Hungry Wolf. One of my favorite books on letting go of insecurity and anxiety is The Gifts of Imperfection:…
Read More »How to Stop Relationship Anxiety - 5 Steps to Take if You Think Your Marriage is Over
A reader asked “How do you know when your marriage is over?” While the signs are different for everyone, there are a few common denominators. Uncertainty, grief, and fear are the most common emotions when you’re confused about your marriage. If you want to stay married, read How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About…
Read More »5 Steps to Take if You Think Your Marriage is Over - What to Do After a Breakup – Emotional Healing
These suggestions for emotional healing will help you know what to do after a breakup. They’re inspired by The Parable of the Tiger and the Strawberries – one of my favorite stories of acceptance, being in the moment, and victory! In You Can Heal Your Heart: Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce, or Death, Louise…
Read More »What to Do After a Breakup – Emotional Healing - How to Let Go of a Relationship
Letting go of relationships – whether a long marriage or a short friendship – might be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. These tips on how to let go of a relationship are inspired by The Parable of Letting Go, as well as my own experience with loss and healing. In The Untethered Soul: The…
Read More »How to Let Go of a Relationship - Signs of a Failing Relationship
Relationships fail for many reasons; if you can see the signs of a failing relationship early, you have a better chance of fixing it. Inspired by The Parable of the Poor Farmer – and by a reader’s comment about her failed relationship – these signs may bring you the insight you need. Dr. Barbara De…
Read More »Signs of a Failing Relationship - How to Decide When to Leave a Relationship
How do you know when it’s time to leave a relationship? These tips for deciding what to do are inspired by The Parable of the Coconut and by a reader’s comment. In I Love You, but I’m Not IN Love with You: Seven Steps to Saving Your Relationship, Andrew G. Marshall helps readers learn how to…
Read More »How to Decide When to Leave a Relationship - 5 Signs of an Abusive Boyfriend
Some boyfriends are clearly abusive – they hit, yell, or push their girlfriends around. These signs of an abusive boyfriend will help you recognize the less obvious types of abuse. If your boyfriend doesn’t feel any guilt no matter what he does or says, he might be a sociopath. In The Sociopath Next Door, Martha…
Read More »5 Signs of an Abusive Boyfriend - How to Be Financially Independent in a Controlling Relationship
These tips on how to become financially independent when you have a controlling husband are inspired by The Parable of the Forest Pit – and by a reader who asked for financial help on my article about getting money to leave your husband. Read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It’s the most important financial book…
Read More »How to Be Financially Independent in a Controlling Relationship - 4 Signs You’re Fooling Yourself About Your Relationship
The Parable of the Hopeless Romantic will help you see the difference between fooling yourself about your relationship versus being a hopeless romantic. If you’re fooling yourself, it’s time to let go. If you already know you’re a hopeless romantic and you just want to improve your relationship, read 10,000 Ways to Say I Love You:…
Read More »4 Signs You’re Fooling Yourself About Your Relationship - How Long to Wait Before Starting a New Relationship
You need time to heal after a breakup – but how much time is enough? These tips on how long to wait before starting a new relationship will help you make sure you’re off to a good start. In Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy,…
Read More »How Long to Wait Before Starting a New Relationship - When You Can’t Let Go of the Past
What do you do when you’re stuck and can’t seem to move on? Here’s what to do when you can’t let go of the past – whether it’s a relationship, job, person, or even a pet – inspired by the Parable of the Serene Queen. In The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but…
Read More »When You Can’t Let Go of the Past - How to Forget About Your Ex
Inspired by a love parable and a reader’s comment, these five tips on how to forget about your ex will help you move on. You’ll also learn why it’s so hard to forget your ex – even when you know your relationship was unhealthy and even toxic. In How to Let Go of Someone You…
Read More »How to Forget About Your Ex - How to Find the Best Gifts for Boyfriends
These strategies for finding the best gifts for boyfriends will help you choose the perfect gift. Gift ideas, plus how to know what the best gift for him is. I also included a parable to illustrate my tips on how to find the best gift – it’s The Gift of Insults parable. If your boyfriend likes…
Read More »How to Find the Best Gifts for Boyfriends - 5 Ways to Know if You’re Settling in a Relationship
Are you settling for less than you deserve in a relationship? Here’s how to know if you deserve more, inspired by the Parable of the Perfect Prince. In Relationship Saboteurs: Overcoming the Ten Behaviors that Undermine Love, Randi Gunther offers easy-to-follow tips to help you identify and end your relationship-destroying tendencies once and for all. This…
Read More »5 Ways to Know if You’re Settling in a Relationship - Dealing With Trust Issues in Relationships
These five ways to deal with your trust issues in relationships are inspired by The Parable of the Climb. Many relationship problems are related to issues with trust, according to psychotherapist David Richo. In Daring to Trust: Opening Ourselves to Real Love and Intimacy, Richo describes how we learn early in life to trust others…
Read More »Dealing With Trust Issues in Relationships - How to Support Yourself Financially After a Breakup
One of the biggest obstacles to leaving a bad relationship is not knowing how to support yourself financially after the breakup, separation, or divorce. These tips are in response to a reader who needs money to leave her partner – and they’re also inspired by a parable called “This, Too, Shall Pass.” In Divorce –…
Read More »How to Support Yourself Financially After a Breakup - Accepting a Breakup – 5 Tips From Pandora’s Box
These tips for accepting a breakup are inspired by the parable of Pandora’s Box, and will help you heal after breaking up with someone you care about. Complete acceptance after breaking up may not be achievable, but you will eventually move forward into a happier, healthier stage of your life. How to Let Go of…
Read More »Accepting a Breakup – 5 Tips From Pandora’s Box - End of Life Care for Your Husband – Home or Hospice?
A palliative care nurse shares her opinion about providing end of life care for your husband at home versus in hospice. She describes end of life care issues, problems, and blessings. When you said “til death do us part”, you probably weren’t thinking about providing end of life care at home for your husband. I…
Read More »End of Life Care for Your Husband – Home or Hospice? - How to Start the Separation Process
These five tips on starting the process of separating from your husband or common-law partner are based on the Parable of the Pony, and inspired by a reader’s question on my article about the warning signs of a bad relationship. In Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-Mouthing and Brainwashing, Dr. Richard A.…
Read More »How to Start the Separation Process - How to Spy the Lie and Catch a Liar
These six ways to catch a lie are inspired by Shiva and Shakti’s parable about a bag of gold, and based on psychology research about catching liars. You don’t need a lie detector test to know if your boyfriend or husband is lying to you. If you want to become adept at knowing when someone…
Read More »How to Spy the Lie and Catch a Liar - How to Tell Your Ex You’re Getting Married
Whether you broke up six months or six years ago, telling your ex you’re getting married again can be uncomfortable at best – and scary at worst! These thoughts on how to tell your ex about your remarriage are inspired by a reader’s comment and a parable about a waterfall. To learn how to slowly…
Read More »How to Tell Your Ex You’re Getting Married - 5 Tips for a Healthy Relationship With Your In-Laws
Believe it or not, stressful family visits can be a thing of the past! These tips for a healthy relationship with your in-laws are inspired by a reader who is dealing with a difficult mother-in-law during an Easter family visit. If you are serious about building a healthy relationship with your in-laws, read A Wife’s…
Read More »5 Tips for a Healthy Relationship With Your In-Laws - How to Set Boundaries in Your Marriage
These 9 tips for setting boundaries in marriage will help you and your partner improve your relationship. Based on Henry Cloud and John Townsend’s book about relationship boundaries, these are the most important things to know about how to set boundaries in your marriage. “Boundaries define us,”write Cloud and Townsend in Boundaries in Marriage. “They…
Read More »How to Set Boundaries in Your Marriage - How to Write a Breakup Letter
These tips for writing a breakup letter will help you say what’s in your heart and on your mind. Knowing how to write a breakup letter is important, but it’s even more important to know what to send along with the breakup letter. I was once given a gift similar to the Gund Plush “I’m Sorry”…
Read More »How to Write a Breakup Letter - 6 Ways to Help Your Depressed Husband
Saying the words “my husband is depressed” is difficult, especially if he isn’t willing to face his depression. These six ways to help your depressed husband cope will help you navigate the rocky terrain of depression and marriage. If you haven’t read up on marriage and depression, consider What to Do When Someone You Love…
Read More »6 Ways to Help Your Depressed Husband - 15 Things You Need to Know About Your Military Marriage
In this article, I combine research findings about military spouses and relationships with practical tips on saving your marriage to a military spouse. If you’re married to a military man, you already know your marriage isn’t the same as a non-military relationship! These tips on how to save your military marriage are based on research…
Read More »15 Things You Need to Know About Your Military Marriage - How to Stop Money From Causing Relationship Issues
These five ways to stop money from causing issues in your relationship are inspired by my work with women who are leaving unhealthy relationships. The best time to resolve your financial issues is before you’re in a relationship, before you get married, before you’re in debt, and before you’re in too deep. When it comes…
Read More »How to Stop Money From Causing Relationship Issues - 10 Signs of Good Relationship Advice
You need help with your relationship – but what if you get bad relationship advice? These 10 signs of good relationship advice will help you know if you’re getting tips that will actually save your relationship. One of the best sources of good relationship advice (besides Ann Landers and Dear Abby’s relationship advice column of…
Read More »10 Signs of Good Relationship Advice - 7 Signs He Wants a Relationship With You
How do you know if a guy wants to be with you, and only you? Here are eight signs he wants a relationship with you, to help you decide how much of your heart, time, and energy you should give him. In Get the Guy: Learn Secrets of the Male Mind to Find the Man…
Read More »7 Signs He Wants a Relationship With You - 10 Tips for Breaking Free From Toxic Relationships
Breaking free from a toxic relationship is tough, but it’s easier if you have the right help! These tips on how to break from from relationships that are toxic, unhealthy, or abusive are inspired by a comment from a reader. She is done with her relationship – even though she still loves him – but…
Read More »10 Tips for Breaking Free From Toxic Relationships - When to End a Relationship
It’s not easy to know when to end a relationship, especially when you hope things will change. You wish you could go back to the way your relationship was when you first got together, but deep in your heart you know that’s impossible. Getting emotionally and spiritually healthy is the most important thing you can…
Read More »When to End a Relationship - Emotional Intelligence Test for Couples
This emotional intelligence test for couples works best if both partners participate, but it also offers healthy insights for individuals. If you can talk about the signs of an emotionally healthy relationship, you’ll grow closer as a couple. If neither of you are emotionally healthy, your relationship will falter. “People’s emotions are rarely put into…
Read More »Emotional Intelligence Test for Couples - How to Overcome Hurt Feelings
Innocent things can hurt our feelings, but we have to move on. These tips for overcoming hurt feelings will help you learn how to deal with accidental and intentional hurts in relationships. If you suspect or know deep down that your partner is deliberately hurting you – such as in an emotionally or physically abusive…
Read More »How to Overcome Hurt Feelings - 6 Steps to Building an Emotionally Healthy Relationship
Toxic relationships can grow without your awareness, which is why it’s crucial to learn what emotionally healthy relationships are. These six steps to emotional health in all types of relationships will help you be intentional and thoughtful about what you’re creating in your life. In Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel…
Read More »6 Steps to Building an Emotionally Healthy Relationship - Are You Married, Yet Alone? How to Cope With a Lonely Marriage
The day you said your vows, you never thought loneliness would be your constant companion. These tips on how to cope with a lonely marriage will help you see why you feel so alone. And, you may learn how to thrive and be happy despite your loneliness. In The Emotionally Destructive Marriage: How to Find Your…
Read More »Are You Married, Yet Alone? How to Cope With a Lonely Marriage - How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work
These 10 ways to make sure your long distance relationship works are based on research, as well as my own experience with my husband before we married. Dr Gregory Guldner, author of Long Distance Relationships: The Complete Guide, says an important tip on how to make a long distance relationship work is to discuss the…
Read More »How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work - How to Stop Blaming Yourself for the Break Up
Are you playing the “blame game” after a break up – and you hate yourself for what happened? These tips on how to stop blaming yourself will help you accept the end of your relationship. I wrote this for a reader whose relationship ended in an unexpected break up. She can’t stop blaming herself, she…
Read More »How to Stop Blaming Yourself for the Break Up - How to Cope With a Surprise Pregnancy
These tips for coping with a surprise pregnancy are inspired by a 43 year old reader. She commented on my article about having a baby in your 40s – and her experience will help you see you’re not alone. When going through a personal struggle, there’s no better help than to receive hope from someone…
Read More »How to Cope With a Surprise Pregnancy - How to Recover From Love Addiction
Love addiction recovery may take a few sessions with a relationship counselor, but here’s a starting point: six tips for overcoming the feeling of being addicted to someone you love. In Is It Love or Is It Addiction?, Brenda Schaeffer defines what love addiction is and what it is not. She also describes how to identify…
Read More »How to Recover From Love Addiction - The Number One Predictor of Divorce
Can you predict whether or not you’ll get divorced? Some know divorce is looming. Knowing the top predictor of divorce is the first step to building a happier, healthier relationship with your partner. If you said “money” when you saw “number one predictor of divorce”, you are correct. Money causes more relationship problems than anything…
Read More »The Number One Predictor of Divorce - How to Cope When Your Relationship Falls Apart
When your relationship is falling apart, you may feel helpless, confused, and scared. These tips for coping when your relationship falls apart will give you something to hang on to – and show you that you’re not alone. These four ways to cope with a relationship meltdown are from Daphne Rose Kingma’s book, The Ten Things to…
Read More »How to Cope When Your Relationship Falls Apart - How to Have a Happy Marriage
New research on marriage shows that the happier the wife, the happier the life. This insight into how to have a happy marriage is inspired by a Rutgers study – and the findings can be applied to any relationship. In The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: The Little Things That Make a Big Difference,…
Read More »How to Have a Happy Marriage - 3 Ways to Make Divorce Less Painful
I’ve experienced the effects of a heartbreaking split, and I know the pain of divorce doesn’t have to be permanent. Here are several ways to make divorce less painful for you, your kids, and your loved ones. In Divorce Care: Hope, Help, and Healing During and After Your Divorce, Steve Grissom and Kathy Leonard offer daily reminders…
Read More »3 Ways to Make Divorce Less Painful - Is He Right for You? 20 Reasons to Break Up
You’re confused about your relationship – you’re asking, “Is he right for me?” These 20 reasons to break up will give you an objective perspective and help you see your boyfriend for who he is…for better or worse. In Get the Guy: Learn Secrets of the Male Mind to Find the Man You Want and the…
Read More »Is He Right for You? 20 Reasons to Break Up - Overcoming Fear of Abandonment in Relationships
You’re in a relationship with someone who isn’t good for you, yet you can’t leave. Overcoming your fear of abandonment is the first step to breaking free from destructive relationships. In Love Me, Don’t Leave Me: Overcoming Fear of Abandonment and Building Lasting, Loving Relationships, Michelle Skeen describes the roots of fear of abandonment and…
Read More »Overcoming Fear of Abandonment in Relationships - How to Save Your Marriage From an Emotional “Affair of the Heart”
Emotional affairs are difficult to define, but they aren’t innocent friendships – and they can destroy your marriage. Here’s how an emotional affair can ruin your relationship and how to save your marriage from the destruction of emotional infidelity. These signs of “cheating in your heart” are from Dr Phil McGraw. If you think emotional cheating…
Read More »How to Save Your Marriage From an Emotional “Affair of the Heart” - Unhealthy Relationships – 10 Signs You Need a Change
If you ignore these warning signs of unhealthy relationships, you set yourself up for future pain and heartache. After I describe the signs of an unhealthy relationship, I tell you how you can predict if your relationship will last. Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Guide to Knowing if Your Relationship Can —…
Read More »Unhealthy Relationships – 10 Signs You Need a Change - How to Stop Being Bored in Your Relationship
Relationship boredom might lead to a painful, unnecessary breakup. These tips on how to stop being bored in relationship will help you find happiness in life and peace with your partner. If you believe you’re bored in a relationship because of lack of physical intimacy or passion, read Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive…
Read More »How to Stop Being Bored in Your Relationship - When You’re Scared to Get Married
Whether you call it marriage doubts or pre-wedding jitters – or you’re scared to get married even though you’re not even engaged yet – here are a few things to think about. The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller will help you square…
Read More »When You’re Scared to Get Married - How Growing Up Poor Affects Your Relationship
The consequences of growing up poor don’t end when you’re a financially stable adult. Here’s how growing up poor affects your relationship or marriage, and how to stop money from destroying love. In The 5 Money Personalities: Speaking the Same Love and Money Language, by Scott Palmer and Bethany Palmer say that once you know your…
Read More »How Growing Up Poor Affects Your Relationship - How to Stop Ruminating About the Past
It’s natural to look back at your relationship and (hopefully) learn from it, but at some point you need to focus on your future. Here are a few tips on how to stop ruminating about the past, based on the results of recent research from Florida State University. The Secret of Letting Go by Guy Finley offers…
Read More »How to Stop Ruminating About the Past - How to Forgive Your Ex-Husband for Leaving You
You know you should forgive your ex-husband, but you just don’t know how. These tips on how to find forgiveness will help you heal, overcome the pain, and move forward in your life. I wrote this article for a reader called Gloria, who said: “My ex-husband and I were so close, and I never dreamed he…
Read More »How to Forgive Your Ex-Husband for Leaving You - Should You Sign a Prenuptial Agreement? Pros and Cons
Learn what a prenuptial agreement is, why you shouldn’t be hurt if your fiancé asks you to sign a marriage contract, and the pros and cons of signing a prenuptial agreement. Even if a lawyer has drawn up the prenuptial agreement, I encourage you to get Prenuptial Agreements: How to Write a Fair & Lasting…
Read More »Should You Sign a Prenuptial Agreement? Pros and Cons - 9 Makeover Ideas for After a Breakup
One of the best ways to heal after a break up is to give yourself a makeover. These tips aren’t just for beauty makeovers, because learning how to give yourself a makeover after a break up isn’t just about changing your appearance. This break up is your chance to re-evaluate your life, and what you…
Read More »9 Makeover Ideas for After a Breakup - 5 Big Relationship Mistakes and Solutions
These aren’t the biggest mistakes in relationships that are obviously destructive. Rather, these are the insidious little relationship mistakes that creep up over time, and damage our foundation from the bottom up. One of the biggest mistakes we often make is not nurturing our relationships. Read books like For Better: How the Surprising Science of Happy…
Read More »5 Big Relationship Mistakes and Solutions - How to Stop Feeling Insecure in Your Relationship
Whether you feel insecurity because of your partner or your own self-esteem issues, these tips on how to stop feeling insecure in a relationship will help. In You Are Loved: Embracing the Everlasting Love God has for You, Sally Clarkson and Angela Perritt say that when a woman feels deeply loved and cherished, her whole outlook…
Read More »How to Stop Feeling Insecure in Your Relationship - How to Accept That He Doesn’t Love You Anymore
If you can’t stop the words “he doesn’t love me” from running through your brain and breaking your heart, you’re not alone. Here’s how to accept the pain of rejection when he says he doesn’t love you anymore. In Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, Tara Brach describes how to break from from…
Read More »How to Accept That He Doesn’t Love You Anymore - 6 Ways to Develop Intuition in Your Relationships
Using your intuition helps you make quicker, more inspired decisions. Developing intuition in your relationship will help you connect with your partner and see your relationship more clearly. Intuition is particularly important when you’re dealing with relationship problems, because intuition helps you sort through the clutter and noise, so you can get to the root…
Read More »6 Ways to Develop Intuition in Your Relationships - How to Save Your Marriage Without Counseling
Many women ask me how to save a marriage without going to a relationship counselor. These eight tips are based on quotations about forgiveness, love, and hope for the future — because not all husbands want to go to marriage counseling and not all couples can afford it. Since learning how to save a marriage…
Read More »How to Save Your Marriage Without Counseling - Dealing With Unresolved Anger in Relationships
Past hurts and arguments are painful, and they don’t vanish overnight. These for dealing with unresolved anger in your relationship will help you break free from emotional baggage. Harriet Lerner, author of Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships says, “Anger is a tricky emotion. It signals that something is wrong…
Read More »Dealing With Unresolved Anger in Relationships - 5 Ways to Deal With Relationship Problems
We all have relationship problems at some point. How we deal with the problem can make or break our relationship, for better or worse, for richer or poorer. Here’s a quick summary of five different ways to deal with different types of relationship problems….for better or worse. How One of You Can Bring the Two…
Read More »5 Ways to Deal With Relationship Problems - How to Stop Anxiety From Ruining Your Relationship
These tips on how to stop anxiety disorders from ruining love relationships are inspired by a reader’s comment. He struggles with an anxiety disorder, and is learning how his feelings affect his relationships. He feels anxious and trapped, he likes to be by himself, and he always second-guesses his feelings about the woman he’s dating. Anxious…
Read More »How to Stop Anxiety From Ruining Your Relationship - How to Prepare to Walk Away From a Relationship
These six tips for preparing to walk away from a relationship are inspired by a reader. She looking for practical and emotional advice on leaving a man she’s been with for years. Divorce – Think Financially, Not Emotionally: What Women Need To Know About Securing Their Financial Future Before, During, and After Divorce by Jeffrey A.…
Read More »How to Prepare to Walk Away From a Relationship - 10 Creative Ways to Manage Relationship Stress
These creative ways to reduce relationship stress aren’t just for couples – they’ll help take the pressure off all sorts of partnerships: work, community, volunteer, family, and friends. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky is an excellent resource for people who are prone to the anxiety, frustration, and even depression that stress can bring.…
Read More »10 Creative Ways to Manage Relationship Stress - 8 Reasons Why You Are So Unhappy
Here are a few reasons you’re asking “why am I so unhappy?” It’s normal to feel unhappy – and the source of happiness may be closer than you think. But it’s not in a person, place, or thing. There are dozens of books on increasing happiness on Amazon, and I think How We Choose to Be…
Read More »8 Reasons Why You Are So Unhappy - 8 Reasons People Cheat in Relationships
These reasons why people cheat in relationships include a list of when spouses are most likely to have an affair. If you’re worried about cheating, it’s important to arm yourself with the facts. When Good People Have Affairs: Inside the Hearts and Minds of People in Two Relationships by Mira Kirshenbaum is a good book to…
Read More »8 Reasons People Cheat in Relationships - 9 Ways to Build a Life Outside Your Relationship
No boyfriend or husband – no matter how awesome he is – is your reason for living. Here’s how to build a life outside your relationship, to help you step forward in joy and confidence. Love and peace. Hope and passion. Faith and freedom! In Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your…
Read More »9 Ways to Build a Life Outside Your Relationship - 7 Signs He Wants to Be More Than Friends With You
Are you reading him right? Here are 7 signs he likes you as more than a friend, plus 10 ways to know if he’s the right boyfriend for you. The best way to know if you should be more than friends with a guy is your gut feeling. When you’re thinking about being more than friends,…
Read More »7 Signs He Wants to Be More Than Friends With You - How to Forgive Your Husband After an Affair
The bad news is forgiving your husband is a daily choice you have to make. The good news is these tips on how to forgive your husband after an affair will help you start the road toward healing. “Forgiveness doesn’t mean agreeing with, condoning, or even liking what has happened,” says Iyanla Vanzant, author of Forgiveness:…
Read More »How to Forgive Your Husband After an Affair - How to Enjoy Being Single
“How you do one thing is how you do everything,” says Father Richard Rohr. What does this have to do with learning how to be happy single? Everything! If you’re unhappy being single, then you’re unhappy doing everything. And if you’re unhappily living your life, you’re emanating waves of displeasure and dissatisfaction. Not only does…
Read More »How to Enjoy Being Single - How to Heal Codependency in Your Relationship
“Codependency in relationships” is the psychological term; this help for codependent relationships is simple and clear. Learn what codependency is (including the signs of a codependent relationship), plus real examples from readers’ comments. “I think our marriage is codependent but does that mean I should leave my husband,” says Sherry on 8 Signs He Doesn’t Love…
Read More »How to Heal Codependency in Your Relationship - How to Cope With Anxiety After a Breakup
One of the biggest signs of anxiety after a breakup is a restless fear of the future. Here are a few ways to cope with anxiety after a breakup. You are worthy of being loved, cared for, and cherished by someone who will be grateful to have you! The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety:…
Read More »How to Cope With Anxiety After a Breakup - What to Do After Breaking Up
Breaking up can leave you lost and lonely. Here’s what to do after breaking up with someone you care about – these steps to will take you through acceptance, healing, and rebuilding your confidence. The Willow Tree Angel of Healing is my favorite symbol of healing, growth, and moving forward after loss. Sometimes having a physical reminder…
Read More »What to Do After Breaking Up - How to Cope When You’re Unhappily Married
These ideas are inspired by a wife who asked for help on my “surviving an unhappy marriage” article. She feels hopeless and helpless, and just needs to know she’s not alone. Are you trapped in a marriage with a man you don’t love, who doesn’t love you? Do you feel helpless, scared, and alone? These tips will…
Read More »How to Cope When You’re Unhappily Married - How to Find True Love and Happiness
These are the best tips on finding true love and happiness because they focus on choosing the right partner. Who you choose to love and be bonded to for the rest of your life is the single most important decision affecting your happiness, health, and whole future. Love Will Find You: 9 Magnets to Bring…
Read More »How to Find True Love and Happiness - How to Start Over After a Bad Relationship
We get trapped in bad relationships because we’re scared of the unknown. These are the best tips on starting over after a bad relationship because they’ll help you move forward, despite your fear and uncertainty. OMG What A Mistake: Starting Over After A Bad Relationship is Mica Callaway’s account of how she started over after the…
Read More »How to Start Over After a Bad Relationship - How to Communicate Better in a Relationship
Learning one or two simple tips on how to communicate better in a relationship can change everything! Here are 20 tips for better communication for couples, to help you improve your relationship and resolve conflict peacefully. Some of these communication tips are from a course on conflict resolution for couples, and others are from a…
Read More »How to Communicate Better in a Relationship - Dating Apps to Help You Avoid Bad Relationships
Meeting single men isn’t difficult with dating apps – but they don’t guarantee you’ll be safe or happy in your relationship. Here’s a dating app that helps women avoid bad relationships. It was created by a university researcher and it’s called the “One Love My Plan” smartphone application. Dating apps from online sites such as…
Read More »Dating Apps to Help You Avoid Bad Relationships - How to Get Your Ex Back
When you’re sorting through the best tips on how to get your ex back, what do you try first? Here are the most important things to remember about getting back together after a breakup. If you believe getting your ex back isn’t as simple as an apology, read How To Get Your Ex Back –…
Read More »How to Get Your Ex Back - 5 Stages of Flirting – How Men and Women Flirt
These stages of flirting in love relationships show that women usually make the first move, and men make the final move. Here’s what research says about how and why people flirt. Flirting sends signals of romantic interest between men and women who are attracted to one another. Flirtatious behavior is evident in the animal kingdom…
Read More »5 Stages of Flirting – How Men and Women Flirt - How to Go on a Marriage Retreat Without Leaving Home
My husband and I are taking a marriage course, and it’s better than a marriage retreat! Here’s what we learned so far. This is your chance to go on a marriage retreat without leaving the comfort of your own home. Our marriage course is seven weeks long, on Sunday evenings at Lynn Valley Full Gospel…
Read More »How to Go on a Marriage Retreat Without Leaving Home - How to Get Over a Bad Breakup
All breakups are painful, but bad breakups need special “how to get over it” tips. The wound from a bad breakup is deeper and takes longer to heal – especially if you don’t have closure. Read It’s A Breakup – Not A Breakdown: Get Over the Big One and Change Your Life by Lisa Steadman – you…
Read More »How to Get Over a Bad Breakup - The Secret Reason Women Leave Good Relationships
We tend to think women leave relationships because the men were awful or unfaithful. But, there is a different reason why women leave good relationships – and it’s kept secret. “I have been listening to the language of women who have left their marriages or who have committed adultery,” writes Naomi Wolf in Vagina. “A…
Read More »The Secret Reason Women Leave Good Relationships - 10 Best Gifts for Couples in Long Distance Relationships
The best gift ideas for couples in long distance relationships are thoughtful items that keep them connected. Couples in long distance relationships often have stronger bonds than couples in geographically close relationships; the best long distance relationship gifts help keep their love alive even though they live in different cities, provinces, states, or countries. Long distance…
Read More »10 Best Gifts for Couples in Long Distance Relationships - 10 Board Games for Couples
I’m not a big fan of playing board games, but my husband and I were recently invited over to another couple’s house for “games night.” It was a ton of fun – and it inspired me to rewrite an article about board games for couples. One of the most fun games my husband and I…
Read More »10 Board Games for Couples - 7 Reasons You Keep Making the Same Relationship Mistakes
If you look at your relationships, you’ll see patterns in your choices. Why do you keep making the same mistakes? Discovering the reasons you keep making the same relationship mistakes will help you break the pattern, and start making smart choices. If you already know why you make the same mistakes when you fall in love,…
Read More »7 Reasons You Keep Making the Same Relationship Mistakes - How to Break Up With Someone Who is Depressed
Breaking up is hard to do at the best of times, but when your partner is depressed it seems impossible. Here are a few suggestions for breaking up with someone who is depressed to help you end the relationship gently. You can’t control how your partner takes the breakup, but you can take care of…
Read More »How to Break Up With Someone Who is Depressed - Why Women Are Addicted to Love
Women are more likely to be addicted to love than men – it’s in our brain chemistry and wiring. A lot of it has to do with good sex – it is actually addictive to women because of how it affects our brains. “The work of Dr Daniel Amen in The Brain in Love…suggests that…
Read More »Why Women Are Addicted to Love - 5 Tips for Planning a Surprise Date Night
My husband and I are talking the Marriage Course through Alpha International, and the first tip we’re implementing is “date night.” Nicky and Sila Lee call it Marriage Time, actually, and it’s about making time for each other every week. “Prioritizing marriage time is constantly the most difficult thing that we struggle to do, but…
Read More »5 Tips for Planning a Surprise Date Night - What to Talk About With Your Boyfriend
Here are five ideas to help you know what to talk about with your boyfriend. Don’t just ask him “yes or no” questions about sports, his day, or his iphone – get to know him better. If you’re not good at asking questions that elicit conversation, get TABLETOPICS for Couples: Questions to Start Great Conversations.…
Read More »What to Talk About With Your Boyfriend - When You Feel Like Nobody Loves You
Even the most popular people think “nobody loves me” – so you’re not alone! It’s normal and human to feel like nobody loves you or wants you around. I’m writing this for people who think nobody likes or loves them, because I’ve gone through the nobody loves me stage many, many times. I was in…
Read More »When You Feel Like Nobody Loves You - How to Motivate a Lazy Husband
Your husband is a good guy (or maybe not), but he has no motivation to do anything. These tips on how to motivate a lazy husband will help you decide if it’s worth pushing him, or if it’s time to cut him loose and move on. Last week, my friend told me about that she…
Read More »How to Motivate a Lazy Husband - Dealing With Resentment in Relationships
You resent your husband, but you want to stay married. Here are a few ideas for dealing with resentment in relationships, inspired by a reader’s comment. Don’t Bite the Hook: Finding Freedom from Anger, Resentment, and Other Destructive Emotions by Pema Chodron will help you stay centered in the midst of difficulty, improve stressful relationships, and…
Read More »Dealing With Resentment in Relationships - How to Tell Your Husband You Want a Divorce
Saying “I want a divorce” will be one of the most difficult things you do. These tips on how to tell your husband you want a divorce will help you be honest, yet kind. On How to Let Go of Someone You Love, a husband shared how his wife told him she wants a divorce:…
Read More »How to Tell Your Husband You Want a Divorce - 5 Things to Look for in a Life Partner
These five things to look for will help you choose a life partner – because finding the right partner is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Your life partner is more important than anything because he or she affects everything you do. The right partner can make or break your life. A…
Read More »5 Things to Look for in a Life Partner - 10 Signs He Likes You
What are the signs he likes you? How do you know for sure a guy is into you, and not just dating you until someone better comes along? If you’re still asking “does he like me?” after you read the 10 signs in my first list, you’ll find the right answer in my second list. The first list contains 10 signs he likes you; the second list has 10 signs that he does NOT like you.
- Why We Hurt the Ones We Love
Here are two answers to the “Why do we hurt the ones we love?” question, plus practical tips for improving your relationship. If you want to stop hurting someone – or if you’re tired of being hurt – you first need to learn why it happens. Here’s what Liz said about her boyfriend, Benjamin: “When…
Read More »Why We Hurt the Ones We Love - 5 Reasons a Break Up Isn’t a Betrayal
“I want to break up with him, but I feel like I’m betraying him,” she said. I think she’s wrong, and here are several reasons a break up isn’t a betrayal. A betrayal in a love relationship is when you lie, cheat, and steal. You promise your partner you’re faithful and trustworthy, but you’re lying.…
Read More »5 Reasons a Break Up Isn’t a Betrayal - How to End a Relationship That Isn’t Good for You
On my article about living in a bad marriage, a reader asked how to end a relationship. Here are a few ways to break up gently and cause as little harm as possible to the person you once loved (and possibly still love!). Getting Past Your Breakup: How to Turn a Devastating Loss into the…
Read More »How to End a Relationship That Isn’t Good for You - What is Unconditional Love? Signs and Secrets
These signs will help you understand what unconditional love is, and if it exists in your relationship. If you don’t feel loved unconditionally, then something has to change. And it’s not you. The only way to love someone unconditionally is to first learn how to love yourself unconditionally. If you struggle to love and be…
Read More »What is Unconditional Love? Signs and Secrets - How to Improve a Bad Relationship
Saying “We need to talk” to your partner isn’t fun or productive. Here’s how to improve a bad relationship without talking about it – these tips may help you fall in love all over again. One of the most popular relationship improvement books on Amazon is How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It.…
Read More »How to Improve a Bad Relationship - How to Get Your Husband to Love You
These thoughts on how to get your husband to love you again are inspired by a woman who has been married for 13 years. Her husband doesn’t seem to care about their marriage at all. On my article about coping with abuse in relationships, she wrote: “My husband can’t understand how it feels to be…
Read More »How to Get Your Husband to Love You - 5 Ways to Avoid Rebound Relationships
Rebound relationships are tempting for many reasons. Here’s how to avoid the mistake of a rebound relationship and create a clean slate with someone new. Here’s a great book to read: Better Love Next Time: How the Relationship that Didn’t Last Can Lead You to the One that Will by J.M. Kearns. She describes how to…
Read More »5 Ways to Avoid Rebound Relationships - How to Live With a Broken Heart
Does it seem like you’ll never heal after the breakup? Then you need to start learning how to live with a broken heart. Here’s what’s working for me, and how it can help you. My sister disappeared from my life eight years ago. I used to think I’ll get over it, but now I believe…
Read More »How to Live With a Broken Heart - 10 Reasons You Keep Choosing Unsafe Relationships
Safe relationships are built on honesty, acceptance, love, and healthy ways of being. We want to be with safe people – so why do we keep choosing unsafe relationships? Here are 10 reasons women choose unsafe men, to give you insight into your life. What is an unsafe relationship? In an unsafe relationship, you can’t…
Read More »10 Reasons You Keep Choosing Unsafe Relationships - 6 Reasons to Stay Married
If you’re teetering on the brink of divorce, here are a few reasons to stay married. This is not marriage advice for specific situations; it’s just a few things to think about. It may be especially helpful for couples who are looking for reasons to stay married. “It takes two to destroy a marriage.” –…
Read More »6 Reasons to Stay Married - Creative Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be boring dinner and bouquet of flowers! Here are a five creative ways to spend Valentine’s Day. Creativity almost always involves an element of surprise. Think of the last time you saw a creative cake, book, or blog – it surprised you, didin’t it? If you want to be really…
Read More »Creative Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day - What to Expect From Marriage Counseling
Counseling isn’t guaranteed to save your relationship, but it can help you get emotionally and spiritually healthy. Here’s what to expect when you go to marriage counseling. Relationship counselors often recommend books for couples to read. Desperate Marriages: Moving Toward Hope and Healing in Your Relationship by Gary Chapman may be one of those books! A few…
Read More »What to Expect From Marriage Counseling - Living With an Alcoholic Husband
These tips on how to help an alcoholic husband will help you face the reality of alcoholism and get the support you need. You can’t help him cope with alcoholism by yourself. In fact, there is nothing you can do to reform or change him. I updated and expanded this article: 8 Ways to Cope With…
Read More »Living With an Alcoholic Husband - How to Survive an Unhappy Marriage
Unhappy marriages are more common than you think – but who wants to be common? These tips on surviving when you feel stuck and alone in an unhappy marriage might help you break free. I’m not necessarily talking divorce…I’m talking about learning how to survive an unhappy marriage. The Divorce Remedy: The Proven 7-Step Program…
Read More »How to Survive an Unhappy Marriage - How to Resolve Conflict in Relationships
Conflict doesn’t destroy relationships. Breakups are caused by not knowing what successful conflict resolution in relationships looks like. In my course on resolving conflict (I’m getting my Social Work degree at UBC), I learned these tips for successful conflict resolution in relationships. I’m gearing these tips towards love partnerships and marriages, but they can be…
Read More »How to Resolve Conflict in Relationships - Are You Struggling in a Marriage Without Intimacy?
A marriage without intimacy isn’t a fulfilling relationship, and it’s not what you expected when you got married. Here are a few ways to cope with the problem of no intimacy in marriage. One of the most important things to remember when you’re struggling to increase marriage intimacy is that you need to stay focused…
Read More »Are You Struggling in a Marriage Without Intimacy? - How to Save Money for a Divorce
Don’t let money stop you from being happy and independent! These tips on how to save money for a divorce will help you create a financial plan, so you can start your life over. In Divorce: Think Financially, Not Emotionally: What Women Need To Know About Securing Their Financial Future Before, During, and After Divorce,…
Read More »How to Save Money for a Divorce - 8 Signs He Doesn’t Love You the Way You Need to Be Loved
Of course you need to be loved – we all do! But you also need to face signs he doesn’t love you anymore. Here’s how to know if your boyfriend or husband’s feelings have changed, and what to do in response. The sooner you recognize and accept that he doesn’t love you, the sooner you…
Read More »8 Signs He Doesn’t Love You the Way You Need to Be Loved - 5 Stages of a Breakup
Learn what the stages of a breakup are, so you know what to expect after your relationship ends. The breakup stages aren’t linear, which means they won’t progress in a straight line. Rather, you’ll find yourself going back and forth, up and down, during these breakup stages. The five stages of a breakup are circular,…
Read More »5 Stages of a Breakup - 10 Ways to Move on After a Break Up
After a break up, the worst thing you can do is hold on to the past. Here are ten tips for moving on after breaking up, to help you move into a new chapter of your life. How to Heal a Broken Heart in 30 Days: A Day-by-Day Guide to Saying Good-bye and Getting On…
Read More »10 Ways to Move on After a Break Up - How to Find Peace After a Breakup
After a breakup, you’ll experience different emotions: anger, sadness, grief, depression, and even relief. These ways to find peace after a breakup will help you process those emotions and move on. I wrote How to Let Go of Someone You Love after I lost my sister. She’s still alive and well – as far as I…
Read More »How to Find Peace After a Breakup - How to Get Over an Addictive Relationship
Addictive relationships are like drugs – you have to work hard to kick the habit. These tips for getting over love addiction are practical and effective, and they’ll help you stay away from someone who’s not good for you. Is It Love or Is It Addiction: The Book That Changed the Way We Think About Romance…
Read More »How to Get Over an Addictive Relationship - 10 Fun Games for Couples
One of the most fun games my husband and I play is mancala – it’s one of the first games of strategy ever invented, and has been played for thousands of years. Here’s why I enjoy playing mancala with my husband, plus nine fun games for couples. I love mancala because it’s easy to learn…
Read More »10 Fun Games for Couples - When Your Husband Wants Out of Your Marriage
What do you do when your husband says he doesn’t want to commit to your marriage anymore? These tips are inspired by a reader whose husband is done being married. In Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends, therapist Bruce Fisher helps people get back on their feet after a traumatic divorce or separation. This book combines…
Read More »When Your Husband Wants Out of Your Marriage - A Child Custody Argument – Equal Parenting Presumption
If you’re dealing with child custody arguments, learn about equal parenting presumption after divorce. It might help you come to a custody arrangement that suits both you and your ex – as well as your children. Speaking of children – read Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce by Deesha Philyaw and Michael D.…
Read More »A Child Custody Argument – Equal Parenting Presumption - When He Says He Doesn’t Love You Anymore
Here’s how to cope with the devastation and shock when your boyfriend or husband says he fell out of love with you. You may feel helpless and hopeless, but there are things you can do to regain your sense of joy and peace. You might want to read How One of You Can Bring the…
Read More »When He Says He Doesn’t Love You Anymore - 7 Tips for Long Distance Relationships
The good news about long distance romance is that couples often try harder to keep their relationship alive. These tips for staying connected in long distance relationships will help you stay strong and committed – even if your partner is halfway around the world. The Long-Distance Relationship Survival Guide by Chris Bell and Kate Brauer-Bell will…
Read More »7 Tips for Long Distance Relationships - How to Love Your Husband
You can’t change your husband, but you can change your marriage. Read these tips on how to love your husband, and tell me which ones work for you… “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -Lao Tzu. For the next few minutes, I want you to focus…
Read More »How to Love Your Husband - Can Divorced Partners Be Friends?
Sometimes divorced partners can be friends – depending on the circumstances. Here are some guidelines for friendships with ex-wives and ex-husbands. Children may be the reason ex-wives and ex-husbands stay in touch with ex-husbands or ex-wives, but can divorced partners actually be friends? Yes, in certain circumstances — but sometimes staying friends after divorce is…
Read More »Can Divorced Partners Be Friends? - When to Leave a Relationship
Knowing when to leave a relationship is easy – unless you’re the one in the relationship! It’s always easier to see when someone else should leave a relationship. When it’s you who has to decide when to leave a relationship, it’s difficult. Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions by John S. Hammond, Ralph L.…
Read More »When to Leave a Relationship - How to Know if Your Marriage is Over
Are you going through the normal stages of a long-term relationship, or is your marriage finished? These 7 signs a marriage is over will help you see your relationship more clearly. “In my work doing marriage coaching, I have noticed that very often the turning point in a marriage is when a couple hits rock…
Read More »How to Know if Your Marriage is Over - 10 First Date Conversation Starters
Avoid awkward silences and uncomfortable moments with these conversation starters for the first date. The most important thing to remember is that the happier and relaxed you are, the more you’ll enjoy your date. And if you’re enjoying yourself, your date probably is, too. “A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore…
Read More »10 First Date Conversation Starters - Examples of Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages
Learn how to give and receive love, with these practical examples of Gary Chapman’s five love languages, starting with words of affirmation (my favorite love language) and ending with physical touch (my husband’s love language). “The object of love is not getting something you want but doing something for the well-being of the one you…
Read More »Examples of Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages - How to Solve Relationship Problems Without Breaking Up
You don’t want to break up, but you can’t live with things the way they are. These tips on how to solve relationship problems without breaking up will help you see your partner in a different light. In I Don’t Have to Make Everything All Better, Gary Lundberg and Joy Lundberg describe how to free…
Read More »How to Solve Relationship Problems Without Breaking Up - How to Forgive Yourself for Staying in a Bad Relationship
You saw the signs, but you ignored your intuition and your friends’ warnings. Here’s how to forgive yourself for staying in a bad relationship for far too long. How To Forgive Ourselves Totally: Begin Again by Breaking Free from Past Mistakes by R.T. Kendall is a clear and compelling book that leads us towards the experience of…
Read More »How to Forgive Yourself for Staying in a Bad Relationship - How to Know When You’re in Love
If you’re asking “How do I know if I’m in love?”, you’ll find an answer here. These thoughts on love will help you figure out if you’re in love or if you need to keep looking for the right person. Love is both simple and complicated, comforting and scary. On my article about letting go of…
Read More »How to Know When You’re in Love - 11 Emotions You’ll Feel After Breaking Up
After breaking up with someone you love, you will grieve. Here are the most common emotions people feel after a breakup – and how to deal with the heartbreak of letting go. In You Can Heal Your Heart: Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce, or Death, Louise Hay and expert David Kessler discuss the emotions…
Read More »11 Emotions You’ll Feel After Breaking Up - How to Reconnect With Your Spouse
Five tips on how to reconnect with your spouse, inspired by a comment from a husband. He is beginning to realize how much he neglected his wife during their marriage, and wants to reconnect with her. But, he’s worried that it’s too late. “I realized that I have neglected her a lot in our relationship,” says…
Read More »How to Reconnect With Your Spouse - How to Say Sorry to Someone You Love
These five tips on how to say sorry to someone you love will help you reconnect with a partner, family member, friend, or even a work colleague. Knowing how to reconnect after an argument is one of the most important parts of a healthy relationship with anyone – especially someone you love. Often, knowing how to…
Read More »How to Say Sorry to Someone You Love - Getting Over an Affair – How Long Does it Take?
While there is no set time for getting over an affair, these tips will help you figure out how long it may take to heal after cheating in a relationship. It may help to read as much as you can about surviving affairs, so you can see how other couples got over an affair. One…
Read More »Getting Over an Affair – How Long Does it Take? - Making Relationships Work – How Far Should You Go?
Making a relationship work isn’t always moonlight and roses! These tips on making relationships work will help you figure out how far you should go. The healthiest relationships are very close to 50/50 or equal partnerships. If you do all the work in your relationship, then you need to stop. Unless, of course, you’re happy doing…
Read More »Making Relationships Work – How Far Should You Go? - How to Save Your Marriage After the Affair
Unfortunately, there are no set rules on how to save your marriage after the affair because what works for one couple doesn’t necessarily work for another. These tips on saving a relationship are from wives whose husbands cheated on them. Here, I offer five pieces of advice from women whose husbands betrayed them by cheating…
Read More »How to Save Your Marriage After the Affair - How to Fix a Relationship
These 10 tips on how to fix a relationship are both practical and romantic. Whether you’ve been married for 20 years or dating for a few months, you’ll find something useful in these tips for fixing relationships. In Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help YouFind – and Keep –…
Read More »How to Fix a Relationship - Why Do People Fall in Love?
Here are the five main factors that answer the question, “Why do people fall in love?” Men and women fall in love for different reasons – some of which may surprise you! Sometimes finding true love – a soulmate – is about fate. And, sometimes finding true love is about our innate romantic preferences or chemistry.…
Read More »Why Do People Fall in Love? - How to Get Over Your Ex Boyfriend and Heal Your Spirit
These tips on how to get over your ex boyfriend will help heal your broken spirit, especially if you’ve tried everything to get over him. You’ll find something to help you here, in this vast article that is filled with valuable tips on getting over an ex. In Dumped: A Guide to Getting Over a Breakup…
Read More »How to Get Over Your Ex Boyfriend and Heal Your Spirit - Should You Take a Relationship Break?
If you’re thinking about taking a break in a relationship, you need to be careful. There are no rules for taking a relationship break, but these tips might help you see your relationship more clearly. If you’re confused about your relationship, read Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help…
Read More »Should You Take a Relationship Break? - How to Cope With Yet Another Failed Relationship
It’s not working out with your boyfriend, but you can’t take another failed relationship. Here are a few tips on overcoming feelings of failure and disappointment. In True Love; Breaking the Cycle of Failed Relationships, Rhonda Fried shares how to assess a healthy relationship and helps you identify past mistakes in choosing a partner so…
Read More »How to Cope With Yet Another Failed Relationship - How to Get Your Husband to Go to Marriage Counseling
You need help saving your marriage, but your husband refuses to see a counselor. These tips on how to get him to go to marriage counseling will help you move forward. One More Try: What to Do When Your Marriage Is Falling Apart by Gary D Chapman is an excellent book to read if you know your…
Read More »How to Get Your Husband to Go to Marriage Counseling - How to Know When to Give Up on Your Boyfriend
These three big signs you should give up on your boyfriend will help you see it’s time to stop wasting your time on a guy who doesn’t care about you, and start honoring and valuing yourself for who you are. If you’re asking if you should give up on your boyfriend, then I think you…
Read More »How to Know When to Give Up on Your Boyfriend - How to Get Over Cheating
These tips on how to get over cheating in a relationship are from a family therapist who was shocked to discover her own husband was having an affair. If anyone knows how to recover from cheating, Vikki Stark does. Wife Abandonment Syndrome is a phrase she uses to describe how husbands detach from their wives…
Read More »How to Get Over Cheating - How to Get Over a Breakup
There is no one best way to get over a breakup; what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. These tips on how to get over a breakup will help you find what works for you. In How to Let Go of Someone You Love, I remind you that the person you broke up…
Read More »How to Get Over a Breakup - How to Stay True to You When You’re in Love
If you know how to stay true to yourself when you’re in love, you’ll build the relationship of your dreams. The healthiest relationships involve people who are true to themselves! The problem is that when we fall in love, we tend to mold ourselves into what we think our partners want. Do you have trouble…
Read More »How to Stay True to You When You’re in Love - What is a Healthy Relationship?
The foundation of a healthy relationship isn’t sex, romance, or chemistry. Before I reveal what a healthy relationship is, take a few seconds to think about what YOU believe it is. What makes you think you’re in a healthy relationship? If you doubt your relationship is healthy, then what makes it unhealthy? Fighting a lot…
Read More »What is a Healthy Relationship? - How to Cope With Regret After the Breakup
Feeling regret after breaking up is normal and even healthy – but how do you cope with it? And what if the breakup was a mistake? Here are a few signs to help you decide if getting back together is the right thing to do. If you believe the breakup was a mistake, read How…
Read More »How to Cope With Regret After the Breakup - The Best Way to Stop Fighting About Money
In a book about the conversations you must have before getting married, I found the best way to stop money fights in a relationship. It’s brilliant, yet simple. In The Ten Conversations You Must Have Before You Get Married, Dr Guy Grenier asks, “Have you ever set up a joint account? Do you understand how…
Read More »The Best Way to Stop Fighting About Money - When You Don’t Have Energy or Motivation to Work on Your Relationship
- How to Know if You Can Trust Your Boyfriend
Here’s the most important way to know if you can trust your boyfriend. This article was inspired by a reader who is struggling to know if she can trust her boyfriend, after she found him doing something she finds reprehensible. If you tend to choose the wrong boyfriend again and again, read Safe People: How…
Read More »How to Know if You Can Trust Your Boyfriend - How to Know if Your Husband Will Change
Maybe your husband keeps promising you he’ll change – or maybe you just hope he will. Either way, how do you know if your husband will change his behavior for good? Here’s what a reader says on How to Trust Your Husband After He Betrayed You: “I left him three times in the past, I have…
Read More »How to Know if Your Husband Will Change - What to Do When Your Boyfriend Won’t Stand Up for You
When you think “My boyfriend won’t stand up for me” for the first time, you may feel alone. Here are a few tips for when your boyfriend won’t stick up for you and lets his family or friends walk all over you. Fight Less, Love More: 5-Minute Conversations to Change Your Relationship Without Blowing Up…
Read More »What to Do When Your Boyfriend Won’t Stand Up for You - How to Cope With a Salary Cut
Salary cuts aren’t reserved for government officials who earn six figures; they happen to wee people like us! Here’s how we’re coping with our most recent salary cut. I say “most recent” salary cut because the first one was about three months ago. It was significant. We just got the second one a couple days…
Read More »How to Cope With a Salary Cut - 4 Reasons Women Get Involved With the Wrong Men
Are you attracted to the same men – who aren’t good for you – over and over? The sooner you know the reasons you’re getting involved with the wrong men, the quicker you’ll break the pattern. “I am currently leaving my second terrible long term relationship,” says Sara on 3 Things to Consider When You’re…
Read More »4 Reasons Women Get Involved With the Wrong Men - How to Heal the Pain of a Broken Heart
These lists of emotional, physical, and practical tips will help heal your broken heart. Whether your breakup is new or old, there’s something here for you. A couple months ago I put a little disclaimer at the end of every article, saying I can’t offer advice but I encourage you to write about your troubles.…
Read More »How to Heal the Pain of a Broken Heart - How to Overcome Disappointment in Your Relationship
Here are a few tips on overcoming the disappointment you feel in your relationship, your husband, or your boyfriend. Feeling disappointed doesn’t mean your relationship is over, and there are things you can do to refresh your connection. I’m reading a lot of Byron Katie these days. In A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony…
Read More »How to Overcome Disappointment in Your Relationship - How to Recover From Broken Promises in a Relationship
Broken promises not only destroy trust in your relationship, they affect your future relationships. These tips on recovering from broken promises are inspired by a reader’s comment. In I Love You But I Don’t Trust You: The Complete Guide to Restoring Trust in Your Relationship, Mira Kirshenbaum shows you exactly what to do to restore…
Read More »How to Recover From Broken Promises in a Relationship - How to Stop a Divorce
Unless you’ve had personal experience with divorce, you don’t realize how devastating it is. These suggestions on how to stop a divorce are inspired by a conversation with a friend. If you can’t stop a divorce, you can learn how to recover and heal from the trauma. In Divorce: Overcome the Overwhelm and Avoid the…
Read More »How to Stop a Divorce - 5 Reasons to Take a Relationship Break
Short or long breaks in a relationship can give you time to think and space to breathe. Here are several reasons a relationship break might be your best choice, starting with a quip from a wonderful blog. In Taking Space: How to Use Separation to Explore the Future of Your Relationship, Robert Buchicchio shows readers…
Read More »5 Reasons to Take a Relationship Break - How to Make Your Marriage Work
Marriage gets boring and sometimes even impossible, especially when we’re stressed or unhappy. These tips for making your marriage work might help you see your relationship in a whole new way. In Making Marriage Work: New Rules for an Old Institution, Lynn Toler says marriage is a job, and it needs to be treated like…
Read More »How to Make Your Marriage Work - How to Get Your Husband to Want You Again
Your husband looks at other women, online and in person. Here’s how to get him to want you again – and it’s not about increasing your sex appeal, losing weight or being a more attractive woman. In Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships, Dr David Schnarch explores the ways we can…
Read More »How to Get Your Husband to Want You Again - Marriage Advice From a Wife Who Stayed Married Too Long
Here are three important pieces of marriage advice from a woman who stayed in her marriage too long. Here’s she’s talking to an unhappy wife who wants to leave her husband: “Don’t let yourself get messed up like I did. I’m in my mid 60s and I don’t care about my husband or our marriage…
Read More »Marriage Advice From a Wife Who Stayed Married Too Long - Should I Give Him a Second Chance?
Your boyfriend cheated on you, and now he wants a second chance to prove he loves you. You’re confused and scared he hasn’t changed. Should you give him a second chance? Here’s what a reader says, on 7 Signs Your Marriage May Be Over: “We were married for six months when he started cheating on me.…
Read More »Should I Give Him a Second Chance? - How to Make Your Husband Love You
You’ve tried everything to make your husband fall in love with you again, but nothing worked. Here’s something surprising you probably haven’t thought of… These tips are inspired by a reader’s comment on 10 Signs of a Bad Relationship: “I will be married to my husband two years in August, and we have a baby…
Read More »How to Make Your Husband Love You - Is Your Spouse Cheating? The Source of Unexplained STDs
Sometimes the best evidence that your spouse is cheating is undeniable: a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Here’s what a reader says on my article about cheating husbands: “We have been married for 13 years and we have four kids. I recently went to the doctor for an infection and tested positive for chlamydia (a sexually…
Read More »Is Your Spouse Cheating? The Source of Unexplained STDs - Signs of a Marriage in Trouble
The biggest sign of a troubled marriage depends on the individual couple. For some couples, fighting is unhealthy – while other couples are at their happiest and healthiest when they’re venting their emotions and lungs. In The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: The Little Things That Make a Big Difference, Shaunti Feldhahn shares 12…
Read More »Signs of a Marriage in Trouble - The Best Place to Get Marriage Advice
You don’t want marriage advice from your mother, best friend, or coworker. You can’t afford a marriage counselor…so where do you get advice from? Here’s what a reader wrote on my article about loveless marriages: “I need some marriage help and suggestions, I’m very unhappy with my husband. We’ve been married for two years and…
Read More »The Best Place to Get Marriage Advice - Forgiving Your Husband for Cheating
Forgiving your husband after he cheated on you could be the most difficult thing you do in your marriage. But, difficult doesn’t mean impossible! These tips on how to forgive him are inspired by a wife who found out her husband cheated on her with an escort. Here’s what she says, on Should You Leave Your…
Read More »Forgiving Your Husband for Cheating - How to Cope When Your Ex Has a New Girlfriend
You may feel surprised – and heartbroken – to find out that your ex is in a new relationship. Here are three ways to cope when your ex boyfriend has a new girlfriend. This is what K says on 5 Reasons It’s So Hard to Get Over a Breakup: “What hurts me the most is the fact…
Read More »How to Cope When Your Ex Has a New Girlfriend - How to Find a Husband
Does it seem like you’ll never meet the right guy? Don’t worry – he’s closer than you think! Read these tips on finding a husband who will treat you like gold. This article is inspired by a reader whose boyfriend treats her like crap. She has to beg him for money to buy diapers for…
Read More »How to Find a Husband - How to Deal With Restlessness in Marriage
If you’re feeling restless in your marriage, you may be wondering if you’re better off alone. These thoughts on dealing with restlessness in marriage are inspired by a reader who has been questioning her happiness. In Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples, Harville Hendrix shares how to create a more loving, supportive, and…
Read More »How to Deal With Restlessness in Marriage - When Your Husband Doesn’t Want to Have Sex With You
You have a great marriage, but your husband isn’t interested in having sex with you. This happens more often than you think – to even the happiest married couples. Here’s what one reader says: “We are not intimate at all. There is zero passion. We talk about it, he always listens and says we need…
Read More »When Your Husband Doesn’t Want to Have Sex With You - Why Are You Mean to the One You Love?
Wives are mean to their husbands, husbands mean to wives, siblings mean to each other…here are a few reasons why we hurt the ones we love so much. Plus a tip or two on how to stop being mean. You may recognize yourself in this comment from a reader: “I’m 22 and have been with…
Read More »Why Are You Mean to the One You Love? - 12 Signs It’s Too Soon to Start Dating Again
Here are a few signs you’re ready to start dating again. While there is no “rule” on when it’s too soon to date after a breakup, there are signs you aren’t ready. If you’re nervous about dating, read The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible. Not only will it help…
Read More »12 Signs It’s Too Soon to Start Dating Again - When You Can’t Get Over Your Ex
You tried everything to get over your ex, and nothing works. Here’s a list of things that help most people get over their exes, and a few things to try when nothing else works. I wrote 75 Ways to Let Go of Someone You Love for people just like you, who can’t get over their ex boyfriends,…
Read More »When You Can’t Get Over Your Ex - 65 Ways to Say “I Love You” Without Words
Whether you’re in a new relationship or trying to fire up an old flame, you’ll find something you can use in these easy ways to say “I love you.” They’re not just words! These ways to profess your love are big and little actions that make a big difference in your everyday interactions. Knowing different…
Read More »65 Ways to Say “I Love You” Without Words - How to Cope With Relationship Doubt
These strategies for coping with relationship doubt will help you through the worries, fears, and confusion that you’re feeling. It’s normal to feel unsettled about your relationship sometimes – but if you often feel doubtful, then you may need to re-evaluate. These tips are inspired by smart businesswoman and author, Lisa Bloom. Here’s what she…
Read More »How to Cope With Relationship Doubt - Why It’s So Hard to Get Over a Breakup
You know you have to “get over it” and move on, but you can’t. These reasons why it’s so hard to get over a breakup will help you see your relationship in a different light. Have you read any of Martha Beck’s books? Her newest is Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim…
Read More »Why It’s So Hard to Get Over a Breakup - How to See What’s Wrong With Your Marriage
The sooner you identify what’s wrong with your marriage, the better able you’ll be to save your relationship. If you can’t or aren’t willing to see what’s really going on (or WRONG) with your marriage, then you’ll never get your relationship back on track. The 4 Seasons of Marriage: Secrets to a Lasting Marriage by Gary…
Read More »How to See What’s Wrong With Your Marriage - 5 Tips for Coping With a Split
You moved out, you know it’s better this way, and yet you can’t seem to adjust to living alone. I hope these tips for coping with a split will help ease the pain – or at least give you something new to chew on. First, here’s a quip from author and Dear Sugar columnist Cheryl Strayed:…
Read More »5 Tips for Coping With a Split - 3 Tips for Accepting Your Husband’s Flaws and Weaknesses
The only thing harder than living with and even loving your husband’s flaws and quirks is realizing that he has to accept your weaknesses, too. Hence, tip #1. But first, here’s what Elizabeth Gilbert writes in Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage: “People always fall in love with the most perfect aspects of each…
Read More »3 Tips for Accepting Your Husband’s Flaws and Weaknesses - Why Women Stay in Bad Relationships
I discovered the most common reason women don’t leave bad relationships in a book about business, by Amanda Lang. If you’re stuck in a relationship rut, this may give you the boost you need. In Mr. Unavailable and the Fallback Girl: The Definitive Guide to Understanding Emotionally Unavailable Men and the Women that Love Them,…
Read More »Why Women Stay in Bad Relationships - How to Support Your Daughter in a Difficult Marriage
What advice or help can you give your daughter if she’s struggling with her husband? Here are a few tips for supporting your daughter during a difficult time in her marriage. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Cloud and Townsend is an excellent book to read.…
Read More »How to Support Your Daughter in a Difficult Marriage - When to Take Your Family’s Advice About Your Relationship
Should you listen to your family’s opinions about your love life or marriage, or follow your heart? Here are a few tips on balancing your family and your relationship. I get a lot of comments from readers whose family members are too involved in their love lives. Lots of girlfriends and wives email me to…
Read More »When to Take Your Family’s Advice About Your Relationship - How to Find the Answers to Your Relationship Questions
Here’s the best list of relationship questions I’ve gotten from a reader – plus my tips on finding the answers. “Dear Laurie, I am in a long distance relationship, and we’ve been together for only 4 months…sometimes doesn’t reply to my messages (his mom died a few months ago), and he is supposed to visit…
Read More »How to Find the Answers to Your Relationship Questions - What if My New Relationship Doesn’t Work Out?
Love is risky, and the only guarantee you’ll be happy is if you accept the fact that your new relationship may not work out. Here’s how. These tips are inspired by a comment from a woman who is cheating on her husband, and scared her new relationship won’t work out… “I have been so happy…
Read More »What if My New Relationship Doesn’t Work Out? - How to Know if Your Relationship is Ending
Sometimes it’s easy to see a relationship is over, because the ending is natural and mutual. Most of the time, however, it’s hard to know if your relationship is ending or if you’ve just hit a rough patch. “Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a…
Read More »How to Know if Your Relationship is Ending - How to Pray With Your Partner
The power of prayer in marriage is more than “just” a spiritual connection with God. Praying with your partner can change how you see your relationship, and bring you closer together. If praying as a couple is new to you, read Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman by Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt. The…
Read More »How to Pray With Your Partner - How to Stop Feeling Hurt and Stuck in the Past
If you can’t let go of the past, here are a few ideas on how to stop feeling hurt and stuck in the past. These tips are inspired by a reader who can’t let go of her husband. In Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy, Francine…
Read More »How to Stop Feeling Hurt and Stuck in the Past - You Don’t Love Him But Can’t Leave Him
You feel nothing for your partner – or maybe he even disgusts you. Here’s what to do when you don’t love him, but feel like you can’t leave him. Read Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown. It’s not about winning or losing.…
Read More »You Don’t Love Him But Can’t Leave Him - Do You Panic at the Thought of Leaving Your Relationship?
These tips on how to cope with the panic and anxiety you feel when you think about ending your relationship are inspired by a reader’s dilemma. She has wanted to leave her common-law husband for six years, and says: “I’ve been in a serious relationship for the past 9 years; for the last 6 years, I’ve…
Read More »Do You Panic at the Thought of Leaving Your Relationship? - How Do I Make My Boyfriend Love Me?
You can’t change him, but can you make your boyfriend fall in love with you? This is your chance to expand your life in a way you never thought possible. Read Make Every Man Want You: How to Be So Irresistible You’ll Barely Keep from Dating Yourself! by Marie Forleo. She describes how you can make…
Read More »How Do I Make My Boyfriend Love Me? - 3 Signs It’s Time to Break Up With Your Boyfriend
Is it time to break up, or work harder on your relationship? Here are three signs you should start the process of breaking up with your boyfriend… Should I Stay or Should I Go? A Guide to Knowing if Your Relationship Can and Should be Saved by Lundy Bancroft and JAC Patrissi is an excellent place…
Read More »3 Signs It’s Time to Break Up With Your Boyfriend - Should You Tell Him You’re Leaving or Secretly Move Out?
When you’re moving out of a home you share with your partner, you can him you’re leaving or just disappear. Here are a few reasons to talk about it in advance, and a few reasons to keep your move on the “down low” until you’re out. In You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay says…
Read More »Should You Tell Him You’re Leaving or Secretly Move Out? - How to Regain Your Self-Confidence
Has your marriage destroyed your self-confidence and self-image? Here are a few tips on rebuilding your confidence while keeping your relationship or marriage intact. Here’s what one reader – a doctor – says about her marriage, on How to Gain Confidence and Create Healthy Relationships: “I don’t feel he respects what I do and I…
Read More »How to Regain Your Self-Confidence - 7 Reasons You Should Not Stay Friends With Your Ex
Before you stay in contact after a breakup, read these reasons you shouldn’t stay friends with your ex. These tips will help you figure out if you should be friends or stop talking to him altogether. A reader recently described her long distance relationship with her boyfriend, saying that they’re both best friends and boyfriend/girlfriend.…
Read More »7 Reasons You Should Not Stay Friends With Your Ex - How to Overcome Your Fear of Living Alone
The most common question I get is, “I’m scared to live on my own – how do I leave my relationship?” The answer is that you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Here’s what one reader says on 10 Reasons Breaking Up is Hard to Do: “I’ve been married for almost 26 yrs, I’m…
Read More »How to Overcome Your Fear of Living Alone - What to Do When Your Husband Constantly Puts You Down
Nothing in your wedding vows gives your husband permission to put you down, constantly criticize you, and treat you like dirt. A reader says her husband constantly tells her he’s more educated, smarter, and has a better family. He screams at her in public, criticizes her in front of her children, and uses bad language. She…
Read More »What to Do When Your Husband Constantly Puts You Down - What to Do When You’re Confused About Your Relationship
Relationships are confusing at the best of times – but when your boyfriend is sending mixed signals, it can be frustrating and mind-boggling. Here’s what to do when you’re confused about your relationship. These tips are inspired by a reader’s comment and question… “I have a boyfriend who I love dearly. The problem is we get along…
Read More »What to Do When You’re Confused About Your Relationship - Is This Grounds for Divorce or Do I Stay Married?
Deciding if your partner’s behavior is grounds for divorce is often as clear as mud. Here are a few things to consider when you’re wrestling with the idea of divorce. This article is for the thousands of women who are wondering if they should leave their husbands. How do you know if your marriage is…
Read More »Is This Grounds for Divorce or Do I Stay Married? - How to Forgive Yourself for Having an Affair
Your partner forgave you for cheating, but you can’t forgive yourself for having the affair. Sometimes forgiving ourselves is more difficult than forgiving others because of the shame we feel. Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go by Adam Hamilton and Rob Simbeck can help you forgive yourself for the affair. These suggestions for self-forgiveness are inspired…
Read More »How to Forgive Yourself for Having an Affair - How to Cope With a Moody Boyfriend
Here are several tips for coping with a boyfriend who is moody, unpredictable, and unhappy. They’re based on a comment I received from a woman who loves her boyfriend, but can’t make him happy. How to Know If It’s Time to Go: A 10-Step Reality Test for Your Marriage by Dr. Lawrence Birnbach and Dr. Beverly…
Read More »How to Cope With a Moody Boyfriend - A True Love Test – 7 Habits of Happy Couples
Checking off these habits of healthy couples will help you figure out if you’re really and truly in love. It’s a “true love test” with practical signs of happy habits and strong love. Read True Love: How to Make Your Relationship Sweeter, Deeper, and More Passionate if your relationship lacks passion or depth. Bestselling author Daphne Rose Kingma…
Read More »A True Love Test – 7 Habits of Happy Couples - 4 Signs Marriage Counseling Will Help Your Relationship
Couples counseling doesn’t help all couples; in fact, it can lead to divorce faster than not going to counseling! Here are four signs marriage counseling will help your relationship. Fighting for Your Marriage: A Deluxe Revised Edition of the Classic Best-seller for Enhancing Marriage and Preventing Divorce by Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley, and Susan L.…
Read More »4 Signs Marriage Counseling Will Help Your Relationship - How to Get Your Confidence Back After a Breakup
One of the worst things about breaking up is the loss of confidence you feel. These five tips for getting your confidence back after a breakup will help you regain your lost self-esteem, and learn to love yourself again. The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance -What Women Should Know by Katty Kay and…
Read More »How to Get Your Confidence Back After a Breakup - 5 Easy Ways to Say “I Love You”
Saying “I love you” can be the hardest three words you ever utter, because they leave you vulnerable and open. Here are a few ways to express your love and keep yourself safe. The Layered Name Necklace in Sterling Silver is custom made with any name. It’s a tangible symbol of your love, and it’s more…
Read More »5 Easy Ways to Say “I Love You” - How to Meet Someone When You’re Shy and Socially Awkward
Falling in love for shy people…these tips will help you – even if you’re the most socially awkward person in the room – meet someone and fall in love. Dating for shy singles is often intimidating because love relationships – especially new ones – often require huge amounts of energy, time, and a certain degree…
Read More »How to Meet Someone When You’re Shy and Socially Awkward - How a Breakup Can Improve Your Life
Maybe you can’t see it right now, but your breakup may be the best thing ever. These ways a breakup can improve your life are from women who have experienced the benefits of breaking up. “What if I told you that a relationship break up can turn out to be a very good thing for you?”…
Read More »How a Breakup Can Improve Your Life - How to Overcome Shyness When You’re in Love
Did you know that being shy and socially anxious can ruin your relationship? Here’s how shyness affects your love life – and can ruin your marriage. Shyness and social anxiety can negatively affect your relationship, but it really helps if you’re aware of the effects of being shy. Surprisingly, psychology research shows that shyness is…
Read More »How to Overcome Shyness When You’re in Love - 4 Signs of Emotional Distance in a Love Relationship
Sometimes he is physically present, but emotionally distant. Here are four signs of emotionally distant love relationships, plus tips for bridging the gap. Emotional distance is characterized by a lack of an emotional, spiritual, or intellectual level connection with your partner. You know you’re disconnected when your partner just isn’t “there” somehow, when you no longer connect.…
Read More »4 Signs of Emotional Distance in a Love Relationship - Why Women Are Attracted to “Bad” Boys
Psychologists love to study relationships; after all, love is the foundation of human nature! And the “why do women love bad boys?” question has had us scratching our heads for centuries. This summary of current research may explain why women are attracted to bad boys. Included are snippets of past research that describe how men…
Read More »Why Women Are Attracted to “Bad” Boys - How to Make Love Last in a Long-Term Relationship
How long does it take to fall in love? Research shows it takes almost no time. Here’s how love affects our brains and bodies, plus tips on making love last in a long-term relationship. If you asked me “How long does it take to fall in love?” an hour ago, I would’ve said “Years. You…
Read More »How to Make Love Last in a Long-Term Relationship - 5 Signs You Should Break Up With Your Boyfriend
Feeling insecure in your relationship is a sign it’s time to leave. Here are five more serious signs you should break up with your boyfriend. The longer you put it off, the harder it’ll be. “I am constantly anxious and angry when I’m with him,” says a reader on one of my most popular articles…
Read More »5 Signs You Should Break Up With Your Boyfriend - How Do You Know If He Really Loves You?
Different men show love in different ways, but there are universal signs that a man is in love. Here are a few of those signs, plus a description of what “love languages” are. I’m reading You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay right now, and I love it. It’s about becoming a whole, health, happy woman…
Read More »How Do You Know If He Really Loves You? - Should You Date Someone Who Has Different Religious Beliefs?
What if you’re Catholic and her boyfriend is Muslim – should you date a guy who follows a different religion? Interfaith relationships (and marriages) can be strong and happy, but they’re also a lot of work. Before I give you a few things to think about, I want to give you something to ponder: “I…
Read More »Should You Date Someone Who Has Different Religious Beliefs? - Is Flirting Cheating? 6 Signs of Harmless Flirtation
Here are six ways to know when you shouldn’t be flirting, plus the difference between harmless flirtation and emotional cheating. Are you cheating by flirting? It depends which of the five stages of flirting you play up the most. Flirting is cheating on your partner when your body language goes beyond innocent winks, smiles, and…
Read More »Is Flirting Cheating? 6 Signs of Harmless Flirtation - How to Propose to Your Girlfriend at Christmas
What better way to say “I love you” at Christmas than with a marriage proposal? These tips will help you propose to your girlfriend without freaking out. A Christmas marriage proposal is particularly romantic because of the warmth, joy, and love the holiday season brings. Plus, family and friends may have traveled far and wide…
Read More »How to Propose to Your Girlfriend at Christmas - How to Give Your Boyfriend Alone Time
In every relationship, there is one partner who always needs more space. These tips on how to give your boyfriend time alone will help you feel secure and confident when he retreats into his man cave. If you feel insecure and afraid when your boyfriend wants alone time, get The Self-Esteem Workbook. You’ll learn step-by-step…
Read More »How to Give Your Boyfriend Alone Time - How to Overcome Fear of Intimacy
The first step to overcoming fear of intimacy is recognizing the emotional walls and obstacles in your relationship. Here are signs of fear of intimacy, plus ways to get emotionally healthy. Daring to Trust: Opening Ourselves to Real Love and Intimacy by David Richo will help you learn why you fear trusting others, how to know…
Read More »How to Overcome Fear of Intimacy - How to Forgive Your Girlfriend for Cheating
A betrayed boyfriend shares how he forgave his pregnant girlfriend for having an affair. If your girlfriend cheated on you, his experience may help you forgive and rebuild your relationship. After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful by Janis Spring will help you forgive your girlfriend after cheating.…
Read More »How to Forgive Your Girlfriend for Cheating - Can God Heal You After a Break Up? How Spirituality Helps
If you tried everything to heal after a break up, maybe it’s time to turn to God. Here’s how spirituality will heal your broken heart and revive your life after the end of a relationship. God offers freedom, strength, hope, and healing – but you need to spend time with Him. A devotional such as…
Read More »Can God Heal You After a Break Up? How Spirituality Helps - Why Do I Keep Going Back to Him?
Q: I left him numerous times, but keep going back to my husband. I am 37 and have been married for 18 years. We have six children together. I guess I’m a complete co-dependant and domestic violence victim (verbal, physical, and sexual). I think my husband is very mentally unstable. I am staying at my…
Read More »Why Do I Keep Going Back to Him? - How Do You Fix a Sexless Marriage?
It’s normal for married couples to get bored in the bedroom – but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a sexless marriage! These tips can help you reconnect with your partner. I wrote this for a wife who told me this: “I feel completely disconnected from my husband and don’t want to spend the rest…
Read More »How Do You Fix a Sexless Marriage? - When You’re Tired of Making All the Effort in Your Marriage
Q: I make all the effort to work on our marriage, and my husband doesn’t do anything. I am tired. I want to be cared for. I feel so lonely and unhappy. When we married four years ago, I went against my parents and my husband went against his parents. Recently he stopped caring about…
Read More »When You’re Tired of Making All the Effort in Your Marriage - Why Do I Stay With a Husband Who Makes Me Feel So Bad?
I want to ask this reader why she is staying with a husband who makes her feel terrible about herself. Here’s her question – she wants to know what she should do about her marriage: “I’ve been married for 11 years. My husband has cheated on me twice. The most recent was 2 years ago.…
Read More »Why Do I Stay With a Husband Who Makes Me Feel So Bad? - When Your Boyfriend Keeps Pushing You Away
Here are a few ideas for how to respond when your boyfriend pushes you away – these tips are inspired by a reader who is struggling in her relationship. “My boyfriend of 3 years has completely shut down on me,” says Cyndi in response to 5 Signs Your Boyfriend Is In Love With You. “How do…
Read More »When Your Boyfriend Keeps Pushing You Away - How to Increase Emotional Connection in Your Marriage
One of the marriage problems nobody talks about is the difference between physical and emotional intimacy. Until now! A reader recently asked this question about increasing emotional connection in her relationship with her husband… “I would like to talk and build more of an emotional connection, but my husband only wants a physical one,” says…
Read More »How to Increase Emotional Connection in Your Marriage - How Many Times Should You Forgive Your Husband?
Q: I’ve been thinking of getting a divorce for the past six months. We got married July 10, 2011. We lived together for two years before. My husband didn’t tell me about a lot of debt he was in. I was very upset but I forgave him. Ever since then, there has been one financial…
Read More »How Many Times Should You Forgive Your Husband? - How to Stop Thinking About the Other Woman
These tips on how to stop thinking about the other woman are inspired by a reader’s question. He wants to get to a place where he no longer feels tempted to talk to the other woman, call the other woman, and be with the other woman. Getting Past the Affair: A Program to Help You…
Read More »How to Stop Thinking About the Other Woman - Should We Buy a House or Pay Off Our $50,000 Debt?
Q: My husband and I have been married for a month and we’re having a hard time setting financial priorities. We are trying to get out of debt – we have about $50,000 in debt right now – and we’d also like to start saving for retirement. We have tossed around the idea of buying…
Read More »Should We Buy a House or Pay Off Our $50,000 Debt? - How to Increase Physical Intimacy in Your Marriage
These ideas for increasing physical intimacy in your marriage are inspired by a reader’s comment on 5 Sex Tips for Women With Ulcerative Colitis. “My husband never feels ‘in the mood,’” says Cassie. “Viagra wouldn’t work. It’s our situation that has caused my husband to have erectile dysfunction. He is an overachiever and for the first…
Read More »How to Increase Physical Intimacy in Your Marriage - Did I Marry the Wrong Guy? I’m Still in Love With My Ex
Q: I got married 6 months ago and though I haven’t cheated on my husband and nor do I want to, I’m wondering if I married the wrong guy. I’m still in love with my ex. We were together four years and had way more connection then me and my husband do. I feel guilt…
Read More »Did I Marry the Wrong Guy? I’m Still in Love With My Ex - How to Talk to Your Boyfriend So He Listens to You
These tips are inspired by a reader who loves her boyfriend very much. He doesn’t love her the same way. In fact, not only does he not listen to her, he tells her he’s tired of her. Here’s my reader’s comment, on How to Fix a One Sided Relationship: “I’ve been with my boyfriend for 4 years,…
Read More »How to Talk to Your Boyfriend So He Listens to You - What Should I Do When I Suspect He is Cheating on Me?
Here are several things to do when you suspect your boyfriend is cheating on you. Q: My boyfriend and I have been dating for 7 months. He has cheated me before but we worked it out. We really like each other. But I suspect he’s cheating on me again! What should I do? When You…
Read More »What Should I Do When I Suspect He is Cheating on Me? - How Do I Trust My Fiancé After He Sexted His Ex and Lied to Me?
- Why Doesn’t He Love You the Way You Love Him?
A reader asked why her boyfriend doesn’t love her the way she loves him. She asked for help knowing what to do and taking the next step in her life… “We both caused great pain to each other and our relationship is probably broken, but I keep hanging on,” she says on When You’re in…
Read More »Why Doesn’t He Love You the Way You Love Him? - Am I Sick for Staying With a Man Who Keeps Cheating on Me?
- Should You Take Your Boyfriend Back?
Here are several things to consider when you’re deciding if you should take your boyfriend back. You don’t want to make a mistake, but you also want to give your relationship a fighting chance! On 7 Lessons Learned From Unhealthy Relationships, Susan says, “My boyfriend desperately wants me back, but I don’t know if I…
Read More »Should You Take Your Boyfriend Back? - Is It Wrong to Spend Time With a Guy Who Has a Girlfriend?
Q: I love this guy I and I think he was emotionally cheating, not on me but on his girlfriend. We spent time together just as “friends” but I think it is more than friends, it’s like we have a relationship. I felt guilty because I know he has a girlfriend and we were acting…
Read More »Is It Wrong to Spend Time With a Guy Who Has a Girlfriend? - My Husband Had an Affair With My Best Friend – How Do I Cope?
- My Husband is a Drug Addict – How Do I Make Him Stop?
Q: My husband is an addict, and his current drug is adderall. I spend about $300 plus monthly to keep him decent. I told him almost a year and a half ago to stop doing drugs. He’ll stay up for days. Our house is piled high with trash, unfinished projects. I tried taking trash out…
Read More »My Husband is a Drug Addict – How Do I Make Him Stop? - How to Overcome Depression After a Break Up
A reader recently asked for help overcoming depression after a break up. “I was recently dumped by my (ex) girlfriend, around three weeks ago,” he says. “I’m having trouble overcoming depression because of the breakup.” He adds that the relationship was “kinda tough because she was having mood swings, nervous breakdowns and indecisiveness for the…
Read More »How to Overcome Depression After a Break Up - Why Is It So Hard to Leave a Man Who Hurts You?
He hurts you physically and emotionally, yet you can’t walk away. Here’s what Caroline says about why it’s so hard to leave a man who hurts you – you’ll see yourself here… “I left my husband 4 days ago after 2 years of abuse. I called 911 from the car and they found me and…
Read More »Why Is It So Hard to Leave a Man Who Hurts You? - 5 Signs You’re Expecting Too Much From Your Husband
A reader who has been married for almost 10 years asked if she’s expecting too much from her husband. These signs of a “normal marriage” will help all women who wonder if they expect too much from marriage. In The 4 Seasons of Marriage: Secrets to a Lasting Marriage, Gary Chapman describes the recurring seasons of…
Read More »5 Signs You’re Expecting Too Much From Your Husband - How to Love a Man Without Losing Yourself
Can you love a man too much? It depends how you define “love.” These tips on how to love a man without losing yourself will help you build a healthy, happy relationship. I’m reading How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage – it’s an excellent book that will help you identify what is…
Read More »How to Love a Man Without Losing Yourself - 3 Reasons You’re Too Insecure to Leave a Bad Marriage
Knowing the reasons why you’re too insecure to leave a bad marriage will help you break free from a man who is crushing your spirit and soul. Recognizing your insecurity is the first step. In Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves: Ditch Your Inner Critic and Wake Up Your Inner Superstar, Amy Ahlers will teach you…
Read More »3 Reasons You’re Too Insecure to Leave a Bad Marriage - You Love Him, But You’re Not In Love With Him…Should You Break Up?
- How to Get Over a Break Up and Accept That It’s Over
If you’re getting over a breakup caused by a cheating boyfriend, maybe it’s time to surrender. Acceptance is the healthiest way to get over a breakup. If you accept your relationship is over, you’re free to move into a happier stage of life. Getting Past Your Breakup: How to Turn a Devastating Loss into the…
Read More »How to Get Over a Break Up and Accept That It’s Over - How to Get Your Girlfriend Back After Lying to Her
What are the chances of getting your girlfriend back after you lied to her? It depends how you approach her, what you say, and how sincere you are in apologizing. These tips on how to get your girlfriend back after lying to her will help you see your relationship more clearly. The first thing you…
Read More »How to Get Your Girlfriend Back After Lying to Her - Should You Give Up on Your Relationship?
Sometimes giving up on your relationship is the best thing you can do. Here’s how to know when to give up on a relationship instead of trying to make it work – these tips are inspired by a reader who asked for help deciding if she should stay or go. Deal Breakers: When to Work…
Read More »Should You Give Up on Your Relationship? - How to Deal With Guilt After Breaking Up
If you initiated the break up, you may feel guilty that the relationship didn’t work out. These tips on dealing with guilt after breaking up will help you move forward. Whether you’ve been married for 20 years or dating for 2 months, guilt after breaking up with someone you once loved is difficult to deal…
Read More »How to Deal With Guilt After Breaking Up - 10 Eco-Friendly Gifts for Your Boyfriend’s Birthday
Say I love you on your boyfriend’s birthday and get creative with these eco-friendly gift ideas. Your boyfriend will appreciate the unique-ness of these expressions of love! A luxurious, soft bathrobe such as Men’s Bamboo Bathrobe is a practical way to show your love on your boyfriend’s birthday. It’s plush and lush, yet useful. The best tip for…
Read More »10 Eco-Friendly Gifts for Your Boyfriend’s Birthday - Remarriage Wedding Vows Are More Meaningful Than First Marriage Vows
Are your remarriage wedding vows less meaningful because your first marriage failed? No! When you get remarried, your wedding vows are are more meaningful than ever. Here’s what Michele (not her real name) asks: “I am currently divorced with a 3 year old daughter, and am 6 months into a new relationship (he is also divorced…
Read More »Remarriage Wedding Vows Are More Meaningful Than First Marriage Vows - How to Get Through a Break Up When You Stayed Too Long
Getting through a break up is painful at the best of times; it’s worse when you stayed in the relationship longer than you should have. Here’s what Michelle (not her real name) says: “My boyfriend just left me. He’s been lying to me and seeing another woman the whole time we were together. I staying…
Read More »How to Get Through a Break Up When You Stayed Too Long - When You Don’t Want to Break Up – But He Does
It’s the most common problem in love: you don’t want to break up, but he does. Do you pursue him, or try to move on with your life? “My boyfriend just dumped me for another woman,” says Tamara (not her real name) on What to Do When You Catch Your Spouse Cheating. “I found out…
Read More »When You Don’t Want to Break Up – But He Does - What to Do When Your Wife Isn’t Happy
Your wife says she isn’t happy, and hasn’t been for years. How do you increase the intimacy and love in your marriage? Here are six ways to help your unhappy wife and boost her spirits. The most important thing you can do is tell your wife you love her, support her, and will do everything…
Read More »What to Do When Your Wife Isn’t Happy - Can You Fix Marriage Problems You’ve Had for Years?
One definition of relationship success is having different problems today than you had last year. How do you fix marriage problems you’ve had for years? Here’s what Darlene says: “We’re being investigated for the second time by the state child protection services. One of my kids’ therapist filed a report, because he mentioned how Daddy gets…
Read More »Can You Fix Marriage Problems You’ve Had for Years? - Introverts in Love With Extroverts – Can Your Relationship Work?
Introverts love to be alone; extroverts love to be the center of attention. Introverts and extroverts can fall in love – and yes, they can build a happy relationship. Here’s Lyn’s question: “Can introverts can have relationships? I recently was in a relationship and I felt my introversion was taking over. I wanted to be…
Read More »Introverts in Love With Extroverts – Can Your Relationship Work? - When You Find Out Your Dad is Cheating on Your Mom
The one thing worse than finding out your dad is cheating on your mom is the thought of telling your mom about your dad’s affair. Here are some ideas for what to do when you find out your dad is cheating… Here’s what Chris says: “I found out my dad is cheating on my mom with…
Read More »When You Find Out Your Dad is Cheating on Your Mom - When You Were Raped and Your Boyfriend Can’t Handle It
You told your boyfriend you were raped, and he can’t deal with it. These tips for coping with a boyfriend who can’t deal with rape are inspired by a reader, and by my own experience as a survivor of sexual assault. What do you do when your boyfriend doesn’t understand your fear, confusion, and feelings?
- When You Can’t Save Money – 5 Tips for Engaged Couples
Having two incomes doesn’t mean you’ll save money, even if you live together! These tips for engaged couples who can’t save money are inspired by a question from a reader. “My fiancé and I dated long distance for 3 years before getting engaged 4 months ago. I moved to his state and we decided that…
Read More »When You Can’t Save Money – 5 Tips for Engaged Couples - How to Break Free From an Emotionally Destructive Relationship
These tips on breaking free from an emotionally destructive relationship are from a spiritual counselor who overcame her own fear of leaving. She teaches others to live in freedom, fully and deeply. I always feature books on my articles because I believe books can change lives. If you’re in an emotionally difficult or destructive relationship,…
Read More »How to Break Free From an Emotionally Destructive Relationship - How to Stop Doing All the Work in Your Relationship
The healthiest relationships are very close to 50/50 or equal partnerships. If you do all the work in your relationship, then you need to stop. Unless, of course, you’re happy doing all the work! One of my favourite books about relationships is ScreamFree Marriage: Calming Down, Growing Up, and Getting Closer. It’s not just for…
Read More »How to Stop Doing All the Work in Your Relationship - 6 Quotes From Martha Beck on Getting Over a Breakup
Sometimes a short quote from a wise, experienced life coach like Martha Beck is more helpful than a list of tips for getting over a breakup. Here are six Martha Beck quotes to help you heal. Martha Beck is one of my favorite authors – and Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim…
Read More »6 Quotes From Martha Beck on Getting Over a Breakup - Do You Visit Your Boyfriend in Jail After He Gets Arrested?
Whether your boyfriend was arrested for unpaid parking tickets or assault, you need to decide if you should visit him in jail or walk away. Here’s what Alice says: “I found out my boyfriend was arrested about 10 minutes for not paying traffic fines – several, I guess. He was already on probation, which I…
Read More »Do You Visit Your Boyfriend in Jail After He Gets Arrested? - When He Says He’ll Change – But Never Does
He promises he’ll change, but he never does. Here’s how to know if you should believe him and keep hoping for the best, or think about breaking up with him. Sometimes we need an objective guide, such as Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Decide Whether to Stay…
Read More »When He Says He’ll Change – But Never Does - When You’re Pregnant and Unhappy With Your Husband
If you’re unhappy with your husband and marriage – and you’re pregnant – should you stay for the baby’s sake? Here are a few things to think about… Here’s what Desiree says, on my article about the warning signs of a bad relationship: “I’m not sure what to do. I love my common-law husband, we’ve…
Read More »When You’re Pregnant and Unhappy With Your Husband - How to End a Relationship When You’re Scared to Be Alone
It is scary to be on your own – so you’re normal! Here’s how to end a relationship when you’re scared to be alone, but you know you need to leave the man you’re with. “I’ve been in the same relationship for 18 years,” says Nikki in response to How to Know if a Man is Emotionally…
Read More »How to End a Relationship When You’re Scared to Be Alone - How to Leave a Marriage When You Have Nothing Left
Your marriage is in crisis, you have no money, and your future seems unbearable. Here are a few tips on how to leave a marriage when you have nothing. In Divorce: Think Financially, Not Emotionally: What Women Need To Know About Securing Their Financial Future Before, During, and After Divorce, Jeffrey A. Landers guides women…
Read More »How to Leave a Marriage When You Have Nothing Left - When You’re Tired of Trying to Make Your Marriage Work
Here are a few tips for coping when you’re tired of trying to make your marriage work. You feel emotionally alone and disconnected, and are even wondering if you should leave your husband. I can’t give relationship advice, but I recommend reading Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You…
Read More »When You’re Tired of Trying to Make Your Marriage Work - How to Untangle a Codependent Relationship
Whether you call it co dependency in love or a codependent relationship, the result is the same: two people depending on each other in unhealthy ways. Co dependent partners feed each other’s sickness and support each other’s unhealthy patterns of relating and communicating. Here, Dee shares her tips for ending co dependency in love – and…
Read More »How to Untangle a Codependent Relationship - When Your Husband Says He Hates You
It’s painful to think your husband hates you, and it’s even worse to hear him say the words “I hate you.” I don’t know how you feel, but I can tell you that you are not alone.
- When Your Husband is an Alcoholic or Drug Addict
If your husband is alcoholic or addicted to drugs, you need to get help coping – in person! My heart breaks for wives who are depressed and sad because of their alcoholic husbands, and who feel trapped because they don’t have the money or support to leave. “I’m so confused, I love my husband very…
Read More »When Your Husband is an Alcoholic or Drug Addict - What to Do When You Feel Selfish for Wanting a Divorce
Your marriage makes you very unhappy, but you feel selfish or wrong for wanting a divorce. Here are a few suggestions for coping with your feelings about getting divorced. There is no clear-cut yes or no answer to that question (“are you wrong or selfish for wanting a divorce?”). And, I’m a stranger who has…
Read More »What to Do When You Feel Selfish for Wanting a Divorce - 16 Questions to Ask Before You Try to Get Your Ex Back
It may be possible to get your ex back, but is it the best thing? These questions will help you figure out if getting back together is the right thing to do. If you think that getting back together is the right thing to do, read How To Get Your Ex-Boyfriend Back: The Proven Step-By-Step System…
Read More »16 Questions to Ask Before You Try to Get Your Ex Back - When You Bring Out the Worst in Your Boyfriend
Let’s face it – some people just bring out the worst in each other. If your boyfriend says you bring out his worst qualities, then you need to walk away. Here’s what a reader said on my relationship closure article – it’s a boyfriend talking about his girlfriend: “We started bickering at each other, then…
Read More »When You Bring Out the Worst in Your Boyfriend - How to Attract the Man You Want – It’s Easier Than You Think!
- How to Move Out Without Your Husband Finding Out
Sometimes it’s safer to move out of the house without your husband’s knowledge. These tips on moving out without him finding out are from a wife who left her husband. Even if you can’t imagine moving out of your house, read It’s My Life Now: Starting Over After an Abusive Relationship or Domestic Violence. Authors…
Read More »How to Move Out Without Your Husband Finding Out - How to Stop Your Boyfriend’s Mother From Ruining Your Relationship
Is his mom causing problems in your relationship? Here are a few tips for dealing with your boyfriend’s mother – and how to stop her from ruining your relationship. I was inspired to write this by a reader who loves her boyfriend, but is struggling with his family members. “My boyfriend’s mother controls everything he…
Read More »How to Stop Your Boyfriend’s Mother From Ruining Your Relationship - Why Good Relationships Go Bad
Can you fix your relationship? It depends what the problem is. Here are four reasons good relationships go bad, to help you know if you can reconnect and get your love back on track. If you want to save your relationship, read How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It. There’s only so many times…
Read More »Why Good Relationships Go Bad - Healing the Pain When Your Husband Has Been Unfaithful
Hurt, heartache, and disbelief are common reactions when your husband has been unfaithful. These tips for healing the pain after an affair are for a reader whose husband was unfaithful for months. After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful was the first book written to help readers…
Read More »Healing the Pain When Your Husband Has Been Unfaithful - Is Your Boyfriend Lying? How to Find Out the Truth
You have a feeling your boyfriend is telling lies, yet he insists he’s being honest. Here’s how to find out the truth and if you can trust him. These tips are inspired by a reader’s comment on my article about cheating: “My boyfriend went to a destination wedding with his family and there are photos…
Read More »Is Your Boyfriend Lying? How to Find Out the Truth - Is Your Marriage Good or Bad? 3 Myths About Being Married
These myths about being married will help you decide if your marriage is good or bad. “Marriages today are in trouble precisely because of some misleading, even damaging advice that’s been foisted on couples for way too long,” writes Hal Runkel in ScreamFree Marriage: Calming Down, Growing Up, and Getting Closer. “…our families hand down…
Read More »Is Your Marriage Good or Bad? 3 Myths About Being Married - How to Know If You’re Ready for a New Relationship
Here are a few signs you’re emotionally, mentally, and physically ready for a new relationship. Your breakup may be days, months, or even years old, and yet you still may not be ready to commit to a new man. The Soulmate Experience: A Practical Guide to Creating Extraordinary Relationships by Mali Apple and Joe Dunn will help…
Read More »How to Know If You’re Ready for a New Relationship - When the Man You Love is Getting Married
You’re in love with him – and he may even be in love with you – but he’s marrying another woman. How do you cope when the man you love is getting married?
- When Your Husband Wants a Divorce – But Won’t Leave
Your husband says he wants out of the marriage, but he won’t move out. Here are a few steps for wives whose husbands say they want a divorce, but don’t leave. My first tip for wives whose husbands want to get divorced – but won’t leave the house – is to learn as much as…
Read More »When Your Husband Wants a Divorce – But Won’t Leave - How to Reconnect With Your Wife
These tips on how to reconnect with your wife are inspired by an important question from a husband who neglected his wife for years: how do we reconnect and save our marriage? He wants to be happy with her again, but is worried that it’s too late. “I realized that I have neglected her a…
Read More »How to Reconnect With Your Wife - How to Be Happy Without Your Husband
Here are five steps to finding peace and joy after a divorce. You CAN learn how to be happy without your husband – without his money, love, financial support, frustrating habits, and self-destructive behaviors. The Emotionally Destructive Marriage: How to Find Your Voice and Reclaim Your Hope by Leslie Vernick. It’ll help you gain the skills to respond…
Read More »How to Be Happy Without Your Husband - How to Help a Boyfriend Who Cuts and Self-Harms
These four tips on helping a boyfriend who self-harms are inspired by a reader who was brave enough to say “my boyfriend cuts himself.” Can you help him stop cutting? Possibly – but there is only so much you can do. The first step is to look past what he says he wants and focus on…
Read More »How to Help a Boyfriend Who Cuts and Self-Harms - How to Move On After He Leaves You
He’s not good for you, yet you can’t seem to move on after he’s left you? It’s time to pick up the pieces of your heart and rebuild your life. I wrote How to Let Go of Someone You Love to help women heal and move forward after a breakup. If you feel stuck and unhappy…
Read More »How to Move On After He Leaves You - 7 Signs Your Relationship is Worth Saving
Should you try to save your relationship? These signs will help you see if your relationship is worth saving, or if you should call it quits. For more in-depth tips on saving your relationship, read How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving by David Richo. His tips will help you…
Read More »7 Signs Your Relationship is Worth Saving - What is a Healthy Relationship? 5 Signs of Real Love
These signs of real love will help you learn what a healthy relationship is, and if your partner is good for you. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we wish for, we don’t see our relationship for what it is. If you’re confused about your relationship, chances are it isn’t healthy. Is it…
Read More »What is a Healthy Relationship? 5 Signs of Real Love - How to Live With Your Husband’s Anger Problems
Dealing with your husband’s anger can be scary and difficult. These tips on how to live with an angry husband will help you figure out what to do and how to proceed in your marriage. “One of the prevalent features of life with an angry or controlling partner is that he frequently tells you what…
Read More »How to Live With Your Husband’s Anger Problems - How to Overcome Your Obsession With Your Husband’s Affair
Your husband cheated, and you want to stay married – but you’re obsessed with thoughts about his affair. Here are six ways to cope with the feeling of betrayal and rebuild your marriage. First, it’s important to remember that an affair isn’t something you just “get over” – no matter how well-adjusted, secure, or healthy…
Read More »How to Overcome Your Obsession With Your Husband’s Affair - How to Cope When Your Husband Walks Out
Your husband walked out, and you’re picking up the pieces of your life. These insights will help you cope with confusion and hurt after your husband leaves – they’re from women dealing with the pain that comes with being abandoned. In Runaway Husbands: The Abandoned Wife’s Guide to Recovery and Renewal, Vikki Stark describes “Wife Abandonment…
Read More »How to Cope When Your Husband Walks Out - How to Trust Your Husband
One of the questions I’m often asked: “I don’t trust my husband. Do I stay married or get a divorce?” These tips for wives who don’t trust their husbands might help you move forward in your life. In I Love You But I Don’t Trust You: The Complete Guide to Restoring Trust in Your Relationship,…
Read More »How to Trust Your Husband - When You Tried Everything, But Your Relationship Failed
Health issues or family problems can destroy your love, no matter how strong it is. If you tried everything to save your relationship but it failed anyway, you may find hope and encouragement here. These tips are inspired by a reader’s question…“We’ve only been dating for six months, but I developed very strong feelings for…
Read More »When You Tried Everything, But Your Relationship Failed - How Salsa Dancing Can Help Your Love Life – or Hurt It!
Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to learn if you have “dance chemistry” with your partner! Here’s how salsa dancing helps your love life – and how it can can hurt your relationship. If you’re interested in salsa dancing and your relationship, check out the Learn to Salsa Dance Beginners Pack: The Complete Beginner Salsa Dancing Guide. The…
Read More »How Salsa Dancing Can Help Your Love Life – or Hurt It! - Can an Affair Save Your Marriage? It Depends…
An affair doesn’t have to mean your marriage is over. Here’s what a marriage counselor says about how affairs can save marriages – depending on the reason for the infidelity. These tips for saving your marriage after an affair are inspired by a wife who found out her husband has been cheating, after 26 years…
Read More »Can an Affair Save Your Marriage? It Depends… - 3 Reasons You’re Scared to Fall in Love
You want to be in a relationship, but you’re scared of falling in love. These reasons you’re scared to love will help you overcome your fears and take healthy risks in relationships. From Fear to Love: Overcoming the Barriers to Healthy Relationships by Raymond Kane and Nancy Kane will help you learn how to recognize and…
Read More »3 Reasons You’re Scared to Fall in Love - How to Trust Your Husband After He Cheated on You
Forgiving and trusting your husband after he cheated on you is a daily effort – it’s not a one-time thing. These tips for healing your marriage when trust is broken will help you reconnect with your husband and rebuild your marriage. “My husband cheated on me with his coworker, who has since left the company,” says…
Read More »How to Trust Your Husband After He Cheated on You - 5 Habits of a Healthy Marriage
Hunting for treasure and saving dolphins are habits of a healthy marriage, believe it or not! Improving your marriage can be as simple as talking about your daily highs and lows, or as complicated as learning effective conflict resolution skills. One of the absolute best ways to improve your marriage is to learn about your…
Read More »5 Habits of a Healthy Marriage - How to Get Your Money Back After Loaning to People You Trust
How easy it is to get your money back from people you thought you trusted depends on the conditions of the loan and if you wrote down the particulars of the loan (which most people don’t seem to do!). These tips apply to money lenders who put their agreement in writing, as well as those…
Read More »How to Get Your Money Back After Loaning to People You Trust - How to Deal With Debt After Divorce
If you’re getting divorced, you need to know how to deal with financial debt, keep your assets, and start rebuilding for retirement. These tips for protecting your money are for divorcing couples who want to equitably split assets and liabilities — and focus on the future. Solve Your Money Troubles: Debt, Credit & Bankruptcy by Robin…
Read More »How to Deal With Debt After Divorce - How to Overcome Fear of Rejection
If you’re too shy to date, check out my tips for overcoming fear of rejection. I’m a freelance writer who gets rejected ALL the time – and let’s face it: rejection is rejection, whether it’s on a date or at work. Do you feel too shy to date? The good news is you’re normal. And,…
Read More »How to Overcome Fear of Rejection - Advice From Wives Whose Husbands Cheated
Here are five pieces of advice from women whose husbands betrayed them by cheating – some wives left their husbands, and others stayed to work on their marriage. “My husband cheated on me quite a few years ago and it still hurts,” says K. “My advice is for men who cheated on their wives: tell…
Read More »Advice From Wives Whose Husbands Cheated - How to Make Things Right After an Internet Affair
Here are a few tips on how to get your relationship back on track after an internet affair. I wrote this for a reader who said he was cheating online, and asked how to make things right with his wife. If you’re recovering from an online relationship (which is cheating), these tips might help. A…
Read More »How to Make Things Right After an Internet Affair - 5 Signs of a Financially Independent Woman
Whether you’re a married or single woman – earning $100 or $15 an hour – you need financial independence. Here are five signs you can take care of your money and your life. “Women need to develop a healthy, honest relationship with our money,” says financial guru Suze Orman, author of Women & Money: Owning…
Read More »5 Signs of a Financially Independent Woman - Considering Divorce? Signs You Should Leave Your Husband
One of the most common questions I get is, “Should I leave my husband?” These signs for women considering divorce may help you decide if you should stay married. “Anyone who has had to grapple with the unfortunate choice of whether to stay in a troubled marriage or leave knows that this is not an…
Read More »Considering Divorce? Signs You Should Leave Your Husband - Before You Fall in Love Again – 5 Things to Watch Out For
Before you fall in love and start a relationship with someone new, you need to get emotionally healthy. Even if you haven’t been in love for a few years – or if your last relationship was healthy – you still need to take your emotional temperature before you fall in love again. In Make Every…
Read More »Before You Fall in Love Again – 5 Things to Watch Out For - How to Heal From the Years Wasted in a Relationship
You’ll never get back the years you spent in the wrong relationship – but you can recover things other than time! These tips for wasted relationships are inspired by a reader’s question. Byron Katie’s Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life is one of my favorite books about healing and accepting life the…
Read More »How to Heal From the Years Wasted in a Relationship - How to Help Your Boyfriend Cope With Anxiety Attacks
These tips on helping your boyfriend cope with anxiety and panic attacks will give you ideas on how to support him. Men who struggle with panicky, anxious feelings may feel vulnerable and embarrassed. They may not want to talk about their feelings, which is why a book may help. When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free…
Read More »How to Help Your Boyfriend Cope With Anxiety Attacks - How to Recover From Your Husband’s Long Term Affair
The truth is, there are no quick tips for recovering after you find out your husband has been involved in a long-term affair with another woman. It’s a betrayal that isn’t easily fixed, a broken heart not easily healed, a love not quickly repaired. Give yourself permission to feel what you feel. Maybe you’re shocked,…
Read More »How to Recover From Your Husband’s Long Term Affair - How to Convince Someone to Give You a Second Chance
The bad news is that you broke up, but the good news is that many breakups aren’t permanent. Here are seven tips that will help you convince someone to give you a second chance. These tips for reconciling with your ex are inspired by a reader’s email. “I would do anything to get her back, anything,” says…
Read More »How to Convince Someone to Give You a Second Chance - How to Increase Your Sexual Confidence – Tips for Women
These tips for increasing sexual self-confidence are inspired by a reader who has low self-esteem – which certainly wasn’t boosted when her husband cheated on her. “I recently found out my husband cheated on me when we were engaged (we have been married for about a year now), and I wasn’t that upset,” says A. on…
Read More »How to Increase Your Sexual Confidence – Tips for Women - Why Abused Women Don’t Press Charges – A Jailhouse Study
Learn why domestic violence survivors don’t press charges against the men who abuse them, in this summary of a jailhouse research study of conversations between abusers and their victims. If you are a victim (a survivor!!) of domestic violence but you’re struggling to heal and deal, read Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook…
Read More »Why Abused Women Don’t Press Charges – A Jailhouse Study - When You Can’t Stop Loving a Man Who Doesn’t Want You
Painful words: I love him, but he doesn’t want me. What do you do when you can’t stop loving a man who doesn’t care? Here are a few tips for women and unrequited love… “Sometimes I fight with myself to not text him or call him,” says A. on My Husband Left Me for Another…
Read More »When You Can’t Stop Loving a Man Who Doesn’t Want You - Do You Feel Insecure and Unsure in Your Relationship?
If your relationship destroyed your self-confidence and self-esteem – if you feel insecure and unsure with your boyfriend or husband– check out these solutions. If you’re struggling with low self-confidence and a shoddy self-image, read So Long, Insecurity: You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us. It’s one of the bestselling books on building self-confidence for…
Read More »Do You Feel Insecure and Unsure in Your Relationship? - 6 Ways to Enchant a Man
Here’s how to enchant a man, so he can’t help but fall in love with you! These six ways to make a man love you will change how you relate to him – and they’ll help you be your true self – with a dash of splash. How To Enchant A Man: Spells to Bewitch,…
Read More »6 Ways to Enchant a Man - When You’re in Love With Someone Scared of Love
Fear, insecurity, or a painful past relationship can lead to fear of intimacy. Here are a few ideas on what to do when you’re in love with someone who is scared to love you back. Here’s what one reader said about his ex-girlfriend. “I dated a great lady for 11 months,” says Steve on How to…
Read More »When You’re in Love With Someone Scared of Love - You’re Not Happy Married, But Unsure About Divorce
Here are several things to consider when you’re confused about your marriage – you’re not happy married, but not sure if divorce is the right decision. The Four Factors: Should You Stay, Go or Improve Your Relationship? by Ron Gentile is one of several good books on Amazon about whether or not you should stay married.…
Read More »You’re Not Happy Married, But Unsure About Divorce - How to Heal Divorce Pain
Healing the pain of divorce is especially difficult when the breakup was unexpected. This help for healing divorce pain starts with divorce care, which offers hope, help, and healing during and after your divorce. Divorce Care: Hope, Help, and Healing During and After Your Divorce by Steve Grissom and Kathy Leonard is a good way to journey through…
Read More »How to Heal Divorce Pain - How Long Do You Wait for Your Husband After His Affair?
Affairs don’t necessarily mean your marriage is over. But, rebuilding relationships is tricky when a cheating husband needs time to get over his affair. In How Can I Forgive You?: The Courage to Forgive, the Freedom Not To, Janis Spring offers step-by-step, concrete instructions that help us make peace with others and with ourselves, while…
Read More »How Long Do You Wait for Your Husband After His Affair? - How to Survive Your Marriage Ending
The these tips for surviving the end of your marriage will help you get over a nasty divorce (or even an amicable one). Maybe you’ll find a way out here – or at least be inspired to try something different to rebuild your life after divorce. If you’re struggling with the end of your marriage,…
Read More »How to Survive Your Marriage Ending - How to Argue Without Hurting Your Partner – A Therapist’s Tips
Arguing with your spouse is normal – but being mean or hurtful isn’t! These tips for arguing without hurting your partner are from therapist Jeff Guenther, who practices in Portland, Oregon. “Years ago, I tried to top everybody, but I don’t anymore, I realized it was killing conversation. When you’re always trying for a topper you…
Read More »How to Argue Without Hurting Your Partner – A Therapist’s Tips - 4 Tips for Couples Who Have Different Personality Traits
You’d be bored if your partner had the exact same personality traits as you, but you also need to be compatible. These tips for couples with wildly different personalities will help you connect and love each other for who you are. “I knew I was introverted – I scored 27 out of 29 on your…
Read More »4 Tips for Couples Who Have Different Personality Traits - How to Know if You Should Marry Him
Just because you’re engaged doesn’t mean you should marry your fiance! Here’s how to know if marriage really is the right decision for you – especially if you’re having second thoughts about getting married. If you have secret doubts – or open doubts – about the guy you’re about to marry, read Deal Breakers: When…
Read More »How to Know if You Should Marry Him - How to Revive a Stale Marriage
These tips for reviving a dry, stale marriage are inspired by a husband who wants to reconnect with his wife, but fears his marriage is over. “I have been involved in a affair for nearly 9 months,” says J. on How to Let Go of Someone You Love. “I ended it about 6 weeks ago.…
Read More »How to Revive a Stale Marriage - 5 Romantic, Creative Ways to Celebrate a Wedding Anniversary
Need romantic, fun ways to celebrate your wedding anniversary – whether it’s your first or fiftieth? These tips range from painting a “wall of love” to sending your spouse on a jaunt out of town. “The most important thing is to express love in your partner’s love language – not yours,” say marriage and family therapists…
Read More »5 Romantic, Creative Ways to Celebrate a Wedding Anniversary - 5 Signs It’s Time to Take a Break From Your Relationship
Should you take a break from your relationship, or stay together and try to work things out? These signs it’s time to take a break from love are inspired by a reader’s comment. If you’re confused or unsure if you should take a break, read books like Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step…
Read More »5 Signs It’s Time to Take a Break From Your Relationship - How to Grieve the End of a Relationship
If you’re having trouble healing and dealing with a breakup, these steps to grieving the end of a relationship may help. They’re inspired by a comment from a reader. “I ended a four-year relationship and I’m so relieved,” says Chris on How to Get Over a Broken Heart: 20 FAQ From Readers. “He loves money,…
Read More »How to Grieve the End of a Relationship - How to Leave a Man Who Wants to Stay Together
Do you know it’s over, but your partner refuses to accept it? Use these tips on how to leave a man who wants to stay together – you’ll find courage and strength! Here’s a reader’s dilemma: “I have been with my husband for 9 years and married the last two of those 9,” says A. on…
Read More »How to Leave a Man Who Wants to Stay Together - Don’t Feel Close to Your Partner? 5 Ways to Bring the Love Back
- How to Move on After an Affair Breakup
Some breakups are worse than others; affair breakups are the worst betrayal of all. These tips for moving on will help you heal after a breakup because of an affair. Forgiveness is part of moving on after an affair betrays. Read How Can I Forgive You?: The Courage to Forgive, the Freedom Not To by Janis A.…
Read More »How to Move on After an Affair Breakup - 4 Ways to Break Free When You’re Addicted to a Person
Can you be addicted to a person? These tips for getting over “love addiction” are inspired by a reader who is struggling to heal after a breakup. “I just broke up with my boyfriend after a year,” says Jessica on How to Let Go of Someone You Love. “My heart is torn, I feel like my…
Read More »4 Ways to Break Free When You’re Addicted to a Person - 5 Ways to Say Sorry to Your Partner and Make Up After a Fight
You screwed up? It’s okay – as long as you know the best ways to say sorry to your partner and make up after a fight! Knowing how to reconnect after an argument is one of the most important parts of loving someone fully and completely. “All married couples should learn the art of battle as…
Read More »5 Ways to Say Sorry to Your Partner and Make Up After a Fight - How to Stay Apart When He Calls, Texts, and Wants to Get Back
- Emotional Disconnection in Marriage – How to Feel Less Alone
Here are several ways to overcome emotional disconnection in marriage. If you feel alone all the time – and yet you’re married – you need to figure out how to reconnect. One of the first things to do is figure out if your husband is actually hearing you. Why Can’t You Read My Mind? Overcoming…
Read More »Emotional Disconnection in Marriage – How to Feel Less Alone - 5 Things Women Want in Men
Wondering what attracts women? This list of the top five things women want in men – dates and mates – are from MeasureUP Place.com (an online resource that specializes in surveys about current trends and topics). If you’re having trouble meeting your match, read Secrets of the A Game: How to Meet and Attract Women Anywhere, Anyplace,…
Read More »5 Things Women Want in Men - When You Have a Bad Gut Feeling About Your Marriage
When your instincts are flying red flags – you have a bad gut feeling about your marriage – what do you do? Many women get stuck when they think their husbands are withdrawing, not being honest, or somehow leaving the marriage. Fighting for Your Marriage: A Deluxe Revised Edition of the Classic Best-Seller for Enhancing…
Read More »When You Have a Bad Gut Feeling About Your Marriage - How to Make Your First Date Fun
Nervous about your date? Scared you’ll say the wrong thing? Use these tips to make your first date fun, easy, and enjoyable for you both! If you want to attract the right guy into your life, read The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible. It’ll help you claim your feminine power…
Read More »How to Make Your First Date Fun - Signs Your Husband is Using Facebook to Cheat
Here’s how to tell the difference between husbands cheating on Facebook versus having innocent friendships. If you think your husband may be cheating on Facebook, you might need an objective perspective. If your husband has become an angry, selfish, unhappy, or avoidant person, read What to Do When He Won’t Change: Saving Your Marriage When…
Read More »Signs Your Husband is Using Facebook to Cheat - How to Show You Care – 5 Fun, Light-Hearted Expressions of Love
Showing someone you care doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult – and it doesn’t have to be serious! These expressions of love range from writing bad poetry to kidnapping your sweetie for the weekend… “I man-napped my guy for his birthday,” says personal strategist Charly Emery, author of Thank Goodness You Dumped His A$$:…
Read More »How to Show You Care – 5 Fun, Light-Hearted Expressions of Love - The Cycle of Abuse in a Relationship
The more you know about the cycle of abuse, the better equipped you are to leave an abusive relationship. Here’s how a relationship goes from honeymoon to hell – and why women who are abused can’t just walk away. If you’re a woman who is experiencing abuse, please read books like Why Does He Do…
Read More »The Cycle of Abuse in a Relationship - 5 Reasons We Hold on to Past Relationships
There are several reasons why we hold on to past relationships; here, I share the most common five reasons. If you can’t get past your old relationship, you’re not alone. If you need to break free from the past, read Letting Go of Someone You Love: 75 Ways to Heal a Broken Heart — it offers 75…
Read More »5 Reasons We Hold on to Past Relationships - How to Stop Loving Someone From Your Past
Is your past haunting you? These tips on how to stop loving someone from your past will help you find the freedom to move on and be happy again. I Need Your Love – Is That True?: How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them Instead by Byron Katie is one of…
Read More »How to Stop Loving Someone From Your Past - How to Get Past Surviving an Affair to Thriving and Happy
Were you betrayed? Here’s how to get past just surviving an affair to thriving, healing, and becoming a happier, healthier woman! “My husband was an outstanding husband, but still I always found myself asking him the question ‘Do you love me?’” says Anne Bercht, author of My Husband’s Affair Became the Best Thing That Ever Happened…
Read More »How to Get Past Surviving an Affair to Thriving and Happy - When You Feel Trapped in Your Marriage
Are you trapped in a marriage with a man you don’t love, who doesn’t love you? Do you feel helpless, scared, and alone? These tips will help you stop feeling helpless and start making changes in your life! Here’s what L. says on 5 Stages of Leaving an Abusive Relationship: “I’ve been married for 34 years,…
Read More »When You Feel Trapped in Your Marriage - 5 Stages of Leaving an Abusive Relationship
Are you stuck in one of these stages of leaving an abusive relationship? Here’s why it takes time to leave a man who is abusing you, and how you can get help. I also share some interesting research from Michigan State University about on how reading the book and watching the movie Fifty Shades of…
Read More »5 Stages of Leaving an Abusive Relationship - How to Fit in With Your Girlfriend’s Friends and Family
If you’re wondering how to fit in with your girlfriend’s friends and family, you’re not alone! Many guys don’t feel comfortable with their girlfriend’s “peeps”, especially if their personality traits are different from their partner’s. Here’s a comment from one of my readers: “I’m an introvert and my girlfriend is an extrovert, with quite a group…
Read More »How to Fit in With Your Girlfriend’s Friends and Family - 10 Natural Ways to Improve Your Libido
The best tips on how to increase your libido for women are about improving your self-concept and physical health. If you don’t feel good about your body, you won’t enjoy time with your husband.
- Broken Love – When Your Prince Turns Into a Frog
What do you do when your relationship is the most disappointing part of your life? You’re not alone if you’re facing a broken relationship – you fell in love with a prince, and after years of marriage he turned into a frog. For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of…
Read More »Broken Love – When Your Prince Turns Into a Frog - How Do Couples Get Rich? 7 Tips for Growing Wealth Together
Knowing how couples get rich will help you and your partner grow wealthy together – and maybe even add some spice to your relationship! These tips are inspired by Lois Frankel, who has written several books on money, career, and achievement. Heed her words of warning: “The most foolish thing I’ve ever done related to…
Read More »How Do Couples Get Rich? 7 Tips for Growing Wealth Together - How to Stop Loving a Man Who Lies, Cheats, and Steals
You’d think it’d be easy to leave a man who broke your heart, but it’s surprisingly difficult. Here’s how to stop loving a man who lied to you, cheated on you, and stole your heart. In I Love You But I Don’t Trust You: The Complete Guide to Restoring Trust in Your Relationship, couples therapist Mira Kirshenbaum tells…
Read More »How to Stop Loving a Man Who Lies, Cheats, and Steals - How to Be Yourself in Your Relationship
If you learn how to be yourself in your relationship, you’ll be happier and healthier – and so will your partner. Women can lose their self-identities in their relationships and marriages, and not even know it. These tips for being yourself in your love relationship will help whether you’ve married for 5 weeks or 50 years.…
Read More »How to Be Yourself in Your Relationship - 4 Signs of a Control Freak
Control freaks are so manipulative, you barely realize you’re being controlled! These signs of a “control freak” will help you see your boyfriend and your relationship more clearly. If you’re in a bad relationship and you’re ready to take back your life, read Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men. You’ll…
Read More »4 Signs of a Control Freak - How to Leave an Abusive Relationship
It may seem like should be easy to leave an abusive relationship, it’s not. Many women struggle to leave men who abuse – and the first step is learning how to leave. The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to Recognize it and How to Respond by Patricia Evans is a book that can help you leave. It’s…
Read More »How to Leave an Abusive Relationship - Forgiving Your Husband After an Affair
Is it possible to forgive your husband after he had an affair and lied to you? Yes. It won’t be easy and it will take a long time, but truly forgiving your husband is the healthiest thing you could do for yourself, for him, and for your family.
- 5 Things to Think About Before You Reconcile With Your Ex
It may be tempting to get back together, but reconciliation may not be good for you. Here’s what to consider before you reconcile with your ex. Getting Back Together: How To Reconcile With Your Partner – And Make It Last by Bettie B. Youngs, Suzy Farbman, and Masa Goetz is a solid, comprehensive guide that will help your…
Read More »5 Things to Think About Before You Reconcile With Your Ex - How to Find Strength to Get Out of a Bad Relationship
Are you stuck in a relationship that is going nowhere? Here are six tips on how to find strength to get out of a bad relationship. My first suggestion is to read On My Own: The Art of Being a Woman Alone by Florence Falk. She’s a psychologist with 13 years of counseling experience, and she helps women whose…
Read More »How to Find Strength to Get Out of a Bad Relationship - 5 Ways to Stop Debt From Ruining Your Marriage
When one partner brings debt into the marriage, the debt is now yours as a couple. But you can stop debt from ruining your marriage – and even find ways to be closer than ever because of your financial debt. Here’s what one reader asked: “When my fiance and I get married, am I responsible…
Read More »5 Ways to Stop Debt From Ruining Your Marriage - Forgiving a Cheating Spouse and Rebuilding Your Marriage
If your spouse cheated, you can forgive – but how? Since forgiveness is easier said than done, you’ll need help forgiving and rebuilding your marriage. One of my faithful Blossom readers offered several tips on forgiveness in marriage, which I’m sharing in this article. Here’s the first one: “If you decided to stay married, you have agreed to forgive…
Read More »Forgiving a Cheating Spouse and Rebuilding Your Marriage - Socializing Only Children – 5 Tips for Parents of Onlies
Socializing only children involves different strategies than parenting two or more kids. These tips for parents of “onlies” will help you avoid the stereotype of selfish, badly behaved only children. Proactive parenting can socialize only children so they receive the same benefits as kids with siblings — which is what these tips are all about. Before…
Read More »Socializing Only Children – 5 Tips for Parents of Onlies - How to Be Happy Single
These reasons to stay single will make you happy not to be in a relationship! It’s important to be happy as a single person because it’s the foundation of a healthy, happy love relationship. If you’re dealing with a breakup, read How to Let Go of Someone You Love – and get used to the idea…
Read More »How to Be Happy Single - What to Do When You Think He’s Cheating on You – The First Steps
Here are the first things you should do when you think he’s cheating on you. If you suspect infidelity, it’s time to do some investigatory work! But I’m not talking about hiring a private investigator or snooping into your husband’s emails or phone messages. First, here’s what one of my readers said on an article…
Read More »What to Do When You Think He’s Cheating on You – The First Steps - After the Divorce – 5 Reasons Your Marriage Was Worthwhile
You may wonder if your marriage was a waste of time after the divorce. Here’s the silver lining of divorce: five reasons your marriage was worthwhile. The Good Karma Divorce: Avoid Litigation, Turn Negative Emotions into Positive Actions, and Get On with the Rest of Your Life by Michele Lowrance has been described as an inspired…
Read More »After the Divorce – 5 Reasons Your Marriage Was Worthwhile - How to Move on After Your Marriage Ends
How do you move on from a broken marriage? It’s different for everyone…but here are a few things to help you cope, heal, and move on after your husband leaves. These tips are inspired by a reader’s comments. On My Husband Left Me for Another Woman, a reader described how her husband left her for a woman 21…
Read More »How to Move on After Your Marriage Ends - Want to Get Married? 6 Ways to Make Him Propose
If you want to get married, you need to think about why. And, take a look at these ways to make him propose…they’ll increase your chances of getting married, and hopefully help you figure out if you want to get married for the right reasons. Before the tips, a quip: “Love doesn’t sit there like…
Read More »Want to Get Married? 6 Ways to Make Him Propose - Why You’re Still Single – 6 Dating Mistakes Singles Make
If you’re wondering why you’re still single, check out these dating mistakes many singles make. If you’re unhappy single, you need to know if you’re somehow holding yourself back. These tips can help you change your life – and perhaps find true love! At least, they’ll give you some insight into the dating life. Boundaries…
Read More »Why You’re Still Single – 6 Dating Mistakes Singles Make - How to Deal With Financial Stress in Marriage
Here are five ways to deal with financial stress effectively and creatively – these tips are from psychologists and financial planners. First, here’s a resource for dealing with financial stress in relationships from a couple who work with money. Couples Money: What Every Couple Should Know about Money and Relationships by Marlow Felton and Chris Felton…
Read More »How to Deal With Financial Stress in Marriage - Couples Fighting About Money – 4 Tips for Talking Finances
Couples who fight about money are not a rare – because money is the number one cause of relationship stress for most couples! These tips for talking finances are from financial whiz kid Carla Morelli. “Many couples are reluctant to talk about money – whether it’s one partner in the couple or both – and…
Read More »Couples Fighting About Money – 4 Tips for Talking Finances - How to Save Gas Money on RV Travel
These tips on how to save money on camper gas when you’re traveling by RV travel will make your summer road trip all the sweeter! Spending less money on camper gas is crucial for RV travelers who don’t have to worry about hotel costs when planning a vacation, but are affected by rising gas prices.…
Read More »How to Save Gas Money on RV Travel - How to Overcome Fear of Falling in Love
If you’re scared to fall in love, you’re not alone! These tips on how to overcome love fears are based on the most common relationship fears: fear of intimacy, fear of rejection, and fear of abandonment. Before the tips, a quip: “I don’t wish to be everything to everyone, but I would like to be something to someone.”…
Read More »How to Overcome Fear of Falling in Love - How to Make a Will – 5 Estate Planning and Will Writing Tips
Learning how to make a will isn’t pleasant, but it is necessary! These estate planning and will writing tips will help you take care of your loved ones after you’re gone. A will brings to mind our mortality and most folks would rather not dwell on that line of thinking. The first thought that comes…
Read More »How to Make a Will – 5 Estate Planning and Will Writing Tips - What to Do When Someone Dies
When someone dies, you may feel overwhelmed with grief and loss. Here are a few ideas to help you know what to do when someone dies, including tips for funeral planning. If you know about the process, you’ll better know what to say and how to help when someone dies. If you need help planning…
Read More »What to Do When Someone Dies - 6 Internet Dating Tips – How to Find Love Online
With these internet dating tips, you’ll learn how to find love online — and date safely! I’ve met several men dating online; one of those guys has been one of my closest friends for the past 15 years. Internet dating can work, but it does require you to use your head (not just your heart…
Read More »6 Internet Dating Tips – How to Find Love Online - 5 Best Ways to Manage Money and Marriage Problems
According to the Money Couple, the best ways to manage money and marriage problems include “money huddles”, money personalities, and fighting fair in marriage. Here, financial experts Scott and Bethany Palmer spill their tips for talking about love and money… “Try to take the emotion out of the conversation from the start,” say these authors of First…
Read More »5 Best Ways to Manage Money and Marriage Problems - How to Save Your Marriage From Divorce
One of the most important tips on how to save your marriage from divorce is to remember that most marital problems are unresolvable. Don’t waste precious energy chasing solutions that don’t exist! If you need relationship help, read The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John Gottman. From his…
Read More »How to Save Your Marriage From Divorce - How to Improve Your Relationship When You’re in Debt
Learning how to improve your relationship when you’re in debt as a couple may be the best thing you can to secure your future together! Here are six ways to build a better relationship despite money problems such as financial debt. “The idea that simply being more supportive is better for your marriage is a…
Read More »How to Improve Your Relationship When You’re in Debt - Healthy Gifts for Couples on Valentine’s Day
From energy bracelets to aromatherapy gift baskets for romantic evenings, these healthy gift ideas for couples on Valentines’ Day will increase the mind-body connection between you and your partner. I love these ideas because they’re healthy, energizing, and romantic. The 6 Months of Chocolate-Covered Strawberries isn’t the healthiest Valentine’s Day gift for couples, but it is the sweetest! Why…
Read More »Healthy Gifts for Couples on Valentine’s Day - Best Ways to Save Money – 5 Money Saving Tips That Work
These “best ways to save money” are based on psychology research…so if you’re looking for money saving tips that are practically guaranteed to work, you’ve come to the right place! Before the tips, a quip: “Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the “gotta have it” scale.”…
Read More »Best Ways to Save Money – 5 Money Saving Tips That Work - Valentines Chocolates for Love – 7 Gourmet Chocolate Gifts
Giving your Valentine “chocolates for love” is a romantic, decadent way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. These gourmet chocolate gift ideas range from chocolate perfume to mangoes dipped in dark chocolate… Before the tips, a quip: “Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the…
Read More »Valentines Chocolates for Love – 7 Gourmet Chocolate Gifts - What to Buy on Valentine’s Day
These gift ideas for couples on Valentine’s Day will help you celebrate February 14 without getting sappy. Knowing what to buy on Valentine’s Day is a fine balance between romantic and strategic. The Ghirardelli Sentimental Chocolates Tower is one of the best Valentine’s Day gifts for couples because it contains an assortment of different types of…
Read More »What to Buy on Valentine’s Day - Valentine’s Day Getaway – 10 Tips for a Romantic Maui Vacation
A Valentine’s Day getaway is a great way to say “I love you”! I wrote these tips for a romantic vacation at the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas on the Kaanapali stretch in Maui. Before the tips, a quip: “The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.” ~ Stephen King. What do…
Read More »Valentine’s Day Getaway – 10 Tips for a Romantic Maui Vacation - Money Saving, Love Saving Advice You Can’t Afford to Miss
Whether you need tips for saving money or tips for saving your love life, you can’t afford to miss this money saving, love saving advice! Money and love can live happily ever after — but it takes work. These tips for money and love are from The Money Couple, Scott and Bethany Palmer. “We don’t…
Read More »Money Saving, Love Saving Advice You Can’t Afford to Miss - Single on New Year’s Eve? How to Be Happy Alone
If you’re alone on New Year’s Eve, you may feel lonely or sad – or maybe you’re happy to be single in New Year! Either way, don’t miss these tips for ringing in the New Year, because they’ll help you feel happy all year long. “Today is a new day. You will get out of…
Read More »Single on New Year’s Eve? How to Be Happy Alone - 6 Christmas Spending Tips for Kids and Parents
These Christmas spending tips for kids will help them buy the right holiday gifts with the money they have. And, the Christmas tips for parents will help them teach their kids about spending money at Christmas! These “money and love” tips are from Karyn Hodgens, creator of KidsSave — a unique kids’ saving program that puts…
Read More »6 Christmas Spending Tips for Kids and Parents - How to Heal After an Affair
These tips on how to heal after an affair are from a family therapist who had no idea her husband was cheating on her. You’re not alone in your struggle to rebuild your life! “My husband had never mentioned that he was unhappy or thinking of leaving me,” writes Vikki Stark in Runaway Husbands: The Abandoned Wife’s…
Read More »How to Heal After an Affair - Christmas Gifts for Chocolate Lovers and Chocoholics
Finding Christmas gifts for chocolate lovers and chocoholics has never been easier! These holiday gift ideas for people who love chocolate range from chocolate tea to chocolate bubble bath (which, frankly, grosses me out — but I know chocoholics who love their choco-bath). Before the tips, a quip: “Giving chocolate to others is an intimate form…
Read More »Christmas Gifts for Chocolate Lovers and Chocoholics - How to Survive a Breakup at Christmas
Breaking up at Christmas is worse than any other time of the year. These tips will help you survive a broken heart over the holiday season, when you’re supposed to be joyous and happy. If you need to break free from the past, read Letting Go of Someone You Love — it offers 75 tips…
Read More »How to Survive a Breakup at Christmas - Why Declutter Your Home? Because Clutter Increases Financial Debt
One of the best reasons to declutter your home is because the more clutter you have, the more financial debt you’ll accumulate. Clutter increases financial debt in several ways, says prosperity advisor Paula Langguth Ryan, author of Bounce Back From Bankruptcy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Back on Your Financial Feet. Here’s how clutter increases…
Read More »Why Declutter Your Home? Because Clutter Increases Financial Debt - How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts – Romantic, Inexpensive Ideas
Yes, you can save money on Christmas gifts – and still love your spouse up! These romantic, inexpensive ideas range from creative wooden signs to love blogs. Before the tips, a quip: “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche. The beauty of saving money…
Read More »How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts – Romantic, Inexpensive Ideas - Dr Oz’s Marriage Stress Test
Dr Oz’s marriage stress test involves 20 questions for couples, related to physical and emotional health. Dr Oz gives this test to married couples, and says men and women experience stress – and marriage – differently. To learn how men and women experience stress differently, read Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How…
Read More »Dr Oz’s Marriage Stress Test - 7 Signs of an Affair – How to Know If Your Boyfriend is Cheating
If you’re wondering if your boyfriend is cheating on you, you’ve probably picked up on the warning signs of an affair. These signs of cheating may help you figure out the truth. “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge,” says Dr Phil McGraw. The sooner you figure out if your boyfriend is cheating on you, the sooner…
Read More »7 Signs of an Affair – How to Know If Your Boyfriend is Cheating - 12 Holiday Gift Ideas for Boyfriends – From Hockey to Music
These Christmas holiday gift ideas for your boyfriend range from hockey gifts to music gifts – and start with one of the best holiday gifts you could give a guy you love. I also included a link to holiday gift ideas for your boyfriend’s parents, because they aren’t easy to buy for. The Wood Men’s Two-Tone…
Read More »12 Holiday Gift Ideas for Boyfriends – From Hockey to Music - 4 Reasons to Wait Until You’re 35 to Get Married
These reasons to wait until you’re 35 to get married include the downside of late marriages – such as the increased difficulty of getting pregnant and problems with past relationships. These reasons to wait include tips for happy marriages… If you’re struggling to find the right person, read Why Mr. Right Can’t Find You: The…
Read More »4 Reasons to Wait Until You’re 35 to Get Married - How to Cope With Money Stress in Marriage – 5 Expert Examples
Remembering that you can’t erase your financial problems is the first tip for coping with money stress in marriage. These examples of turning stress around are from experts – psychologists, counselors, and authors. Before the tips, a quip: “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” ~ Norman Vincent…
Read More »How to Cope With Money Stress in Marriage – 5 Expert Examples - How to Move On After a Divorce
After getting divorced, people wonder how to move on after a divorce. It isn’t easy – but divorce doesn’t have to wreak emotional havoc or tear you to shreds! These tips for healing after getting divorced are inspired by Susan Pease Gadoua, an expert in divorce care. “Divorce, perhaps the greatest loss a persona will…
Read More »How to Move On After a Divorce - Money Advice for Married Couples – How to Avoid Debt Problems
Money doesn’t have to be the most stressful issue in your marriage. Now’s the time to learn how to talk about money and avoid debt problems – even if you think it’s too late! Before the tips, a quip: “Can anybody remember when the times were not hard and money not scarce?” ~ Ralph Waldo…
Read More »Money Advice for Married Couples – How to Avoid Debt Problems - How to Get Your Girlfriend Back After Cheating on Her
Can you fix your relationship after cheating on her? It depends. These tips on how to get your girlfriend back after cheating begin with not chasing after her. “You’ll just chase her further away,” says Linda Nilson, author of How to Keep Your Woman – And Keep Her the Way You Love Her. “The more…
Read More »How to Get Your Girlfriend Back After Cheating on Her - Can’t Say I Love You? 80 Ways to Express Love
If you can’t say “I love you” to the one you love, you need to learn ways to express love! Not saying “I love you” can cause problems in your love relationship…or even destroy it! These relationship tips will help you say “I love you” to your partner and improve your love life. Before the tips, a quip:…
Read More »Can’t Say I Love You? 80 Ways to Express Love - How to Apologize to Your Spouse After a Money Fight
Knowing how to apologize to your spouse after a fight about money involves speaking her “love language.” That is, if your spouse loves physical affection, then you might make up after a fight faster if you hug, kiss, and caress her. If your spouse feels loved through “acts of service”, then you might be better off…
Read More »How to Apologize to Your Spouse After a Money Fight - How to Get Her Back – 3 Steps to Making Up After a Bad Breakup
- Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex? Squirms, Squirts, and Screams
These reasons why men fall asleep after sex range from biological to spiritual. Women aren’t as likely to fall asleep after having sexual intercourse – for different reasons. These love theories can increase sexual intimacy in new relationships and established marriages. After the big “O”, Nikki wants to talk, talk, talk about anniversaries, marriages, future plans, family…
Read More »Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex? Squirms, Squirts, and Screams - 6 Tips for a Successful Marriage
Surprising your spouse with love messages, notes, and actions is one of the best tips for a successful marriage! Here are six ways to keep your marriage happy, healthy, and whole. Before the tips, a quip: “For a long and happy marriage Drink deep of the loving cup And whenever you’re wrong, admit it And…
Read More »6 Tips for a Successful Marriage - 7 Ways to Handle Money Problems When You’re Married
If you’re married, you have money problems – it’s inevitable! Here’s how to handle your finances as a couple, before they cause serious problems in your marriage. These tips for couples and money range from getting yearly credit checks to talking before spending $500 on cowboy boots. Before the tips, a quip: “It’s good to…
Read More »7 Ways to Handle Money Problems When You’re Married - Credit Cards Vs ATM Bank Machines While Travelling – Which is Better?
- Becoming More Assertive in Marriage – 9 Communication Tips
Becoming more assertive in marriage is about effective communication; being heard and hearing. These nine communication tips can improve your marriage, help your spouse understand you, and help you understand him. The more understanding and acceptance there is in your marriage, the better your marriage will be! “Studies show that assertive communication can help build personal confidence, assist…
Read More »Becoming More Assertive in Marriage – 9 Communication Tips - 5 Ways to Stop Fighting About Money With Your Spouse
These five ways to stop fighting about money will reduce financial stress, strengthen your love, and perhaps even save your marriage. Before the tips, a quip: “Why does a woman work ten years to change a man’s habits and then complain that he’s not the man she married?” ~ Barbra Streisand. One of the most important…
Read More »5 Ways to Stop Fighting About Money With Your Spouse - 25 Tips for Fixing a Broken Heart
These tips for healing and mending a broken heart will help you move on – they range from “don’t indulge in self-recrimination” to “learn about healthy patterns in love.” If you feel like your heart will never heal, read How to Survive the Loss of a Love. It’s received hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon, and…
Read More »25 Tips for Fixing a Broken Heart - How to Live on a Single Income
These tips for single salary families and individuals will help you learn how to live on one stream of income, spend less money, and get more of what you need. I grew up on a single income – my mom’s. My father wasn’t in the picture at all, and didn’t send alimony or child support…
Read More »How to Live on a Single Income - How to Cope When Your Husband Leaves You for Her
Saying or even just thinking, “My husband left me for another woman” is painful and heartbreaking – but trust me, you will survive! Here’s how to cope after your husband walks out. Here’s what one famous wife said when her husband left: “I’m not sure what the future holds but I do know that I’m…
Read More »How to Cope When Your Husband Leaves You for Her - 9 Signs You Can Save Your Marriage
Can you save your marriage? It depends. These signs a relationship can be saved will help you see your spouse and your marriage with more insight and objectivity. “When there is an unnecessary divorce, there has usually been a failure of leadership in the couple,” writes marriage and family therapist William Doherty in Take Back…
Read More »9 Signs You Can Save Your Marriage - 5 Solutions for Money Problems in Marriage
Knowing how to solve money problems in marriage is the first step to peace and happiness. These money tips for couples will help create better money habits and ease financial difficulties. “Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle.” ~ Ken Hakuta. Unless, of course, you aren’t sure if your…
Read More »5 Solutions for Money Problems in Marriage - 10 Money Saving Tips for Married College Students – From Themes to Eggs
Are you a married college student? These money saving tips range from theme nights to enjoying eggs. They’ll make college life easier — and they’ll help with rent or mortgage payments, college tuition, and future financial goals. Before the money saving tips, a quip: “Marriage is like a bank account. You put it in, you take it out,…
Read More »10 Money Saving Tips for Married College Students – From Themes to Eggs - Can an Affair Help Your Marriage? How Infidelity Reconnects Couples
An affair can help your marriage, but I don’t suggest having an affair to save your marriage! Infidelity can reconnect couples and build stronger relationships – if both partners are willing to dig in and get to work. In the past week, two readers have shared how their husband’s affair made their marriage better and stronger. “My husband had an affair almost…
Read More »Can an Affair Help Your Marriage? How Infidelity Reconnects Couples - How to Leave Your Husband
This advice on how to leave your husband will help you figure out what steps to take. The first step is making the decision that leaving your husband is better than staying married. The second step is realizing that divorce will be painful, no matter how bad your marriage is. Learning to Leave: A Women’s…
Read More »How to Leave Your Husband - How to Break Free From a Controlling Relationship
Here are eight tips for breaking free from a relationship that controls you. A controlling relationship isn’t good for your mind, body, or soul – and you can find strength and freedom from the ties that bind. In Love Addict: Sex, Romance, and Other Dangerous Drugs, Ethlie Ann Vare describes how love addiction is similar to cocaine…
Read More »How to Break Free From a Controlling Relationship - Should Couples Have Joint Bank Accounts? The Pros and Cons
Pooling your money in a joint bank account may or may not be a good idea for couples! This list of pros and cons covers a wide array of money and love matters; it’s from personal finance writer Louise Tillotson. She describes several pros and cons of joint bank accounts for couples, and offers three things to consider for couples,…
Read More »Should Couples Have Joint Bank Accounts? The Pros and Cons - 7 Tips for Creating a Household Budget – From Surprises to Sharing
Learning how to make a household budget is the best way to love your loved ones! These seven tips for better family finances are from Eric Brantner, co-founder of HELP! Copy & Design… “A family budget is extremely important and can have a significant impact on your financial well-being,” says Brantner. “Without taking the time…
Read More »7 Tips for Creating a Household Budget – From Surprises to Sharing - Need Breakup Advice? 5 Tips for Getting Over Your Ex
Finding the best breakup advice after a relationship ends is tricky, because what worked for me may not work for you. These tips for getting over your ex range from acceptance to counseling, with a couple of practical ideas in between. One of my best tips for healing from anything is to read about it.…
Read More »Need Breakup Advice? 5 Tips for Getting Over Your Ex - Are You Ready to Fall in Love Again? Rebound Relationships
How do you know if you’re ready to fall in love again? These tips for avoiding rebound relationships will help you make sure you’re ready for a new relationship…and maybe marriage…and maybe kids… If you’re struggling with dating and the single life, read Become Your Own Matchmaker: 8 Easy Steps for Attracting Your Perfect Mate. This book…
Read More »Are You Ready to Fall in Love Again? Rebound Relationships - 10 Best Ways to Cope With a Breakup – Pamper Yourself!
What’s the best way to cope with a breakup? Pamper yourself. Here are 10 ways to heal your broken heart, mind, and soul, and move on with your life. “From the first moment that you have the wind knocked out of you by hearing in one way or another that the relationship is over, you…
Read More »10 Best Ways to Cope With a Breakup – Pamper Yourself! - 6 Ways Save Money to Buy a House – From Psychological to Practical
- How to Be Yourself on Dates
Do you feel like you’re “faking it” when you’re dating someone new? Here are five tips on how to be yourself on a date, from psychologist Paulette Kouffman Sherman, PhD. She applies the law of attraction to love and dating… In Dating from the Inside Out: How to Use the Law of Attraction in Matters of the…
Read More »How to Be Yourself on Dates - Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay – Help for Failing Marriages
- How to Stop Making the Same Mistakes in Your Relationship
You’re in a new relationship, and you don’t want to make the same mistakes you made in your last relationship. Here’s how to start shifting your energy and attention and make your new love last a long, long time. Before the tips, a quip: “Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs…
Read More »How to Stop Making the Same Mistakes in Your Relationship - Thinking About Divorce? 4 Options for Unhappy Married Couples
If you’re thinking about divorce, consider these options. These tips for unhappy married couples are based on a helpful book about deciding if it’s time to end a marriage. “My belief, partly based on my own personal experience, is that many of those who see marriage as a bond that can be terminated at any time…
Read More »Thinking About Divorce? 4 Options for Unhappy Married Couples - 5 Steps to Fixing the Biggest Relationship Problem
The biggest problem in relationships is money, or financial infidelity. These five steps will help you fix the biggest relationship problem faced by all couples, and help you reconnect as partners on the same team. “Nearly every relationship harbors some level of financial infidelity,” say The Money Couple, Scott and Bethany Palmer, authors of read…
Read More »5 Steps to Fixing the Biggest Relationship Problem - Student Loan Tips for Couples – 9 Ways to Reduce Financial Debt
If your student loan is affecting your relationship as a couple, check these nine ways to reduce financial debt out! My husband and I both paid our student loans off within four years of graduation…and I know you can, too. These money tips are from Freedom Debt Relief — and two of their tips were so…
Read More »Student Loan Tips for Couples – 9 Ways to Reduce Financial Debt - Easing Financial Stress for Couples – 5 Tips for Money and Love
Easing financial stress for couples is easier with these tips for money and love! These tips will help with credit card debt, different money personalities, job loss, or financial investment mistakes. Before the tips, a quip: “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled.”…
Read More »Easing Financial Stress for Couples – 5 Tips for Money and Love - 5 Puzzle Games for Couples to Play Together
These puzzle games for couples will improve memory and strengthen your connection to each other. After all those discussions about finances, budgets, mortgages, kids, career, and family — you need to relax and have fun playing games together as a couple. One of my favorite games is Bananagrams, but I always get stressed when I play it.…
Read More »5 Puzzle Games for Couples to Play Together - 7 Tips for Talking About Finances for Couples
Talking about finances as a couple can be stressful and frustrating. But, money talks are easier if at least one partner knows a few tips for money and love — even if debt is threatening to ruin the relationship! “All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of…
Read More »7 Tips for Talking About Finances for Couples - 5 Tips for Managing Money After You Get Married
These quick and easy tips for couples will show you that managing money after getting married doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. Remember that money buys alot of comforts, but it won’t buy love. “Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” ~ Henry Wheeler Shaw.…
Read More »5 Tips for Managing Money After You Get Married - How to Move On After Breaking Up With Someone You Love
Are you struggling to move on after breaking up with someone you still love? These tips for moving forward will help, even when it seems impossible. I based these tips on readers’ specific stories and requests for help. If you want to learn how to turn the pain of a breakup into insight and healing, read…
Read More »How to Move On After Breaking Up With Someone You Love - 3 Tips for Talking About Money When You’re in Love
Talking about money when you’re in love can be stressful, whether your relationship is three months old or 30 years old! These tips for talking about financial issues are from finance expert Carla Morelli. “Many couples are reluctant to talk about money – whether it’s one partner in the couple or both – and it…
Read More »3 Tips for Talking About Money When You’re in Love - How to Decrease Financial Stress for Couples
Don’t let financial stress ruin your love relationship! These tips on how to decrease money stress for couples will help stop the debt cycle. Before the tips, a quip: “Most marriages can survive ‘better or worse.’ The tester is all the years of ‘exactly the same.’ ” ~ Robert Brault. Routine is tough enough, but…
Read More »How to Decrease Financial Stress for Couples - How to Save Money for a Home – 10 Money Tips for Couples
Knowing how to save money for a home requires some strategic financial planning. These ten money tips for couples will help you figure out mortgage rates, interest payments, credit scores, financial budgets, and insurance costs. Then, you can get busy feathering your love nest… “A long marriage is two people trying to dance a duet and two solos at the…
Read More »How to Save Money for a Home – 10 Money Tips for Couples - Wedding Planning Tips For Engaged Couples
Who better to give wedding planning tips than “The Money Couple”? These tips for money and love will help engaged couples plan their wedding – and help parents avoid spending gazillions of dollars on the wedding ceremony. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions by Carley…
Read More »Wedding Planning Tips For Engaged Couples - Money and Marriage – How to Assert Your Financial Beliefs
Money and marriage can mesh – if both partners can assert their financial beliefs and money personalities without hesitation. This mini-test for assertiveness in a relationship will help you see how well you stand up for yourself when it comes to money. “Studies show that assertive communication can help build personal confidence, assist with managing…
Read More »Money and Marriage – How to Assert Your Financial Beliefs - How to Stop Lying About Money in Your Relationship
If you find yourself lying about money to your partner in your love relationship, you’re not alone. Financial planners and marriage therapists are encountering financial infidelity now more than ever, because many marriages consist of couples with two incomes. Though 96% of North American couples believe complete honesty about financial issues is important, 29% admit…
Read More »How to Stop Lying About Money in Your Relationship - 5 Surprising Things That Affect Falling in Love
Sometimes finding true love – a soulmate – is about fate. And, sometimes finding true love is about our innate romantic preferences or chemistry. These five tips for love relationships are based on scientific research that shows why we fall in love and who we fall in love with… “A successful marriage requires falling in…
Read More »5 Surprising Things That Affect Falling in Love - Cheating Versus Flirting – 6 Easy Ways to Tell the Difference
Are you – or your partner – cheating by flirting? How do you tell the difference between harmless flirting versus emotional cheating? Here are six signs of harmless flirting, five ways to know if flirting is hurting your love relationship, and five signs of emotional cheating… “When a spouse places his or her primary emotional needs…
Read More »Cheating Versus Flirting – 6 Easy Ways to Tell the Difference - How to Find a Good Marriage Counselor
Whether you’re looking for a marriage counselor because you need serious relationship help or a quick tune-up, you need to find the right one. These qualities of a good marriage counselor will help you find a therapist who is caring, kind, and helpful. In How To Save Your Marriage In 3 Simple Steps: Even If Only…
Read More »How to Find a Good Marriage Counselor - 5 Reasons to Make Up After Breaking Up
One of the biggest questions a couple has after breaking up is, “Should I get back together with my ex?” These five quick reasons to make up after a break up will help you decide what’s right for you. “When love is lost, do not bow your head in sadness; instead keep your head up…
Read More »5 Reasons to Make Up After Breaking Up - How to Overcome Fear of a Relationship
Are fears sabotaging your love life or marriage? Here are three ways to overcome three common fears in love relationships: fear of intimacy, fear of rejection, and fear of abandonment. In Love Me, Don’t Leave Me: Overcoming Fear of Abandonment and Building Lasting, Loving Relationships, Michelle Skeen shows readers how to break the self-fulfilling cycle of mistrust, clinginess, and heartbreak…
Read More »How to Overcome Fear of a Relationship - How to Make Anyone Fall in Love With You
Is it true – can you really make anyone fall in love with you? You can be a more appealing person, but I don’t think there are special potions for “making” someone fall in love with you! But these seven tips will improve your chances of a healthy, happy love relationship…and you might even learn how the…
Read More »How to Make Anyone Fall in Love With You - 5 Ways to Make Your Wedding Memorable
Planning a romantic, memorable wedding ceremony doesn’t have to break your wedding budget! These five tips for brides and grooms are simple, effective, and financially free. Here, Judith Sherven, PhD and Jim Sniechowski, PhD – the bestselling authors of four relationship books – describe how to plan the wedding of your dreams. “We know you want your…
Read More »5 Ways to Make Your Wedding Memorable - How to Lend Your Boyfriend Money Without Regretting It
Here’s what you need to know before you lend your boyfriend money. Financial loans are one way to show your love and support – but you need to protect yourself. Most of the time, I don’t think it’s a good idea to lend boyfriends money. Read Money Magic: Unleashing Your True Potential for Prosperity and Fulfillment by professional investment…
Read More »How to Lend Your Boyfriend Money Without Regretting It - Premarital Questions – What You Need to Ask Before the Wedding
You don’t need to ask all 65 of these premarital questions before getting married, but you should at least talk about these topics while you’re engaged. Don’t make the mistake of getting so wrapped up in wedding plans that you forget to plan your marriage. In Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married,…
Read More »Premarital Questions – What You Need to Ask Before the Wedding - Songs for Letting Go of Someone You Love
A list of the best songs for healing a broken heart and music for letting go of someone you love, including angry breakup music and songs for broken hearts. 1989 – Taylor Swift will be one of your favorite break up songs if you liked “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “We Are Never Ever…
Read More »Songs for Letting Go of Someone You Love - 10 Tips for Cooking for Your Date
Cooking a meal together on your first date is fun and interesting, and can help you get to know each other on a different level than sitting in a restaurant! Cooking dinner together at home is less expensive, too :-) These tips don’t include a list of recipes or food suggestions for dates. Rather, it’s…
Read More »10 Tips for Cooking for Your Date - Save Money on Getting Married – Budget Tips for Weddings
What’s more important than a dream wedding for a bride and groom? Making sure you have enough money for marriage, that’s what! These budget tips will help you save money on getting married and help increase financial security after the wedding. Before the tips, a quip: “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but…
Read More »Save Money on Getting Married – Budget Tips for Weddings - How to Get Out of Debt for Newlyweds
Newlyweds’ money problems can put a damper on the honeymoon, but there are ways to solve an early financial crunch in marriage! These tips for getting out of debt for newlyweds will help couples pay bills and create financial abundance… First, a quip about money and marriage: “Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the…
Read More »How to Get Out of Debt for Newlyweds - 9 Things You Never Knew About Diamond Engagement Rings
From how to cut the world’s largest diamond to determining whether or not a diamond is real – here are 9 things you never knew about diamonds and diamond engagement rings. These facts about diamonds will help if you’re buying an engagement ring or investing in Canadian diamonds. Before the tips, a quip: “Love doesn’t…
Read More »9 Things You Never Knew About Diamond Engagement Rings - How to Prevent an Affair and Protect Your Marriage
It’s better – and easier – to protect your marriage and prevent an affair than try to rebuild your relationship after infidelity. These tips for preventing cheating are from marriage counselor Gary Neuman. Neuman wrote The Truth about Cheating: Why Men Stray and What You Can Do to Prevent It, which describes why men are unfaithful and whether infidelity be prevented.…
Read More »How to Prevent an Affair and Protect Your Marriage - 13 Romantic Gift Ideas for Couples in Love
The most romantic gift ideas for couples are things that say “As you wish.” Remember The Princess Bride’s Wesley and Buttercup? “As you wish,” was the most romantic thing Wesley said to Buttercup. He was honest and real – and that’s the most romantic gift you can give someone you love. These “I Love You” Pillowcases for…
Read More »13 Romantic Gift Ideas for Couples in Love - How to Date Without Getting Hurt
If you’re tired of being single but you don’t know how to date without hurt, read these dating tips from relationship coach Mary Jo Fay. You’ll learn how to protect yourself while remaining open to the possibilities of a romantic love relationship. “In emotionally healthy relationships, things really aren’t overly complicated or difficult,” says Fay, author of The Seven…
Read More »How to Date Without Getting Hurt - Attracting More Money in Love Relationships
Making more money as a couple in a love relationship can be as simple as creating a budget and sticking to it! These financial tips for couples are from money guru Andrew Housser of Bills.com, who says that 75% of couples argue about finances regularly. “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the…
Read More »Attracting More Money in Love Relationships - 6 Steps to Healing From a Bad Breakup
These steps towards healing from a bad break up will help you move on with your life – even if you don’t understand why your ex broke up with you. “Sometimes the partner ending the relationship doesn’t quite know themselves why they are ending it – it’s more of a feeling or intuitive urge,” says…
Read More »6 Steps to Healing From a Bad Breakup - Dating Online – 9 Ways to Protect Yourself
If you are dating online, you need to find ways to protect yourself! You can find love – and a great relationship – online, but you need to be smart about it. These online dating tips are from Paul Falzone, CEO of two dating services: The Right One and Together Dating (the links to these…
Read More »Dating Online – 9 Ways to Protect Yourself - 10 Ways Financial Problems Can Strengthen Love Relationships
If you think money woes can only cause arguments and strife in marriage, you might be surprised to learn that financial problems can actually strengthen love relationships! Here, therapist Gilda Carle describes ten ways money problems isn’t a sign your marriage is over. In fact, money problems can make your love life better (and bring things up, not down)… “When…
Read More »10 Ways Financial Problems Can Strengthen Love Relationships - Personal Finance Tips for Couples – Creating Financial Abundance
Whether your relationship is new or established, you want to create financial abundance as a couple! These personal finance tips will help you manage your money successfully, achieve long-term financial security, and maybe even retire early. Before the money tips, a quip: “I could write my own check, but I like him (husband) to give it to…
Read More »Personal Finance Tips for Couples – Creating Financial Abundance - 7 Tips for Healthy Relationships
Research has revealed seven secrets for healthy relationships and marriages. Here are the tips, summarized from the results of surveys and data from hundreds of happily married couples. If you’re struggling with an unhealthy relationship, read The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert. It’s a wonderful guide for…
Read More »7 Tips for Healthy Relationships - How to Know if Your Boyfriend is Unfaithful
These hints and signs of betrayal will help you figure out if your boyfriend is unfaithful – and what you should do about it. Suspecting that he is betraying you is one thing, but actually accepting it is another. If you think your boyfriend is unfaithful, read The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags:…
Read More »How to Know if Your Boyfriend is Unfaithful - Men, Women, and Money – 11 Different Ways of Seeing Money
Do wives view money in terms of relationships, and do husbands use money to keep score? Yes, according to these differences in the way husbands and wives handle money! Knowing how men and women approach personal finance can strengthen your marriage — especially if you often fight about money… Here’s what Lois Frankel says about money and women…
Read More »Men, Women, and Money – 11 Different Ways of Seeing Money - How to Protect Your Money When You’re Getting Divorced
If you’re getting a divorce, you need to protect your money. These eight tips for protecting your financial health during a divorce will help you determine your assets and liabilities, and encourage you to focus on your financial future. For more in-depth financial advice for divorcing couples, read The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Financial Security…
Read More »How to Protect Your Money When You’re Getting Divorced - How to Emotionally Detach From Someone You Care About
Here are five tips on how to emotionally detach from someone you care about. It’s a process, but learning healthy emotional detachment will help you retain a sense of yourself in your relationship. Being detached from someone you love doesn’t mean you’re closed off, aloof, or emotionally unavailable. It simply means that you love without expecting…
Read More »How to Emotionally Detach From Someone You Care About - Small Talk Tips to Help You Stop Being Shy on First Dates
Are you nervous or shy about a first date? These small talk tips will help you keep the conversation going over dinner or drinks. These pointers aren’t just dating tips — they’re effective conversation starters for established couples, work colleagues, and casual acquaintances. Before the tips, a quip: “I mean, it didn’t matter to me that there were people,…
Read More »Small Talk Tips to Help You Stop Being Shy on First Dates - How to Talk About Money Before Marriage
The first thing you should talk about before marriage is money! These tips for engaged couples and finances will help you figure out your finances before you walk down the aisle. You need to discuss your financial goals before you get married. “Should we marry our money before we say ‘I do’?” is a common question…
Read More »How to Talk About Money Before Marriage - How to Propose to Your Boyfriend – Feel the Fear and Ask Anyway
These tips on proposing to your boyfriend will help you say the most romantic, scary words on earth: “Will you marry me?” If I wanted to propose to my husband when he was my boyfriend, I’d do something fun and funny. Nothing elaborate or expensive – but sort of a lighter, more entertaining equivalent of…
Read More »How to Propose to Your Boyfriend – Feel the Fear and Ask Anyway - 6 Ways to Solve Problems in Your Relationship
Solving problems in your relationship depends on the type of problems you’re having and how willing you both are to working them out. These tips for reconnecting with your spouse or partner can help you repair your relationship quickly and easily — but you have to remember that building a happy, healthy love relationship takes time,…
Read More »6 Ways to Solve Problems in Your Relationship - What is Relationship Closure? Healing Without a Goodbye
Here’s what relationship closure is and why it’s so important, plus tips for healing and moving on after an unexpected loss or breakup. On one of my articles about breaking up (I’ve written many and many of them), a reader asked How to Get Over a Broken Heart when there isn’t relationship closure. She sees her boyfriend at…
Read More »What is Relationship Closure? Healing Without a Goodbye - 6 Tips for Making Up and Getting Back With Your Ex
Repairing your relationship may not be as difficult as you think, especially if you’re sincerely saying “I want my ex back!” These tips for making up with your ex will bring you closer together. If you believe getting your ex back isn’t as simple as an apology, read How To Get Your Ex Back – A…
Read More »6 Tips for Making Up and Getting Back With Your Ex - Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy – 10 Expert Tips
Here, the creator of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy describes how emotionally focused therapy works. These “love laws” are both practical and romantic, and can help you build a better marriage. Dr Sue Johnson is the author of Hold Me Tight: 7 Conversations for a Lifetime of Love. She focuses on creating the strong bonds in love, and calls her…
Read More »Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy – 10 Expert Tips - 7 Easy Ways to Be Romantic
My husband found an easy way to be more romantic at home, and it melts my heart every time. The simple way he shows love is number one on my list of romance tips below — which can help couples of all ages be romantic! These love tips are great for sweethearts who want to say “I love you” to new boyfriends…
Read More »7 Easy Ways to Be Romantic