Do communication techniques feel awkward to you? You genuinely want more meaningful communication with your spouse. The problem is, whenever you try to apply a method you’ve learned, it feels awkward and unnatural. If you can’t use those techniques, what else are you supposed to do? Using communication tactics such as reflecting your spouse’s feelings might feel robotic and unnatural. You might feel like you’re going through the motions of an exercise. But getting agitated by a techni...| SYMBIS Assessment
Is revenge justified when your spouse betrays you? Whatever happened, this betrayal was devastating to your emotional wellbeing. It affected important aspects of your life and made moving forward incredibly difficult. If your spouse hurt you that deeply, is it fair to make them pay for what they did? Shouldn’t they have to suffer, too? Betrayal is one of life’s most painful experiences. That’s especially true when it happens within a marriage. Some betrayals are easier to overcome than ...| SYMBIS Assessment
Daily devotionals are a beautiful way to connect with your spouse on a spiritual level. But in our experience working with couples, they’re surprisingly hard to do as a married couple. For some couples, praying and studying together feel easy during the dating years. Once you cross the proverbial threshold of marriage, everyday obligations take over. Suddenly, daily devotionals don’t feel quite as endearing as they used to. They have a different energy. With so many daily demands, it can ...| SYMBIS Assessment
So you want to get married, but your significant other is reluctant. Engagement seems a long way off, if it happens at all. What do you do? If you’ve been in a relationship for a long time—maybe even years—you’re likely thinking of the future. But how can you get to the future if the person you’re dating is ambivalent about engagement? You’re ready to take that step toward making the ultimate commitment. How do you get them on board? How Much Longer Should You Wait? Is it worth wa...| SYMBIS Assessment
Does your spouse withdraw when you’re going through a tough time? Seasons of grief, loss, and waiting are difficult for everyone. But we each survive those seasons in different ways. Maybe your spouse self-isolates during times like this, but you crave deep connection. How can you persuade them to open up to you? You want to join with your spouse’s spirit and get through this together. You’re eager to walk alongside them and share their grief, but they’re so private about their feelin...| SYMBIS Assessment
Does your spouse spill your secrets? It’s upsetting when someone tells your secrets to friends and family. And when your spouse does the telling, that hurts even more. We want to be able to trust the person we marry with our vulnerabilities, fears, and deepest secrets. So what can you do when your spouse breaks confidence? Is there any way to rebuild trust in your marriage? Let’s talk about it. Spilled Secrets Feel Like Betrayal Let’s say you opened up to your spouse about a sensitive s...| SYMBIS Assessment
Do you hide hard feelings from your spouse? Many of us prefer to ignore conflict, or have none at all. It’s understandable that you want to keep the peace. Staying silent feels like the safer option when you don’t want to fight with your spouse. The thing is, conflict has its place. When you and your spouse don’t see eye to eye on an issue, it’s going to lead to friction. Avoiding friction completely won’t make it go away. Instead, hiding your hard feelings can create an undercurren...| SYMBIS Assessment
Does your spouse guilt you in front of friends and family? It’s great to have a shared friend group, or to be close with family. There’s comfort and intimacy in close relationships. But sometimes, spouses bring up grievances against each other in these settings. Your spouse might do this in a way that seems lighthearted or well-intentioned to others. To you, though, it feels like an embarrassing guilt trip. Guilt trips can be masked as concern, jokes, or prayer requests. Sometimes they’...| SYMBIS Assessment
How much alone time is healthy in a marriage? Is it possible to spend too much time alone? If so, what does that mean for your relationship? Being alone, as well as together, can be healthy for your individual wellbeing. When we’re healthy individuals, we bring that wellness into our marriage. Yet there’s often a misconception that spending time alone is unhealthy. That’s not always true. Every marriage experiences different seasons, ebbs, and flows. Spending time alone doesn’t necess...| SYMBIS Assessment
Has your spouse asked you to lose weight? Maybe they haven’t asked, but have hinted and left clues along the way. You might be feeling self-conscious. If your spouse wants you to lose weight, should you do it for them? Most likely, if your spouse has brought up concerns about your weight, they are interested in your overall health. Ultimately, any actions you take for your wellbeing should be for yourself. When we’re healthy, our relationships benefit—including our marriages. Weight is ...| SYMBIS Assessment
