Relationship Boosters Blog

An Invitation To The Clean-up  Man or Woman We meet so many couples who say that they don’t have time for their relationship.  Of course, the statement is not as direct, but the communication has the same meaning.  Some common statements are: I am so tired when I get home, I just want to go to sleep. My work schedule is so busy, and we just don’t get around to spending time together. I have so many events to attend. My friends and I have gatherings weekly. We spend time together when we get around to it. Our focus is on the [...]

How to Date Economically in the DC Metropolitan Area  After a blistery winter, we are on our way to the first day of spring on March 20th. It’s time to start thinking about possible spring date locations for you and your mate.  Let’s work on getting our date on.  Dating does not always have to be expensive. There are definitely economical dates in the DC metropolitan area.  There is nothing like kicking off the season by taking your date to The National Cherry Blossom Festival.  The festival has daily events for you and your significant other to participate in. You can check [...]

Forgive | Definition of Forgive by Merriam-Webster www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forgive Merriam-Webster 1 a : to give up resentment of or claim to requital for <forgive an insult> b : to grant relief from payment of <forgive a debt> 2 : to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon <forgive one’s enemies> Now that we have the definition of “Forgive”, let’s look at how we carry out forgiveness and gain a better understanding of what it is and isn’t. Forgiveness is: The process of breaking the attachment of negative emotions to a person or situation. This results in the relief of stress, anger, pain, [...]

Have you ever been stuck on how to say I’m sorry? Has someone ever stated that they don’t believe you’re sorry?  Has someone ever said, “You’re just saying what I want to hear, but you don’t know why you’re apologizing”? Dr. Gary Chapman identifies 5 universal ways that people apologize. Sincerity is more easily expressed when you believe what you are saying, and you use words that the other person can receive. Pick the type of apology that resonates with you. Try one of these the next time you need to give a sincere apology that the other person will be [...]

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart. ~Seneca Give your relationship that extra boost today by sharing what you are grateful for!  Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks, so don’t forget to give thanks to your partner today.  Even if there are flaws that you notice, being grateful can help to communicate and resolve problems that arise.  For example, you recognize that your spouse forgot to get the noodles for the macaroni. You can respond in many different ways. Response 1:  I thought I told you to get macaroni.  How could you forget the macaroni?  We eat it [...]

So, there is never a guarantee on whether or not a relationship is going to last but there is a guarantee that your relationship will “FAIL” if these next four things remain in your regular interactions with your partner. According to The Gottman Institute and Dr. John Gottman, it can be predicted with over 90% accuracy whether or not a relationship will fail if “The Four Horsemen” are present in your relationship. Let’s review them and start working on getting them out of our interactions with our partners. Criticism: The act of attacking your spouse’s character or personality and blaming them while stating [...]