It is common knowledge that relationships are hard work. But, what specifically can one do to make a partnership last? A healthy relationship takes work from both partners, and requires continuous effort to keep the relationship fresh and alive. Finding a partner is hard enough, but to keep them around, heed the following advice:

Continue Reading

Unhealthy relationships can take many different forms, and there are also many different strategies for improving them. The difficult thing about improving relationships is that they involve two people, and in order for a relationship to improve, usually both people have to be involved and committed to the relationship’s improvement. However, there are some preliminary things you can do first as an individual to gain some clarity and make yourself feel better about the situation.

Continue Reading

In order to overcome a thing like jealousy, you have to understand what it is and what it isn’t. There are different levels of jealousy, and not all of them are necessarily bad. Jealousy is a basic human emotion, and the first thing you need to figure out is what type of jealousy you are feeling.
The first of three basic types of jealous feelings is a harmless jealousy. This type of jealousy is almost considered cute because it is little more than a concern for your significant other. It can be anything from their mentioning an attraction to someone they see or meet to expressing concern about them going to someplace like a strip club with friends. Think of this type of jealousy as a window into the mind of your significant other.
The second type of jealousy is more of a healthy jealousy. It is a feeling of protectiveness for your significant other and an expression of that concern. You may have concerns about them going out with friends that include an ex or someone they’ve shown they an attraction. It’s fine to express these concerns so long as you don’t do it in a possessive or paranoid fashion.
This leads us to the third and final of the basic types of jealousy. This is an obsessive or possessive jealousy, and it is unhealthy for any relationship. This jealousy can often lead to a destructive and possibly violent end to a relationship if it goes too far or too long. Aggression and violence are often the end result, and your significant other can’t even look at someone that they might be attracted to without possibly setting you off.
This last form of jealousy is the hardest to overcome unless it is dealt with in the early stages. If you feel yourself getting to the point of feeling a paranoid jealousy, it’s time for some self reflection. That’s right. Looking inside yourself is the only way that you are going to overcome these feelings of jealousy and save your relationship.
You see, jealousy is not really about the emotion itself or what may have brought it on in the first place. More often than not, the jealousy has nothing to do with your significant other except to be the trigger for your feelings.
One of the first things that you should do is find a quiet place where you can be alone and ask yourself some honest questions. Ask yourself why you are feeling threatened, what you are afraid will happen, and what it is that you are afraid of. Answer yourself honestly.
If you give yourself honest answers you should begin to see that it has nothing to do with your significant other. It has everything to do with the emotions inside of you. Jealousy is really nothing more than a symptom of a larger issue in your life. It can be anything from trust issues resulting from past relationships to a lack of self-esteem that makes you afraid that they will cheat on you.
It’s only in facing the larger issues involved and making the decision to change the way you feel that you will be able to overcome the feelings of jealousy in your relationship. The last thing that you should do is try to bury your feelings as though they don’t exist. This is the unhealthiest choice you could make. Think of it as a cancer. If you bury and try to ignore it, it will just fester and eat away at you until it can’t be ignored anymore. Face your fears and overcome them.

Anyone in a long-term relationship knows all too well that keeping the romantic spark alive seems to require, at times, not only a colossal amount of firewood but a whole new way of looking at your significant other. The good news is that, if you find yourself in a relationship rut, then there are countless ways to dig your way out, reignite the spark and keep the embers burning for good.

Continue Reading

Marriage is a life long commitment that often fails to live up to expectations. The divorce rates are high and it can be a bit intimidating for married couples to look at the diminishing number of successful marriages. How can one ensure a successful marriage? There is no magic recipe, but there are some things that can help. One way to help the chances of a marriage being successful is to put romance in your marriage everyday.

Continue Reading

Long distance relationships are difficult for both involved parties. Instead of convenient companionship, long distance relationships are based on phone calls, visits that always seem too short, and a continuous countdown to the next reunion. While this may not seem like the most favorable scenario in which to cultivate a romance, maintaining a long distance relationship truly teaches both parties how to effectively communicate and trust one another. In addition, instead of snacking in front of the television, long distance couples spend countless hours on the phone, getting to know each other on a much deeper level.

Continue Reading

My husband and I have had thirty-one happy anniversaries and expect it to be a lot more. How you wonder did we manager to stay together for so many years? It’s not easy in today’s world of divorces, but a happy marriage takes work, but it‘s well-worth the effort. Here are ways Howard and I have found to keep our marriage happy and healthy. It will work for you both too. Continue Reading

Ever have those days you wish you weren’t married? Of course! We all do. On those days, you find it hard to believe that you allowed yourself to stoop this low. Or you might think you made the wrong decision all those years (or months ago). Perhaps it’s time to take a day for you. Find some “you” time.

Continue Reading

If you’ve ever been in a relationship, then you know the key to success is compromise. A relationship involves two people and for it to be successful, both
people have to be happy. Sounds easy enough, right? Then why is it that so many relationships fall apart just because one person isn’t willing to give a little? In this modern day, have people become so groomed to be independent that it’s too hard to meet someone half way?
When you have two people who are stubborn, strong-willed, or overly independent, the idea of compromise is as alien as little green men. The term “my way or the highway” must be completely forgotten to have anything resembling a relationship, or at least, to have one that works. I know it’s a lot easier to just walk away from a relationship when the other person makes you mad, than to actually try and work things out, but when you know you have something good, it’d be stupid to just throw it away. This can be especially difficult if you keep giving in while your partner keeps on getting his or her way. If you keep that up, you’ll just keep bending until you break. You both have to agree to reach a compromise that you both can live with.
The easiest way to reach a compromise is to look at the big picture. What do you really want and what does the other person really want? Sit down and talk to
your partner about what you both want and how you can find a middle ground that will make you both happy. I know that sounds pretty simple, but the hardest part about this is actually doing it. Relationships can be a headache and you may find yourself ready to throw in the towel more than a few times, but if you stick with it, you may just find that it’s worth it in the end.

It can be very difficult to be separated from your loved one by a long distance. Maintaining romance in a long distance relationship is never easy, but it can be done. There are a few things you can do to make sure that the romance and passion in your relationship does not die and that your relationship continues to grow stronger, even with the distance between you.

Continue Reading