Nice words, ugly words, kind words, curse words, thankful words, sad words, positive words, negative words. . . What kind of words you use, said with what tone of voice, at what time, and how many of them. . . it all matters in bringing joy of misery.
Whether the environment of your home is joyful and uplifting or negative and miserable depends, in great measure, on the words you use. Which ones will you use more this month?
Read MoreJust how much does technology interfere with your relationship? Today’s smartphones enable you to constantly be in contact with everyone, with the office, and access the Internet or the cloud for needed information on the fly. That's good, right?
"It depends" is the answer.
This blog post covers how devices can be harmful not only to your relationships but also to your health. Then I will offer some tips on how to use your smartphone to your advantage, instead of to your detriment.
Read MoreI usually encourage couples to find ways to apply into their relationship something positive from their daily activities. With Halloween around the corner it makes sense to think about what relationship lessons can be gained from Halloween. Here are a few I came up with. See if you can find others and share them with us.
Read MoreWe tend to make gratitude and joy conditional events, attaching the word “when” to feelings of thankfulness and joy. “When everything in life comes together the way we want it to,” we rationalize, “then we’ll be grateful and joyful.” Yet, the surest way to joy is through gratitude. Learn why it's important to express gratitude to your partner.
Read MoreLife can be very fast pace at times and we all need a day to relax and celebrate like this one. So go ahead, you can let yourself have this day for yourself. You deserve it. Just kick back and relax. Get rid of that hectic lifestyle and enjoy this day, alone or with your partner.
If you need ideas, check out the following 10 tips on relaxing to make celebrating this holiday a breeze:
Read MoreSometimes joy escapes us because we are waiting for something big. In reality, the smallest things in life can bring the largest amount of joy if you “stop and smell the roses.” Look around you. Be in the moment. Take the little details in. Be thankful for pockets of joy.
Read MoreAs someone who grew up in communist Cuba, Freedom is a very important concept for me. That’s probably why the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays! As the 4th of July gets close, I keep thinking about the interplay of 3 words in relationships: Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence.
Probably because English is not my native language whenever I think about words, I tend to go first to the dictionary to get the “official” meaning of the words. Pulling together what different dictionaries and Wikipedia say, and thinking about what the words may mean for couples, this is my take on these words.
The experience of an intensely intimate relationship is both wonderful and terrifying. Intense intimacy and intense sex are unbearably threatening and require more adult autonomy and ego strength than many can muster. At the same time, the experience can be totally awesome.
Read Morehis weekend is Memorial Day in the US. A time to remember those that fought for our ideals. A time to remember heroes and heroines, the recognized ones and the unsung and forgotten. It makes me think: Do we know what a hero is? Do we still need heroes? Do we even believe in heroes and heroines anymore? Keep reading to find out.
Read MoreMany couples have communication problems. Here are the three most common mistakes couples make.
Read MoreIt's February, a good month to think about friendship in your relationship. Give your partner the gift of friendship and see your relationship blosom!
Read MoreAre you so focused on negativity that you don't even notice the positive anymore? Couples start focusing on problems and conflict and soon can't even remember why they love each other. Do you know the ideal formula for relationship success? Keep reading to find out.
Read MoreHolidays can be happy times or tumultuous times. Or a combination! Here are simple and short suggestions for making your life easier during the holidays.
Read MoreThere are two simple words that are so powerful it amazes me they are not used more often. The two words are “Thank You.” I want to challenge you to use them more frequently, not only this week, but all year long.
Read MoreI love fall! Every year I revel in the striking beauty that is autumn. We are just starting the season and I'm already anticipating what is to come: the glorious colors displaying nature’s color palette, enhanced by the sunlight. The deep reds, the vibrant oranges, the lively yellows, the array of greens, and the earthy browns formed a collage of colors showing a bountiful variety. Together they demonstrated the beauty of fall.What do the colors of fall have to do with your relationships?
On this blog I share how differences can be celebrated instead of becoming a source of conflict and negativity.
Read MoreHope is one of those words that brings a lot of good feelings. When people become hopeless they get depressed, “lose heart,” “give up.” Some even want to die. No case of suicide has ever happened because the person had too much hope. Without hope you don’t take action on anything, much less tackle change. Hope get you up in the morning. As a couple, hope makes you stay together, strategize and act upon your dreams and goals.
So hope is good. . . right? Well. . . kind of. . . You see, hope can also derail you. . .
Read MoreIt seems like worry is a very widespread “illness” in our society. Almost everyone seems to worry that this and that may happen. A lot of people are worried about their future, their financial situation, that their husband or wife may leave them, that they may get ill, have a terrible accident… and there are surely a hundred other possible worries. The big question is how to stop worrying. Today we share some suggestions.
Read MoreThe only thing more viral than COVID-19 may be stress—both at home and in our collective psyche. Practically overnight, our way of life was disrupted, with little time to re-vamp. Work and health concerns are ever present. You go outside, and we are all looking like masked bandits entering the grocery store for what has become an anxiety riddled outing due to the insecurity of what will you find. Today you will get practical tips to prevent all the extra stress from negatively affecting our relationship.
Read MoreDon’t let the business of work and home damage your listening!
As a relationship coach, I spend lots of time listening to people describe their situation, their problem, their frustration, etc. My clients expect me to listen and understand their challenges. In many respects, I am a “professional listener.”
Some people are hard of hearing, but many more are hard of listening. In this blogpost you will find out why!
Read MoreI bet when you were dating you could hardly keep your hands off each other. Any time you saw each other was a great opportunity for (at least) hugs and kisses. Yet, now they hardly touch each other anymore . No wonder they tell me they are not "in love" anymore! Want to feel in love again? The key is to express more affection, both emotionally and physically. Today we are going to talk about the physical side of expressing affection.
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