Everyone has expectations for their most important relationships, but could they do more harm than good? In this Love Matters video, we explore the way expectations can impact your relationships, and how you can handle them well. 

The thing with expectations is that we usually don’t even realize we have them until they are not met. This is particularly true of newlyweds. Once you say “I do” and start living together on a daily basis, that’s when issues begin to surface. Yet, all too often we fail to even talk about them, which usually results in conflict. And it’s certainly not limited to newlyweds.

The essential first step in crafting a difficult conversation is to reclaim a healthy respect for the power of words. When preparing to engage another in a difficult conversation we must acknowledge and anticipate the impact our words could have on another. 

When there’s a problem in your relationship, how do you respond? By shutting down? Yelling? Criticizing? Giving up? The way you communicate with your partner can be one of the most influential factors in how well you manage conflict. So check out our newest video, where we show you how to avoid destructive pitfalls in difficult conversations.

More and more of today’s engaged couples are seeing the benefits of saying, “I do,” to premarital counseling and education. In fact, research shows that couples that seek out premarital education enjoy a 30% lower chance of divorce than the couples who do not. But before heading out the door to your first appointment, you need to consider the importance of whom you choose to counsel you. 

Whether single or dating, engaged or married, humans have a love-hate relationship with being in relationships. They are so simple in design, yet so complex in practice. When we are in love, we feel a flood of pleasurable emotions: from the warm calm of contentment to the overwhelming obsession of passion. But when we feel disconnected from others...