Dear CMR,

"I am in friendships that I am worried might be manipulative. What are some ways that I can recognize manipulation within friendships or relationships?" ​

Signed, 

Curious and Questioning

When you think about your relationship with your spouse, are there obvious things that come to mind when considering problem areas? A relationship does not blossom overnight and neither does distance between you and your spouse. Debra Fileta outlines 10 areas to consider when you are protecting your marriage relationship. Do you recognize any of these areas? How do you combat them in your relationship?

According to recent research, 94% of Americans believe that it is important to forgive other people. Want to guess how many people actually make the effort to forgive others? What does forgiveness actually require? Do you have to ignore what the person did to you? Do you have to pretend like it didn't happen? This video covers what forgiveness means and what it does not mean.

Dear CMR:

I have been trying to think of dates that I can set up with my wife that will help us connect with each on a deeper level. It can be hard to schedule that into our weekly routine with kids and other things making life busy. Can you help me with some ideas?

Signed,

The Busy Romantic

Picture this scene: someone has hurt you and they have apologized but you still feel a lingering sense of frustration or anger towards them. What happened? They apologized, but for some reason, it didn't quite communicate that the person is sorry. In this article, Alisa Grace and Dr. Jana Anderson explain three ways to ruin an apology. Have you ever caught yourself doing these things? Have you heard someone apologize in one of these ways?

Imagine this scene: you are sitting at dinner with some friends and someone makes a comment about something you've done. Even though it was a true statement, it hurt your feelings. What is going on here? How do you explain this hurt feeling to the person? What they said was true. In this video, Dr. Tim Muehlhoff explains that there are two levels of communication: relational communication and content communication. Does his explanation put things in a new light for you?

Unfortunately, many people struggle with depression today, and probably even more than we realize. Depression is a difficult and psychologically complex disorder, so what are some practical ways to help a friend dealing with it? In today's post, Dr. Grace offers sound guidance for helping friends and loved ones who battle depression.

Divorce can be an earth-shattering experience. Life takes on a different texture and confidence in the things that you once believed in can be questioned. In this article, Dr. Chris Grace shares seven points on how to begin to build confidence back in yourself, in relationships, and in life in general. As you read through these comments, do you agree with these points?