Are you seeing signs that you’re falling out of love? Sharon Gilchrest O’Neill, Ed.S., a licensed marriage and family therapist says that if you’re in a relationship, the more likely it is they’ll go through a period or two where you feel you’re falling out of love. There’s no doubt that when you feel a spark with someone, you’re so captivated by them and can be so in love that you hope it will never fade. Love is a blissful feeling leaving many of us happy and filled with joy. But it is also a feeling that sometimes can fade over time leaving you wondering if it was love in the first place ..read more

Is talking to your husband like pulling teeth? Gathering up the courage to talk about your feelings only to be dismissed and greeted with anger can be very frustrating. In fact, if the only response you get from talking to your husband results in anger, it can be hard to communicate further and let him know what’s really going on with you or the relationship. This can unfortunately lead to unhealthy behavior or emotions that only affect you negatively in the long run. But don’t worry, there is still hope and there might be some ways you can still focus to improve communication with your husba ..read more

Prioritizing how to be less selfish in your marriage is crucial to building a strong relationship. You can’t have a healthy long-lasting marriage with an inconsiderate spouse. Once you commit to marriage, it’s time to put aside the ME mentality and instead focus on the WE. If you or your partner has a tendency for selfish behaviors, keep reading to learn 7 tips on being less selfish in your marriage. I’ll also touch on common signs of selfishness, how it impacts a marriage, plus various ways to overcome it.  Common Signs You’re Being Selfish In Your Relationship For many, how do you even ..read more

Most couples don’t initially think ahead about getting through the hardest years of marriage. With all of the excitement around the wedding and honeymoon, it can take a while to let the idea of marriage truly sink in. Although difficult times are inevitable, it’s how you work together as a team to find solutions that can get you through them.  As challenges slowly begin to creep in, it will require honest communication and hard work to satisfy both your needs and your partners. Obstacles will always arise no matter what. If you can learn to trust each other and work through each challeng ..read more

Almost every couple I see in the counseling, at some point during that first meeting, will say, “Is there hope for us?  Can this get better?” For the sake of our discussion, let’s assume the couple asking this question is not in any way, shape or form in an abusive relationship in which an [exit stage left] is not only imminent, but necessary for the health and wellbeing of at least one person in the relationship. No, for our purposes, this is the couple that looks like the perfect American family on the outside:  Nice house, nice cars, 3 nice kids—the Soccer Mom and the Dutiful Dad ..read more

The way you touch your spouse — what does it say about your sexual desire? It’s an important question. Sexual desire — the degree to which we sexually long for the person we married — is a tender vulnerable place. Rich with possibilities.  And, in some marriages, fraught with discouragement. My husband and I had not had sex with each other before we were married, so our wedding night set us on an adventure of learning about arousal.  We had much to learn about sexual touch. Certainly we understood the mechanics of sex, but as far as discovering what we each found arousing with e ..read more

Building trust in your marriage should be the foundation because it creates a safe space with your partner. Without trust, it’s difficult to have or maintain a thriving relationship long-term.  When trust is broken, fear and worry begin to settle in. If you’re constantly worried about your partner’s thoughts and actions, you’ll never feel truly safe. Rebuilding trust in a marriage can be challenging. However, if both partners work together and are fully committed to the process, it can be done.  The Importance of Building Trust In a Marriage  A strong relationship is built on h ..read more

Long-term relationships are hard work. So, finding ways to reconnect with your spouse and keep the spark alive is no exception. Once you’ve surpassed the honeymoon phase, it can be easy to fall into a stale routine. Especially, when you add in kids, career changes, family-related challenges, and so on. It can be difficult to rekindle that first-date spark, but not impossible.  If you’re searching for ways to reconnect with your spouse, keep reading to learn more. The Importance of Reconnecting with your Spouse Life gets busy and more challenging the older you get. It’s natural to drift a ..read more

Christian Sexuality is a powerful, wonderful and mysterious thing. Sex could even be considered “supernatural”…not in a ghoulish way, but in a Godly way… I am happy to introduce the Engaged Marriage community to a fellow reader and author that I think many of you may relate to.  Actually, you may already recognize Gina Parris because she is a regular commenter here. Gina often has some great insight to share from her experiences as a Christian wife and mom to four (including twins). Well, Gina is also a high-performance coach, and she has used those skills to develop a new program aimed a ..read more

The last thing anyone wants to feel in a relationship is that they’re walking on eggshells. If you begin noticing that every conversation turns into an argument, first take a step back and reflect on why it’s happening. Responding irrationally or in an aggressive way will only make matters worse. You need to get to the bottom of why you can’t stop arguing and how to stop it before it gets out of hand.  Occasional arguments are completely normal. However, unresolved disputes can lead to a feeling of neglect that can lead to a toxic pattern of angry outbursts. Finding a way to resolve this ..read more