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25 Ways to Save Your Marriage (And Your Life) Oh, and yes, divorce crushes your finances: A study of divorced baby boomers found that a split slashed their wealth to less than a quarter of what they would’ve had if they’d never wed at all.

25 Ways to Save Your Marriage (And Your Life)

So we’ve collected 25 tips that can protect you from the sickly, cash-poor, single life. 7 Signs You're Giving Up And Settling In Your Relationship. After many failed relationship attempts, I started to think that maybe I’ve been a little too picky in terms of dating.

7 Signs You're Giving Up And Settling In Your Relationship

I had been in relationships with several great and good looking guys, who all had plenty of wonderful qualities. I was reminded constantly by my friends and family that each one was a “great catch.” When I would find myself feeling sad or lonely in those past relationships, I just wrote my feelings off as being too needy, or too emotional. I once even had an ex tell me straight up that I ask for way too much, so I started thinking that maybe he was right and I would just be lonely forever. Unrealistic Expectations about Marriage 

Take These Active Steps Accept your own expectations — and your partner’s.

Unrealistic Expectations about Marriage 

These hopes and dreams — and even the “you shoulds” — are signs of deep needs. Your marriage cannot meet them all, but writing them off will leave each of you feeling unaccepted, alone, resentful. Be realistic about what you do ask for. Your spouse probably can’t bring you coffee in bed each morning, prop up your self-image three times a day, or never start an argument. See what you can do yourself. Grieve what you can’t have. Use disappointment as a signal of unconscious expectations. Don’t compare your spouse to other people’s spouses — or your marriage to other marriages. Look carefully at your expectations for yourself. When Margaret and Rich Martin got married, their colleagues at a Marietta, Georgia, newspaper gave them a grill that led Rich to an “aha” moment about his own expectations for himself as a husband. How to Fix a Relationship: Learn the 20 Bad Relationship Habits. 1.

How to Fix a Relationship: Learn the 20 Bad Relationship Habits

Trying to improve him/her. News flash: There's no such thing as a perfect person, so don't expect unrealistic changes. Reminding him or her to make the bed is one thing, but trying to radically change shyness or anxiety is another — and could be ignoring the underlying causes for those issues in the first place. 2. Finding faults with the fam. 5 Relationship Problems Therapists See Over And Over Again—And How To Fix Them : "Our sex life isn't what it used to be." Fix it: Start thanking each other.

5 Relationship Problems Therapists See Over And Over Again—And How To Fix Them : "Our sex life isn't what it used to be."

"Fighting about who pays the bills, cleans, does lawn work or laundry, is more about feeling appreciated and getting credit than doing the actual task," says Melissa Cohen, LCSW, a couples counselor in private practice in Westfield, New Jersey. It's easy to feel like nothing you do is ever good enough if you don't get any credit. "We see what we do but don't always see what our partner does," says Cohen. To get past the "I do more than you" argument, start by creating a culture of appreciation for what your spouse does, rather than focusing on what they don't.

11 Non-Sexual Ways To Increase The Intimacy In Your Relationship. What if I told you that by not having sex you can actually increase the intimacy in your relationship?

11 Non-Sexual Ways To Increase The Intimacy In Your Relationship

You’re probably thinking, Hold on a minute! How do you get more intimate than having sex? Or, Doesn’t no sex mean trouble in paradise? Sex and intimacy are two very different things, and one is more influential than the other in creating long-term relationship success. After the initial hot and heavy stage that every couple experiences — when you actually shower, shave, and brush your teeth before each date — things naturally cool off a bit. In my relationship, it was laying in bed talking about past experiences, taking walks discussing our core values and snuggling on the couch sharing future dreams that formed the bond that is now my happy marriage. When You’re Not Attracted to Your Partner « Conscious Transitions. When You’re Not Attracted to Your Partner « Conscious Transitions. Money and Relationships: How to Make Opposing Views Work.

8 Tips for Dealing with a Depressed Spouse. When one spouse has depression, it can put a strain on a marriage.

8 Tips for Dealing with a Depressed Spouse

Living with a depressed partner who is often unhappy, critical and negative isn't easy, and at the same time, it may also be hard to persuade a husband or wife to get help. "Depression varies tremendously in severity, but it has many behavioral impacts that can profoundly affect all significant relationships," said Dr. Jay Baer, a psychiatrist and director of ambulatory services in the department of psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Depression results from shifts in brain chemistry that influence mood, thoughts, sex drive, sleep, appetite and energy levels — all factors that could affect a marriage, as well as disrupt home and family life. "Have marriages been broken up by depression? Here are his tips and advice when one spouse has depression. 9 Things Only People With Depression Can Truly Understand. There’s been a lot of dialogue surrounding depression — particularly in light of recent events — as people struggle to understand why and how it affects people in the ways that it does.

9 Things Only People With Depression Can Truly Understand

And for the 350 million people worldwide with the condition, it can be just as hard to articulate its effects as it is to understand it. Depression can make people feel like their minds have completely rebelled against them. From a lack of will to physical pain, it can cause people to function poorly at work, in school and in social activities, according to the World Health Organization. Many people who experience depression can also experience symptoms of anxiety. But those factors are just the start. Here’s the Secret to Communicating With Irrational, Angry or Crazy People. We all have to deal with our share of hotheads and crazies.

Here’s the Secret to Communicating With Irrational, Angry or Crazy People

What does research say works with them? First off, you can’t get angry too. Because then there are two crazy people arguing. While very entertaining to onlookers, this doesn’t accomplish much. How Sex Isn't The Only Form Of Infidelity In Relationships These Days. It’s 5:30 am, and your alarm goes off.

How Sex Isn't The Only Form Of Infidelity In Relationships These Days

You open your eyes, and your mind starts racing. Meetings, conference calls and project deadlines all loom. The Power of Two. 30 Signs Of Emotional Abuse In A Relationship. 15 Crucial Warning Signs You Are In An Abusive Relationship. If he (or she) does ANY of these things, you need to get out and get help. Women don't plan to enter into abusive relationships. In fact, many women who've escaped abusive relationships swear to themselves that they will never get into another one, only to find themselves becoming victims of abuse once again. Sadly, it takes an average of five to seven acts of violence before a woman leaves her abuser. 21 Warning Signs of an Emotionally Abusive Relationship. Is it possible that you are being abused and not even know it? Domestic violence is once again in the forefront of the news. This is in part due to abusive incidents with sports figures or celebrities that have become very public.

Abuse is not always as obvious as being hit or shoved, called degrading names or cussed out. In fact, it can very well be underhanded or subtle. You may find yourself feeling confused about the relationship, off balance or like you are “walking on eggshells” all the time. Psychological abuse occurs when a person in the relationship tries to control information available to another person with intent to manipulate that person’s sense of reality or their view of what is acceptable and unacceptable. All abuse takes a severe toll on self-esteem.

Types of Abuse « Center For Relationship Abuse Awareness.