May is right around the corner and happens to be “Date your Mate” month. Most couples realize the importance of date night in their marriage; unfortunately, life gets in the way and couples push date nights to the side. Soon date nights become family nights with kids in tow and that’s not the sort of enriching date night that fosters the intimacy that marriage demands. Most couples want more from their marriage – more connection, more closeness, and deep conversations. They w

Are you feeling as though there is less and less time to complete your to-do list? You try to make a doctor’s appointment for an annual checkup only to find you don’t have time so once again you put off your health in order to get stuff done. You can’t remember the last time you took personal time to do something for yourself. If you’re constantly on the go, it’s not only affecting your emotional and physical health, it’s affecting your relationships, too. Physical symptoms s

What you tell yourself matters. In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Psychological Science, researchers found that individuals who verbally expressed compassion and kindness toward themselves scored higher in mental and physical health than those who more critical. It’s surprising that words alone had the greatest influence on our health. Saying things such as, “Nothing ever works out for me,” or “It’s impossible to be upbeat with what’s happening in the world,” an

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, almost one third of families living together use texting in lieu of conversing face-to-face. Texting has become the easy, convenient way to communicate between partners and family members. The statistic was higher when families had children. When asked why, most of the respondents agreed that phones are always with you, they reduce yelling at each other, and are more convenient. In one third of the homes, smart phones were being

Do you feel as though you’re sleepwalking through life? You don’t remember your drive home, what happened at work, or the last time you made a decision you’re passionate about. When we live on autopilot, we feel as though we’re no longer invested in making our lives happen; it’s as if we’re passengers in our life. Part of being on autopilot is wired into our brains. Our brains naturally make unconscious decisions due to practiced habit. This is a helpful quality until we begi