Do you have a hard time standing up for yourself? Do you agree to things you don’t want to do? Do you take things personally that might not be personal? You may benefit from learning how to set personal boundaries in relationships. Learning how to set healthy relationship boundaries can also help you increase your self-esteem…

Are you ready to break up with your partner? Breaking up is hard to do — except when it isn’t. For too many of us, break-ups mean ugliness. They mean posts and memes about crazy exes. Even if we’re ready to break up, we may not be ready for the break-up blueprint. This means we…

On one hand, there are the many expectations we have about marriage. On the other hand, there’s reality. In the early days of most relationships, it can feel like smooth sailing. We’re on the same wavelength and feel as if we could stay up all night talking. We may even finish each other’s sentence. But…

Are Anger and Poor Communication Hurting Your Love Life? All healthy couples argue from time to time. But when anger gets in the way of communication, your relationship suffers. Couples counseling involves learning to communicate better to deal with anger and strengthen your relationship. This batch of communication tips will help you keep a loving…

You’ve found out about your partner’s sexual betrayal. And, of course, you are crushed. However, you also begin to notice other symptoms that don’t readily seem to connect to the betrayal. Feeling persistently on edge, lashing out, mood swings, and trouble sleeping is plaguing you recently. Believe it or not, these effects of sexual betrayal,…

We’re conditioned to see arguing as a very bad relationship sign. On top of that, many of us can have problems setting boundaries with a loved one. The most common negative side effect of these realities is avoiding conflict. This is not to say we should seek conflict. Rather, we must not ignore the underlying…

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatment developed by Marsha Linehan. Research has shown that DBT is effective in treating a wide range of disorders and issues, including depression, substance use, eating disorders, and PTSD. DBT includes skills in four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal…

Maintaining your composure during an argument requires a great deal of self-control. Especially an argument with an intimate partner. Since you’re reading this, you’ve likely made the effort to have a fair fight. That is, you’ve committed to surrendering your unhelpful fighting habits to adopt new communication skills. However, you may have discovered that, instead…

After marriage, you go from leading somewhat separate lives, to coming together in a true union. Whether you already live together or will be moving in together for the first time, one way you will come together is through building a life in a new space. There are so many ways to personalize your space…

Are you unconsciously sabotaging your relationship? Do you often find yourself back at square one fighting the same old fights with your partner? It could be that your expectations are sabotaging your relationship goals and creating this friction again and again. Your expectations have taken time to form. So long, in fact, that it’s possible…

It’s not the absence of conflict that makes a relationship healthy, it’s the way you manage it. We shouldn’t view conflict as something that needs to be “fixed,” as it’s a normal part of any relationship. Instead, we should see it as a relational experience that needs to be handled appropriately. Allow your relationship to…

With a near 50% divorce rate across the U.S., and in Houston, the chance of having a successful marriage is all too slim. Nobody, going into marriage thinks they’ll be part of that statistic; unfortunately, however, half of those couples are wrong. Divorce is common, but not inevitable. By changing the way you and your…

Now that spring has arrived in Houston, a deep cleaning is a great way to embrace a fresh start in life. A good sweep-out is not only good for your physical space, but it’s healthy for your mental space too. If you’re like most people then your life can feel cluttered or bogged down at times.…