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You and your partner are a team. You’re facing this thing called life together. Unfortunately, poor communication skills can derail even the best of relationships. It can lead to misunderstandings, increased conflict, and larger hurdles than what is necessary.

You may find yourself in a defeated place, but fixing bad communication is absolutely possible. Here are six ways you can start.

Couples come to therapy for a number of different reasons. It could be related to concerns of communication problems, issues surrounding trust, financial matters, or a lurking feeling of disconnect. One thing that isn’t often the main driver for attending couples therapy is sex and intimacy.

The Gottman Method is a trusted approach for couples counseling to help overcome communication habits, conflict resolution, and connectivity struggles. This method was developed by psychologists Dr. John and Dr. Julie Gottman after over 40 years of relationship research.

Through the course of their work, the Gottmans have been able to pinpoint specific problem areas within a relationship that can lead to divorce or end a relationship. These behaviors fall under the umbrella of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” Couples move through the seven floors of the Sound Relationship House theory to address these behaviors.

One of the big questions that couples have before beginning this method is, how long will it take? Let’s explore this further.

When you think of positive attributes you want in a relationship, the top ones are probably feeling safe, loved, respected, and secure. What doesn’t always come to mind is the term validation.

Validation is very important but often misunderstood. Everyone wants to feel seen and heard. They want to be supported by their partners. The foundation for that, and the health and longevity of a relationship, is through validation. So, how can you validate your partner?

If you were asked to name a dating red flag, you could probably come up with a few. While subjective, most people have an understanding of what the term means.

What makes red flags so perplexing is how they can appear appealing at first. You may find yourself drawn to someone with problematic behavior, only to realize later that these are not traits you want in a partner. So, what makes red flags look so attractive at the beginning of a relationship? Let’s take a look.

Your day is booked from the moment you wake up until you’re ready for bed. Your partner’s schedule looks the same. By the time you have a minute, you’re exhausted, resulting in little time together.

At a point, you may find yourself just accepting that that’s how it will be. Unfortunately, this can take a toll on your relationship. Here’s how you cancultivate healthy practices with your partner when time is limited.

Conflict and disagreement are a normal part of life. You’ll inevitably experience a disagreement with a coworker, argue with a friend, or not see eye-to-eye with your partner on an important matter. Conflict will even arise with strangers along the way. 

Often, conflict has a negative connotation because when it is unhealthy, it can lead to war, the loss of friends, or even divorce. While conflict is uncomfortable, it does not need to come with losing a relationship. There is a healthy way to resolve typical disagreements and have productive outcomes. Here are 4 ways to have constructive, healthy conflict. 

Relationships come in many different shapes and sizes. Love doesn’t always look a certain type of way. What works for one person doesn’t always work for the next. What seems appealing won’t always be the goal for another couple. 

The foundation for any relationship, whether it be familial, friend, or romantic, is trust. That is the driving force for maintaining strength no matter what life throws at you. Infidelity is one sure way to break down trust, causing rifts in a relationship.

Infidelity doesn’t just mean having a physical affair. It can come in different forms, one of which is emotional infidelity. While nothing physical has happened, emotional infidelity is still considered a form of cheating.

Let’s talk about sex, baby! In the beginning, it’s easy to be hot and heavy. As a relationship progresses, it’s only natural to have waxing and waning moments of attraction and drive. It’s also possible that other biological factors could be working anti-magic in the situation. More often for women, but men aren’t off the hook on this one either. Daily stress can influence a lot. Work distractions can have an impact. Hormones, age, medical issues, and even environmental factors can affect libido.

Regardless of why your libido may be running low, here are some natural ways to add spice to your love life.

You may have heard the term before. It often gets thrown around in conversation amongst friends as a joke, whether it be with each other or in reference to a relationship. Codependency, however, is a more dysfunctional term and can lead to negative outcomes in a relationship. It refers to emotional and behavioral factors that can impact two people’s ability to have a healthy and productive relationship.

One person tends to be an over-giver (or caretaker), while the other is more of the receiver (or advantage-taker). This can be present in a romantic relationship, with a close friend, with family members, or with colleagues. It can spiral into an addictive-like back-and-forth behavior and become abusive or destructive.

Here are signs you may be in a state of emotional codependency. 

People are creatures of habit. This applies to our day-to-day activities, thoughts, feelings, and actions. When it comes to relationships, people tend to develop types. They build attraction off of types. They choose partners based on types. When a breakup happens, there’s this tendency to find a new partner who still fits that same mold.

Growth occurs when you learn about yourself and determine what lesson can be learned from a previous failed relationship. This information can be key to creating a healthy future relationship.

Love is a battlefield…who do you want standing next to you for this fight called life? If you are in the dating game, a little self-reflection can go a long way. Here are five things to consider as you search for a new relationship.

Do you find that your relationships are always short-lived? Are you always finding faults in your partners? Always giving up at the first opportunity? You could fear commitment, or being in a long-term relationship. 

Commitment is a term we use for a broad spectrum here. Commitment may not just be about marriage or relationships. It can also be about dedicating time and effort to something, such as a job, a hobby, a goal, or if you are thinking ahead about your future. 

Fear of commitment involves demonstrating fear, or unwillingness to commit to anything long term. This is mostly about relationships. You could be wary of making long-term plans with your partner such as having children, or meeting their family, as this can make you uncomfortable, or try to avoid it as much as possible. 

So, why do we fear commitment, and what are the signs that you fear committing?