Most couples begin their relationship with the highest of hopes as they envision smooth sailing for the rest of their lives. However, after only a few years (sometimes only weeks or months), many find themselves living with far greater distance in their intimate relationship than they ever imagined. They used to look forward to getting…
DetailsMy thoughts today are going to be geared for the most part to those of you who are single? While you may be dating or even in a relationship, you have not yet decided to “settle down,” “tie the knot,” or “allow yourself to be caught.” Many in this situation figure that they should use…
DetailsWe frequently read those startling statistics regarding the number of hours that teens spend with their eyes glued to their computer screens, phones, or television. But a recent study reported that parents might have a lot more in common with their teens than you might imagine. “Common Sense Media,” a nonprofit organization, found that parents…
DetailsIt seems that we are hearing lots today about “fake news.” As I heard Denzel Washington say, “If you don’t watch the news you are uninformed and if you watch the news you are misinformed.” He went on to say that media is more concerned about being the first to report something than they are…
Details“Perfect! My spouse is to blame for my excess weight. I knew that it couldn’t be my fault. I mean the fact that I love candy, cookies, Big Macs, and (in my case) Blue Bell ice cream – well, let’s just say that I am happy to learn that none of those things are making…
DetailsIn part 1 of this discussion last week I talked about the difficulties we face if we allow our lives to become stuck with old wounds and offenses. We may have encountered harsh jealousy and selfish behavior from a sibling, feelings of betrayal that we felt over a cheating spouse, or the loss of a…
DetailsI sat with a single mother the other day as she expressed her anger and frustration regarding her ex-husband and a looming custody fight. As she recounted various woundings, I listened with understanding and empathy. I was about to ask how many months they had been apart when she gave an indication that they had…
DetailsDuring the last three weeks we have been looking at how technology impacts our most precious relationships. In recent years, cells phones have begun to occupy greater and greater prominence in our lives. While it certainly puts the world at our fingertips, it also has contributed to incredible strain on our most significant relationships. We…
DetailsIn 2016 Psychology Today called attention to the fact that smartphones fragment human consciousness. They contend that the habitual use of smartphones lowers our ability to be empathetic as well as diminishes the “quality of conversation.” This is our third in a series addressing technology and our relationships. In the first post we looked at…
DetailsChicago psychologist, Nicole Martinez reported that in a study of young married women, “70 percent reported that face-to-face conversations were stopped in their tracks by a partner’s phone use or even active texting.” These intrusions have been referred to by some as “technoference.” We began last week to take a look at some of the…
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