All You Need to Know about Relationships

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to go back over some of the key topics I’ve blogged about and to give a complete list of my blogs for each topic. Just click on the links to access the blog articles to learn all you need to know about relationships.

Our modern lives can be stressful enough without also having arguments and unhappiness in our closest relationships. Worries about money and work situations, health and child rearing issues, even working out who will do what around the house, need to be addressed and how a couple talks over these stressful problems either reduces or magnifies the tensions caused by the initial problem.

We know that the obvious answer is to talk about it. The problem can often be how to find the right time and the right way to talk about it.

This article looks at some key strategies we can adopt that will make a big difference to our relationships, including having more of an understanding how men and women handle stress quite differently.

What leads to the break-up of a relationship? Is there anything psychology research can tell us about what makes a really healthy relationship?  It appears that there are some patterns of interaction in relationships that are particularly destructive. John Gottman, renowned expert in couples counselling, discovered four markers of relationship failure with an astonishing 93 percent accuracy in predicting divorce. He named them dramatically as “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  They are criticism, defensiveness, contempt and stone-walling.

This blog looks at criticism and defensiveness and this looks at stonewalling and contempt.

Developing empathy, the skill of being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes is a vital tool in any relationship and learning the simple technique of Active Listening can also really improve your communication skills and strengthen your relationship. These two articles examine Couples Counselling and The 5 Simple Steps of Active Listening.

Need some advice and support?

If you are experiencing difficulties in a close relationship and would like to talk it over either individually or as a couple,  in complete confidentiality, call Alison Winfield, Mindfully Well Counselling Cork on 087 9934541.