Tag Archives: emotional safety

SWM 131 – Tips to fight more effectively

Last week, I shared a list of ideas our Couple’s Night group had that helped build a resilient marriage. At the end of the call, we still had some time and started discussing fighting more effectively. Again, the group came up with some excellent ideas I want to share today.

Because fights will happen, I might even say they should happen.  When I come across a couple that doesn’t fight in any way – that’s a red flag.  It means one or both don’t feel safe in the marriage.  They aren’t able to express their views and opinions. 

Because if you put two people together for long enough, they will eventually find something to disagree about.

Ideally, a fight won’t involve yelling, screaming, hitting, throwing, or anything else like that, but it’s okay to quarrel.

So, today, we will discuss how to fight more effectively in your marriage so that your arguments can be a source of growth instead of damage.

How to use conflict to create intimacy

Does a disagreement always mean an argument?  Does resolving it always mean compromise or someone changing their opinion?  I’ve had this question come up a few times this week from multiple sources. Many people believe that a difference in opinion must result in an argument,

Drop “should” from your vocabulary this year

“Should” is a dangerous word that gets used far too often.  Now, I’m sure there are some appropriate times where it can be used, but often we don’t use it appropriately.  Often we use “should” where it’s actually harmful to what our goals are.  And,

The best way to discuss sexual fantasies

The best way to discuss sexual fantasies

Sharing a sexual fantasy with your spouse can be daunting.  I’ve received many emails from husbands and wives who have opened up to their spouse about something they want and get so completely shut down and rejected that they never want to open up again.

Are you giving to get?

Are you giving to get?

One of the biggest problems with relationships are covert contracts. Covert contracts are basically an agreement you have in your mind that if you do something, you’ll get something back in return. Typically you fool yourself into believing everyone understands the contract, but no one

Never use absolute accusations

Never use absolute accusations

Most, if not all of you, have been in a conversation where you or your spouse start a sentence with either “You never … ” or You always …”.  These absolute accusations should never be used in conflict and here’s why: 1. It’s not fair fighting

How do I deal with an abusive spouse?

I received this question almost a week ago from our anonymous Have A Question page: When we first got together my husband was a reasonable lover in that he seemed to care about my needs somewhat. He quickly turned into a raging bull, satisfying only

SWM012: Why do married men masturbate?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | EmbedSubscribe to the Podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | MoreI wrote a post on this topic a few years ago