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As an example, Tom described a string of dates the couple recently went on together where it seemed Brooke constantly found things to complain about. One night it was the service at the restaurant; another, it was a loud party at the table next to them. The last time they went to see a movie it was “the most predictable story line she’d ever seen.” On still another outing, she complained mightily about the traffic on the way to their destination. [More]

Since happiness is an individual experience, it is important to identify the things that make you happy, and to start incorporating more of these moments into your life. While we cannot define happiness with unified agreement, we must each ask ourselves, what can I do to create opportunities for happiness? When you ask yourself this question, then you can explore and define the moments that create happiness and joy. Here are 10 things you can do now to construct moments where happiness may be experienced in your life. [More]

What exactly is shame? Shame is a painful emotion backed by guilt and embarrassment. Every person has experienced shame at one point or another depending on a variety of circumstances. But, we are not born ashamed. [More]

It is never a happy place to be when dealing with infertility. In fact, many marriages suffer tremendously or end as the result of the inability to conceive a child. The moment you notice that your marriage is being threatened by these events, it is time to make some changes. The most common thing to happen when infertility is present is for everyone to want to blame someone. [More]

Being selfish has always been considered a trait to avoid. We're taught to give to others, to be selfless and caring. Many times however, we take our selfless acts to such an extreme that we are giving to others at the expense of our own welfare. This happens most often with our children and partners. [More]

In extreme examples, partners who worry that their boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse is unhappy with the relationship will often do anything they think their partner wants them to do. On the other hand, if you sacrifice your own wants and needs in the process, the long-term results are usually disastrous. Even if your partner directly asks for a change in your lives, like moving to a new house, getting a dog, or buying a new car, always take time to make sure it’s a desire you both share. If you have doubts, talk about them. [More]

In all intimate relationships—whether with family members, partners or spouses—we do know how to push one another buttons, because these are the people we’ve been around the most. Consciously or not, we’ve learned how to get under their skin: Maybe it’s bringing up issues we know are sensitive to them (usually in an insensitive way), or reminding them of a past mistake that should be relegated by now to the “done that, talked about it, moved on” column. Maybe it’s comparing them to a family member in an unflattering way, like saying, “You’re just like your (notoriously thrifty) mom!” at moments when he or she disagrees with you about a big financial decision .If you’ve been guilty of doing this—hitting your partner where it hurts (often because you’re angry, and you want to hurt them)—the first step is to recognize the habit for what it is: a form of passive-aggressive behavior. [More]

It’s a basic truism of coupledom. You get to pick your partner or spouse, but you can’t pick his or her friends. In fact, a lot of these friends probably precede you; they were part of the package when you met. So what do you do when it turns out that you and your partner’s best buds are far from a match made in heaven—or worse, their friends become recurring source of conflict in your relationship? [More]

This blog began in starts and fits. I wanted to lighten things up a bit by extracting some wisdom from couples on popular television shows—and, as it turns out, you can learn quite a bit from them. But it seems it’s a lot easier to learn what doesn’t work than what does, with contemporary television basically obsessed with dysfunction.Nevertheless, here are five who stand out as those from whom we can glean a bit of relationship wisdom. [More]

According to Worthington et al. (1999), unforgiveness can be defined psychologically as the emotional imbalance due to delayed response towards a transgressor. However, the expression (anger, hatred, frustration or violence) depends on the mental state of a person. Worthington and Scherer (2004) in the research study concluded that as unforgiveness is a type of stress response, it has a direct impact on the mental health and psychology of a person. The study also suggests that unforgiveness can be viewed as a state which a person is confined in a stressful state of mind. [More]