Society today is marked with the thought that true love is the happily ever after. We get married based on true love. We will move across the country based on love. What is this “love” and why does it control us so?

How many of you are in, have been in, or will someday like to be in an intimate, committed loving relationship? Relationships are a fun and exciting aspect of life, but they are also hard, complex, and can be very difficult. Being part of a committed relationship includes figuring out how to manage tension and conflict. Every couple experiences times of tensions with their partner, and individuals handle this tension in many different ways.

Grief effects every individual at some point in their life.  Grief can be puzzling in the sense that what has been lost, is never coming back. A type of grief that is often forgotten about is the grief that is experienced due to an ambiguous loss.  An example of ambiguous loss includes:

I bet you desire to be a good parent. To be a healthy role model and offer loving effective discipline. But, this is harder than it looks. Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs on the planet! It is a vital job to be engaged in and have the mindset of curiosity and continued growth.

It is estimated that the prevalence of sexual abuse ranges from one in three to one in five (McEwan, Man, & Simpson-Housely, 2002). Now to think about that, one in about four! 1  out of 4, there are a whole lot of people who have been affected by sexual abuse.

There is hope and healing from this intimate violation!

Anxiety is a constant struggle for many individuals. Anxiety is a normal feeling to have and learning how to combat this emotion can be a very helpful tool. I’m not saying after this blog you will know how to get rid of anxiety forever, but you will learn some tips on how to manage it.

When couples first form a relationship, they are commonly in a stage we know as the “honeymoon” phase. Everything is fun, new, and exciting. You get to learn all about the other individual and enjoy a new person who “feels right” in your life. While this stage is great, sooner or later it does end. The average length of time of this “love drug” is 6-8 months with the max time of being about 2 years.

Even though the honeymoon period has concluded, it doesn’t mean the relationship is no longer fun, fulfilling and exciting.

We know that divorce occurs in about half of marriages within the United States, and this probably comes as no surprise to you. Although this statistic is well known, there is another important factor of divorce that is less talked about.

How does divorce affect the families?

Have you ever watched the television show Baggage? If you have, you know that three contestants go on the show to find love, but must reveal three forms of “baggage” from their past. It is not uncommon for participants to report baggage such as,

Have you ever been frustrated with your spouse?  At some point or another, everyone has had frustrating times with their significant other.  It is completely normal.  In your head, think about a topic that can be difficult to resolve or is frustrating in your relationship.

When you are in the moment of this argument or conflict, what might an onlooker see happening? 

Gardens are a good source of fresh air, and as well as a hobby to many people. When gardening, you care for the plants and nourish them as often as possible. In the same way, we care for our marriage and want it to thrive, flourish and succeed. Today we are going to look at marriage as a garden.

This relationship stuff can be simple! However, simple does not always mean easy. The simple relationship investments presented here help relationships thrive, grow and promote emotional safety.

Did you know that the area of neuroscience has important implications for mental and relational health? Let’s practically explore some of what neuroscience has taught us about how we do relationships!

Do you know what makes up a friendship?

You use and enjoy friendship in your intimate and family relationships, in your business and work, how we are with family and with our actual “friends.”  A friend is something we all have, something we all are… but what makes and builds a friendship?

So, How can the Psychology of Love Help Me Have a Better Day?

What if I don’t feel loved? What if I am single, divorced, estranged or widowed? What if my marriage and family relationships are less than enjoyable? Is there love for me?

There is love, joy, peace, meaning and purpose for your life, no matter what the current circumstances!

So, you are at the grocery store and share a laugh with your cashier. You are walking through the mall and a stranger greets you with a gentle nod and silently wishes you a great day. Can these everyday moments be called love?

We tend to throw the term anxiety around and many people use that word to refer to many different body based experiences (such as sweaty hands, hearts racing, clenching muscles, tension in the jaw and upset stomach) and brain based experiences (such as excessive worrying, difficultly concentrating on thoughts of my choice, hard time sleeping or relaxing, and needing to stay overly busy to keep the brain distracted, to name a few).

Anxiety works differently in each of us, yet is a universal experience.

We all have fears and occasional bad dreams. We can avoid thinking about them or avoid things that remind us of what we fear. We can distract ourselves and pretend like we are “just fine.”  How do you cope with fears? What do you do that helps when you have a bad dream?